Just days after the Hunger Games star announced he was embracing a vegan lifestyle, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has released a damning report about the dangers of eating certain meats.
Its researchers believe that consuming just 50g of processed meat a day – less than two slices of bacon – increased the chance of developing colorectal cancer by 18 per cent.
That puts all cured and processed meats, according to the WHO, in the same harmful category as asbestos, alcohol, arsenic and tobacco.
The WHO also said that red meats were “probably carcinogenic” but admits there is limited evidence to substantiate the claim.
Sydney-based nutritionist Susie Burrell, for one, believes there’s no cause for panic amongst meat-loving Australians.
“It’s quite a sensationalistic headline,” Susie told The Carousel.
“The important thing to note is that we’ve known all this before – the less we eat of any processed or packaged food the better.”
As long as you balance out that Sunday morning slice of bacon with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, Susie doesn’t see the need for alarm.
“It’s all about the context within our entire dietary regime.”
Susie says ideally we should be eating no more than three or four 100-150gram portions of high quality, lean meat a week.
“Don’t forget that a lot of Australian women have a low iron count, as much as one in four, that makes them feel terrible.
“We do need meat but it’s all about balance.”
Meanwhile, Liam says he’s never felt better since ditching the steaks for chickpeas and tofu about five months ago.
His actor brother Chris has also started eating more vegetables as a result of Liam’s new lifestyle.
Liam said Hunger Games co-star Woody Harrelson, a vegan for more than 30 years, was a big inspiration for the change.
But he was also becoming increasingly upset by what he was reading about the mistreatment of animals.
“I feel nothing but positive, mentally and physically,” said Liam.
“I love it. I feel like it also has a kind of domino effect on the rest of my life.”
