Healthy Ways to Process Red Meat

Do you like to eat red meat, like beef steak, goat satay, or beef sausage? Be careful, too often eating this type of meat can increase the risk of various diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and colon cancer. As the name suggests, red meat is meat that has not been cooked red. This meat can be processed and preserved into smoked meat, sausage, rendang, ham, beef meatballs, or burger fillings (patty) Red meat is actually a good source of protein, iron, vitamins, and minerals for the body. But if consumed too often, red meat can actually pose a risk to health. Many diseases that can arise due to frequent consumption of red meat, including colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

Choose the Type and Change the Processing Method

Consuming too much red meat can indeed have a negative impact on health, but that does not mean you should not eat red meat at all. Red meat can still be consumed, it's just that you need to pay attention to the portion and how to process it. Please note that 100 grams of red meat is the maximum amount that can be consumed per day. As an estimate, 100 grams of red meat is about half a piece of white bread. As for processed red meat, such as sausages and ham, consumption should not exceed 70 grams per day. In addition, choose meat that has little fat content. If you like to eat red meat, here are some ways to process red meat to stay healthy for consumption:

• Eat lean red meat, especially meats that end in 'loin', such as tenderloin or sirloin.
• Replace beef or mutton with chicken or seafood.
• When cooking food using beef sausage, multiply the vegetables and replace some of the sausages with pieces of chicken.
• Remove the fat from the meat before cooking.
• Processing red meat in high temperatures can make these foods release substances that increase cancer risk. Therefore, avoid roasting and frying red meat with heat that is too high. Use medium temperature, but cook a little longer.
• Go back and forth the meat as often as possible when grilling or frying.
• Make sure the meat is cooked with enough duration until the germ inside it dies, but avoid cooking it until it is overcooked. Red meat that is overcooked actually contains more cancer-causing ingredients.
• Red meat by roasting, sautéing, steaming, or making soup. Discard fat after brownish cooked meat.
• Remove skin and fat under the skin before processing.

Red meat is okay, but you should pay attention to the portion and how to cook it. So that your body's health is maintained properly, in addition to implementing a healthy diet, you are also encouraged to exercise regularly, get enough rest, and stop smoking.