NURSING and health professionals from Wales have been improving their knowledge about the health benefits of eating red meat and its vital role in a healthy diet.

Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) was present at the recent Nursing in Practice conference, held in Cardiff at the All Nations Centre to improve knowledge and understanding amongst health professionals of the importance of red meat in a health context.

The conference, which is held annually, drew in an audience of 200 nurses and community healthcare workers from across Wales and surrounding areas, all eager to improve their professional knowledge and development.

Conference delegates were pleased to visit the HCC stand to engage with the interactive displays and discuss how the role of red meat in a balanced diet could contribute to patient and client health.

Delegates were also challenged to test their red meat knowledge with a survey which showed that 100 per cent of delegates would recommend red meat to patients who are iron deficient or anaemic.

HCC’s consumer executive Elwen Roberts said: “It was great to see so many nurses and healthcare practitioners genuinely interested in the relationship between red meat and health.

"Many of the people we spoke to were already aware that Welsh red meat was a great source of protein, but left with a greater understanding of how Welsh red meat plays a pivotal role in a healthy diet and lifestyle.

“Many delegates were surprised to learn that 100g of standard cottage cheese actually has more fat than 100g of lean grilled pork, which goes to show some of the misconceptions around red meat being healthy.”

HCC’s continued work promoting red meat as an important part of a healthy and balanced diet comes after the annual HCC conference in November, which last year had health high on the agenda and featured leading dietitian Dr Carrie Ruxton.

Dr Ruxton dispelled many of the myths about red meat and presented evidence that moderate consumption of lean red meat has no link to cancer, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol.

She stressed: “Lean lamb, beef and pork are rich in protein and important nutrients for health, such as iron, zinc, vitamin D and B vitamins.

"Many people in society, particularly the elderly, women, girls and young children, often lack these nutrients and could benefit from eating more red meat.”