Tim Rees, a registered nutritionist (BSc mBANT rCNHC) has published a report entitled ‘Why is the World Health Organisation (WHO) Anti-Meat? When the evidence against it is simply not good enough.’
In his report, which does not appear to have been widely publicised Rees said: “Red meat, until recent times the cornerstone of a nutritious diet for the fortunate few, is being attacked from many angles because idealism, ego and good old fashioned corruption have permitted weak science to permeate our guidelines and fog our brains so that we find ourselves, the only species on the planet, at a loss about what to eat.”
AIMS’s Tony Googer, who picked the report up on Twitter said: “It’s not a short read, but this is really interesting and Rees does not hold back.”
“Red meat, until recent times the cornerstone of a nutritious diet for the fortunate few, is being attacked from many angles because idealism, ego and good old fashioned corruption have permitted weak science to permeate our guidelines and fog our brains so that we find ourselves, the only species on the planet, at a loss about what to eat.”
Meat Management’s editor, Pam Brook, added: “I think this is a must read for all our industry and I hope will be shared widely. Rees presents science, common sense and realism to his argument. As he says the evidence against red meat was not sufficient to condemn it and had it been on trial it would have been set free to roam once again.”Rees said: As a registered nutritionist I recommend people eat red meat because it’s high in bioavailable nutrients, and the IARC report agrees with me to some extent too saying “Red meat contains proteins of high biological value, and important micronutrients such as B vitamins, iron (both free iron and haem iron), and zinc.”"It also shaped our evolution, shortened our guts and enlarged our brains because of the density of the nutrients within it and the complete lack of fermentation required to access them; more nutrients for less work."An absence of nourishing foods, including red meat, often means an increase in highly processed junk foods — excessive carbohydrates being the clear winner — that are the real drivers behind the obesity epidemic and its myriad related health problems that will bankrupt our health services and undermine the word of those institutions that should have been protecting us."
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
