Why Meat and Poultry are important for human body?
- Meat and poultry are rich sources of proteins of high biological value.
- They do not contain carbohydrates.
- All the meats except egg yolk contain haem iron; therefore, the iron is well absorbed. However, egg yolk contains non-haem iron; the phosvitin which is present in egg yolks interferes with iron absorption but consuming vitamin C in the same meal helps lo overcome this problem.
- Egg yolk is rich in vitamin A and p-carotene, while liver is rich in vitamin A.
- Red meats are rich in saturated fats, while fish and poultry contain very small amounts of fats. Lean meats contain less fat.
- Organ meats such as liver, kidney and brain and egg yolks are rich in cholesterol. Including large amounts of such foods in the diet, especially along with saturated fats in the diet has been shown to result in high serum cholesterol which is a risk factor for coronary heart diseases.
- Flesh foods are rich in iron, zinc and vitamin BIZ, but are devoid of fibre and vitamin C.