Beef Benefits and Side Effects – There are many processed beef menus that you may have often eaten, ranging from steak, rendang, beef jerky, stews, and soup, to stay. It must make your stomach suddenly hungry, right?
But did you know, besides being delicious, beef also has many health benefits?
According to research, there are at least 10 benefits of eating beef that you can get, including; strengthening bones, increasing muscle mass, nourishing skin, hair, and nails, and much more.
Another benefit that might surprise you is that beef can help you lose weight. It could be, all this time you think beef can make you fat.
In order not to be curious, see our review of Beef Benefits and Side Effects.
Benefits of Eating Beef For Health
The following are the various benefits of beef that we can get thanks to the various nutritional content in it.
1. Strengthen Bones and Tooth
For carnivores who have children and teenagers, processed beef can be a good daily menu for them. The benefits of beef for teenagers and children are to strengthen bones and teeth.
This is because beef is rich in phosphorus which helps their teeth and bones grow perfectly and strong.
But it’s not just children and teenagers who need phosphorus. Adults also need phosphorus to keep bones and teeth strong, so they don’t become brittle and break easily. So, you have to eat beef too.
2. Increase Muscle Mass
Are you currently undergoing a fitness program, aerobics, or another ideal body-shaping program?
If so, beef should be your main menu. This is because it contains high levels of protein and amino acids. Both of these substances play an important role in the formation of muscle fibers so that the muscles become bigger, denser, and fuller.
For ladies, eating foods rich in protein and amino acids can maintain your muscle mass so that your body shape remains proportional and toned, not flabby due to too much fat rather than muscle.
3. Healthy Skin, Hair, and Nails
Not only for muscles, meeting the adequacy of amino acids in the body will make carnivores’ skin and nails healthier, but hair also becomes stronger and shinier. If carnivores experience frequent hair loss and skin color looks pale, try to eat beef more often. Hopefully, your hair won’t fall out easily and your skin tone will be fresher.
4. Keep Your Weight
Maybe all this time you have not dared to eat beef often, because a lot of information says this food contains high cholesterol. But make no mistake, behind its high cholesterol, beef also contains supplements of L-carnitine and conjugated linoleic acid. Research has found that taking L-carnitine supplements regularly can lose weight more significantly than those who don’t take them. Meanwhile, conjugated linoleic acid has been shown to reduce fat levels in the body.
5. Reduce the Risk of Diabetes
Another study revealed that conjugated linoleic acid and L-carnitine in beef can also help reduce the risk of diabetes. That’s because conjugated linoleic acid can increase insulin sensitivity in the body, while L-carnitine supplements are useful for improving blood glucose levels, including the overall cholesterol profile in type 2 diabetes patients.
6. Increase the Body’s Intake of Vitamins and Minerals
Not only vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamins and minerals. Beef is also enriched with vitamins B3, B6, B12, zinc, iron, selenium, niacin, phosphorus, creatine, glutathione, taurine, and cholesterol.
Eating beef regularly will maintain the adequacy of vitamins and minerals in your body, so you can always be healthy and fit. So, if you’ve been eating beef regularly, keep going!
7. Increase Immune
According to several sources, beef contains 50% more carnosine than poultry. Not only in animals but this substance is also spread in almost all tissues of the human body. Carnosine is one type of amino acid that has anti-glycosylation properties, which can minimize the dangers of a process called glycation or a process in the body that can cause atherosclerosis and chronic disease. Not only that, but this amino acid can also help increase your body’s resistance to attacks of various diseases, and reduce the risk of inflammation in the body.
8. Heart Health
Beef contains fatty acids DHA, lipids, trans fats, and vitamin B12. DHA fatty acids and lipids are useful for minimizing your exposure to various heart-related diseases. While trans fats and vitamin B12 are clinically able to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, in addition to being diligent in exercising, you can also include beef in your daily menu so that your heart becomes healthier.
9. Increase Blood Oxygen Levels
The iron content in beef helps the body in producing hemoglobin, which is a type of protein that helps the blood carry oxygen throughout the body’s tissues. Lack of iron will have an impact on decreasing oxygen levels in the blood, causing the body to become easily tired, lethargic, weak, and dizzy.
10. Accelerate Wound Healing
Launching from several sources, the zinc content in beef is very useful to help the body repair damaged cell tissues.
For those of you who have a lot of physical activity and often get injured or injured, it’s a good idea to eat beef so that the injury you experience can heal quickly.
Likewise for those of you who have small children, getting them used to eating beef can be very useful to overcome various injuries that your little one experiences while playing.
What are the side effects of eating too much meat?
Here are the various dangers of eating beef and other red meat every day in large quantities.
1. Bad breath
Side effects of eating beef or other meat and not balanced with carbohydrates can cause bad breath. Eating too much meat causes the body to have excess protein and fat. If you don’t eat enough carbohydrates, your body will break down fat as an energy source. This fat breakdown will produce ketone compounds or ketosis. These compounds can make your breath smell bad. Indeed, this process has the potential to lose weight slowly, but too many ketones in the body cause bad breath.
2. Increases the risk of macular degeneration
Eating too much red meat has the potential to increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration. A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology (2009) found that consumption of red meat more than 10 times per week increased the risk of early macular degeneration. This study explains that a high intake of red meat can increase nitrosamine compounds to be toxic to the retina. In addition, eating too much meat causes a buildup of fat and protein under the retina. Both of these things make the eye susceptible to blindness due to macular degeneration.
3. It’s hard to lose weight
If you want to lose weight, eating too much beef or other red meat can complicate your efforts.
Meat may have a greater number of calories than other intakes. For example, 100 grams of meat that have been cleaned of fat alone has calories of 123 kcal. With the same weight, 100 grams of baked potato has only 93 kcal calories. Of course, a large calorie intake if not balanced with physical activity will make weight gain. That’s why eating too much meat makes it difficult for you to lose weight.
4. Increases the risk of cancer
In some cases, meat processing can produce carcinogenic compounds, such as heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
HCA is formed when meat is cooked at high temperatures, while PAH is formed when organic substances in meat are burned.
Citing a study published in Nutrition and Cancer (2013), both are believed to increase the risk of colorectal cancer or cancer of the colon and rectum. You need to know, these two compounds are capable of causing genetic mutations. Body cells can turn malignant and trigger cancer.
In addition, the fat in red meat triggers the production of the hormone estrogen. Estrogen imbalance can cause inflammation and increase the risk of breast cancer. Male hormonal imbalance also occurs due to saturated fat from red meat. So, the risk of prostate cancer increases. Therefore, it is not surprising that eating too much meat can increase the risk of various cancers.
5. Triggers constipation
Meat is one of the protein-rich foods that the body needs. Unfortunately, meat does not contain enough fiber to meet daily fiber needs. That is, if you eat too much animal protein intake, you are prone to a lack of daily fiber content. Fiber is an important nutrient for absorbing water and compacting feces for easy exit.
A study published in Neurogastroenterology and Motility (2015) also found that consuming more than 15 grams of saturated fat from meat a day can increase the risk of constipation. This is because saturated fat activates the natural brakes on the small intestine. The effect, the movement of feces was hampered.
So, do not be surprised if eating mostly goat meat or other meat can cause constipation (constipation), even bloody stools.
6. Increases the risk of heart disease
If you often hear that eating too much meat can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, this statement is not wrong. Again, this side effect of overeating meat comes from levels of saturated fat and cholesterol.
Both types of fat can form plaques that clog blood vessels. As a result, blood pressure also increases, and blood flow to parts of the body is not smooth.
You will also be susceptible to stroke, heart attack, and swollen arteries or aneurysms.
Excessive consumption of red meat also causes bacteria or gut microbiota to produce trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) compounds. These compounds are also associated with the risk of blockage of blood vessels.
7. Excessive sweating can trigger bad body odor
Summarizing Insider, eating too much meat can cause excessive sweating. To understand, when eating, the body must expend energy to digest and process the food. This process is called diet-induced thermogenesis and can raise body temperature slightly.
Because protein is more difficult and takes longer to digest, this nutrient can have a greater effect on thermogenesis than, say, a plate of spaghetti or salad. So, eating beef steak can increase body temperature and cause a person to sweat more. This excessive sweating can then trigger bad body odor.
8. Feeling tired, especially after a big meal
Another effect of eating meat is that the body feels tired and sleepy after eating. All the energy it takes to digest a meat-heavy meal can make a person feel sluggish or sleepy after eating. When digesting protein such as from meat, the body needs to prioritize blood flow to the intestines, which means diverting it from other areas of the body, including the brain.
That reaction can cause lightheadedness that sometimes occurs after eating too much meat. However, this also applies to unbalanced meals that are too high in carbohydrates or fat, as they can cause insulin and blood sugar levels to spike.
In addition, certain types of meat, such as beef and turkey, are high in tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid linked to the production of melatonin, the human hormone that regulates sleep.
9. Dehydrated
Another side effect of eating meat-rich foods that contain protein is that it takes a lot of water in the body to process it. This can also make you dehydrated.
Although protein is essential for health, including muscle building and repair, people tend to think they need more than they need. The standard figure for protein adequacy, in general, is 62-66 grams per day for men and 56-59 grams per day for women.
On top of that, your body will use more fluids to get rid of excess nitrogen, according to research. If you don’t drink enough water to compensate, you may feel faint, dizzy, or unpleasant.
10. Stomach acid rises
The wrong way to process goat meat can trigger GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) or stomach acid.
GERD is a burning sensation in the chest caused by stomach acid rising into the esophagus.
You may also experience other symptoms, such as a sour or bitter sensation in your mouth, heartburn or chest pain, difficulty swallowing, dry cough, sore throat, and hoarseness.
If medically explained, acid reflux disease occurs due to a weakening of the lower esophageal valve (sphincter). This makes the valve open under certain conditions, which should remain in the closed position (except when eating) so that stomach acid does not rise to the top.
The weakening of the esophageal sphincter causes the acid in the stomach to back up into the esophagus, even though you are not eating. If this condition continues, the lining of the esophagus will become irritated and inflamed, due to rising stomach acid.
Conclusion
Choose, Process, and Consume Right
The benefits of eating beef in the end just make you full if you choose, process, and consume it wrong. Choose cuts of beef that are free of fat and avoid cooking using unhealthy ingredients, as we do at Holycow Steak. In addition, consume a reasonable portion, not excessive. Consuming 70 grams of beef per day is enough to meet your daily nutritional needs.