Oh man, there’s nothing worse than having your steak buzz killed by thinking about the health “issues” of eating a juicy slab, but the folks over at the The New York Times totally stomped on my food cravings.

Their headline—”Paying a Price for Loving Red Meat“—makes it clear that enjoying the charred flesh of the beast won’t be good for you. I mean, could that be any worse? Was “Red Meat: Eat it and Die!” too dramatic?

The study found that, other things being equal, the men and women who consumed the most red and processed meat were likely to die sooner, especially from one of our two leading killers, heart disease and cancer, than people who consumed much smaller amounts of these foods.

[…]

The increase in mortality risk tied to the higher levels of meat consumption was described as ‘modest,’ ranging from about 20 percent to nearly 40 percent.

Yikes!

What’s their recommendation? Fortunately, it’s not “stop eating yummy food”, it’s “eat in moderation, dude!”.

[P]eople should eat a hamburger only once or twice a week instead of every day, a small steak once a week instead of every other day, and a hot dog every month and a half instead of once a week.

Only a “small” steak a week, which I take means a giant T-Bone every few months is perfectly acceptable.

Of course, it’s not just eating red meat that’s the issue. Other bad habits and no exercise is bad too.

The subjects in the study who ate the most red meat had other less-than-healthful habits. They were more likely to smoke, weigh more for their height, and consume more calories and more total fat and saturated fat. They also ate less fruits, vegetables and fiber; took fewer vitamin supplements; and were less physically active.

So if you’re gonna enjoy a steak, make sure you’re taking a few strolls around the block or a couple of spins on your indoor cycle.