It depends. Eating too much red meat can be bad for you, but eating some red meat is ok.

 Red meat is meat that comes from animals that have hooves, like:

  • Beef
  • Pork
  • Lamb
  • Mutton
  • Venison
  • Goat meat

 

Red meat is a good source of many nutrients like protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin B. Eating red meat can also protect you from anemia, a condition that happens when you don’t have enough iron in your diet.

But eating a lot of red meat, especially when cooked at high temperatures, can increase your risk of getting health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Red meat can be high in saturated fats, which increase your cholesterol. Having high cholesterol increases your risk for heart disease. Red meat can also be pretty high in calories, and eating too many calories can lead to weight gain. Being overweight or obese increase your risk for a lot of health conditions.

Experts recommend that you eat less than 2 servings, or 6 ounces, of red meat each day. For reference, most slices of lunch meat are about 1 ounce per slice. Steaks served at restaurants tend to be 8-12 ounces.

Avoid too much red meat when you dine, but eating in moderation is fine