Are Oversize Servings Killing Us?

When we go into a restaurant, we expect to get a lot for our money. Sometimes, though, we may be getting too much of a good thing, especially when those servings include red meat. Those oversize servings may just be the cause of heart attacks and other health-related issues. In other words, size does matter---and it could kill you.

We are all familiar with the rule of thumb that when we have red meat as part of a meal, the meat should be about the size of a deck of playing cards.  That is about 3 ounces. You may be surprised to learn that the Outback 14 ounce rib eye steak you had the other night is the equivalent of 3 1/2 servings of red meat according to the Nutrition Action Healthletter for June 2013.  And that Panera Smoked Ham and Swiss cheese sandwich you had for lunch today?  It is the equivalent to 4 servings. Id.

Relying on information from Adam Bernstein, research director of the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute, the Nutrition Action Newsletter lists six reasons you should be eating less red meat rather than those oversize portions:

1. You are likely to live longer.
2. You will protect your heart.
3 You will cut your risk of cancer.
4. You may be able to avoid the risk of a stroke.
5 You may cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
6.You will protect the environment from methane and nitrous oxide.

I don't know about you, but to me these are pretty compelling reasons to cut back but not totally eliminate the amount of red meat we consume.