87: 8 Beef Myths Busted: What Science Actually Says

Michael Kummer: Today we're diving into a topic that's been on the hot seat for decades. Beef. It's been painted as the villain of your dinner plate linked to heart disease, cancer, and even climate change. But what if I told you that a lot of what we've been told is based on myths? Yep. It's time to clear the air. If you've ever felt guilty about enjoying that stake or been told to swap it for a plant-based burger to boat belt, save the planet.

This episode is for you. Welcome to the Primal Shift Podcast. So let's cut through the noise and get to the truth because it's a lot choicier than you've been led to believe. Myth number one. Beef causes heart disease. We all know someone you know, an Uncle Joe or Aunt Marge, and actually in my case it was Uncle Mario who had a heart attack, and chances are at some point they were told cut down on the red meat.

But here's the kicker. The idea that beef is a heart killer comes from outdated, flawed signs. Mainstream media or mainstream authorities like the American Heart Association still harp on about the dangers of saturated fat and beef. There is no solid evidence linking unprocessed beef to heart disease.

In fact, recent studies, including one from 2020 have shown that beef isn't the enemy at all. One study actually said there is no robust evidence that cutting down unsaturated fat reduces heart disease risk. That's the exact opposite. Of what mainstream authorities liked us to believe. Now, let that sink in for a moment because for years we've been told to avoid something that when you really dig into the science doesn't stand up.

So the next time someone tells you to trade that rib for a bowl of quinoa, remember it's not the beef that's clogging up your arteries. It's likely more the sugary processed stuff that comes alongside it. Myth number two, beef causes cancer. This one is, you know, really hits home, right? Because cancer is a big deal and the media just loves to push the narrative that red meat is a carcinogen.

But let's break this down. Most of the studies linking beef to cancer come from epidemiology. There are correlation studies like owning A TV increases your risk of heart disease. Well, it's not a T that causes anything, right? So in other words, they are not causation. And here's the catch, they rarely factor in lifestyle.

The people eating more red meat might also be smoking, drinking and living. Un processed chunk, food, like, you know, hot dogs that come with a bum. So is it really the beef that's causing cancer or is it all the other stuff? And study from 2019, which looked at data from over 5.7 million participants, concluded that the link between beef and cancer is.

You guessed it bogus. It even suggested that the possible risk from eating beef is so small, it's almost irrelevant. So here is the bottom line. Beef isn't giving you cancer. In fact, focusing on nutrient dense clean sources of beef is one of the best ways to support your health. It's time we stop demonizing one of the most ancient and nutritious foods on the planet.

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Myth number three, vegetarians live longer. Okay? This is a big one. We've all heard it. Vegetarians live longer. It's become so ingrained in mainstream thought that people believe it without question, but here's the reality.

It's not meat that shortening lifespans. It's the processed garbage people often consume along with it. Many studies that show vegetarians living longer fail to correct for the fact that vegetarians are often more health conscious in general. It is called healthy population bias. They're more likely to avoid alcohol, fast food, and other unhealthy habits.

So is it the lack of meat making them live longer or the lack of chunk? And get this, the people in Hong Kong consume the most meat per capita in the world and have the highest life expectancy. Doesn't that fly in the face of the eat less meat? Live longer mantra. The truth is, if you cut processed chunk food and focus on whole unprocessed foods, including beef, obviously you're not going to shorten your lifespan.

It's fact quite the opposite. Myth number four, beef is bad for the environment. Now this is a hot topic everywhere you look, someone's telling you to eat beyond burgers to save the planet. Here is where things get interesting. There is this idea floating around that raising cattle is destroying the earth, but if we really look at the numbers, they tell a entirely different story according to the EPA, you know, as think what you must about the EPA, but according to them, beef production is responsible for just 1.9% of total emissions.

Think about it for a second, only 1.9%. That's not much, especially when you consider how important beef is for human attrition. Let's also not forget that for centuries, massive herds of methane producing bison room North America, way more than the cattle we raised today, yet we weren't worried about climate change then.

But here is what people don't talk about. When beef is raised in a regenerative fashion, it can actually help reverse some of the damage caused by industrial agriculture and everything else we are doing that's not good for the planet. Properly managed cattle can restore soil health, sequester carbon, and regenerate land that's been depleted by monocropping.

So not only is beef not the villain, but it can actually be part of the solution when done right. Myth number five, eating beef leads to weight gain and obesity. Now let's talk about one of the biggest misconceptions out there that eating beef will make you gain weight. You know, and I'm not talking about muscle mate muscle weight.

I'm talking about, you know, fat. For the most part, I. You know, we've all been led to believe that high protein, high fat foods like beef are to blame for expanding waistlines. But here's the truth, it's not the beef. It's again, the processed chunk. Food and excess carbohydrates that often accompany our meals.

Protein, like what we get from beef, is incredibly saturating. Studies show that people who eat more protein tend to eat fewer calories overall because they feel fuller for longer. Plus beef is loaded with important nutrients that help regulate metabolism and support lean muscle mass. So the idea that beef will make you fat, that's simply not true, and you can test it yourself.

Just make every meal focused on a lot of protein and high quality fats like beef, you know, and see what that does to your body composition. To your overall caloric intake and to how you feel, and you'll figure out for yourself that eating just beef or a lot of protein and fat is not gonna make you fat.

It might make you actually grow more muscle tissue, and that's a good thing. You know, in fact, cutting out beef in favor of low quality, high carb processed foods is far more likely to contribute to weight gain. So if you're looking to STA lean. Strong and energized. Beef is a great tool in your dietary arsenal.

Myth number six, beef is hard to digest. I've been hearing that a lot, uh, in response to my videos about how I cured IBS, that you should be eating, cutting out all plants and eat only meat for a while, and people say, but it's so hard to digest. It stays in your stomach, et cetera. You know that, that's another myth we hear quite a lot, and some people truly think that when you consume beef, it stays in your stomach for days.

You know, this idea has been perpetuated by people who argue that plant-based foods are better for digestion, but here is the thing. That's simply not how human digestion works. You know your body's incredibly efficient at breaking down and absorbing the nutrients in beef. In fact, beef is one of the easiest sources of protein for your body to utilize.

It's rich in bioavailable nutrients like iron and zinc, and B vitamins words, which are essential for overall health. There is a reason why we have such an acidic, comparatively speaking stomach that helps break down, you know, proteins and digest the fats and the proteins that we have such a relatively long, small intestines to help again, break down and absorb much of the nutrients we get from animal-based foods and that we have such a relatively short, um, large intestines that are, you know, are plant-based.

Cousins, you know, in the animal world have a very long, comparatively speaking, uh, large intestines to help break down plant matter. We don't have to, we have the exact opposite. We are uniquely designed to break down proteins and fats from animal-based sources. On the flip side, you know, to the high absorbability of all the stuff that they get from animal-based foods like beef, you know, plant-based proteins.

Often come with antinutrients like phytic acid, which can actually block the absorption of key minerals. So while some people might feel bloated or uncomfortable after eating beef, it's often not the beef itself, but rather what they're eating with it. I've mentioned it already, I think three times. It's not the beef, it's what you consume with it.

Like, you know, processed grains, uh, you know, I dunno, potatoes with skins on heavy sauces and anything in between. Myth number seven, you can get the same nutrients from plant-based alternatives. And this is probably one of the most persistent myths, and it's been supercharged by the rise of, you know, plant-based.

What about meats, like beyond burgers? The idea is that you can get the same nutrients from these alternatives as you do from beef, but that's simply not true. Beef is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. It's packed with high quality bioavailable protein, essential fatty acids and critical nutrients like he and B12 and creatine, all of which are either absent or much harder to get from plant-based sources.

Now while plant-based sources or products may be fortified with some of these nutrients in synthetic forms, they're not absorbed as efficiently as those in beef. And don't get me started on the additives and chemicals used to make these plant-based products, uh, mimic the taste and texture of real meat.

If you are so focused on making something look like, you know, real meat, why don't just eat real meat? You know, if you're after nutrient density and health, beef is a clear winner, it's not even close, no plant-based, uh, Patty can, can compare our plant-based bacon. I. Myth number eight, beef is bad for your cholesterol.

You know, many people believe that eating beef will skyrocket their cholesterol levels leading to heart disease and clocked arteries. This myth is rooted in the outdated belief that dietary cholesterol directly raises blood cholesterol. But the recent research has flipped this idea on its head. Studies now show that for most people, the cholesterol in food has very little effect on cholesterol levels in the blood.

Assuming that. High blood cholesterol is bad, which is also not true, but you know, should not be subject of this podcast since we could talk, be talking for hours here. What's more the type of fats found in beef, particularly when it's grass fed, are actually beneficial for heart health. You know, grass fed beef, for example, contains higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid or CLA, which are linked to reduced inflammation.

Better heart health. So while it's important to be mindful of your overall diet, the idea that beef is a cholesterol bomb is simply not supported by the latest science or human evolution, if that's what you believe in. Now, at the end of the day, the myths surrounding beef have stuck around because they've been repeated off.

But just because everyone says it and everyone thinks it doesn't mean it's true. But when you dig into the science, when you step back and look at the bigger picture, it's clear that beef is far from the villain It's made out to be, it's nutritious, sustainable, when raised properly, and let's be honest, absolutely delicious.

So don't let this myth hold you back, ask questions, do the research, and more importantly, don't be afraid to enjoy it at stake, because it's likely doing a lot more for your health than anyone's giving it credit for. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Primer Chief Podcast. If you found this eye-opening, share it with a friend and let's keep busting these myths together.

Stay primer, my friends. Until next time, next episode, we're blowing up one of the biggest myths in the fitness world. Calorie tracking for weight loss. Sounds simple, right? Eat less, move more. But what if we told you it's a colossal waste of time? The numbers are wrong. The math doesn't add up, and your body isn't a calculator.

So what actually works? We're breaking it all down. No fluff, just facts. Tune in.