But I love meat!!!

Your cravings for meat can likely be met by our friends fat and salt.

Fat and sodium ... so, basically, the stuff that's already IN meat?

Cravings for meat can be met by...eating meat...cause complete proteins and all.

Meat isn't the only way to get complete proteins. Whether OP eats a pescetarian diet or not, eating less meat is good not only for the planet, but also is a great way to introduce some variety into the diet. Even just "Meatless Mondays" can really inspire people to get creative with food and try new things.

Your cravings for meat can likely be met by our friends fat and salt.

Fat and sodium ... so, basically, the stuff that's already IN meat?

Cravings for meat can be met by...eating meat...cause complete proteins and all.

Fat and sodium . . . like . . . the dietary nutrients that people with heart conditions are supposed to control? Yeah. That makes total sense.

Meat isn't the only way to get complete proteins. Whether OP eats a pescetarian diet or not, eating less meat is good not only for the planet, but also is a great way to introduce some variety into the diet. Even just "Meatless Mondays" can really inspire people to get creative with food and try new things.

"Meatless Mondays" are propaganda, brought to us by groups like the HSUS who seek to end all animal ownership and use. These groups are extremely anti-animal agriculture and the excuse of eating less meat being better for the planet is just so much fog. You can become creative with food and try new things without falling victim to animal liberation groups' agendas. As others have said, lean meat is a good way to get protein and cut dietary fat if it replaces high fat meat. I would definitely change doctors or at least seek a second opinion.

My cardiologist says if it does not swim or grow from the ground I CANNOT eat it. The nerve of her :noway: but I've decided to take her advice (after months of defiance) & today is my first day as a pescatarian. This is my May Challenge & I gladly accept !

Why do you have a cardiologist at 29?

If you really have some form of heart disease then I would definitely do as she says, and see if it helps your arteries. But ultimately I don't think beef makes your arteries clog: i think fries with salt do.

Definitely get a second opinion.

Maybe she gave this advice because of the way much meat is produced today in factory farms. Unless you can afford the more expensive grass feed meats and the free range poultry you are better off not eating meat. Factory farmed meat is not healthy. By the way, my dad was a butcher.

it doesn't matter what studies show, what does common sense tell you? Do you think the very first humans had a diet like ours?

LOLwut?

:laugh:




Okay, now I'm in...

My cardiologist says if it does not swim or grow from the ground I CANNOT eat it. The nerve of her :noway: but I've decided to take her advice (after months of defiance) & today is my first day as a pescatarian. This is my May Challenge & I gladly accept !

Why do you have a cardiologist at 29?

If you really have some form of heart disease then I would definitely do as she says, and see if it helps your arteries. But ultimately I don't think beef makes your arteries clog: i think fries with salt do.

Definitely get a second opinion.

What does her age have anything to do with having a cardiologist? People of all ages have heart problems. I'm turning 21 this month and I have a cardiologist.

Maybe she gave this advice because of the way much meat is produced today in factory farms. Unless you can afford the more expensive grass feed meats and the free range poultry you are better off not eating meat. Factory farmed meat is not healthy. By the way, my dad was a butcher.

What's a factory farm and what makes meat from there any worse than any other meat?

I wouldn't care if the doctor told the OP that she should avoid meat and the OP was happy with that advice; to each his/her own. However, very few doctors know anything about nutrition, making the advice suspicious at best. The OP needs a diet she will stay with, not one that makes her feel as if she's missing something that she will cheat on. That's no good for her heart, either.

Just an FYI: we have almost absolute control over our own health; the "heriditary/genetic" argument is a cop out. Of course generation after generation is going to have poor health when each of those generations also ate crap and had unhealthy lifestyles. I've debunked the genetic argument in my own life. There is every disease in my family, autoimmune disorders, cancer, heart disease, stroke, depression, you name it. I have resolved ALL of the ones I "inherited" (long, long list) just by changing WHAT I EAT and how I live.

First I would just like to say that my bipolar disorder, depression, and autoimmune thyroid condition ARE genetic. They all run in my family, going way back many generations. I don't use them as a 'cop out' to explain away poor health, and I find your suggestion that something I'm doing in my life has caused them to be highly insulting. Yes, diet and exercise can aid in the treatment of all these ailments, but they cannot 'cure' them.

To the OP: Is it possible your cardiologist wants you to stay away from most commercial poultry due to them being treated with a sodium-filled injection prior to going on the shelves? Modern chicken breasts tend to be treated to a salt/water treatment intended to 'enhance flavor and tenderness', unfortunately it also adds a HUGE amount of sodium, something someone with heart issues should watch out for according to the AHA.
If this is the case, you CAN find non-enhanced chicken breasts, but it takes a bit of work and reading of fine print on packages. Organic would probably be a good place to start.

Agree with the second opinion. Cardiologists are good at hearts, but not necessarily good nutrition.

Yes, I know he's not a cardiologist, but the point is there.

Actually before he went batsh*t Oprah, he was a widely respected cardiothoracic surgeon. Like the guy other cardiothoracic surgeons wanted if they needed surgery.

Maybe she gave this advice because of the way much meat is produced today in factory farms. Unless you can afford the more expensive grass feed meats and the free range poultry you are better off not eating meat. Factory farmed meat is not healthy. By the way, my dad was a butcher.

What's a factory farm and what makes meat from there any worse than any other meat?

I wouldn't care if the doctor told the OP that she should avoid meat and the OP was happy with that advice; to each his/her own. However, very few doctors know anything about nutrition, making the advice suspicious at best. The OP needs a diet she will stay with, not one that makes her feel as if she's missing something that she will cheat on. That's no good for her heart, either.

Factory farming is the industrialized mass-production of meat. It's notorious for poor treatment of the animals - cramping them into small spaces and cages, pumping them full of antibiotics to combat disease that comes with overcrowding, and causing intense emotional distress to the animals.

It's also bad for the people who work there. Meatpacking is one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, thousands of meatpacking employees suffer crippling injuries each year from unsafe work conditions and working around frightened and injured animals.

It's also pretty awful for the environment - animals raised for meat use up a ton of resources (water and food), and the runoff with their feces and body fluids seeps into the ground and nearby rivers/other bodies of water.

The meat from factory farms is cheap, but it comes at a high price that we don't pay with dollars.

So, basically, every profession but that of farming is allowed to enter the twenty-first century? Guilt is a pretty poor science to base a diet and a new lifestyle upon.

Maybe she gave this advice because of the way much meat is produced today in factory farms. Unless you can afford the more expensive grass feed meats and the free range poultry you are better off not eating meat. Factory farmed meat is not healthy. By the way, my dad was a butcher.

What's a factory farm and what makes meat from there any worse than any other meat?

I wouldn't care if the doctor told the OP that she should avoid meat and the OP was happy with that advice; to each his/her own. However, very few doctors know anything about nutrition, making the advice suspicious at best. The OP needs a diet she will stay with, not one that makes her feel as if she's missing something that she will cheat on. That's no good for her heart, either.

Factory farming is the industrialized mass-production of meat. It's notorious for poor treatment of the animals - cramping them into small spaces and cages, pumping them full of antibiotics to combat disease that comes with overcrowding, and causing intense emotional distress to the animals.

It's also bad for the people who work there. Meatpacking is one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, thousands of meatpacking employees suffer crippling injuries each year from unsafe work conditions and working around frightened and injured animals.

It's also pretty awful for the environment - animals raised for meat use up a ton of resources (water and food), and the runoff with their feces and body fluids seeps into the ground and nearby rivers/other bodies of water.

The meat from factory farms is cheap, but it comes at a high price that we don't pay with dollars.

So, basically, every profession but that of farming is allowed to enter the twenty-first century? Guilt is a pretty poor science to base a diet and a new lifestyle upon.

A) just because "that's how we always did it" doesn't mean that it's the best way.

every industry is encouraged to modernize and "get with the times" - but not at the expense of living, sentient beings - human and non-human alike.

Try it and see if you can do it. Maybe after a few months your Cardiologist says you can do meat twice per week or something. Everyone should eat mainly fish as their animal flesh of choice.

To say EVERYONE should do anything is bogus. For instance, I'm allergic to fish and am repulsed by shell fish. If it swims, I'm not eating it. I might lose weight, but not in a healthy manner, for sure!
I'm not saying she shouldn't try it, but be careful of these all inclusive/exclusive dietary guidelines.

Maybe she gave this advice because of the way much meat is produced today in factory farms. Unless you can afford the more expensive grass feed meats and the free range poultry you are better off not eating meat. Factory farmed meat is not healthy. By the way, my dad was a butcher.

What's a factory farm and what makes meat from there any worse than any other meat?

I wouldn't care if the doctor told the OP that she should avoid meat and the OP was happy with that advice; to each his/her own. However, very few doctors know anything about nutrition, making the advice suspicious at best. The OP needs a diet she will stay with, not one that makes her feel as if she's missing something that she will cheat on. That's no good for her heart, either.

Factory farming is the industrialized mass-production of meat. It's notorious for poor treatment of the animals - cramping them into small spaces and cages, pumping them full of antibiotics to combat disease that comes with overcrowding, and causing intense emotional distress to the animals.

It's also bad for the people who work there. Meatpacking is one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, thousands of meatpacking employees suffer crippling injuries each year from unsafe work conditions and working around frightened and injured animals.

It's also pretty awful for the environment - animals raised for meat use up a ton of resources (water and food), and the runoff with their feces and body fluids seeps into the ground and nearby rivers/other bodies of water.

The meat from factory farms is cheap, but it comes at a high price that we don't pay with dollars.

I prefer free range/grass fed meat for my own reasons (and it tastes better) but these reasons don't make "factory farmed" meat unhealthy.

ETA - that is not in relation to the OP. That is just a comment on this string of posts.

Maybe she gave this advice because of the way much meat is produced today in factory farms. Unless you can afford the more expensive grass feed meats and the free range poultry you are better off not eating meat. Factory farmed meat is not healthy. By the way, my dad was a butcher.

What's a factory farm and what makes meat from there any worse than any other meat?

I wouldn't care if the doctor told the OP that she should avoid meat and the OP was happy with that advice; to each his/her own. However, very few doctors know anything about nutrition, making the advice suspicious at best. The OP needs a diet she will stay with, not one that makes her feel as if she's missing something that she will cheat on. That's no good for her heart, either.

Factory farming is the industrialized mass-production of meat. It's notorious for poor treatment of the animals - cramping them into small spaces and cages, pumping them full of antibiotics to combat disease that comes with overcrowding, and causing intense emotional distress to the animals.

It's also bad for the people who work there. Meatpacking is one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, thousands of meatpacking employees suffer crippling injuries each year from unsafe work conditions and working around frightened and injured animals.

It's also pretty awful for the environment - animals raised for meat use up a ton of resources (water and food), and the runoff with their feces and body fluids seeps into the ground and nearby rivers/other bodies of water.

The meat from factory farms is cheap, but it comes at a high price that we don't pay with dollars.

I prefer free range/grass fed meat for my own reasons (and it tastes better) but these reasons don't make "factory farmed" meat unhealthy.

ETA - that is not in relation to the OP. That is just a comment on this string of posts.

Ultimately, factory farmed meat is unhealthier because it generally comes from sick animals. Eggs from chickens who can wander around a field, take dust baths, eat bugs, and generally do "chicken things" taste better because they are getting better nutrients, are happier and aren't essentially kept in a box.

I don't quite mean unhealthy as in "processed" or in terms of macros like a lot of threads on the boards - it's more about the animals being filled with antibiotics and generally being distressed.

A) just because "that's how we always did it" doesn't mean that it's the best way.

every industry is encouraged to modernize and "get with the times" - but not at the expense of living, sentient beings - human and non-human alike.

I'm pretty certain that you're advocating for cows merrily frolicking in daisy-studded pastures and chickens pecking perkily at the ground outside of any enclosures--I thought that was "how we always did it?" The strict biosecurity on modernized farms gives us meat that is typically free of disease or debris. Most beef cows are only "finished" on grain and corn, spending much of their early lives grazing in fields. Chickens experience less predation when they are securely locked within walls. Agricultural antibiotics are frequently (I want to say around 80%?) dissimilar to those used on humans. Animals given antibiotics are taken out of the food chain until the antibiotics have left their systems Chickens have not been fed antibiotics since the 1960s.

And guilt is still poor science. If my doctor ever pushed a diet on me based on an agenda or a personal ethical code that had nothing to do with my health, I'd have that doctor in front of a review board so fast his/her head would swim. My doctor is here to serve my needs. I do not exist to further a misguided agenda that deprives people of all domesticated animals,pets and livestock alike.