One of the biggest and most detrimental myths in society today in regard to what constitutes a healthy diet, is the belief that one shouldn’t eat meat. The reasons to eat meat are basic – it is essential for a healthy mind and body and the lack of meat in the diet is one of the biggest contributors to the epidemics of obesity, depression, heart disease, anxiety disorders, hyperactivity, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, hypoglycemia, compulsive overeating, Candida overgrowth, food addiction, alcoholism, addiction, insomnia and many more.

Eating meat is not what leads to heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and all the other health conditions that it is blamed for. It is sugar and the over consumption of complex carbohydrates like grains, beans and potatoes, that break down into sugar in the body.

People are confused with all the messages about “eat more grains and avoid fat” and never hear about the reasons to eat meat. If you’re going to eat grains, then whole grains is the way to go, however the truth of the matter is that neither one of them is very healthy for you. The gastrointestinal tract of the human does not process whole grains very effectively. They actually damage the GI tract and disrupt metabolism. The body can actually get most of the glucose it needs from protein and fat — carbohydrates like grains, beans and potatoes are not needed.

Additionally, the body and the mind need fat and cholesterol to function properly. For example, they are crucial for neurotransmitter production and function, blood sugar regulation, hormone production and function, a healthy nervous system and providing energy. They also increase our ability to absorb nutrients, aid in digestion and prevent constipation,

However, it is the kind of meat you eat that is important. You should not be eating processed meat. It is processed meat that is pumped full of sugar, salt, chemicals, additives, nitrates, hormones, pesticides, antibiotics and preservatives that will lead to disease, but not fresh, whole cuts of meat like steaks, roasts, legs, thighs, breasts or ground.

You should not be eating pepperoni, salami, sausage, chicken fingers, buffalo wings, bologna, bacon or deep fried, and you should avoid pork cuts of all kinds. Pork harbors a variety of parasites that are not killed with cooking. Your meat should be organic, hormone and antibiotic free, grass-fed and free-range. Being grass-fed is very important as animals that eat grains have higher amounts of unhealthy fats and an unhealthy balance in their omega ratio.

(Please note: although fish is a healthy meat in most respects, it is pretty much impossible to find fish that isn’t contaminated with high levels of mercury from our polluted bodies of water, which is poisonous to the human body, so fish should be minimized. I personally can’t eat fish because the chemicals it contains makes me ill.)

I encourage you to eat more meat and here’s 12 more reasons why:

1. The first and most important reason you should eat meat is because that is the way you were created biologically. Human beings are meat eaters by nature and our bodies require the nourishment that meat provides. Prior to the introduction of sugar, grains and dairy in our diet, the degenerative health conditions that plague our society today did not exist. The Paleolithic diet is the diet that human beings should be eating, and meat is the major component.
2. Not eating meat leads to Candida overgrowth.
3. Not eating meat leads to sugar addiction, carbohydrate addiction, compulsive overeating, alcoholism and addiction in general.
4. Meat builds stronger muscles.
5. Meat keeps blood sugar stable and halts cravings for carbohydrates.
6. Meat and its by-products are the only complete sources of protein available to us. All other forms of protein are incomplete and don’t provide us with all the essential amino acids the body and mind need to function adequately.
7. Not eating meat leads to neurotransmitter imbalances that result in a variety of mental and physical health conditions like anxiety, depression and hyperactivity.
8. Meat boosts the immune system and antibodies that protect you from infections
9. Meat is a supreme source of iron and B12
10. Meat protein gives you long-lasting energy, unlike carbohydrates which gives you a high and then a crash.
11. Salmon and organic, free-range, grass-fed beef, as well as buffalo are good sources of balanced Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio. Organic grass-fed beef and buffalo are also good sources of CLA, conjugated linolic acid, a substance that has antioxidant and anti-tumor properties and is attributed to reducing abdominal fat, glucose uptake and changes in serum total lipids.
12. Meat helps you burn fat.

How much meat you should eat with each meal may vary from person to person depending on your unique biochemical needs and what health conditions you may face.  Experts say that slightly more than half of your meal should consist of meat.

That is what I have found to be true in my own life. I eat between 6 and 8 ounces of meat and about 4 or 5 ounces of vegetables with each meal. I need a minimum of 6 ounces meat in each of my meals or I can’t stabilize my blood sugar. If I eat less than 6 ounces of meat, I will have severe hypoglycemia symptoms and develop a migraine. Your meat should be accompanied with an abundance of vegetables and a small amount of fruits, nuts and/or seeds and healthy oils.

Yes, I’m aware that some environmentalists say we shouldn’t eat meat because it’s bad for the environment. I am a strong environmentalist, but I completely disagree with this stance. We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot in the process of protecting the environment. Eating meat is essential for our physical and mental health, therefore we must find another solution to manage the negative impact that cattle has on the environment. Human beings are an important species in the environment and our health needs must be taken into account. Telling people they shouldn’t eat meat is as irresponsible and destructive as telling someone to ignore global warming and recycling.

Yes, I’m also aware that vegetarians say we shouldn’t eat meat because it’s unethical or immoral. I, too am an animal lover and a strong supporter of the ethical treatment of animals. However, eating meat is not inhumane, unkind, immoral, or unethical. It is the way nature intended it to be. We must first be kind, respectful and loving to our own bodies, and that means providing it with the nourishment that nature intended it to have. It is entirely possible to eat meat in an ethical and humane way by eating organic meat that is free-range and grass-fed.

Yes, I’m aware that some people say we have evolved to a point where the human body does not need meat. That is not true for most people. According to some of the most respected authorities on the subject like Professor Loren Cordain, the human genome has not changed very much in the last 40,000 years — less than 0.02 percent. As a matter of fact 99.99% of our genes were developed before the agriculture revolution. For more than 2 million years we were meat eaters — grains, dairy, beans etc. were not part of the diet. This means our bodies were genetically programmed to function most optimally on a diet that includes meat, vegetables, eggs, fish, nuts, seeds and fruit – not grains, beans, potatoes and dairy.

I agree with this line of scientific research because that is what I have found to be true in my own life. I’ve dealt with a variety of health issues over the years, including addiction, hypoglycemia, chronic fatigue, hormonal imbalances, fibromyalgia, candida overgrowth, anxiety attacks, compulsive overeating, depression, food sensitivities and irritable bowel and I found that eating a diet that consists primarily of meat and vegetables with a small amount of nuts, seeds and fruit, was the primary factor needed for healing each of these conditions. As a matter fact, it was the ingestion of sugar, grains, beans and potatoes or other high carbohydrate foods that was at the root of these conditions. Maybe a handful of people in the world have adapted to grains, beans etc., but most people are still on the evolutionary path that have not and require meat.

The reasons to eat meat are clear — it is required by the body and mind to function optimally.