thinking about giving up red meat

nicensleazy

After many years of being a devoted red meat eater, I'm thinking about giving up. I gave up eating beef a few years ago, however fully enjoyed eating Welsh lamb. Funny, where ever I have gone in the world, you just cannot beat Weslh Lamb. Anyhow, even Lamb wasn't doing much for me these days and yesterday was the deciding point when I was presented with a large chunck of lamb at a BBQ. To be honest, I just couldn't eat it. In fact, it just put me off the whole meal. So from this day on, red meat is out! Anyone else gone through the transition?

Pokerface

I gave up eating red meat about 6 months ago. Not a conscious choice - I just stopped eating it. Prefer fish and chicken anyway.

Protein is protein.

markos1963

If you have any trouble getting rid of your Welsh lamb give us a call and I'll help you out!.

I can't remember who the people were but one rider in the Tour De France many years ago got fed up with all the faddy eaters around him and rolled up at the start eating a raw steak! I beleive he won that day!

Mettan

I'm on Tesco Chicken Balti curry's at the moment - protein-wise, good enough, good healthy carbs with the rice and that curry stuff is meant to be ok for the brain/memory - the chicken in it seems to be ok/good - (not mushy or fish-like).

balthazar

Mettan wrote:

I'm on Tesco Chicken Balti curry's at the moment - protein-wise, good enough, good healthy carbs with the rice and that curry stuff is meant to be ok for the brain/memory - the chicken in it seems to be ok/good - (not mushy or fish-like).

That's the most extraordinary food review I've ever read. Chicken not fish-like! An obvious feature.

Lovely...

whyamihere

Mettan wrote:

I'm on Tesco Chicken Balti curry's at the moment - protein-wise, good enough, good healthy carbs with the rice and that curry stuff is meant to be ok for the brain/memory - the chicken in it seems to be ok/good - (not mushy or fish-like).

If you read on the ingredients "Chicken breast contains..." then it ain't good food.

Frank the tank

Mate of mine was a veggie, drank moderately, didn't smoke and rode 6,000+ miles a year.

He had a stroke at 47.

Eat and drink what you like and be happy.

I have a sticker on my work locker, it reads:-

Eat well, stay fit, die anyway. Just says it all really.

pedylan

I gave up all meat over 20 years ago. Didn't find it hard at the time and now I couldn't face meat or imagine I'll ever go back.

There is a massive range of good foods out there and a world of vegetarian cookery. Dare I say that the home cooking it offers must be better than Tesco Chicken Balti?

What I can't stand are the people who say "What do you eat? Well everything except meat actually. :evil:

Frank the tank

Not that it matters but do you not eat meat through some kind of principle or you just don't enjoy the experience of eating meat?

Just thought I'd ask.

pedylan

Two primary reasons.

Firstly, meat never wowed me, you know how how some people can eat out and describe a great steak. I was never that bothered.

Secondly I work in the agrcultural/food industry. There is a huge amount of cheap meat products avaialble to UK consumers. This comes about because of compromises within animal production systems and in food manufacturing and processing. Whole chickens for £2 or 10 burgers for £1.99 should make you very afraid!!

Mettan

Think I'd better not mention Chicken Balti's again - seems like a fairly innocuous recomendation to be fair :? (and a "healthy" one) - regards the "chicken quality" from this Tesco meal, I'm suggesting it's actually quite ok - better than Morrisons at any rate

nicensleazy

Yep Chicken, I will not be giving up chicken.

Firecrakka

I think I am heading the same way. I have never been a big red meat eater.
Maybe once a week at most. But I am also finding that it interests me less and less.
I love my chicken and fish, don't mind some lamb here and there but beef has gotten to the point where it just doesn't excite me anymore. No idea why.

finchy

When I go for a few days without meat I invariably feel a lot healthier and happier. Maybe I'll give this vegetarianism lark a go. I've tried going half-vegetarian, which meant that I only ate stupid animals, but that came to an end when I moved back in with my parents.

I really, really fail to understand all the fuss about steaks and roast dinners. They have to be the most boring meals ever.

barriecusvein

Firecrakka wrote:

I think I am heading the same way. I have never been a big red meat eater.
Maybe once a week at most. But I am also finding that it interests me less and less.
I love my chicken and fish, don't mind some lamb here and there but beef has gotten to the point where it just doesn't excite me anymore. No idea why.

I'm pretty much exactly the same. Find myself drawn to the veggie option more and more these days. Fish and chicken are enough for me, and its nice to have a meal where the whole focus isn't just the meat and everything else being a sideshow to it.

Headhuunter

Frank the tank wrote:

Mate of mine was a veggie, drank moderately, didn't smoke and rode 6,000+ miles a year.

He had a stroke at 47.

Eat and drink what you like and be happy.

I have a sticker on my work locker, it reads:-

Eat well, stay fit, die anyway. Just says it all really.

Yeah but the only reason stories like that make the headlines or are worth talking about is because they are the exception to the rule. Everyone tells the story about how their Uncle Ernie smoked 200 cigs a day and died aged 106 but no one ever tells the story of their Uncle Ernie who smoked 200 cig a day and died a painful death, riddled with cancer, on a life support machine, beathing through a tube, aged 42. This is because the latter is the usual scenario and the former is the exception. Eat crap, treat your body like sh1t and die young is generally the rule I'm afraid...

Headhuunter

You can get by on chicken and fish but red meat has higher levels of iron and vitamin B12. If you're giving up meat altogether you need to watch your intake of these 2 by consuming much higher levels of green veg for iron and other dairy products like milk and eggs for B12.

You also have to watch your protein intake, especially if you cycle a lot, your body won't be able to repair itself as efficiently without meat. If you do forego meat altogether you should up your intake of beans and pulses significantly and consume them with carb foods like rice which combine with protein in beans to form a full protein which your body can more easily absorb. Protein in beans and pulses on their own is less easily absorbed by the body. As far as I'm aware though, meat protein is the most complete and most bioavailable protein source.

It isn't true that protein is all the same - different sources provide lower or higher quality and the best thing is variety so to be most healthy consume red meat, chicken, fish and beans/pulses all in moderation.

Joycie

I gave up mammals 17 years ago and don't miss them at all since I still eat fish and poultry.

Turkey mince is great for making chilli, spag bol etc and is a really good quality protein. When I've been training I also make myself a fruity soya protein smoothie...

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=548

Tastes fab (but probably only after I've added the summer fruits, banana, brazil nuts and milk)

Nuggs

I love meat, the redder the better.

We have a great butcher and the produce is absolutely top notch. None of that mechanically reclaimed crap.

Rib eye steak cooked bloody as hell with a dollop of roquefort and dijon mustard. Bliss.

Rev\'d Gatlin

Nuggs wrote:

I love meat, the redder the better.

We have a great butcher and the produce is absolutely top notch. None of that mechanically reclaimed crap.

Rib eye steak cooked bloody as hell with a dollop of roquefort and dijon mustard. Bliss.

+1 for great butchers. -1 for super market meat.

No contest.

Anonymous

Not even kebabs? Lord have mercy

Frank the tank

In reply to headhunter I agree with what you posted.

The point I was trying to make was eating healthily and leading a healthy lifestyle is no guarantee of good health. I, like you (I assume) also endevour to make the right lifestyle choices but one thing that can't be quantified is the effect on ones health by making yourself miserable by adopting a regime you're not entirely happy with.

Barkiesnake

Not a concious decision but more a case of boredom setting in, but i stopped eating red meat about 6 months ago. Only ever ate it occasionally anyway as not a big beef fan, although love a bit of Lamb. As a result i went hunting for alternatives and have found a whole host of previously undiscovered (by me that is) seafoods which are in fact much tastier and more fun to eat with the kids anyway.
Watching the 2 year old using one muscle shell as tweezers to pick the flesh out of another is histerical
Can also use overcooked calamari rings as eleastic band shooters to play cowboys & Indians with, he he he. :oops: