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Depression-Fighting
Nutrients
in Beef, Turkey, and Ham
Through the 1980s and 1990s the meat in my diet tended to be
skinless chicken breast, if I ate any meat at all. When you allow
yourself only 20 grams of fat a day, you are pretty limited in your
meat options. With that poultry overload, I still enjoy occasional
chicken or turkey. Leftover turkey from Thanksgiving is a standout
in particular.
But as I fight depression, I make a different choice in setting the
dinner table. Traditional holiday dinners tend to include turkey or
ham. Both poultry and pork can be leaner meats and lower in
saturated fat than red meats such as lamb and beef. But the problem
with leaner meats is that they are, in fact, leaner meats. Clinical
trials have shown that increasing the Omega-3 fatty acids in your
diet can alleviate depression. Most of us consume far too little of
this important fat.
So as we choose a holiday meal, should we select the traditional
turkey or the traditional ham? Our choice is roast beef.
Vitamins and
Minerals
Compared to turkey, beef has about ten times the
depression-fighting vitamin B-12 and three times the zinc. Beef has
about four times the B-12 of ham, twice the zinc, and twice the
iron. All meats are pretty good sources of vitamin B-6. None of the
meat options are good sources of folate or magnesium, so we make
sure to include those nutrients in other parts of our meal.
For a graph that compares
the nutrient profiles of turkey, pork, and beef, click
here.
Omega-3 to Omega-6
Ratio
Beef, particularly grass finished beef (or beef finished for a
short time on grain), has the depression-fighting Omega-3 fatty
acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid
(EPA).
In Rebuild from
Depression I
discuss the importance of reducing our Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty
acid ratio from about 20 to 1 to about 4 to 1 (or even as low as 1
to 1). To do so, we need to increase our intake of Omega-3 fatty
acids and reduce our intake of Omega-6 fatty acids. Reducing the
use of vegetable oils will help reduce our ratio, but selecting
appropriate meat is an important strategy as well if you have meat
in your diet.
Beef from grass fed cattle helps us reduce our ratio: the ratio of
Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids is in the range of 2 to 1 (Rule et
al. 2002) and pork is in the range of 7 to 1 (Enser et al. 1996). I
have found no studies of turkey, but one study of chicken found
that the Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio was over 18 to 1 (Rule et al.
2002) while another placed chicken in a more favorable range of
between 4 and 11 to 1 depending on the sample.
It appears that beef has a more favorable profile of Omega-6 to
Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly if the beef has been finished on
grain for a short period of time. It is also higher in B-12, zinc,
and iron than other typical holiday options.
Beef is what’s for dinner in this house this holiday season.
More to come on grass versus grain finishing ….
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IMPORTANT
DISCLAIMER: Information on this web
site is provided for informational purposes only and is not
intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician
or other healthcare professional. Consult with your physician
before making any changes to your diet.