Thread by @dofoodsng

RED MEAT VS WHITE MEAT… HERE’S MY TAKE!

All you need to know

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It’s not surprising that one of the major protein source in Nigeria is “MEAT”.

However what might sound surprising enough is that we as Nigerians consume about 360,000 tonnes of beef yearly. Let’s break this down further …

That’s about 360,000,000 kilogrammes..I kid you not, 360 million kilogrammes of just beef alone 😮😮😮

Here is another worthy gist… it is believed that Lagos state alone consumes over 6000 cattle daily and most likely the country as a whole consumes about 80,000-90,000 cattle daily… (according to the former Minister).

Now you see the numbers adding up .

Also we consume other meat types such as poultry meat, pork, mutton, bush meats amongst others . This has been carefully grouped as either RED MEAT and/or WHITE MEAT

On this faithful day of our dear Lord, my brother threw me off guard with his question,…

What is the difference between red meat and white meat and which one do you think is better and safer?

I sucked in some air, while moaning the word hmmmmm..(God must not kuku shame us😄)…, here was my reply to him..

A meat is called RED because it has more myoglobin components (iron and oxygen carrying protein to muscular parts), while the white meat is called white because unlike the red it has less myoglobin components.

However, even amongst the white meat (chicken , turkey), some parts appear even reddish simply because these animals (chicken, turkey) use those parts often. For example, the thighs and legs appear darker compared to the breast muscles .

Furthermore, the biggest difference between these two types of meat is in their fat components.

The white meat is a leaner source of protein with low content of fat, while the red meat has a higher content of fat but also higher content of vitamins and minerals (B- vitamins, Iron and Zinc).

This is why people who avoid red meat, like vegetarians or vegans, tend to be deficient in B- vitamins.

Having explained this; you then might be thinking, but it is believed red meat causes higher cases of heart diseases and cancer due to the cholesterol contents.

This is quite true, especially for people who love to take fatty meats and also grilled or charred meat (burnt and blackened) …for instance our favourite “suya”.

Recently in researches conducted, it was found that people who consume the white meat and other vegetable protein, tend to also have an increased cholesterol just like those who consume the red meat.

So the belief that white meat is better than red meat or plant based protein is gradually taking a turn around.

Hence all these protein types, have been found to increase cholesterol levels according to the research.

What is the best approach?

Here is my position as regards various types of meat;

● White meat and red meat both have their benefits. However, if you eat meat, it’s best to include small amount of both in your diet.

● Always go for leaner cuts of red meat.

● Avoid meat with excessive fat contents and try to trim visible fat around the edges to reduce fat intake.

● Avoid charring while preparing or buying your meat. This is a very good way of reducing the disadvantages of eating red meat.

At Dofoods.ng, we make sure we process both red and white meats in such a way that they have very little or no fat contents as we are constantly challenged to be providers of fit and wholesome meat for our esteemed consumers

Visit our product page to see our highly affordable and safe products

Stay safe….Eat safe