Thursday, March 16, 2017

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.



4 comments:

  1. When I was growing up, my mother used to have a meat grinder like the one pictured! It was the only way we could have ground meat (or mince, as we used to call it) as the pre-ground meat was not available in the country where I was born and grew up.

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    Replies
    1. I am very blessed to have my grandmother's grinder. I love it.

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  2. Most of the meat we eat come from our son and his inlaws since they are all hunters and also go fishing. I do buy some chicken, seafood and pork, but for the most part we eat venison and elk. :)

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    Replies
    1. That is great Debbie! Can't get more natural than your own harvest.

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