Meat and eggs misinformation? health & sustainability facts

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This chapter explores the high intakes of animal foods like beef, pork, chicken, and eggs in Western diets, highlighting their protein, micronutrients, saturated fat and heme iron alongside the sodium (salt), preservatives, and carcinogens found in processed meats. It illustrates the health risks of red and processed meats, including heart disease, stroke, and colorectal (colon) cancer. It addresses misinformation regarding the nutritional benefits and sustainability of grass-fed versus grain-fed beef, clarifying that both have a high carbon and water footprint and contribute to climate change. It assesses the egg and blood cholesterol (high LDL) connection, reminding that some may be sensitive to dietary cholesterol from egg yolks. Finally, it examines eggs (cage-free, free-range, pasture-raised, regenerative agriculture, organic), noting the role of bird (avian) flu on egg prices and urging eaters to read labels to understand environmental sustainability and ethical concerns in egg and meat production (and ditch the jerky).