Nutrition and healthy eating

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• March 24, 2013 12:32 p.m.

  once again the goverment dosent care about the little people you could tell though as the rich people in britain refuse to eat meat and plants that aint grown by there own farms.

  - harry

• March 8, 2013 11:08 a.m.

  Deaths can be prevented? Immortality here I come.

  - Mike

• November 3, 2012 5:37 p.m.

  My take on this is be choosey about your meat. I`m a farmer that raises grass fed lamb . in the commercial meat market if you watch the fat content and by from your stores that do there ouw cutting makes the difference in getting healthy meat. Be smart.

  - Debra

• September 19, 2012 11:43 a.m.

  I'm convinced it's not safe to eat anything anymore. However we are still dying from strange diseases and more cancers.

  - Tammy

• June 12, 2012 11:22 p.m.

  This won't help at Mall of America but since you asked my sister in law wants to know what her kids' trasolncated chromosomes mean (judging by her baby daddy/my brother, I'd say it means you can grow up to be a healthy mensch and a great dad). I want to know if my cancer will recur and if so, when and at what stage. My Dad wants to know how being newly MRSA colonized affects his life. My OTHER brother wants to know if depression will undermine his marriage before SSRI sexual side effects will.

  - Rosicler

• June 5, 2012 10:55 a.m.

  Ignorance is far more dangerous than intelligence! Any study that combines whole AND processed meats together should be considered irrelevant. There is a spectacular archive of literature suggesting processed meats are detrimental to health. Alternatively, there is a paucity of literature solely on the health effects of whole, unprocessed meats, let alone the additional nutrient profile of grass fed versus conventional meats. Any (and every) dietitian worth their weight should know that the nutrient content of whole, unprocessed beef far outweighs the risk. This of course, assumes the person eating the meat is active, but then again, the study didn't adjust for activity level did it? Funny how so many health problems are related to inactivity and obesity, yet food becomes the target when the target should be the people themselves. Bottom line, to suggest people eat less red meat (not specifying distinctly that less meat = less processed meat) shows that the authors need to reacquaint themselves with the literature. Don't contraindicate the food! People need to look in the mirror...

  - Doug

• May 7, 2012 1:03 p.m.

  I am glad to hear that this "pink slime" is coming to light. I think that a lot of processed foods have ingredients that are considered "safe" but could lead to problems if consumed regularly.

  - Shannon

• May 5, 2012 12:25 a.m.

  It was good to read the article and see the video. I have spent the last year with my 17 year old daetughr going through the unknown illness maze. She also felt nauseated but never got sick. Her biggest issue was passing out without any warning. She would pass out 3-7 times a week. Needless to say this wrecked havoc with her school life and life in general. We started out going through a neurologist who was sure she was having seizures. I kept pushing to find an answer. Two GPs, two neurologist and one cardiologist later we finally found a cardiologist, Dr. Hannon, out of Pitt Hospital in Greenville, NC who heard the symptons and gave the diagnosis of Neurocardiogenic Syncopy. The diagnosis was confirmed with a tilt table test. He explained the condition to us and is following the same meds that are being used at the Mayo Clinic. Every system in her body that is controlled by the autonomic nervous system has been affected. Her inability to sleep, digestion, circulation, tiredness, brain fog and the passing out have been extremely hard on her. She is getting better but it has been a long hard year for her. Both POTS and Neurocardiogenic syncope are disorders of the autonomic nervous system. At times the two seem more similar than dissimilar. It is so illusive and the symptoms keep changing. Hopefully Keegan will continue to get better.

  - Supriya

• April 24, 2012 6:04 a.m.

  I just wanted to thank you so very much for your article. I have read every ingredient on packages for years before making my purchase due to having health issues and I'm concerned about what is alowed in our foods. I try to buy as much organic vegetables as possible. As far as meats, I have tried to buy the leanest, antibiotic and steroid free ones. Because of your article, the other day while shopping, I was able to identify the processed meat in a very good brand of hamburger I normally buy. It read minimal processed meat included. I wouldn't have understood what that meant if you hadn't written your very informative article. Thank you again!! Sincerely appreciate your time and efforts!! Please keep up the excellent work of keeping us informed!

  - Connie

• April 20, 2012 2:18 a.m.

  Well I am good, as I do not eat red meat Period! I have not eaten red meat since I was in like 2nd grade and I am now 36 years old. After reading all of this crazy stuff that goes on with meat, I am Sooooooooo glad that I do not eat meat!

  - heather

• April 19, 2012 12:55 p.m.

  pink slime--IS it pink? Or grayish pink? More importantly, are the connective tissues it is made of protected from contamination by spinal cord tissue?

  - Deb

• April 19, 2012 11:33 a.m.

  Mayo Newsletter has the most impressive, educated and informed readers that also question statistics & other findings from this prestigious site....this I say from reading the comments regarding the pink slime! In addition so many of the comments had truly great ideas! Knowledge is power ... so keep up the good works - both readers and Mayo staff. This new knowledge on the pink slime was very important and I am happy to be aware of what the heck is happening in our grocery stores.... Stay healthy and happy!! Phyllis

  - Phyllis

• April 18, 2012 3:06 p.m.

  I also hoped to see a thorough assessment of pink slime as a public health concern/issue. A meat industry spokesperson commented recently (in a televised interview I saw) that although they support their "pink slime" product as wholesome, some major grocery chains and wholesalers are discontinuing its use, and so the meat the industry is already looking into a substitute for pink slime, possibly some (concoction) that includes red beets (for color, no doubt...wonder what else will be in it). Do suppliers really need to glue their ground meat products together? Obviously the enhancement adds to the product's weight. Are these enhancements added to ground pork as well as ground beef? I'll echo the person below who commented that only the affluent can afford to eat a healthy diet all the time. Many consumers live on an extremely tight fixed income. It's more expensive to buy fresh foods and avoid packaged processed foods. Legumes are a good meat substitute, BUT how many people have the luxury of time to prep then cook the dried ones? And it is suggested we avoid canned foods because of another issue. So instead of legumes, we eat cheaper cuts of meat (or used to). There is not much left to choose from if you want to eat.

  - Fran

• April 16, 2012 9:15 a.m.

  I was expecting to see a conclusion or some facts that would help make a decision about even using ground beef with pink slime.

  - Robert

• April 15, 2012 9:51 p.m.

  Six months ago, my husband came down with pancreatic cancer at age 54. We have since become vegetarians, only rarely eating chicken, fish, and cheese. Since giving up animal protein, processed foods, and eating organic, he has reversed his cancer. He is in partial remission from one of the most deadliest cancers! Everyday we learn to eat better and better. We find new recipes and read new articles and books. My husband is living well and thriving with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and we expect him to go into full remission soon.

  - Patty

• April 15, 2012 8:12 p.m.

  Greetings: I have always suspected ground meat having undisirable ingredients. My solution has been over the years to pick a good piece of meat and have it ground by the butcher. Better yet take it home and grind it yourself. That way you know what you are getting. In addition I use only USDA choice meat from the USA.

  - Robert

• April 14, 2012 10:54 a.m.

  Um... DeWayne? "Corn fed" is not a good thing when it comes to beef. Cattle thrive on grass. That "corn fed" nonsense is a thing of the corn-growing industry. And of the industrial-beef folks. Cattle that graze take a little longer to reach market weight. Cattle that are crammed into feed lots and stuffed with corn certainly do fatten up quickly, but it's not a good fattening-up. The producers are counting on getting them sold and slaughtered before the damage becomes too apparent. Even so, many of them are so sick from that feed-lot diet that they can barely stand up in the muck of their own diarrhea. Their bovine stomachs sour on the improper food, their pH changes, and their meat is less sweet and tasty than the meat of free-range, grass-fed cattle. Factory beef, not good. Real farm beef, no corn, good beef. You got extra corn to feed to your animals, give it to the pigs.

  - Kevin

• April 14, 2012 10:30 a.m.

  So, since I have red meat less than once per day, I'm ok. Whew! I would like the blog-ist, who no doubt has read the study closely, to summarize how the authors accounted for, and dismissed effects of other dietary components. For example, years ago I was a classic meat'n'potatoes man. But I do that perhaps three times a year now. The rest of the time, my copious red meat ingestion is accompanied by salad or roasted or steamed veggies. The biggest single lifestyle change I've made and the biggest single contributor to my better health has been removal of the white stuff, not the red stuff. When starches, especially grains (and most especially wheat) are avoided, the gut of a carnivore-leaning omnivore is much happier. Leave out the moo, and most dairy products, and gut happiness goes up another notch. Naturally, that applies to only portions of the population... oh, wait... did the study authors divide their test populations along lines like that? Those who naturally do better on meat and fish with less white stuff and dairy, versus those who naturally thrive on wheat, corn and soy, and don't even like meat (constitutionally)? If so, I wish you'd said so. If not, then I question the value of the study except to make vegetarians feel good about themselves. Pink slime, on the other hand - good argument for avoiding ground meat. Doesn't put me off steak and chops, though. MMmmmm. Lambchops. - Kevin

  - Kevin

• April 13, 2012 1:13 p.m.

  Thr pink slime news just made a non red meat eater out of me and my family. The very thought of eating that stuff makes me want to throw up..

  - Betty

• April 12, 2012 10:26 p.m.

  Complete protein contains twenty enzymes. Beef contains all twenty. Other foods contain only some enzymes. Soy beans are the only vegetable that contains all twenty as well; Asians call the soybean their 'meat without the bone'. All twenty enzymes are needed for optimal health. Protein must be replenished every day; the body will not store it as it does fat and other elements. Body cells break down the 'protein' or enzymes into their individual parts, then rearranges them into organized forms called 'proteins' for whatever part of the body needs that particular type of protein. Summary, eat red meat or soybeans. Too much red meat is not good for men (prostate problems). Happy day.

  - Bert

• April 12, 2012 3:30 p.m.

  I don't know where your statistics come from but I was amused at your statement that 9% of male deaths and 7% of female deaths were due to red meat. I bet that regardless of what you eat the death rate remains at 100% !!!! I get so sick of these made up statistics.

  - Wayne

• April 12, 2012 2:03 p.m.

  I have limited my ground meat consumption over the years and plan to rarely eat it now. I think it's disgusting what processors do to the meat and other foods so my goal is whole foods with very little processing or additives. I also don't like how cattle is raised and all the hormones and chemicals they are given. We try to buy from local farmers who don't do all that. Besides, we're all healthier with less meat anyway. I no longer trust the USDA or FDA to do right for consumers.

  - Ann

• April 12, 2012 1:40 p.m.

  Thanks to the readers who noticed that the words "a day" were missing from the discussion of the research on red meat consumption and health risk. We will make that correction.

  - MayoClinic.com Staff

• April 12, 2012 12:56 p.m.

  When I clicked on the article about "Pink Slim" I was exspecting more information about it, but it ended up like every other article that is being published on the subject...so does this mean no one knows anything about it/related health risks etc.

  - Judi

• April 12, 2012 12:34 p.m.

  In the same article y'all wrote: "Harvard researchers have been tracking 37,000 male and 83,000 female health care workers since the 1980s and have found that one serving (defined as 3 ounces) of red meat — whole or processed — was associated with increased risk of total, cardiovascular and cancer mortality. Red meat was defined as beef (including hamburger), pork and lamb. Processed red meat included sausage, salami, bacon and bologna. My question is: How often was this 3-oz serving eaten? Once a year, Once a month, Once a week, Or Once a day???

  - Karen