We all forget things now and then—people’s names, where you put your car keys, that dentist appointment that was scheduled before you got your new calendar. As we age, forgetfulness may worsen and begin to disrupt thinking abilities.

In a study published in the journal Neurology, Dr. Daniel Wang, an assistant professor of medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and his team report that people who eat more processed red meat had a 14% higher risk of developing dementia over more than four decades that those who consumed minimal amounts.

We asked nutrition experts how consumers can make informed and healthy choices about eating red meat.