A visit to a Muslim friend of mine last week during the Eid-el-Kabir radically changed what I wanted to do this week.
As Alhaji Fatai brought out foods with meat delicacies to entertain his numerous friends who had come to celebrate with him, one of the female guests studiously dished jollof rice, fried plantain and vegetable salad onto her plate while meticulously avoiding the ram meat [mutton] which seemed to be the only meat available. Unfortunately, there was no fish on sight.
Surprised, as most of the guests were paying more attention to the mutton which is not as common as beef or chicken/turkey which can be bought from the open market or meat shops at any time, I wondered why the lady was not enthusiastically indulging in the mutton like other guests.
Ram meat is readily available in the houses of Muslims during this celebration as the slaughtering of the animal is a key spiritual aspect of the celebration. Of course, any one is free to buy a ram and slaughter to eat or even sell in the open market but while you see goat meat, beef, etcetera casually sold, you hardly see ram meat sold like that.
However, I soon realised that I was not the only one wondering about the lady’s non interest in the delicacy because soon enough, the host, who was eager to please his guests, looking perturbed, asked the lady if the meat was not cooked to her taste.
Reassuring the host that her abstinence was not due to how the meat was prepared, she said it was about her resolve not to eat red meat.
Immediately she said that, an argument about what is red meat, white meat and even the health implications ensured. It was as if the gathering was waiting for clarifications on that subject matter.
While some argued that red meat consists of every red meat, including bush meat, animal tripe [shaki, other organs] others disagreed insisting that ram, pork, chicken, turkey, bush meat and animal organs were white meat. Meat is a great way to get protein and numerous vitamins and minerals, but which type of meat is better: white or red?
First, what makes the meat white or red? Red meats simply have more myoglobin, which are the cells that transport oxygen to muscles in the bloodstream. Muscles used more frequently are darker. This is why chicken and turkey legs are slightly darker than breast meat – because legs are used more, more myoglobin is present, creating a darker appearance.
However, red meat generally refers to meat that appears red before cooking. Beef, veal, lamb, mutton, venison, pork, goat, rabbit, buffalo meat (that is, meat from bison) and beefalo are all red meats. In fact, all meats derived from mammals are red meats. The United States Department of Agriculture considers all meats derived from livestock to be red meats.
White meat refers to any light-coloured meat, such as fish, seafood, and particularly poultry. However, in a broader sense, it includes any of the meats that are considered to be less fatty in comparison with red meats. The term white meat comes from the fact that the meat of chicken is white in colour. Examples of white meat are animal proteins derived from birds (chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant, etc.), fish, reptiles (alligator meat), amphibians (frogs’ legs), crustaceans (lobster, shrimp, crab) or bivalves (oysters, clams, mussels). White meat is also given to lean meat.
The biggest difference between the two is fat content. White meat is a leaner source of protein, with a lower fat content. Red meat contains higher levels of fat, but also contains higher levels of vitamins like iron, zinc and B vitamins. The iron present in red meat is a type called heme iron, which is more easily absorbed by the body compared to iron found in plant sources. Because red meat is high in these vitamins, vegetarians and vegans are often found to be deficient, especially B vitamins.
Although it may contain more vitamins and minerals, high consumption of red meat has been correlated with increased incidence of certain cancers, specifically colorectal cancer.
High-temperature cooking, like grilling, can form carcinogenic (cancer-causing) compounds in the meat. This is especially true for charred meats.
Both white and red meat have benefits; if you eat meat, it’s a good idea to include small amount of both in your diet. Opt for leaner cuts of red meat, like those that end in “-loin” (sirloin, tenderloin, etc). Further, trim visible fat around the edges to reduce fat intake and avoid charring while cooking. In this way, you can try to reduce the disadvantages of eating red meat.
Most doctors say to avoid red meat, so I guess you can say white is better. But I think the main thing is to avoid saturated fat which leads to cholestrol.