Body punishes red meat & sodium consumption

November 7, 2007 2:10 PM

Friend'sHealthFilter: Red meat and moderately high sodium foods make him really fatigued/tired/groggy for 1-2 days after consumption. Chicken/fish/eggs doesn't provoke this problem, so I'm not sure that it's a high-protein foods issue. Any ideas why this occurs, and how to rectify this problem?
posted by jytsai to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

Has he had his blood pressure checked? I would do that. If he won't see a doctor, he can do it at most drugstores/supermarkets these days.
posted by tastybrains at 2:24 PM on November 7, 2007

Seconding blood pressure check and also blood sugar.

Perhaps the red meat your friend is eating is higher in both fat and salt than the chicken or fish. Chicken breast, in particular, is lean protein (unless you fry it or make it into Chicken Kiev), which boosts energy rather than sapping it.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 2:38 PM on November 7, 2007

In my New Age hippie days, the rumor was that red meat took three days to digest (and white meat took less), and it probably takes energy during the time it is doing that. Probably some MDs can debunk this for us.
posted by salvia at 2:44 PM on November 7, 2007

You sure it's not related to MSG?

Perhaps the chicken/egg/fish dishes they're buying/preparing have less than the red meat high sodioum foods they're getting. Try isolating that variable.

I only mention this because MSG knocks me out for a day or two.
posted by sourwookie at 7:59 PM on November 7, 2007

He's got an allergy to beef.
posted by gmodelo at 10:08 AM on November 26, 2007