Warning to 'not fry or roast' for healthy meat consumption

Eid al-Adha has arrived, and as meat is being prepared across the country, experts have issued notable warnings regarding nutrition. Recommending that sacrificial meat be rested before consumption, Dietitian Merve Sena Nazlı stated that unconscious meat consumption leads citizens toward excessive and unhealthy eating, which subsequently causes health problems.

''WE CAN ALSO PREPARE OUR RED MEAT WITH VEGETABLES''

Stating that red meat consumption increases during Eid al-Adha, unlike during Ramadan, Dietitian Merve Sena Nazlı said, “Red meat consumption is not harmful when kept in normal portions, but the quantity is a bit higher. Because after the sacrificial animals are slaughtered, we start consuming them quickly. We do this mostly as roasted meat instead of boiled, and with plenty of tail fat. Especially those with cardiovascular diseases, blood pressure problems, and particularly kidney patients need to be careful. Because consuming too much red meat can raise cholesterol and blood pressure, potentially ruining the holiday. Therefore, I strongly recommend you be careful. Other than that, those who will consume red meat can definitely choose to have it with green salads or raw vegetables rich in Vitamin C, as red meat is rich in iron, or we can prepare the red meat with vegetables.”

''INSTEAD OF ROASTING, IT CAN BE GRILLED, BARBECUED, OR BOILED''

Noting that excessive consumption of red meat can cause blood sugar to rise suddenly, Nazlı said, “As a cooking method, instead of frying or roasting, it can be grilled, barbecued, or boiled. As for beverages, let's try to stay away from acidic, carbonated drinks. With the warming weather, we want to drink cold beverages, but what we need to be careful about here are very sugary drinks. Blood sugar can also rise quickly. Therefore, you can drink ayran. Turnip juice (şalgam) can be preferred as it is a natural probiotic, or mineral water can be chosen. Because we sweat, and as we sweat, we lose vitamins and minerals. Mineral water can be chosen as the best source for mineral loss. We also need to pay attention to our dessert consumption during this process. Syrupy desserts and pastry desserts are preferred much more during the holiday. Here, we can choose things like ice cream or milk-based desserts. Water consumption is also very important. Let's try not to fall below 2-2.5 liters.”

''SUGARY FOODS A LITTLE MORE...''

Addressing parents regarding nutrition, Nazlı said, “The point we need to be careful about with children is that they can consume meat, but they are exposed to too many sugary foods. They eat too much chocolate. This will negatively affect their development and may increase the frequency of junk food consumption. We can set a quota here. Instead of eating everywhere we go, we can try to choose the ones we like and love. We can encourage them to reduce sugary foods a little more. Because children like to drink more acidic, carbonated drinks in the places they visit. Yes, maybe if they don't have an illness, they can be allowed one for the holiday, but other than that, it would be quite good for our children if we try to get them to consume more ayran. The point we should pay attention to in the elderly is again this roasting and frequency of meat consumption. Because we are a society that starts the day by consuming roasted meat even at breakfast. This has an effect that raises our blood sugar and at the same time our blood pressure. I recommend that we have a nice breakfast instead of consuming meat like roasted meat for breakfast. Let's have a nice breakfast with our cheese, eggs, greens, and whole-grain bread. I recommend consuming sacrificial meat for lunch and dinner. During this process, sacrificial meat actually needs to be waited a bit and then consumed. Our recommendation is usually to rest it for 24 hours. Because sacrificial meat is tough at first. It starts to soften as it sits. But this is not very possible during Eid al-Adha. Because everyone wants to consume it quickly. Here, smaller portions but consuming it after 24 hours will be healthier.”

''OUR RED MEATS CAN BE STORED IN THE DEEP FREEZER FOR 8 TO 10 MONTHS''

Giving warnings about storing sacrificial meat, Dietitian Merve Sena Nazlı said, “Let's take care to store the meat in pieces rather than as a whole. Again, it can be turned into minced meat. We can store red meats in the deep freezer section of the refrigerator in freezer bags in portions, as much as we will use in a meal. In general, our red meats can be stored in the deep freezer for 8 to 10 months.”