Warning: this is not a medical advice column, and I am not qualified to give any kind of medical advice. Please proceed with caution and consult your physician for any change in diet that may affect your well-being.
So, just like many many MANY pregnant women out there, I am suffering from a very slight and totally asymptomatic case of anemia (red blood cells tend to get diluted when a pregnant woman’s body makes more plasma than red blood cells to fill it up with). For this reason, my midwives have asked me to add more iron to my diet in the form of red meat, dark leafy vegetables, etc.
My first reaction to this was: No way, I’ll have to take a supplement or something. You see, I suffer from high cholesterol, and I don’t want to make it worse by adding more red meat to my diet. For as long as I can remember I have only had one meal with red meat per week, and eggs only once a week to keep my cholesterol in check.
And then, I read something that makes me feel like my whole life has been a lie:
Image: ThinkstockPork, beef, and lamb are among the world’s best sources of complete protein, and a Danish study found that dieting with 25 percent of calories from protein can help you lose twice as much weight as dieting with 12 percent protein. Then there’s vitamin B12, which is prevalent only in animal-based foods. B12 is essential to your body’s ability to decode DNA and build red blood cells, and British researchers found that adequate intakes protect against age-related brain shrinkage. Now, if you’re worried that meat will increase your risk for heart disease, don’t be. A Harvard review last year looked at 20 studies and found that meat’s link to heart disease exists only with processed meats like bacon, sausage, and deli cuts. Unprocessed meats, those that hadn’t been smoked, cured, or chemically preserved, presented absolutely zero risk.
Image: ThinkstockEgg yolks contain dietary cholesterol; this much is true. But research has proven that dietary cholesterol has almost nothing to do with serum cholesterol, the stuff in your blood. Wake Forest University researchers reviewed more than 30 egg studies and found no link between egg consumption and heart disease, and a study in Saint Louis found that eating eggs for breakfast could decrease your calorie intake for the remainder of the day.
Suddenly I feel like my whole life is ahead of me. My care provider is advising me to add more red meat to my diet??? I can eat eggs more than once a week??? The sky is bluer. The roses smell sweeter. New life has been infused in me!
If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be on my way to have an awesome steak dinner. Doctor’s orders!
