A guest article by Andrea Simoneit (author, Carnivore Coach and editor of the Fleischzeit Podcast, the first German podcast on carnivorous nutrition)
If you follow the current social debate about meat, you might think that meat has nothing good to offer. But that is not the case. Meat, especially organs and animal fats also contain more nutrients than any other food. And these nutrients can help us regain our health, our fitness and our center. What's more, the nutrients in animal form are usually more bioavailable, which means that the body can use them better than in plant form. People always think that fruit and vegetables are the healthiest. But they can't even come close to keeping up with meat.
What nutrients are in animal products?
Let's start with protein. If we want to build muscle or skin, we need to consume proteins through our diet. Meat and other animal products contain all essential amino acids, which are the protein building blocks that we need to form our own cells. Plant proteins usually do not contain all essential amino acids. In addition, plant-based products also contain antinutrients that hinder the absorption of amino acids. If we compare 20 g of plant protein with 20 g of animal protein, we will absorb about half of the plant protein, or sometimes even less. The so-called DIAAS index provides information about this. It takes into account the absorption capacity of the amino acids in the intestine.[1]
However, there is one particular protein that is not present in plant-based foods at all. It is collagen. Our body is made up of 30% collagen. Bone broth, the good old bone broth, was a good source for our grandparents. Fatty or sinewy meat also contains collagen. So if you prefer to eat only muscle meat, you are deficient in this regard and should also drink bone broth or take collagen.[2]
Important nutrients that support our bodily functions are minerals.
The best known is iron . This is available in both animal and plant forms. However, the bioavailability of the animal form, heme iron, is 5 times higher than that of the plant form, iron oxide. A good iron level leads to more life energy and a better mood. Heme iron is particularly found in red meat and organs contain.[3]
organs are nutritional bombs when it comes to minerals. iron , zinc, potassium and copper are contained in large quantities and are also bioavailable. The situation is different with the minerals in grains, for example. The phytic acid contained in grains prevents the absorption of minerals because it binds them. This means that the intestines can hardly absorb the minerals contained in grains. The same applies to nuts, which also contain this so-called antinutrient, phytic acid.[4]
meat and organs are vitamin bombs
It is widely known that vegetarians or even vegans are deficient in B vitamins, especially vitamin B12. Meat and organs contain large amounts of B vitamins. They fulfil a wide variety of functions in our organism, vitamin B7, biotin is good for skin, hair and nails, vitamin B9, folic acid is essential for pregnant women and is found in egg yolk or organs . Vitamin B12 is essential for cell renewal.
Vitamin A is also abundant in animal fats, especially from pasture-raised animals. In addition, it is more easily bioavailable in the animal form than from carrots, for example.[5]
Vitamin D is also found in animal fats. The Inuit, who cannot produce vitamin D from the sun all year round, get it exclusively from animal fats.
Finally, vitamin K should be mentioned. Here, too, a distinction must be made between the plant form, K1, and the animal form, K2. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) does not differentiate between the two forms to this day, although they have very different functions in our body. While vitamin K1 enables our blood to clot and most people have sufficient amounts of it available, vitamin K2 is different. It is found in animal fats from pasture-raised animals. Its function is to transport the calcium that we absorb to the right places, namely the bones and teeth. On the other hand, it can transport calcium away from soft tissue, such as the blood vessels. In this way, it prevents calcification there and at the same time reduces the much-dreaded osteoporosis by strengthening our bones.[6]
Antioxidants are not only found in fruits, in vegetables
Let's move on to antioxidants. Here, too, the first thing that comes to mind is fruit and vegetables as sources of these anti-inflammatory substances. But meat also contains antioxidants, and not a small amount. These include the substances carnitine, carnosine, choline, creatine and taurine. Many people will be familiar with their names, but it is not widely known that they can also reduce inflammation in our bodies. In addition to their antioxidant effects, these substances have other positive effects on our health. Carnitine improves performance in sports, improves fertility in women and men, and has a significant effect against depression. Carnosine supports the elimination of toxic metals. Choline is essential for pregnant women in particular. It prevents defects in the fetus and promotes its brain development. Creatine improves cognitive performance and memory. It also promotes blood sugar regulation. And finally, taurine, whose name is derived from the bull 'taurus', actually reduces anxiety. Athletes often take these antioxidants as a supplement to increase performance. However, there are studies on carnitine, for example, which show that it is better to take it in its natural form, i.e. from red meat or organs can be absorbed than through artificial supplementation.[7]
The Truth About Animal Fats
One of the biggest changes in our diet in recent decades has been the transition from vegetable to animal fats. We were made to believe that animal fats are not good for our health. This is due, firstly, to the saturated fatty acids and, secondly, to the harmful cholesterol. The dogma of unhealthy animal fat has become very firmly ingrained. The media continues to declare vegetable fats as healthier, but studies now tell a different story. Since we now know how well saturated fatty acids boost the metabolism, coconut oil has been hyped for several years - a saturated fat, but the main thing is that it is plant-based. People don't want to admit that beef lard could be used just as well or even better. This is available in abundance regionally and was also a healthy source of fat for our grandparents. A saturated fatty acid found in beef lard is called stearic acid. Its name is also derived from the word 'bull'. It has a health-promoting effect in several ways. Consumption of stearic acid reduces visceral fat. This is the name given to our body fat that is deposited between the organs and is associated with arteriosclerosis. In animal experiments, stearic acid was also able to improve insulin resistance. And it has even been shown in humans that their metabolism is boosted by stearic acid.
Cholesterol - a vital raw material for our body
It was not just the positive effects of saturated fatty acids that were mistaken. Cholesterol also fulfils many important functions. However, since we now consume almost exclusively vegetable fats, we lack cholesterol in many ways. Cholesterol is a component of our cell walls and serves to stabilize them. Cholesterol is therefore also found in our skin and is also a basic substance in the production of vitamin D when we are exposed to the sun. Most cholesterol is found in our brain. There are studies that show that cholesterol improves cognitive performance and protects against dementia. There are studies among autistic people that show that adding cholesterol alleviates their symptoms. But cholesterol is also essential for our hormone system. It serves as the basis for the production of sex hormones and the stress hormone cortisol.
We now know that the supposedly 'bad' LDL cholesterol also has many positive effects. A high LDL level is not the cause of cardiovascular disease. There are numerous cases of heart attacks that occur when LDL levels are low. In contrast, people who live to a very old age have increased LDL levels. LDL also improves the immune system and has an anti-inflammatory effect. This is why the body often produces more cholesterol when it has an infection.[8]
The functions and importance of cholesterol have been greatly underestimated in recent decades and this is still largely the case. Unfortunately, the dogma that 'animal fat' is unhealthy persists in people's minds. The increase in so many diseases of civilization should give us pause for thought that there may be a connection between the decline in our meat consumption, especially of organs and animal fat, and the increasingly poor state of our health.
Meat has a lot to offer, meat is the most nutrient-dense food and meat heals. The Fleischzeit podcast offers numerous reports from those affected by the carnivore diet were able to regain their health.[9]
[1] https://www.carnitarier.de/2020/01/28/aminosäuren/
[2] https://www.carnitarier.de/2022/04/02/muskelfleisch/
[3] https://www.carnitarier.de/2021/08/30/eisen/
[4] https://www.carnitarier.de/2020/04/30/phytate/
[5] https://www.carnitarier.de/2019/08/01/vitamin-a/
[6] https://www.carnitarier.de/2022/10/09/vitamin-k2/
[7] https://www.carnitarier.de/2020/04/06/antioxidantien/