Baffled at BBC news report "limit red meat to reduce obesity"

[GoldenKelpie]

I think it is linked to that recent ridiculous EAT Lancet report funded by billionnaire donors who want everyone to turn vegan .

I personally found that limiting carbohydrates, particularly all processed carbohydrates, sugar, starch and grains, enabled me to finally kick obesity to the kerb three years ago. For good, i.e. I am maintaining a 100lb fat loss as a result of doing this. Other side effects include great digestion now, no bloating, and no sleepiness after meals, and even better, normal stable insulin levels.

That meant increasing animal proteins and fats and the side effect from doing this was I naturally began eating less (didn't need to break my fast until lunchtime, for example, as not hungry) and didn't need to snack in between meals any more.

So, I have found that red meat (and fish and eggs) has helped me cure my obesity, not caused it. What is going on with demonising red meat, and lumping it in with "processed meat" whatever that is. I don't eat "processed meat" and prefer a nice juicy rare steak.

No idea what op is saying as makes very little sense! Sorry

But the report and its promoting veg based diet does make me wonder about sourcing. Where do the plant based produce come from (spoiler alert: UK environment can only support some). We either need to admit to
importing huge amounts or completely revolutionise farming in the UK...

I'm obese, I don't eat red meat...or much meat of any kind to be honest.

Which makes me more of an advert for how carbs or not moving enough makes you obese. Most of these reports are biased towards the person who paid for them to be researched.

It's disappointing when the BBC picks them up as the latest "fact" when reporting and you have to read the article to dig deeper (when a lot of people now read headlines and decide they know the story).

For me, personally I have found that limiting my intake of red meat to once or twice a week and eating plenty of lean white meat, eggs and fish alongside carbs and plenty of vegetables I've lost weight and feel much healthier.

I think generally we eat too much meat. Low carbing for me leads to blood sugar problems.

Low-carb high-protein diets increase mortality, as a recent study has shown. They're not at all healthy. It's not the carbs that were making you fat OP, it's the crap you were eating.

I think the report advised limiting people to only eat red meat once a week. Vegan is a very different story.

The only thing that will make you lose weight is eating less calories. Carbs aren’t evil.

the more meat we eat the less chance we have of feeding everyone successfully (and not destroying unique ecosystems).

This.

Also, every scientific study I've read suggests that something approximating the Mediterranean diet - lots of veg, olive oil, seeds, nuts; small amounts of fish, meat and dairy - is best for general health and low weight. Time and again. The latest findings on importance of fibre also support this kind of diet.

@Notmyrealname85 imported plants have been shown to have less emissions than locally grown animal products.

I agree we should try to eat more locally grown food and we could base a lot of a plant based diet on it if we change our agricultural model so that only a small amount of imports would be needed. Oats, wheat, barley, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, kale, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, apples, pears, plums, mushrooms, strawberries, blackberries, peas, various herbs, lentils, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, rapeseed, garlic, onions, leeks, swedes, celery, spring greens, sugar, spring onions, parsnips, artichokes, squash, beetroot, watercress, rhubarb, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, blueberries, French beans, runner beans, pumpkin, cherries, courgette, turnips, cranberries, chestnuts and sweet corn to name a few can all be grown in the U.K.

Bananas, coffee, tea, cocoa etc will need to come from abroad but most people are consuming these anyway whether they are plant based or on a standard diet so demand for them doesn’t need to increase.

To address some earlier points: I don’t eat steak every day, once a week, twice in a good week. I eat offal regularly (beef, lamb or chicken liver, kidneys when I can get them) and that is really cheap and very nutrient-dense. Eggs also feature, bacon, pork belly, salmon, mackerel and sardines are a favourite too plus various cheeses. I eat a wide variety of veggies with them; mushrooms, cabbage, broccoli, courgettes, asparagus (in season), spinach (raw and wilted), tomatoes, cucumber, green peppers mostly. I use full cream milk in tea, double cream in coffee. I grow wild strawberries and blackberries in my garden and eat them with clotted cream (July/August).

Funnily enough, because I only eat twice a day (lunch and dinner) within a 18/6 window, and don’t eat any snacks in between, I save loads of money on not having to buy/eat excess foods, plus not having to bother with breakfast (never hungry in the morning).

It does sound restrictive but I feel very comfortable with it (three years 1st March!). It is really simple cooking; some sort of animal protein served with two or three veggies on the side, sometimes a simple sauce made with cream and herbs/spices.

I got into doing it through an online friend (through MN lol) who tried it after reading “Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It” by Gary Taubes. I read the book too and found it compelling. I didn’t want to restrict carbs though and put off trying it for months. Eventually, I decided to give it a try for one month to see how I felt. I went cold turkey and gave up all my beloved sugars and grains. I made a weekly plan of recipes for the first week after getting ideas from dietdoctor.com. It quickly became clear that I felt marvellous and didn’t miss the carbs at all.

Impicciona, Dr Peter Ballerstedt? Oh yes #ruminantsrule . He has taught me a lot about sustainable animal farming and how it can save the world and the population. Very knowledgeable chap. You have been keto three years? I guess I am probably similar. After a lifetime (40 years) of low fat high carb diets it is a breath of fresh air to be slim, weight-stable, insulin stable, blood sugar stable at last.
anniehm I like veggies but the best nutrition comes first and foremost from animal proteins and fats. I totally agree that all highly processed foods are bad for human ingestion, hence the worldwideT2 diabesity/NAFLD/metabolic syndrome epidemic that is growing dangerously large.

Sinceyouaskme fibre can cause a lot of health issues for some people. It is overrated imo and often comes out as it went in. A total ‘waste’ of time.

greenelephants My health is spectacular . I am easily maintaining a 100lb fat loss (no muscle loss), no aches and pains, breathlessness, no more struggle to walk up stairs (or get out of bed, actually). My moods have lightened too, this I didn’t expect at all and it’s lovely not to have to deal with depression and anxiety issues any more. I have had no needs to visit my gp since doing this, I’d love to pop in and show him that finally I have found the key to getting healthy but sadly it isn’t happening .

Kikisparks “The only thing that will make you lose weight is less calories” I do that by eating just animal proteins and fats to satiety and leaving out the foods that stimulate my appetite and cause me to overeat. Sadly, that is sugars, starches and grains and all processed foods generally. Obviously, giving up the addictive carbs is a hard thing to do. Heaven knows I procrastinated for long enough before trying it for a month. I have learned a lot about how the human body works and how my body reacts to certain foods and this guides my choices now.

So, that's why I am baffled at this report and that The Lancet has put its name to it.

From what I can found the funders are billionnaires who want everyone to become vegan eventually and more disturbingly, a conglomerate of food industry companies (and pharmaceutical companies) who want to promote their processed 'vegan' foods to the world. Very worrying. Imo, ruminants can heal the land and world population.

Fibre consumption has a major impact on heart disease and, for obvious reasons, bowel cancer, which are two of the UK’s biggest killers. It’s tricky if you have IBS or some other issues, yes, but most people in the UK would benefit from doubling their consumption.

I am glad you underline most because I know some people who don't eat any fibreous foods and are doing fine, in fact they've recovered their health completely. They had serious auto immune issues though and eventually eliminated most foods except animal protein and fat. I think it's called carnivore way of eating. Mikaela Peterson is one young woman; her experience is compelling. Google her.

People need to be able to eat whatever they need to for optimal health. I have got my health back and am so grateful that, at the age of 55 I have achieved a lifelong dream.

Therefore, this dubious report and the strong recommendations contained within it are a real worry to me. As a human species, we have evolved from the earliest time to eat meat/fat when we could hunt and kill it. It made us strong, grew our brains, enabled us to be the formidable force we are today.

It is overrated imo and often comes out as it went in.
That's precisely the point of fibre.