Ask a Question
or
Create a Poll
  1. Home /
  2. Questions /
  3. Food And Dining
  4. / Foods
  5. / Meat And Poultry

by ProudPugParent on January 18th, 2007

ProudPugParent

Question

Help answer this question below.

Is it true that it takes years to digest red meat?

  • Like
  • Report
Share:
Other

Answers. 20 helpful answers below.

  • by JustAnotherDeadPoet on January 18th, 2007

    JustAnotherDeadPoet

    Absolutely FALSE. If that were true, I'd weigh 200 punds just by the contents of one year's red meat I'd have in my stomach.
    It takes from one to three hours, depending on how much you chew it, the quality of the meat, and the other food you take with it.

    • Like
    • Report

    6 comments | Post one | Permalink

  • by Anonymous on January 18th, 2007

    Anonymous

    Not at all.
    Your body has enzymes to break down the proteins that make up meat as well as the fat.
    Fat is processed into cholesterol (or stored in fat cells around your body) which can line your arteries if you eat too much saturated fat -but this can be avoided by balancing your meal with vegetables and some healthy fats (in moderation) - this is what Berenise was referring to I think. Although cholesterol can last much longer than two weeks.
    Protein is digested within a few hours.
    Uncooked meat is treated by your body in the same way - the building blocks are all the same - cooking oly renders food tasty - not digestible.
    Meat will not hang around in your body for a crazy amount of time. If humans couldn't eat meat it would end up the same as corn kernals - undigested and expelled.

    • Like
    • Report

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by Jenniferocious on January 18th, 2007

    Jenniferocious

    No. Nothing stays in your digestive system that long. Not red meat, not chewing gum, nothing. On average, the length of time it takes for a person to digest their food (from eating to pooping) is 24-72 hours.

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/digestive-system/AN00896

    • Like
    • Report

    1 comment | Post one | Permalink

  • by Farmall on January 18th, 2007

    Farmall

    no i think it would be several hours

    • Like
    • Report

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by spyralspyder on December 23rd, 2007

    spyralspyder

    if meat stayed that would mean it was impacted, and you'd become septic and get a terrible infection. You would be in the hospital.

    • Like
    • Report

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by RC loves ice cream on September 4th, 2009

    RC loves ice cream

    Absolutely not. In fact, uncooked vegetables generally take longer to digest and some will not be fully digested by the time they leave your body, because we do not have the digestive system to break down the cellulose structure.

    • Like
    • Report

    1 comment | Post one | Permalink

  • by Aelfward on January 18th, 2007

    Aelfward

    Not years...but if you eat too much meat at a time, it can slow your digestion Waaaaay down and can even take as long as 2-5 days to digest. Ewww! People get sick off of it all the time without realizing why.
    Americans have this peculiar notion that humans are carnivores. Not true. What humans are is omnivores, which means they do best with a rather large proportion of plants/plant products in their diet.
    Edit: Take Nutrition classes if you don't believe me.

    • Like
    • Report

    2 comments | Post one | Permalink

  • by CousinVinny on January 18th, 2007

    CousinVinny

    No, it only feels that way.

    • Like
    • Report

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by uslic001 on July 16th, 2010

    uslic001

    False. Meat does slow down gastric emptying since it tends to be higher in fat than vegetables but once it is out of the stomach it is quickly digested as the body is very efficient at processing fat and protein as it does not waste these crucial nutrients. On the other hand the human body is very poor at digesting high fiber foods like fruits/vegetables which is why you see undigested corn/beans/peas in your stool on occasion. Humans do not have a second ruminant stomach like cows to predigest fibrous material like fruits and vegetables. I have done over 16 thousand colonoscopies in my career and have never seen a piece of meat in the colon. Every single day around 1/3 to 1/2 of the patient's I do colonoscopy on will have undigested fruits/vegetables in the colon. The vegetarians/vegans are deluded about meat and how your body digests it and are lying to try to covert you to their mistaken viewpoint. Companies that sell colon cleansers are just trying to sell you a product you don't need. People who give high colonics are trying to clean out your wallet. The reason products like Metamucil/Citrucel/Benefiber work is they create increased stool volume since they are poorly digested. So don't listen to the BS about meat taking years to digest. It digests in 1-6 hours depending on small bowel transit time.

    • Like
    • Report

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by vincentcent on September 4th, 2009

    vincentcent

    nope

    • Like
    • Report

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by Blue Tiger. on September 4th, 2009

    Blue Tiger.

    Yea, if you eat 50 years of supply in one go. :P

    • Like
    • Report

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by fweetie on August 21st, 2010

    fweetie

    You can also get more info at local health fairs in your area, and many of the screening services they offer are free.

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by canbfrisky on July 16th, 2010

    canbfrisky

    True, when they Autopsied John Wayne , he had 48 lbs of undigested meat in his

    Bowels. yuck!

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by fweetie on August 21st, 2010

    fweetie

    canbfrisky - The John Wayne meat in the colon story is one of the more ridiculous of the urban legends. John Wayne was not autopsied. Go here for more info: http://www.snopes.com/horrors/gruesome/fecalcolon.asp. If you are still convinced that this is true or even in any way possible, call or visit a gastroenterologist, who has looked at the inside of thousands of colons, and ask if undigested meat in large quantities remains in the colon for years. Don't forget to schedule a colonoscopy while you are there - even vegens get colon cancer since it is caused by many risk factors, some of them like genetics have nothing to do with diet.

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by Artful Bodger on August 21st, 2010

    Artful Bodger

    I that statement is true, I'm going to need a midwife, a large truck and an excavator in attendance the next time I drape the buns over the dung-funnel. Where do you hear this rubbish?

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by samcginnis2311 on September 4th, 2009

    samcginnis2311

    if you fully digest things you wouldnt poo, it takes a long time to absorb and break down a lot of things. fiber helps get it out of your body before existing toxins can be harmful.

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by priya5 on August 30th, 2008

    priya5

    www.jewishveg.com/schwartz/natural.html

    Dr. Mehmet Oz, standing physician for Bill Clinton's quadruple bypass surgery, and head of Presbyterian Cardiac Division in New York, said on Oprah that in fact it does take FOUR DAYS. go to the above link to learn about how and why.

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by Anonymous on September 4th, 2009

    Anonymous

    I am a nutritionist and it takes approximately 6-7 hours for beef to digest in your body. If your body is eliminating properly it should be eliminated in approximately 24 hours. However, most people do not have proper elimination and some foods may take several weeks to pass through your system.

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by Sharona Life is a Tale Told by an Idiot on September 4th, 2009

    Sharona Life is a Tale Told by an Idiot

    Come on. Does that make sense. It takes about 3 times as long and taxes the digestive system a lot more than say fruits or vegetables. Lions and cats and all predators who eat meat, sleep 3/4 of each day to digest meat so that does say something for how much energy the digestive system needs to digest meat but it doesn't take years to digest.

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by Susan_T2947 on October 29th, 2010

    Susan_T2947

    I think people are different on this subject, but red meat fowls up my digestive system so much. I have pelvic prolapse and when I eat red meat, and I really crave sometimes and feel I need it, every time and I mean every time, I get severely constipated and my stools become very thin and seems to be blocking things in there, the pelvic pressure is horrible, and I hate it because I really feel like I need it sometimes. The easiest thing for me to pass is sauteed vegetables, and even chesse don't bother me, it is just the red meat, and other meats are difficult to some degree, with fish being the easiest. Now, my husband and son have absolutely no problem with this, so I think I may be lacking an enzyeme (sp?) to digest it. I would be glad to take a supplement to aid with this, just so I could eat it once in a while. About a week and a half ago I was starving when we ate out and I said "what the hay" I'm going to have a steak, and I have not had a normal bowel movement since, and before I did that everything was perfect and I have monitored this for yrs and it is always the same, it is so aggravating!

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

Want to attach an image to your answer? Click here.

Did this answer your question? If not, then ask a new question or create a poll.

More Questions. Additional questions in this category.

You're reading Is it true that it takes years to digest red meat?

Follow us on Facebook!

Related Ads

Related Questions

Professionally Researched

ANSWERBAG BUZZ

Red meat intestines
Youtube how long it takes for red meat to digest
Red meat digestion
Can t digest red meat
Does red meat stay in your intestines for years

Answerbag

a Demand Media company