Eating For Health - Meat

I admire people who can lead a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle and are committed to that way of life and all that it entails.  I, myself, am an omnivore.  I like meat.  I really like red meat.  A nice juicy rib eye steak is my all time favorite cut.  It is also the least healthiest piece of meat I could put in my body.  But, I love it.

Currently I am trying to focus most of my meals on plants and whole grains, but meat is still a part of that, just in much smaller quantities.  According to the Lupus website I follow the best diet is one high in plant and grain based meals with lean sources of fish, poultry and beef in moderation.  To be honest, it is probably the best meal plan for most of us who want to lead a healthy lifestyle.

So while I personally have to steer clear of pork and shellfish (dang it!) as well as soy products and alfalfa sprouts (not a fan of those much anyway) good quality lean meats and fish are still on the menu.

In January I was fortunate enough to purchase on sale a large quantity (40 pounds) of all natural boneless, skinless chicken breasts in bulk as well as lean ground beef.  I've also acquired several packages of lean sirloin steaks.  Plus, I purchased frozen wild salmon and cod fillets (wild fish is preferred over farm raised) and shrimp (my oldest will be eating that).

All meats contain saturated fats and that is what you have to watch the most when it comes to heart health so the leaner the better.  Even still there are things you can do to remove even more of those fats before consuming.  Here are a few things I do:

Trim away any excess fat you can see before cooking steaks, fish or poultry

Cook ground meats, then place in a sieve and rinse with hot water

Rinse out the pan you cooked it in too before you return

the meat and continue cooking your recipe

Grind your own meat

Lean chicken or turkey breast, lean beef roasts are easy to put

through a grinder and you have better control over the fat content

You also avoid any fillers or preservatives added to those meats, water too

Buy the best quality you can afford

All natural grass fed beef, organic chicken, wild caught fish

Additionally, I eat smaller portions, less often and modify my cooking methods to make meat a healthier part of my meals.  A little extra care when selecting and preparing meats will go a long way in my journey for better and sustained health.