Hello,
I understand your concern. Red meat intolerance is a well known condition that causes stomach pain,
bloating, gas,
tiredness,
diarrhea and sometimes even
headaches and rashes upon ingestion of red meat. The symptoms vary in different people, but the
stomach upset and the general ill feeling is what they all have in common.
Like many other intolerances to foods, red meat intolerance is caused when the body does not recognize certain
proteins in red meat and identifies them incorrectly as harmful substances. This happens during digestion when small amounts of food pass onto the bloodstream when the body recognizes it as foreign bodies, even though they are harmless. This leads to an immune reaction and the release of
immunoglobulins, which in turn leads to inflammation. Inflammation presents itself with the uncomfortable physical symptoms mentioned above.
However, since other foods contain traces of red meat, they can also trigger the same symptoms. So, besides refraining from red meat consumption, also be aware that certain foods that contain beef gelatine, such as marshmallows, cookies, chewy sweets, some brands of chewing gum that contain stearic acid or glycerine which are ingredients extracted from red meat.
Also stock cubes and powders are best avoided.
Finally, when removing red meat from your diet, you should also make sure you substitute the nutrients you'd normally get from red meat by including iron rich foods in your diet, such as lentils, beetroot, brown rice and leafy vegetables.
Wishing you good health and all the best.