Those who are familiar with the Eating Alive Program are aware that red meat, such as beef and lamb, are not “recommended” protein sources but rather should be eaten in moderation only. The main reason for this is that red meat contains arachidonic acid.

Arachidonic acid is a fatty acid that’s found in your cell membranes. It plays a major role in your first line of defence when your cell membranes are threatened with direct attack by “aliens.” Arachidonic acid is usually totally harmless; in fact, it’s beneficial as a source of many eicosanoids. Eicosanoids are very short-lived, short-range, hormone-like messengers that allow neighbouring cells to communicate with each other. They act upon neighbouring cell membranes to affect both the release of other hormones and the sensitivity of the hormone receptors.

The eicosanoids from arachidonic acid only become a problem when they’re made in excess over long periods of time, and then they can cause a wide range of symptoms. In fact, virtually every disease—from asthma and arthritis to heart problems and cancer and all the rest—can be traced back to an excess of eicosanoids made from arachidonic acid. So Dr. Matsen recommends that you limit the amount of beef and lamb that you eat, so as to reduce the amount of arachidonic acid that you consume.

Arachidonic acid is found, to a lesser extent, in dairy fat and shellfish. Also, foods that are high in sugar can activate insulin to convert another one of your membrane’s fatty acids into arachidonic acid. So this is another good reason to avoid, or at least limit, your consumption of sugar and other foods with a high glycemic index that lead to excess secretion of insulin.

One of the dietary changes that we recommend is to replace ground beef with lean ground turkey (or chicken). Ground turkey can be used in any recipe that calls for ground beef, such as spaghetti sauce, tacos, chili, lasagna, cabbage rolls, burgers, casseroles, etc. See Eating Alive II and this website’s recipes for recipes that use ground turkey. And check out this month’s recipe for Turkey Loaf.

(For more information on arachidonic acid and eicosanoids, see Dr. Matsen’s book, The Secrets to Great Health, pages 230 to 256.)