A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2012 concluded, “Low-carbohydrate, low-GI, Mediterranean, and high-protein diets are effective in improving various markers of cardiovascular risk in people with diabetes and should be considered in the overall strategy of diabetes management.” A small study from the University of Minnesota recently concluded that increasing protein and decreasing carbohydrates reduced blood glucose and increased blood insulin in people with untreated type 2 diabetes. They said the approach could be a “patient empowering invention” without need for a drug intervention.

Fresh meat and poultry have no glycemic index because they contain no carbohydrates and don’t raise blood glucose, according to the American Diabetes Association. Most plant-based protein foods, like beans and soy products, and any breaded meats contain carbohydrate. The American Diabetes Association and the Canadian Diabetes Association recommend making high protein foods a part of every meal. Fill ¼ of your plate with lean meat or poultry, ¼ of your plate with grains, and ½ your plate with non-starchy vegetables for a balanced meal that will help control blood sugars.

People with diabetes don’t produce enough insulin to process sugar so they must control their sugar intake and sometimes add insulin medication to help their bodies process foods. People with diabetes are typically urged to consume foods with a low “glycemic index” to avoid creating a blood sugar spike.

After surgery, 1 to 1.5 g protein/kg is recommended, but this may vary with the extent of the surgical wound. For patients with pressure ulcers, the recommendation is also 1 to 1.5 g/kg; those with deep ulcers or multiple pressure-ulcer sites may need 1.5 to 2 g/kg. For patients with large burn wounds, protein requirements sometimes reach 1.5 to 3 g/kg to offset extensive protein loss.

The recommended amount of 0.8 g protein/kg body weight is based on the needs of healthy adults. Elderly patients may require a higher baseline protein intake of 1 g/kg. However, many patients, including those with wounds, don’t fall into the “healthy adult” category and have even higher protein needs.

According to the National Institutes of Health, “ The best source of iron is red meat, especially beef and liver. Chicken, turkey, pork, fish, and shellfish also are good sources of iron.” Meat and poultry contain heme iron, which the body absorbs more readily than the non-heme iron in plant sources.

In the U.S., the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia is two percent in adult men, nine to 12 percent in non-Hispanic white women, and nearly 20 percent in black and Mexican-American women. In Canada nine percent of women aged 20 to 49, and 13 percent of females aged 12 to 19 have iron-deficiency.

Iron deficiency anemia is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world. Iron deficiency anemia is caused by a shortage of the element iron in your body. Your bone marrow needs iron to make hemoglobin essential for red blood cells.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics position paper suggests that protein requirements may be higher for older adults; they also recommend 25 to 30 g of protein at each meal for older adults. You can achieve this intake level by including protein-rich foods, such as lean meat, poultry, fish and seafood, eggs, dairy products, beans, lentils, soy foods, nuts, and seeds at each meal. In addition, servings of whole grains and vegetables can also help you meet your protein goals (see Protein Content in Common Foods.)

Researchers suggest increasing protein consumption to 25 to 30 grams per meal for older adults to prevent muscle loss. Researchers found that consuming the extra protein at meals rather than spreading it out in smaller increments during the day was most effective.

Age-related muscle loss or sarcopenia affects an estimated 45 percent of the older U.S. population. The risk of disability is 1.5 to 4.6 times higher in older persons with sarcopenia than in older persons with normal muscle.7

DHA: DHA is the most abundant Omega-3 fatty acid in the brain and it is critical for normal brain development. DHA and EPA, both long chain omega-3 fatty acids, are recommended as a source of fat for children to support cognitive function and brain development. It is also very important for women at a childbearing age, because a woman’s Omega-3 status can effects the brain of the offspring. Fatty fish are the best source of DHA. Beef also contains DHA.

Vitamin D3 : Vegetables contain a D-cousin called D2, but studies show that the body uses D3 animal products at a much higher rate. Very few foods naturally contain D3. They include beef liver and pork liver. Fatty fish, egg yolks and beef and pork cuts, also contain D3 but at lower levels than in the liver. Lower blood levels of vitamin D are associated with depression and reduced cognitive function.

In addition to B12, there are two other nutrients important to brain development and cognitive function that are only found in meat, poultry, fish and eggs. They include:

Research shows an association between lower markers of Vitamin B12 in the blood and cognitive disorders, neurological disorders, and memory loss. Research also shows that balanced diets that include animal protein are associated with lower rates some mental illnesses. A 2013 study by Dartmouth University researchers working with Austrian researchers found, “Vegetarians in our study suffer significantly more often from anxiety disorder and/or depression. Additionally, they have a poorer quality of life in terms of physical health, social relationships, and environmental factors.”

Vitamin B12 is essential in brain development in children. It also helps your nervous system function properly. Animal products, including fish and eggs, are the only natural sources of B12. Lacto-ovo vegetarians can obtain B12 through eggs and dairy, but vegans must use supplements or fortified foods. Vitamin B12 deficiency can result in pernicious anemia , a condition whose symptoms can include confusion, depression, loss of balance, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, according to the National Institutes of Health .

Research in recent years has shown the effectiveness of high protein, low fat diets in weight loss that could be maintained more effectively than other diets in the long-term. Results highlighted that people reported more satiety in 3 out of 5 high protein diets studied.

In the mid-1990s, scientists developed a satiety index – a measure of the feeling of fullness created by foods – and determined that meat had one of the highest satiety indexes among all foods. Based upon their data, it takes fewer “meat calories” to feel full than the amount of “croissant calories” needed to create a sense of fullness, for example.

When we eat, the stomach expands and its nerve receptors detect food and pressure on the stomach walls. The receptors use the vagus nerve to convey fullness to the brain. A larger meal can cause a sense of fullness better than a smaller meal but particular foods also are more effective at communicating fullness than others.

DHA: DHA or Docosahexaenoic acid is the most abundant Omega-3 fatty acid in the brain and it is critical for normal brain development. DHA and EPA, both long chain omega-3 fatty acids, are recommended as a source of fat for children to support cognitive function and brain development. It is also very important for women at a childbearing age, because a woman’s Omega-3 status could effect the brain of the offspring. Fatty fish are the best source of DHA. Beef also contains DHA.

Vitamin D3: Vegetables contain a D-cousin called D2, but studies show that the body uses D3 in animal products at a much higher rate. Very few foods naturally contain D3. They include beef liver and pork liver. Fatty fish, egg yolks and beef and pork cuts, also contain D3 but at lower levels than in the liver.

Consuming meat along with other foods also helps promote the bioavailability of some nutrients in those foods, such as iron and zinc. Vitamin C also helps with the absorption of non-heme iron.

The body absorbs key nutrients from foods with varying effectiveness depending upon the source of the nutrients. Meat and poultry deliver a high quality protein with all essential amino acids and the readily absorbed forms of iron and zinc.

To understand how nutrient density applies to the foods you eat, consider what 100 calories of common foods offer you in terms of nutrition. Chart 1 on this Clemson University page provides a convenient resource. Choose naturally-nutrient dense foods more often!

Human Nutrition Needs

What should we eat for optimal health? That’s a question that man has sought to answer for centuries. For so long, diet was determined by availability, but today in North America, most people have access to a wide variety of foods at some of the most affordable prices in the world. The question now has become, “Given all the choices, what foods should I choose for optimal health?”

While countless books have been written on the subject, the most widely accepted principle of a healthy diet is moderation and balance. That’s because humans need a variety of different nutrients and the needs are most likely to be met by eating a variety of foods. In some cases, foods work together to optimize nutrients and make them more “bioavailable” to the body. For example, meat can help the body absorb iron in plant foods.

Meat’s Role in Human Evolution

Anthropological and archaeological research reveals clearly that meat consumption played a critical role in evolution and human development. Early man consumed fruit, nuts and leaves and required large volumes of food to derive sufficient energy. As a result, early man had a large gut. Because the body was focused heavily on the hard work of digesting these foods, he also had a small brain and limited fertility. But when man learned to hunt and began to consume animal protein, smaller volumes of meat replaced the large volumes of food in his vegetarian diet. Easier to digest meat also allowed the body to use its energy to build its brain. Over time, man’s brain grew and so did other human characteristics like upright posture, speech and fertility. Not only did the individual grow, the population did, too. While humans are far more advanced today, meat and poultry play critical roles in building strong bodies and healthy brains and in maintaining our bodies as we age.