The battle brewing over how much red meat you eat

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Get ready for a big debate over the amount of red meat on your plate. Scientists advising the U.S.

government on its next round of dietary guidelines have drafted recommendations that would tell Americans to limit how much red meat they eat. It’s part of an effort to nudge us to eat more plant foods, including beans, peas and lentils. The draft recommendations have drawn an immediate outcry from the meat industry, setting up a potential fight over the final guidelines—expected late next year—and the amount of red meat we should have in our diets.

Nutrition researchers largely heralded the move. Scientists have long said the cholesterol and fat in burgers and steaks can raise the risk of cardiovascular disease and other health problems. Current U.S.

dietary guidelines recommend steering clear of too much saturated fat but stop short of saying people should limit red meat. Beef has long been a centerpiece of American meals, and meat-heavy diets like carnivore and paleo remain popular. American men, in particular, eat more meat, poultry and eggs than existing guidelines recommend, mainly a lot of red meat and processed products, such as sliced ham and bacon.

“It seems like it will be hard-pressed to change," said Lindsey Smith Taillie, associate professor in the nutrition department at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. “We have very strong preferences for red meat that are tied up in all sorts of social and cultural factors." The U.S. dietary guidelines, updated every five years, have a broad impact.