I finally got round to looking at August’s newsletter of GI News–a useful and lively healthy eating outlet from the University of Sydney and based around the principles of the Glycaemic Index and Glycaemic Load.
There’s a short piece by dietician Nicole Senior in which she discusses the pros and cons of eating red meat from the perspectives of health and the environment.
It’s far from bad news for red meat fanciers.
She quotes recent research:
A model healthy diet according to Australia’s National Health & Medical Research Council, contains 65g a day of red meat (455g/1lb per week) and the American Institute of Cancer Research: World Cancer Research Fund says to limit red meat to no more than 500g (1lb 2oz a week) to reduce the risk of cancer.
To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Professor Tony McMichael and colleagues from the Australian National University have suggested we limit red meat to no more than 90g (3oz) a day (630g/1lb 5oz a week), based on the idea people in developed countries currently eat more than double this.
Restricting red meat to a quarter of the Plate, she says, will help as a guide to achieving this.
I then took another peek at Michael Pollen’s excellent and amusing Food Rules (Penguin) in which he says that when buying meat, it’s worth looking for animals that have been fed in pastures.
Monsieur Fraisse, our butcher in Lautrec, knows where each animal he butchers has been raised and what they’ve been fed on. A luxury I know and not so easy when shopping in supermarkets.
Worth asking though?–if there’s a working butcher’s counter at the supermarket?
I’d be interested to hear any feed back–(so to speak!).
Michael Pollen writes:
The food from these animals will contain much healthier types of fat as well as higher levels of vitamins and antioxidents.
You will pay more but if you are buying and consuming less–the cost won’t be much higher.
The meat will taste better too!
Michael Pollen’s mantra on how to eat:
Eat food. Not too much. Mainly plants.
You could also check out the piece by Professor Jennie Brand-Miller–GI expert–on the protein values to be got from plants, in the same August newsletter.
Robin Ellis 
Hello Robin, Leaving aside the question of excessive animal fat intake and disease, I think you could mention too that many of the guidelines on eating meat are written with U.S. beef in mind. It is forbidden to add hormones in France whereas U.S. beef is full of these, as well as a lot more antibiotics than are permitted in France. Consequently, guides on healthy eating from America (including such good reads as Michael Pollen) will advise greatly restricting intake. And for the same reason… we have a lot fewer advice-givers on the topic in France! Although the best beef in France may be from local independent butchers, even the “ordinary” cuts from the regular supermarkets are of decent quality. And a typical serving is much smaller, at home or in a restaurant, than what you’d get elsewhere. x Susan
Thanks for that Susan– very helpful.
Hello Robin,
We used to visit our local farmer and choose the animal we wanted whilst it was still grazing!! Then a couple of weeks later collect the cuts we had ordered. Not so today – so few local abatoirs left. However, there is an excellent farm nearby which sells all its own meat, poultry and even venison. I know how lucky we are, but several supermarkets in UK now print the name of the farm and farmer on meat packs which is very useful.
Enjoying your book no end – my type-two visitors were most impressed, so a big thank you.
S-J
That is useful to know, Sophie-Jane, Thank you.
We used buy a good meat at Mercato di S. Lorenzo (as you best known) were we can found the best steak of Florence. Cooked “al sangue” (at blood); salt and pepper after cooked, in the plate… enjoy!!!
I like that Market too and a small restaurant called Mario’s (I think)–only open for lunch.
I forget one most important thing: its good eat the steak one a month. Its really true that in Tuscany around 1950 more people has colestherol and diabetic causes by “steak cooked on the fire”. Fat around the meat causes this problems and the medical study of Careggi’s Hospital in Florence discovered this new and confirmed!!!
Yes Robin, Marios is “alive” open from Monday to Saturday for lunch. Mario shares “steak” take away too to taste in office or at any local job around. Have a nice night Robin ;))
p.s. I and hubby are on holidays in mountain (parents house) tasting good local recipes. Here in Montepiano (province of Prato-Tuscany-) one of the best dishes are “tortelli di patate” with ragù. Very good, but little plesant.
Good to know, Beatrice, that it’s still open–we will go next time we’re in Florence.
Tortelli di patate sounds a bit like gnocci and must be delicious with ragu. Not so good for people with diabetes, though.
I do think it is folly (from both an economic and resource standpoint) to cycle our protein through an animal before we consume it. I do enjoy bacon and sausage now and then, but otherwise my diet is (as Pollan recommends) mainly plant-based. I initially turned to plants out of concern over e.coli (I now know that plants are not safe from e.coli contamination) but I have stayed away from meat because of concerns over the quality of commercially raised meats (added hormones, antibiotics, unnatural diets). I do live in a rural area where many “know” their meat, and that is an exception – whether free range chicken/eggs, grass fed beef, or wild deer.
So…got any good tofu recipes?
No experience of cooking tofu, Debra.
This site–you probably know it–has some recipes. [Tofu nuggets may give it a bad name!!]
Living in the country makes a difference–you’re right.
Robin I have to admit that I do enjoy a good piece of beef,and a nice piece of steak.I do buy my meat from a butcher who knows where his meat has come from,I do pay that bit extra,but I would rather do that & know that the meat is edible and teasty.I have in the past bought meat from supermarkets, but find there is no teast at all in it.I try to keep our intake of red meat (which includes lamb chops) to twice in a week three times if a make a casserole, I have to think about Jimmy’s insulin. Now this is where your invaluable book comes into it own – it has been used already
Best wishes Elaine
THanks for that Elaine.
Sometimes I am surprised as cheap meat from the supermarket is compared to other food. At least in Germany it is so because here the competition between the supermarket chains is very hard. Meat has become a mass product and the quality suffers. Cheap prices support factory farming. Meat has no time to ripe. I think many farmers feed too much silage and concentrate. This all has effects on the quality of meat and milk.
I have seen meat packs with origin data only in Austrian supermarkets or in German organic markets. In Tyrol there are still many small mountain farmers who produce good quality.
We should make it like the Southerners and eat meat as a side dish and not as a main course.
Thanks Martina–very interesting comment. I am going to collect the comments on this post and post them, if no-one objects.
Robin that’s a very good idea, the comparisons with different area’s will be interesting to see. – Best wishes Elaine.
Hi Robin, better late than never.
Since the mad cow disease scare meat in our local butcher’s and supermarkets has to show the provenance, even down to the individual animal. At least it used to; I haven’t checked recently. Certainly the origin of fruit and veggies are regularly shown, i.e., Italy, Chile, Israel whatever.
Argentinian beef is a good bet too, because the animals are ‘free range’ in that they walk to their water, eat grass and don’t get pumped up with undesirable chemicals and additives. It is natural meat (which I have eaten with a spoon, it was that tender!), which is mainy why Argentinians don’t have a cholesterol problem.
A presto, Keith
Thanks–that’s great Keith.
A presto.
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