Beef, Pork and Your Diet

The advice to dial back on meat and cold cuts just took on a bit more oomph.

A ten-year study of 545,000 Americans found that people who eat about four ounces of beef or pork a day (the amount in an average-sized burger) are at least 30 percent more likely to die early, compared with those who consume an ounce or less daily. Though previous research has linked a diet heavy in red meat to a greater risk of heart disease and colon cancer, this is the first big study to look at how it affects your life expectancy.

The results don't mean you have to completely eliminate beef and pork, says Paula Quatro­moni, DSc, an assistant professor of nutrition at Boston University, who wasn't involved in the study. "You just need to eat much less." To make it easy:

• Don't quit -- switch. People who ate more fish, chicken, and turkey had a slightly lower risk of dying during this study, so use turkey for your meat loaf and shrimp when you make a stir-fry. Skewer chicken for shish kebabs -- or, if you prefer, use a few chunks of beef along with plenty of veggies.
  
• Keep rules simple. If you eat lots of red meat, start by banning it from two meals. Skip bacon at breakfast; substitute turkey for ham in your deli sandwich. Then declare one day of the week "red-meat-less."
  
• Indulge, but not every day. When you hanker for a big burger, a sizzling T-bone, or a rack of barbecued ribs, go for it! Then build the rest of your week's meals around fish, beans, and other healthier sources of protein.

See 10 Delicious Vegetarian Recipes