Nutrition

Farmers and ranchers raise livestock and poultry to provide nutritious, affordable protein for families across the nation. We share the nutrition benefits of meat, poultry, dairy and eggs and how they help individuals of all ages build muscle and maintain energy for a healthy lifestyle.

What’s Meatless Monday?

Have you heard activist organizations pushing for us to eat meatless meals at home, in the workplace and in school cafeterias? But did you know going meatless is not a shortcut to saving the planet or eating healthy and may actually do more harm than good? Especially when you consider that removing meat from meals every Monday means reducing the ability to make informed food choices, and for some children could mean denying them access to the only nutrient dense food they may have all day.

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The Truth about Why Meat Consumption is Essential for Optimal Health

BY: JENNIFER M. LEHESKA, PH.D., R.D., L.D. – 2014

When it comes to diet and nutrition it seems that everyone is mad about meat these days for one reason or another. Red meat became the red-headed stepchild in the American diet due to its association with saturated fat after early animal and human studies (1950-60’s) established a positive correlation between saturated fat intake and heart disease risk factors.  This led to a nationwide fat scare that became the basis of the dietary recommendations in the U.S. over the past 50 years. This combined with the growth of animal activist groups working to turn American’s to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle has caused additional fear and confusion for U.S. consumers.

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The True Impact of Animal Agriculture on the Environment

BY: JUDE CAPPER, PH.D.

A famous proverb states “we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” The global population currently comprises over seven billion people and is predicted to rise to over nine billion by the year 2050 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). We will not have any extra land, water or fossil fuels in the future, indeed, we will have fewer resources for food production as the population increases, due to competition for housing and urban development. The question therefore arises as to how we should ensure that our children and grandchildren have the same access to food that we currently enjoy?

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Nutritious and Delicious!

All meat and poultry are good sources of B-complex vitamins. This complex helps to metabolize macronutrients, aid in the release of energy from food and even lower bad cholesterol.

The only way to obtain natural B12 is through animal proteins. Vitamin B12, which helps to build red blood cells, also helps metabolize carbohydrates and fats.

Creatine, carnosine, vitamin D3 and DHA are four nutrients that are only found in meat, fish and eggs!

Iron from meat and poultry is more readily available than iron metabolized from plant-based sources.

Want more meaty morsels of information? Browse our Resource Center or visit MeatPoultryNutrition.com!