When it comes to losing weight and maintaining your overall health, it’s important to consider how certain food choices can impact your body. One key aspect that often comes into play is inflammation. While inflammation is a natural immune response that helps protect our bodies, it can lead to various health issues when it becomes chronic, including weight gain. Many factors can contribute to inflammation, such as stress and environmental factors. However, the foods you eat can also play a significant role. As it turns out, there’s one type of meat in particular that experts recommend cutting out if you want to keep the issue at bay and avoid weight gain: red meat.
To learn more about how red meat could be leading to inflammation and holding you back from your weight loss goals, we spoke to dietitian Dana Ellis Hunnes. Read on for all of her expert insight on the matter.
How red meat leads to inflammation and weight gain
We have to admit there's nothing quite like enjoying a juicy burger at a barbeque (or, let's be honest, a Big Mac at McDonald's—but don't even get us started on all those calories). However, when you eat red meat on a regular basis, Hunnes says you could be setting yourself up for some serious health consequences over time.
For starters, red meat is highly inflammatory. "It increases inflammatory markers in the blood, including INF-1 and TMAO," she explains. IGF-1 (a.k.a. insulin-like growth factor 1) is a hormone that occurs naturally in our blood. However, excessively high levels could result in health issues like heart disease and diabetes. Additionally, high levels of TMAO, which plays a role in your cholesterol and metabolism, poses similar risks and could even lead to certain types of cancer over time. Yikes! Luckily, there are plenty of anti-inflammatory foods to eat instead.
It's important to note that inflammation is a significant contributor of weight gain, as well as numerous diseases. In addition to this factor, there are a few other ways in which red meat could cause you to put on extra pounds, including the fact that it disrupts gut health. "There are compounds in red meat (including the TMAO) that changes the acidity in the gut and therefore affects the microbiome," Hunnes says. "In a way, red meat is somewhat toxic to good-bacteria in the gut (the microbiome)."
When your gut bacteria is out of balance (this is known as gut dysbiosis), it can lead to a number of negative health effects like gas, bloating, constipation, diabetes, and more. But the role of your gut doesn't just stop at your digestion; it plays significant role in practically every area of your health. Even your mental health and gut health are closely linked. As it turns out, an unbalanced gut can result in weight gain, too. This is just one more reason to consider cutting out red meat for your health.
The bottom line
We're not going to tell you that you can never enjoy a cheeseburger or beef burrito ever again. However, if weight loss is your goal or if you struggle with chronic inflammation, limiting your intake of red meat as much as possible is a good rule of thumb. Luckily, there are plenty of equally delicious lean proteins.
In addition to sticking to a great workout routine, making healthy swaps like this and practicing moderation is one major key to healthy weight loss.
