Diet gets a lot of press these days, but there is a lot of confusion around the subject with some swearing by plant-based alternatives and others clinging to a traditional meat-centric diet. It can be quite difficult to make sense of all the noise, so today we will help smooth things out.

The truth, as is often the case, lies somewhere in between and the key is balance. Meat offers a lot of valuable nutrition if it is part of a balanced diet and helps with meal satisfaction by keeping you full for longer. 

However, it is not a case of either-or, so you have to make sure you are getting enough fruit and vegetables to ensure a wide spectrum of nutrients. The one thing that is often overlooked is quality and why it matters to you, the animals we consume, and the environment. Mindful choices are the key to sustainability and good health. 

Why Meat Matters

There is no escaping this fact: meat has nutrients and amino acids that you just can’t get from anywhere else. Meat is considered a complete source of protein because it includes all of the amino acids in one place, including the ones that your body can’t produce. Vegetables and grains, which are also a great source of protein, have incomplete amino acids, meaning you have to eat more and from different sources.  

There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but no one can deny the benefits of a one-stop shop. It is precisely why we go to supermarkets instead of 10 different stores to get everything we need. Our bodies are much the same, they like efficiency. 

Amino acids are the building blocks for proteins and are essential for tissue repair and bone maintenance, especially if you are an athlete or a regular user of the gym. You will also find that meat is high in B vitamins, which are almost exclusively found in meat sources. 

The nutrition party doesn’t stop there because the meat is high in zinc and iron too. Zinc is important for hormone regulation and this is imperative for managing so many vital functions in your body. Your hormones pretty much regulate everything from your sleep, metabolism, sexual drive, and even your recovery and mental health.

Iron is necessary for blood formation and helps your body transport both oxygen and nutrition around your body where it is needed. Zinc contributes to this too.

Vitamin B complex, particularly B12, which can only be found in meat, is vital for immune function, cell regeneration, energy production, and neurological health.

As you can see, the health benefits of consuming meat cannot be ignored or overestimated. 

How much and how often should you eat meat? 

This is actually a difficult question to answer universally. How much one needs will very much depend on their health condition and lifestyle choices, but there is a formula that can help put things into perspective and give a rough indication. 

Scientists say that each person should consume between 0.75 and 1.5 grams of protein for every kg of their body weight. A regular person with a modest activity level will be ok with 0.75 – 1 gram per kg, whereas someone with a lifestyle that involves intense physical activity, i.e. a builder who carries heavy things, a gym-goer, etc, will benefit from 1-1.2 grams per kg. A professional athlete or bodybuilder will require at least 1.5 and maybe more per kg. Check out our meat boxes, which are perfect for those consciously aiming to increase or manage their protein intake. 

Of course, this doesn’t take into consideration other health factors, but it’s a good metric if you assume all other things to be equal. And, no one suggests this needs to come entirely from meat because you can get a fair amount from vegetables and legumes, but meat is the easiest and most complete option. 

Did you know that humans evolved bigger brains as a result of meat consumption? It was a more efficient route to dense calories and spared our teeth and digestion when compared to eating raw roots. Check out our blog below for a fascinating trip back in time. 

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Must read:  Humans And Meat Consumption, A Brief History Of
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So, to summarise on quantity, 100 grams of beef will give you 26 grams of protein. A modest steak is around 125 grams, which will give you around 32 grams of protein. Two small steaks will meat, oops, meet your entire daily requirement and taste good doing it.

100 grams of chicken will give you around 27 grams of protein. A simple chicken burger will meet half of your daily needs. And, 100 grams of lamb will give you around 25 grams, so a few delicious lamb chops will get you to your protein goals in no time.

The equivalent in lentils will only give you 9 grams and lots of carbohydrates to go with it. This isn’t necessarily bad, but if you aim to reduce carbohydrate intake, this would conflict. Butter beans provide a humble 8 grams per 100 grams, and other beans and legumes share a similar profile.

You can quickly see how much more you need to eat and how much harder your digestive system needs to work just to get a corresponding amount of protein. It’s no wonder our hunter-gatherer ancestors celebrated their discovery of meat, a tradition we hold onto tightly today.  

Quality over quantity

We have discussed how much to eat, but that’s not the whole picture. Quality matters as much, if not more than quantity because quality will determine how much goodness you get out of each bite. 

Mass-produced meat is of a lower quality in terms of the nutrient profiles of the meat. This is because the animals are fed unnatural diets that include hormones to speed up their development and they are slaughtered as soon as they reach market age. This means their bodies do not get the chance to fully develop and their meat has less time and opportunity to absorb nutrients that are found in nature. They are also fed antibiotics to prevent them from getting ill in crowded conditions and the impact of this is that they develop microbes that are resistant to antibiotics, making viruses harder to irradicate.

Unfortunately, when we eat that meat, those strains of microbes are passed onto us and even more unfortunate is the fact that we rely on the same anti-biotics to cure us and they are no longer as effective against them.

This is why eating organic meat is best. Organic meat comes from animals that are grown to full maturity. They are free to roam, so their bones and muscles develop properly and they eat a natural diet of grass and cloves. This ensures that the animals are happy and nutrient-rich, which translates into a delicious and nutritious meal. 


More than this, there is no use of antibiotics or hormones, so you will never have any chemicals in your food. Remember, you are what you eat, so choose wisely. 

Final Thoughts

Meat is an essential ingredient in the modern diet and promotes good health. Eating more meat won’t do you harm if you source it responsibly and include it as part of a balanced diet with fruit and vegetables. If anything, it will likely improve your nutritional intake. 

Halal Origins’ primary focus is providing high-quality meat that is good for both you and the environment.

We source our meat from local farms and deliver it straight to your door. By doing so, we minimise the carbon footprint associated with delivering to warehouses that then redistribute to a store, which requires shoppers to drive and collect, or another delivery to their home. All of this forces more carbon journeys that have a detrimental impact on our planet.

Be part of the movement that chooses quality over quantity, and notice the difference today.