Not All Red Meat Is Equal

Good news for meat eaters: According to a new study from Harvard's School of Public Health, steak, hamburgers, and other non-processed types of red meat pose no significant heart risk, despite the fact that red meat is notoriously high in saturated fat. The study suggest that salt may be the heart's bigger enemy, and that the key to cutting one's risk for heart attacks lies in reducing consumption of processed meats high in sodium, such as bacon, cold cuts, sausages, and hot dogs. "The conventional wisdom is that red meats have higher saturated fat and cholesterol levels,” said a research fellow at Harvard’s School of Public Health's. “But when you try to separate processed from unprocessed meats, you get an entirely different picture." One cardiologist and nutrition expert was quick to warn that this study wasn’t meant to endorse eating more red meat.