The study of the human diet’s role in health has moved beyond a focus on individual nutrients or even single foods to an emphasis on the overall dietary pattern. Characterizing dietary recommendations as healthful or unhealthful has become an important focus in the development of Dietary Guidelines for Americans that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) jointly issue every five years. Red meat can be associated with an unhealthful dietary pattern and lifestyle (i.e. low consumption of fruits, vegetables and lower levels of physical activity) and this limits appreciation for beef’s positive role in health. Disentangling red meat, or beef, from this overall pattern can be challenging but the science shows that today’s beef is a high quality nutrient rich source of protein that supports a healthful dietary pattern. Shalene McNeill, PhD, RD, Executive Director, Human Nutrition Research, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, provides insight and comments on red meats advantages in healthy dietary patterns.
Q: How do consumer preferences affect the inclusion of beef in today’s dietary pattern?
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