When you say meat, you refer to the flesh and other parts of animals, such as sheep, swine and domesticated cattle that are used for food. Edible meat includes muscles, fat, ligaments and tendons.

Meat is considered a complete protein food. It contains all the amino acids needed by your body. The fat in meat is a valuable energy source, which also affects juiciness, flavor, and the tenderness of lean meat parts. The body can easily absorb the essential minerals and vitamins from hearts, kidneys and livers of animals used for food.

Most meat products are preserved from decay and bacteria by freezing, refrigerating, freeze-drying, canning, and curing.

Most consumed meat

Globally, the most consumed meat is pork, poultry, beef, and sheep or goat, in that order, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. In the United States, the most consumed is poultry, followed by beef/veal, and pork. Immigrants in the U.S. are prime consumers of lamb and mutton.

The Filipinos' main source of protein was traditionally pork, but recently, poultry overtook pork as the most consumed meat in the Philippines. Poultry, such as chicken, is affordable. Its fat content is lower. Moreover, eating chicken does not have religious and cultural hindrances.

Benefits of eating meat

There is a saying that anything in excess is unhealthy. This saying applies to food as well. Eating too much meat is unhealthy, particularly red meat, such as beef. Red meat is one of the food items that people with cancer and heart disease are told to avoid.

However, whenLearn more about meat and how it affects your health.rily, animal protein is full of collagen and amino acids. Many of the meats people consume have high levels of zinc, iron, and vitamins K, B6 and B12. The fat content of different meats varies, depending on the animal as well as how it was raised. Tender and leaner meat comes from fit and happy animals.

Several factors contribute to the issue of meat being unhealthy. Over-processed meat products are definitely unhealthy due to the addition of various preservatives and chemicals.

Beef from grass-fed cows is healthier than the beef from grain-fed cows. Further, it is essential to know the right internal temperature of the meat after you have stopped cooking it to meet the required food safety standards. One thing to keep in mind is that eating raw meat is a health risk.

Nevertheless, let's find the nutrients that meats contain. We have already established that animal protein is complete, with all nine essential amino acids. A 3.5-ounce or 100-gram cut of lean beef, for example, provides you with the following:

• 205 calories
• 27 grams of protein
• 15% of the daily value (DV) of riboflavin
• 24% of the DV of niacin
• 19% of the DV of vitamin B6
• 158% of the DV of vitamin B12
• 19% of the DV of phosphorus
• 36% of the DV of selenium
• 68% of the DV of zinc

Note: DV represents the recommended amount of nutrients you should consume daily. The percentage shows the amount it contributes to a person's diet each day.

The nutrient profiles of other meats are almost the same, although the amount of zinc is lower. However, pork contains more vitamin B1 (thiamine). A 157-gram pork chop (5.5 ounces) provides 78% of DV of thiamine per serving.

The internal organs of pigs and cows, such as the heart and liver are good sources of vitamins A and B12, as well as the essential minerals selenium and iron. They also contain choline, which is essential for liver, muscle and brain health.

Aside from the good flavor of meats, here are some more good reasons why you should include meat and poultry in your daily diet, to keep it balanced.

1. You get natural and complete protein from meat.
2. Poultry, meat and fish contain heme iron, a type of dietary iron that your body absorbs very well. Heme iron helps prevent anemia. One thing to note: heme iron helps the body absorb non-heme iron better. Non-heme iron comes from plant-based foods.
3. Iron and zinc from meat are easily absorbed and used by the body. Incidentally, your body does not produce or retain zinc, an essential mineral that helps improve immune function, wound healing, growth and development, and protein synthesis.
4. Meat helps build muscle strength and maintenance, especially as you age, where muscle loss due to lack of protein in your diet, becomes evident.
5. Meat helps maintain good bone health because it contains omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamins B12 and D, and calcium.
6. Meat is a natural source of vitamin B12, which helps brain development in children and improves the function of the nervous system.
7. Protein from lean meat is good in maintaining heart health.
8. Lean meat and poultry can help control blood sugar levels.
9. Meat is rich in selenium, an important antioxidant that may help prevent cancer, promote the proper function of your thyroid and prevent cell damage.
10. Consuming lean meat and poultry gives you a high-protein diet, which can help you lose weight better compared to other diets.

Types of meat

You can divide meat into three primary categories: red meat, white meat and seafood.

Red meat – includes beef, pork, goat, mutton, boar, venison, horse.

White meat – includes turkey, chicken, duck, goose, and meat from young animals like lamb, rabbit and veal.

Seafood – fish, crabs, shrimps, lobsters (crustaceans), mussels, oysters, clams, scallops (mollusks)

You can add another category – processed meats such as ham, bacon, hotdogs, sausages, beef jerky, luncheon meats (pastrami, salami, bologna), corned beef, smoked meat, and canned meat.

The products in the last category are the type of meat that you should eat sparingly if you want to avoid chemicals and other flavor-enhancing substances that may be added to the meat.

Get your favorite meat at Metro Manila's favorite online meat store.

At E&L Food, we aim to provide you with the best meat products that are safe and of premium quality. Our online meat store procures meat products from trusted suppliers worldwide, giving you beef, pork and poultry products that are prepared by experts. Our products are affordable and available in retail and wholesale. And there's no need for you to go out of your way to buy from us. Order the meats you like online, and we'll deliver them to you quickly.