Steaks, pork chops, and other whole-muscle meats are the safest bet. That's because the cooking process can easily kill off bacteria on the cut's surface, while the inside of the meat is essentially sterile, protected from any potential pathogens—in theory.
Healthiest options: turkey and chicken
When it comes to the healthiest meats that pack the biggest nutritional punch, turkey and chicken should be at the top of your (grocery) list, says Schiff. Both are about equal in terms of nutrition, with turkey tending to be leaner than chicken.
Pork may be a better choice, then, if you're trying to manage your blood cholesterol levels. At the same time, though, beef has higher levels of minerals like zinc, calcium, and iron and certain vitamins like vitamin B12 and vitamin K, so it can be a healthier choice in some cases.
Ground beef and pork are safe when cooked to 160° F. Poultry—ground, whole, and parts—should be cooked to 165° F; beef roasts and steaks, and pork roasts and chops, to 145° F. Refrigerate leftovers promptly.
Poultry — Poultry, like turkey and chicken, require less land, less feed, and less water than beef, making them a more sustainable option. As always, it's important to know where your meat is coming from. Poor poultry slaughter and processing can spell disastrous environmental and social harm.
Steaks, pork chops, and other whole-muscle meats are the safest bet. That's because the cooking process can easily kill off bacteria on the cut's surface, while the inside of the meat is essentially sterile, protected from any potential pathogens—in theory.
Pork is a food taboo among Jews, Muslims, and some Christian denominations. Swine were prohibited in ancient Syria and Phoenicia, and the pig and its flesh represented a taboo observed, Strabo noted, at Comana in Pontus.
The reason why you can't eat raw chicken, compared to other types of meat, is because bacteria can easily survive the processing procedure. Salmonella lives in the intestines of chickens and, due to the way the meat is processed, these parts can easily contaminate the rest of the chicken and remain there when sold.
Often, people associate pork with poor health because of highly processed sources, such as hot dogs, bacon and sausage, which are rich in saturated fat and sodium. Eating these types of foods can elevate your cholesterol and drive heart disease risks, according to the American Heart Association.
As far as meat options go, consuming leaner, less-processed meats more often than fattier and processed meats (like hot dogs, sausages, bacon and deli meats) is recommended. "Fattier and processed meats typically contain more saturated fat and sodium than leaner cuts of red meat, chicken and turkey," Sollid says.
Kangaroo is a lean meat with less than 2% fat, making it a healthier red meat option. It is also high in protein, essential B vitamins, minerals such as zinc, iron and omega 3 fats and omega 6 fatty acids. Compared to beef, kangaroo contains double the amount of iron and triple that of chicken and pork.
Nutrient Dense Red Meat
Sure, ostrich is a red meat and it probably makes sense that it's packed with protein and iron. So what qualifies it as a superfood? Compared to many other meats, ostrich is a better source of vitamins and minerals.
Lamb and beef have similar calories, total fat, protein, vitamin, and mineral content—but lamb (especially grass-fed lamb) is the winner when it comes to omega-3 fat content. Grass-fed lamb also has higher quantities of the healthy fat CLA, which is beneficial for cognitive, cardiovascular, and metabolic health.
Rare steak is safe to eat, mostly because of its composition; steak is so dense that most bacteria live on its surface and cannot penetrate the meat's interior enough to make you sick.
Humans are omnivores: we can digest raw meat and thrive. The Inuit, among others living in frozen latitudes, eat raw meat from seals, caribou, elk or whale. Uncooked cuts from horses, chickens and goats are presented as small delicacies on tables from Europe to Japan.
The Quran also bans pig-eating
Islam is an Abrahamic faith that shares many important beliefs, prophets, and traditions with Judaism and Christianity (via World History Encyclopedia). And just like the Bible, the Quran also explicitly forbids the consumption of pork, as well as certain other types of meat.
Christians may eat pork because God has declared it once more to be clean. “What God has declared clean you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). Pork is one of those “foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” (1Timothy 4:3).
Both Judaism and Islam have prohibited eating pork and its products for thousands of years. Scholars have proposed several reasons for the ban to which both religions almost totally adhere. Pork, and the refusal to eat it, possesses powerful cultural baggage for Jews.
Chicken. Chicken tends to be responsible for the most foodborne illnesses, but that is likely because it's the kind of meat we eat the most. Many cases of food contamination come from the mishandling of meats and cross-contamination in our own kitchens.
Chicken is a major source of these illnesses. In fact, about 1 in every 25 packages of chicken at the grocery store are contaminated with Salmonella. You can get sick from contaminated chicken if it's not cooked thoroughly.