Nope, its not because of meat, thats just Vegan propaganda bullsh!t. The reason why most americans are over wieght is the avg american consumes 120+(somewhere around that number I forget the exact #) pounds of refined sugar PER YEAR, and don't exercise enough. Fat is not causing people get fat, excessive suger/carbs are because people DON'T excersise it all off. Excessive fat is bad for the heart, but excessive carbs leads to excessive wieght which is just as bad on the heart.
Personally I don't eat beef unless its a nice 9oz filet that just melts in your mouth. I rarely eat ground beef, I prefer ground turkey. I like chicken, turkey and fish(tuna, shark, and some others, can't stand shrimp, lobster or any type of shellfish). And like beef, the only way I eat pork is if its a nice tender rack of ribs. As for dairy products, I drink tons of skim milk and custard style yogurt, which isn't that bad for you.