Many will share with the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, that a steak of veal to the point is infallible. But if, in addition, this intake occurs on rare occasions, it will have the approval of science and the health authorities, who recommend that you should not eat more than two servings of red meat (beef, veal, lamb, horse, pork, kid or ox) per week.
Thus, the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) recommends in one of its latest reports to adopt a healthy and sustainable diet characterized by a predominance of foods of plant origin and a moderate consumption of foods of animal origin.
Specifically, it is recommended to consume 2-4 servings/day of vegetables (raw and cooked), 3-5 servings/day of fruit (occasionally replaced with juice), 4-6 servings/day of cereals (preferably whole grains), 2- 4 servings/week of legumes, 2-4 servings/day of milk and dairy products, 2-4 servings/week of meat (preferably chicken or rabbit and no more than 2 servings/week of red meat), at least 2 servings/ week of fish (1-2 servings/week of oily fish), and 2-4 eggs/week.
Red meat is potentially carcinogenic
Beyond the considerations about the impact of livestock on climate change, the restriction on the consumption of red meat occurred from the year 2015, when the Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the body of the World Health Organization (WHO) specializing in cancer, issued a report where the consumption of red meat was classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans”.
Despite this powerful conclusion, the WHO agency at no time said that the intake of red meat should be annulled, as it is a great source of protein and minerals. However, he did recommend that your intake be moderated. A tip that is more important in countries like Spain, where a lot of red meat is consumed.
How much red meat is consumed in Spain and what should be consumed
Specifically, the official recommendation of the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC) is to consume a maximum of 125 grams per person per week of red and processed meat, and 325 grams per person per week of white meat. However, a report by the NGO Justicia Alimentaria-Veterinarios sin Fronteras, presented in 2029, revealed that men in Spain eat 525 grams of red meat per week, and women 302 grams.
The study also highlighted that the Spanish child population eats between 3.5 and 4 times more meat than the recommended maximum, 3.5 times more red meat and between double and triple processed meat, especially sausages, when the Spanish Society of Outpatient Pediatrics and Primary Care recommends that children eat meat only between 5 and 8 times a week.
What is processed meat and why is it worse than red meat?
One factor to take into account regarding the consumption of red meat is processed meat. Dr. Emilia Gómez Pardo, scientific advisor to the CRIS organization against cancer, explains that processed meat is one that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to improve its flavor or its conservation. Clear examples are sausages, cold cuts, Serrano and York ham, corned beef, jerky, meat-based sauces, etc.
Regarding this meat product, the 2015 report of the (IARC) declared that processed meat is carcinogenic to humans, that is, it eliminates the ‘potentially’ that red meat has. Thus, Cris’s adviser against cancer explains that there is no level of consumption of processed meat compatible with health. “If it is consumed, from CRIS against cancer, and with scientific evidence, we recommend that the less, the better”, explains the doctor.
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