Whether it’s a tasty Sunday roast or a juicy BBQ banger, red meat has long been at the heart of the British diet — and for many people, it is the true star of any meal.
But there are, of course, downsides. The National Food Strategy — a review commissioned by the Government to improve the nation’s health — revealed this month that we need to be eating 30 per cent less red meat by 2032 ‘if the UK is to get to grips with the interlinked climate and health crises’.
The Department of Health already advises that we eat no more than 70g (cooked weight) of red meat a day.
These guidelines have been put in place mainly because of the potential link between red meat consumption and bowel cancer. That stems from a 2015 World Health Organisation report which evaluated more than 800 studies.
The WHO report concluded there was enough evidence to class processed meat as definitely carcinogenic (cancer-causing), and red meat as probably carcinogenic.
Whether it’s a tasty Sunday roast or a juicy BBQ banger, red meat has long been at the heart of the British diet — and for many people, it is the true star of any meal
But just why are these foods a cancer risk? Red meats are categorised as those high in myoglobin, the red-coloured protein found in the muscles of mammals.
This is why pork, which has more myoglobin than poultry and fish, is classified as a red meat despite it being paler in colour.
When myoglobin is broken down during digestion it forms N-nitroso carcinogenic compounds, which can irritate or damage the cells lining the bowel. This leads to them dividing more rapidly, which increases the risk of cancer.
Processed meats, which contain preservatives such as nitrates or have been formed through salting, curing or smoking, have an even stronger link to cancer. This is because the preservatives they contain form yet more cancer-causing N-nitroso compounds.
According to Cancer Research UK, there is an increased risk of bowel cancer for every 25g of processed meat a person eats a day, which is only around a rasher of bacon or a slice of ham.
But red-meat lovers need not despair, as it has health benefits, too. It is packed with high-quality protein — around 20g per 100g — which is broken down into essential amino acids that the body needs to build muscle and bone.
This can make it especially useful for older people who lose muscle mass. In fact, a study by Deakin University in Australia, published in 2017, found that eating three to four servings of lean red meat weekly — combined with exercise — improved the size and strength of muscles in older women, reducing their risk of falls.
Meanwhile, carnosine, a molecule made up of two amino acids, which is found in red meat, may even help protect the brain against ageing.
Pork, which has more myoglobin than poultry and fish, is classified as a red meat despite it being paler in colour
Studies have found carnosine levels are lower in patients with brain diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Other research published in The BMJ in 2019, involving more than 48,000 people, discovered that although vegetarians and vegans had fewer cases of heart disease, they had a 20 per cent higher risk of stroke compared with the meat-eaters.
The researchers suggested this could be linked to low levels of vitamin B12, a nutrient only found in animal products.
Red meat is a good source of all B vitamins, which are vital for brain function and energy levels.
Red meat also contains the most absorbable form of iron (haem iron). This helps red blood cells carry oxygen around the body, which is essential for energy levels.
So how do you balance the benefits and the drawbacks? The key is choosing good-quality meat and eating it in moderation.
‘People need to bear in mind that sticking to the 70g or less daily recommended limit of red meat [a ‘safe’ level worked out by looking at studies of red meat intake and cancer risk] effectively means not eating it every day,’ explains Clare Thornton-Wood, a dietitian based in Guildford, Surrey.
‘It isn’t a lot — for example, just three slices of roast beef adds up to 90g — so it’s your average over the week that’s important.
‘This means you should be aiming to eat red meat no more than three days a week, and processed red meats, such as sausages and bacon, should be kept to an occasional treat.’
To allow you to get the maximum benefits with minimum guilt, Clare selects her top six sources of healthier red meat…
Here’s what to get your teeth into
Lamb steaks
Waitrose No.1 Lamb Leg Steaks, £5.46 for 210g
Steaks (cut from the leg) are healthier than lamb ribs, which have lots of fat attached. One 150g portion provides a similar amount of iron as beef steak. (But avoid drinking tea with your meal, as the tannin compounds it contains can reduce iron absorption by more than 60 per cent.) A portion also offers a quarter of your recommended daily intake of zinc, which boosts immunity, and around 90 per cent of vitamin B12 needs. B12 deficiency can put you at risk of memory loss and heart disease.
Waitrose No.1 Lamb Leg Steaks
Sirloin
M&S British Sirloin Steak, £4.50 for 227g
Sirloin steak is cut from the mid-back. A 150g sirloin provides around 5.4mg iron, 62 per cent of your recommended daily intake.
You’ll get nearly 70 per cent of your vitamin B6 — vital for immunity, brain and blood health, and energy levels. It’s also less fatty than other cuts: look for a steak with little white marbling.
Red meat cuts tend to be sold in 200g portions, which lose around 25 per cent of their weight when cooked. But as 150g is more than double the recommended 70g, you should have only one every two to three days.
M&S British Sirloin Steak
Pork fillet
Sainsbury’s British Tenderloin Pork Fillet, £2.99 for 460g
The leanest pork cut, a 150g portion of fillet (cut from the inside rib) provides more than 100 per cent of your daily recommended intake of vitamins B1 and B3, both essential for energy levels.
It also has around 40 per cent of your daily potassium needs — more than you get from two bananas. Potassium is important for maintaining healthy blood pressure and muscle function.
This also provides around 100 per cent of your daily selenium needs — vital for healthy thyroid function, fertility and good immunity.
Sainsbury’s British Tenderloin Pork Fillet
Lean beef mince
Sainsbury’s So Organic 5 Per Cent Fat Beef Mince, £4.75 for 500g
At just 5 per cent fat, 100g of this beef mince has all of the nutritional benefits of other red meats but with just 5g of fat compared with 13g in a steak of the same size.
You still get 20g of high-quality protein, needed for growth, muscle repair and energy. Mince also has good levels of vitamin B12 and vitamin B6, which help maintain healthy brain and nerve function.
Slow-cooking mince will help break down connective tissue in the meat, which allows it to release more of the vitamins and minerals it contains.
Sainsbury’s So Organic 5 Per Cent Fat Beef Mince
Diced venison steak
Hampshire Game diced venison, £5.75 for 500g, ocado.com
Hampshire Game diced venison
Lower in saturated fat but containing 5g more protein per 100g than all other red meats, venison is a smart choice. It provides slightly more iron than beef, and almost half of your daily zinc needs.
Try it in stews and casseroles: slow-cooking meat in a liquid at a low heat produces around half the amount of heterocyclic amines (HCAs) compared with frying or barbecuing. These compounds — formed when meat is cooked at high temperatures — are linked to cancer-causing cell DNA damage.
Nitrate-free sausages
Finnebrogue Naked Sausages, £3 for 400g, waitrose.com
Finnebrogue Naked Sausages
In response to studies linking nitrates to stomach and bowel cancer, several companies are now making sausages that do not have these preservatives in them.
These sausages often have a shorter shelf life, but are a healthier way to enjoy this British favourite.
A portion (two sausages) will contain around 17g of protein and around 20 per cent of our daily iron needs. But at around 33 per cent fat for every portion, they’re still considered a high-fat food and should only be an occasional treat.
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