How much are we eating?
We don’t currently know how much New Zealanders are eating. The red meat sector is calling for an updated New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey (the last one showed an average intake of 400g per week). Since the last survey was conducted in 2008/09 much has changed - yet we have no current data to show how evolving diets, public health trends, or reduced red meat consumption are impacting New Zealanders' nutritional wellbeing.
How much meat can I eat?
Moderation is often used as a philosophy when referring to how much food you should eat. In principle it’s a good philosophy, after all no one has ever died from moderation. But it can also lack context; what moderation looks like to one person could be a lot or indeed a little to another. As part of a healthy balanced diet, the World Cancer Research Fund and the Ministry of Health recommend eating up to 350-500g of cooked red meat per week, that’s 3-4 meals a week. 700-750g raw red meat equates to ~500g cooked or 3-4 meat meals. As a guide to help you measure out a portion, just in case you don’t have a set of scales at home, think of a deck of playing cards and that will roughly equate to around 100g of cooked beef and lamb.
Is eating beef and lamb good for us?
Often when people talk about the nutritional value of beef and lamb it is often restricted to protein and iron, but there is so much more to it. Red meat is a rich and easily absorbed source of protein, iron, zinc & vitamin B12, essential for all, especially children, adolescents, pregnant women, athletes & older adults. Whether it’s your energy levels, your focus at work or school, your immunity to ills and chills, growth and maintenance of our muscles, the health of bones, teeth, hair and nails, fertility, or simply helping your family stay fit and healthy, including a some red meat in your diet can go a long way in helping you reach your goals.