Monday, July 10, 2006

Fuelling Evolution



(I always liked Sam Neill)

From The Main Meal website (owned by Meat and Livestock Australia).

The story of red meat and how we came to be.
To understand the importance of red meat, you have to go back millions of years to the time when our ape ancestors came down from the trees and moved to open grasslands.

During this time, only the fittest species of early man would survive. Those who adapted to the new surroundings lived on. The big leap came when our ancestors started to eat red meat.

The nutrients in red meat helped our brains grow. Hunting forced us to think. We learnt how to shape tools, communicate and work together – we were turning into human beings.

Over thousands of years, our bodies adapted to a diet high in red meat. In fact, our bodies and nutritional needs are very similar to our early ancestors.

This is why your body instinctively desires red meat for health and wellbeing.

Today, red meat still remains an important part of the diet. Lean red meat has an impressive bundle of nutrients:

Omega 3s to help keep the heart in good shape and to support brain function
Zinc to help maintain the immune system
Vitamin B12 to help protect DNA and the nervous system
Iron to carry oxygen in the blood for energy and vitality
Protein to help satisfy the appetite for longer and help control hunger pangs.

It’s no wonder the Australian Dietary Guidelines continue to recommend we enjoy lean red meat 3-4 times every week. After all, that’s the way nature intended it.



More information:
• Australian Dietary Guidelines go to the Australian Government's National Health and Medical Research Council's website
Nutritional composition of lean beef and lamb
• For diet and health information go to foodfacts.com.au
• Click here for some red meat recipes
• View the new TV ad featuring Sam Neill by clicking on the link at the top of this post.

Steve

No comments: