For a year now, I and my wife had not visited fast food outlets and steakhouses in my town, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan Malaysia. I eat also a lot noodle-based dishes, such as Mee Kari and Mee Laksa, two popular Malaysian dishes. I ask for the ingredients to contain lots of vegetables and fishballs. I also consume more fruits such as banana and dragon fruits. My local pharmacist also suggests taking supplements containing zinc and iron.  

An article in Times 2 of the Times London on November 25^th, 2019, caught my attention. It reported that more Britons are taking meat off the weekly menu. According to a YouGov poll, one in four people in the UK planned to eat less meat throughout 2019, while the annual Waitrose Food and Drink Report reckoned that a third of Britons have dabbled in meat reduction, some having removed it from their diet for health, environmental and cost reasons. Last week David Attenborough told The Times he too was cutting down. “I can’t remember when I last had a piece of red meat,” he said.

The health benefits are many. Government guidelines, which were updated last year, say people should “on average eat no more than 70g red and processed meat a day” and the risk of bowel cancer is known. Cutting down, though, needs careful planning. Just how easy is it to replace meat and not miss out on the nutrients it provides? The articles noted some expert advice.

IRON
How much we need Men — 8.7mg daily; women age 11-50 — 14.8mg; women age 50+ — 8.7mg daily
Amount in 100g red meat 2.7mg

There are two types of iron in food: haem and non-haem iron. Haem iron is only found in meat, chicken and fish, and is easily absorbed. Non-haem iron is also found in plant foods, such as vegetables, cereals, beans and lentils, but is not absorbed as well by the body. As a building block for haemoglobin, iron is responsible for ferrying oxygen round the body and supplying energy. It plays a role in many metabolic processes including breathing, DNA synthesis and immune function. In the diet, the best and most easily absorbed form is the haem iron found in meat, offal, clams and oysters. Non-haem iron, found in eggs, bread, beans, pulses, leafy green vegetables and seeds, is in a form that is more difficult for the body to absorb. Some substances in plant foods, such as oxalic acid, also inhibit the absorption of iron, and for that reason it is important to get it from a variety of sources if you are cutting down on meat. “There are studies showing that our bodies do get better at absorbing non-haem iron from plant sources over time,” Dr Megan Rossi, a research fellow in nutrition at King’s College London, says. “There’s also some emerging research showing that our bodies somehow extract a little more iron from plant foods if our stores are low, although we don’t yet know how this works.”

Offset it by eating
100g of cooked kidney beans (2mg iron), baked beans in tomato sauce (1.4mg) or chickpeas (2mg) are all good plant sources of iron. A handful (30g) each of dried figs provide about 1.1mg iron, dried apricots (1mg) and almonds (0.9mg) will add to your daily tally as will a tablespoon of sesame seeds (1.6mg) or a tablespoon of sunflower seeds (1mg iron). Boiled or steamed broccoli (1mg iron per 100g) is a good choice, although spinach (with 1.6mg iron per 100g) “has a relatively poor level of bio-availability due to its high levels of oxalic acid, which binds with iron and blocks its absorption in the gut”, says Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a dietician and spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association. Vitamin C helps to increase the absorption of non-haem iron, “which means it’s essential to eat a piece of fruit or have some vegetables alongside a plant-based source of iron”, she says.

VITAMIN B12
How much we need 1.5mcg daily
Amount in 100g red meat 3mcg

Vitamin B12 is important for healthy blood and nerve function, and works with folate to synthesise our DNA. It also helps to break down protein and fat so that our bodies can use them for energy. It’s the nutrient of most concern for people cutting out meat products because it is not found naturally in fruit, vegetables and grains, so anyone reducing their meat intake risks not getting enough of it. “People following a full vegan diet would need to make sure they obtain their daily vitamin B12 requirement through fortified products such as milk alternative or nutrition yeast or take a separate dietary supplement,” Ludlam-Raine says.

Offset it by eating
Dairy products contain it — a glass of milk provides 1.24mcg, and a slice of cheese (20g) 0.4mcg, a pot of yoghurt 1mcg and an egg 0.6mcg of vitamin B12. Fortified yeast extracts, soya milk and breakfast cereals also provide varying amounts. Tempeh, made from fermented soya beans, and mushrooms are sometimes reported to contain B12, but there’s no firm evidence that they are a reliable source.

PROTEIN
How much we need 0.75g of protein per kg bodyweight a day (or approximately 50g for most adults) as a minimum to prevent muscle wastage; those following more active lifestyles are likely to require more than 1g of protein per kg of bodyweight a day.
Amount in 100g red meat 34g

Animal protein provides the essential amino acids needed by the body to produce muscle and other tissue, hormones, neurotransmitters and the cells and antibodies that boost the immune system. Vegetable protein sources don’t have all of these essential amino acids, but you can obtain them as long as you eat a variety of foods in combination. “It’s not an exact science and what matters is that you’re eating a variety of different sources over an entire day and week as opposed to obsessing about the protein content of each meal,” Ludlam-Raine says. Good sources of plant protein include nuts, seeds, pulses, mycoprotein and soya products and there are smaller amounts in grains.

Offset it by eating
Fish and seafood are the next best protein providers after meat — canned tuna provides 23.5g, salmon 24.2g and prawns 22.6g — and, if eaten with a single boiled egg, which provides 13g, would match the amount in meat. Dairy foods are also a good supplier, but soya milk contains about the same amount of protein as cow’s with 8g in a 250ml glass. If plants are to be your main source of protein, it’s important to eat a combination of different sources (including cereals and pulses) so that you get all of the amino acids you need. Half a can of baked beans (9.7g protein) served with 2 slices of wholemeal toast (5g protein) plus 5 tablespoons quinoa (8g protein), a handful of walnuts or hazelnuts (8g protein) and a 150g pot of soya yoghurt (7g protein) would match your meat serving.

ZINC
How much we need Men — 9.5mg; Women — 7mg a day
Amount in 100g red meat 8.2mg

Zinc is needed by the body to function well and is needed for the formation of new cells and enzymes throughout the body. It is vital for a healthy immune system and for fertility, but also important for healing wounds.

Offset it by eating
Oysters are the richest source of zinc with 48.3mg in a 100g serving, but we don’t eat many oysters and meat provides about a third of our total intake of the mineral. There’s less zinc in plant foods, with beans such lentils, red kidney beans and chickpeas providing about 1mg per 100g, but legumes also contain phytates, compounds that can inhibit its absorption. To offset the shortfall you would need to get zinc from different sources, such as a serving of red kidney beans (1mg), a jacket potato or baked sweet potato (1mg), 2 slices of wholemeal bread (0.9mg) and a 100g bar of 70-85 per cent dark chocolate, which contains 3.3mg. Three tablespoons of mixed nuts or seeds daily will provide up to 2.5mg zinc, so add to your cereals and salads.

VITAMIN B3 (NIACIN)
How much we need Men age 19-50 — 17mg a day and age 50+ — 16mg; Women age 19-50 — 13mg and age 50+ — 12mg
Amount in 100g red meat 4.6mg

Like the other B vitamins, niacin helps the body to release energy from the food that we eat in addition to keeping the nervous system and skin healthy.

Offset it by eating
One 165g can of tuna provides 21.9mg of niacin and in a cooked 85g salmon fillet you will get about 7mg. About ten anchovies provide half the amount of B3 you need each day, so add them to salads or eat as a snack. Two tablespoons of peanut butter provides 4.3mg of niacin and a medium avocado 3.5mg.

SELENIUM How much we need 75mcg for men and 60mcg for women
Amount in 100g red meat 10mcg

According to the SACN (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition), “selenium is essential for a wide range of biochemical functions within the body”. Its presence in food depends on how much selenium there is in soil and it varies significantly in different parts of Europe.

Offset it by eating
Brazil nuts are among the richest sources of selenium, providing 254mcg per 100g, so a handful would give you 63mcg. An egg provides 27mcg selenium and 100g of canned tuna in sunflower oil 87mcg. You will also find selenium in soya beans (14mcg per 100g), cod and haddock (30mcg per 100g) and cheese — parmesan contains 12mcg per 100g and stilton 8mcg. A medium slice of brown bread provides 1.5mcg of selenium and a medium slice of white bread provides 1.9mcg. White flour provides 3mcg of selenium per 100g.