Red meat, properly grown, is not unhealthy. And by properly grown, I mean the animal is raised in natural conditions (and for cows, that means pasture access and not cages where they are forced to eat corn). I also mean no hormones used to speed up the growth, and they are allowed the amount of exercise they would get in natural conditions. No antibiotics are used on them, except to treat specific medical episodes. Their pastures are not sprayed with pesticides, except when absolutely necessary (if ever).
However, cows are fed corn (they normally eat grass, not corn). They are given hormones and routine antibiotics. They are raised in filth, and rarely allowed significant exercise. At this point, they are already deficient. The meat is already inferior quality. Usually, their slaughter is not humane, adding stress hormones to the meat and adding to the problems.
When you start with this rubbish, you add more rubbish. How often you read ingredients in processed meats like sodium nitrite, brine (which as often as not contains monosodium glutamate or hydrolyzed proteins, with no mention on the label), meat by-products, and fillers when you look at processed meat? Your bologna and hot dogs are filled with added salt, often as sodium nitrite as well as sodium chloride. Sausages, salami, and bacon use additional chemicals. Sodium nitrite is universal, along with regular salt. Much of it has brine solutions added (try finding out specifically what they use in those brine solutions). I am safe to guess that they add monosodium glutamate and/or hydrolyzed proteins to this brine solution without putting it on the label.
To top it off, I have heard that they pack meat in carbon monoxide gas. While this is harmless (it works by taking the place of oxygen in the blood stream when inhaled, not when eaten) to the person eating it, it masks the meat going bad. A cut of meat can go bad after being treated like this, and still look fresh. They usually mask this with longer pull dates on CO treated meat. If left at room temperature, it can go bad--and again still look fresh.
If you want fresh, safe meat, I suggest getting it from someone that has organic livestock. It has to be raised in conditions that are humane, and slaughtered by slitting the throat (not shooting it or dragging it with a forklift) and draining the blood. This reduces stress hormones to a minimum, while preventing or reducing the risks of food poisoning. You may also wish to limit or avoid pork, since that is much less likely to be safe than beef or lamb.
