Red meat
- This page is about food. For comic strip, see Red Meat.
Red meat refers to meat that appears red before cooking. Beef, veal, lamb, mutton, venison, pork, goat, rabbit, buffalo meat (that is, meat from bison) and beefalo are all red meats. In fact, all meats derived from mammals are red meats. The United States Department of Agriculture considers all meats derived from livestock to be red meats.
The color of red meat results from its myoglobin content. Myoglobin is a protein that is responsible for carrying oxygen to the muscles of an animal.
Significantly, red meat does not refer to either the degree of doneness, or the coloration, of a meat after cooking. A steak or hamburger therefore remains a red meat whether it is served rare and bloody, or cooked until it is brown or gray, or even burnt to a crisp. And pork, which turns pale or white when cooked, is nevertheless a red meat (marketing slogans to the contrary nothwithstanding).
In contrast, animal proteins derived from birds (chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant, etc.), fish, reptiles (alligator meat), amphibians (frogs' legs), crustaceans (lobster, shrimp, crab) or bivalves (oysters, clams, mussels) are not red meats, not even those that are red, or reddish-colored, such as salmon, red snapper, or cooked lobsters and shrimp.
Nutrition
Many nutritionists consider red meat less healthy than alternative foods because of its high saturated fat content. In some studies, consumption of red meat has been linked with colorectal cancer.
The food guide pyramid was criticized for not distinguishing between red meat and other types of meat, and the newer My Pyramid recommends that consumers choose lean forms of red meat. The healthy eating pyramid recommends that red meat be consumed sparingly.
Red meat is rich in iron, and it is important for vegetarians and others who do not consume it to find other dietary sources of iron. It also provides protein and vitamins such as zinc, niacin, vitamin B12, thiamin, riboflavin, and phosphorus.