Live Longer with This Protein

Which do you have on the menu -- chicken, beef, pork, or fish? Your answer just might affect your life span.

Your best bet: Choose two legs -- or a couple of flippers -- over four. In a recent study, people who ate the most red (beef, pork) or processed (hot dogs, bacon) meats had the highest risk of dying during the 10-year study.

Pick a Protein
The red-meat and processed-meat eaters also had a higher risk of dying from cancer or heart disease. Why? Researchers aren't exactly sure. Could be the preservatives in processed meats. Could be the artery-clogging fats found in beef and bacon. Or it could be that both red- and processed-meat eaters consume less body-friendly foods like whole grains, fruit, and veggies. In fact, other research shows that vegetarians fare best when it comes to heart disease mortality. (Cooking meat at high temps creates carcinogens. See how the YOU Docs minimize cancer-causing compounds when cooking.)

Substitution Situations
A shorter life is a big price to pay for indulging in cheeseburgers and BLTs. So stuff those tacos with ground turkey, and order the veggie pizza next time you're short on time (hold the pepperoni!). Saying goodbye to beef burritos will be a snap after you try this healthy and delicious five-star recipe: Barbecued Chicken Burritos.

Meat intake and mortality: a prospective study of over half a million people. Sinha, R. et al., Archives of Internal Medicine 2009 Mar 23;169(6):562-571.