Meat is animal tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals, including chickens, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, and cattle, starting around 11,000 years ago. Since then, selective breeding has enabled farmers to produce meat with the qualities desired by producers and consumers.
A selection of uncooked red meat, pork and poultry, including beef, chicken, bacon and pork chops
A shoulder of lamb
A Hereford bull, a breed of beef cattle
Dog meat on sale, South Korea
Proteins are essential nutrients for the human body. They are one of the building blocks of body tissue and can also serve as a fuel source. As a fuel, proteins provide as much energy density as carbohydrates: 4 kcal per gram; in contrast, lipids provide 9 kcal per gram. The most important aspect and defining characteristic of protein from a nutritional standpoint is its amino acid composition.
Protein milkshakes, made from protein powder (center) and milk (left), are a common bodybuilding supplement
An education campaign launched by the United States Department of Agriculture about 100 years ago, on cottage cheese as a lower-cost protein substitute for meat.
A child in Nigeria during the Biafra War with kwashiorkor – one of the three protein energy malnutrition ailments affecting over 10 million children in developing countries.
Image: Pesce al mercato 1
