Calling all carnivores....help a new meat eater

jess1992uga
jess1992uga Posts: 603 Member
edited November 12 in Food and Nutrition
Hey everyone--
So I am in recovery from various eating disorders and after getting some GI test done we found out I can't tolerate soy or beans or cheese. In fact have to keep lactose low. So...out the window went me being vegetarian. It was completely because eating meat just...idk..honestly disgust me. I don't like taste and thought of eating the meat and flesh of an animal creeps me out. Anyway, I've been sticking to fish because idk have less feelings around fish, but tonight branched out and had chicken. Well, some pieces of the chicken could see tiny veins (after I cooked it) and seemed to glisten and feel really moist. These two pieces in my profile pic I couldn't bring myself to eat. Is that gooey, sticky looking stuff fat? I mean I know I did this behavior before. Where I would tear off the slick, gooey looking pieces of chicken but it was honestly just to cut out some of the portion. My dad caught me doing it once before he passed and said it wasn't fat just normal part of chicken. But I think it is fat. You all see what I am seeing? Or is it a ligament? Do you eat that part.
Tonight I ate some of the slick pieces and I am scared about it. Is it normal when you tear open chicken that it has a glisten kind of film and veins?
Thanks
Jess

Replies

  • NicoleS9
    NicoleS9 Posts: 62 Member
    Veins gross me out too, and my husband would never eat chicken off the bone.
    Have you thought about just trying different kinds of low level mercury fish for now?
  • belimawr
    belimawr Posts: 1,155 Member
    It's hard to tell from that photo, but it does look like fat or other non-edible tissue on that top piece.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    You don't need to eat the flesh of an animal. The meat is good.

    And uh.. I don't really know what you are talking about. How did you cook the chicken? Is this a chicken breast or is this darker meat? darker meat will have more fat, it (to me) usually looks kind of like... congealed white snot or something. I sometimes spit it out but usually I"ll eat it; fat on red meat, that stuff grosses me out because it's hard. That I will not eat.

    I do not see any veins/etc in your chicken. Possibly a bit of fat but then again it could also have just been over-cooked. Chicken should be moist, which might be what you are referring to with this "slick" business. If it wasn't pink inside then you're fine.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    I cannot see the picture very well.
    Would it be easier for you to buy ground turkey/ chicken? Then you can cook it so you do not have to see it/ look at it so carefully.
    Otherwise, continue to eat fish and eggs.
  • NicoleS9
    NicoleS9 Posts: 62 Member
    RodaRose wrote: »
    I cannot see the picture very well.
    Would it be easier for you to buy ground turkey/ chicken? Then you can cook it so you do not have to see it/ look at it so carefully.
    Otherwise, continue to eat fish and eggs.
    Yes, I was just going to come back and suggest organic eggs.
    Also, sorry about your GI issues. I hope your recovery goes well.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    NicoleS9 wrote: »
    RodaRose wrote: »
    I cannot see the picture very well.
    Would it be easier for you to buy ground turkey/ chicken? Then you can cook it so you do not have to see it/ look at it so carefully.
    Otherwise, continue to eat fish and eggs.
    Yes, I was just going to come back and suggest organic eggs.
    Also, sorry about your GI issues. I hope your recovery goes well.

    The eggs do not need to be organic to be consumed. OP would also do well consuming other meat sources to ensure she gets in adequate protein without going over on calories/fat etc. Ground poultry would be a good place to start.
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    edited February 2015
    I think PP advice is spot on...go for meat cuts that as far from looking-like-a-critter as possible, in order to accommodate your aversion. Ground meat is good, as are well trimmed chicken cutlets or tenderloins, even the pre-breaded frozen ones that you can bake in the oven. Some pot roasts may be appealing for beef, get to know your butcher and ask about cuts and are trimmed well and have most connective tissue (likely what you thought was "veins," I suspect you got some chicken that was either still on the bone or trimmed from the bone by someone who didn't do a very good job of it)

    And, eggs are great! They don't need to be organic, but if your vegetarianism was related to feelings about animal welfare, you may feel better about eating lots of them if you buy them from a local small producer. We have a couple of farms in town who treat their egg producing chickens like pampered pets!
  • jess1992uga
    jess1992uga Posts: 603 Member
    Sadly I can't eat red meat or eggs either. And weight shot up overnight so likely was fat.
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    edited February 2015
    If your weight shot up overnight it's likely water retention. the chicken might have been prepared with more sodium than you are used to. I don't know the details of your ED but you may want to relax on fluctuations. Most are related to water and where your food is along your digestive tract. You certainly didn't gain an appreciable amount of fat overnight.

    OK, so no eggs or red meat. Stick to the other suggestions...ground turkey, ground chicken, and well-trimmed cutlets of both. Good protein source, doesn't look like critter. Those breaded "chicken patties" sold in the frozen food section are tasty, too. Very similar to the soy-based alternatives that you may have eaten whilst a vegetarian. Most people transition in the other direction, but no reason you can't go that way!

    How about pork? Pork tenderloin or pulled pork might be appealing and it's not got all that connective tissue.

    And, some vegetarian protein sources are still OK for you, right? legumes/pulses/beans? Hummus? Nuts and nut butters? No harm in still eating lots of those as long as your food sensitivities and allergies don't come in to play.
  • snarlingcoyote
    snarlingcoyote Posts: 399 Member
    If the ick factor is stemming from ethical comsiderations, go and try free range chickens or cruelty free chickens and grass fed beef. These meats are from animals that generally had decent lives. Then start with the ground versions of those meats so there's nothing that looks very anatomy-ish.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    edited February 2015
    jess1992uga wrote: »
    Sadly I can't eat red meat or eggs either. And weight shot up overnight so likely was fat.
    what? Eating fat doesn't make your weight shoot up overnight. Are you still struggling with an ED or are you already in a recovery stage? Either way, you DO want your weight to increase.

    also jw why you can't do eggs or red meat, is this an ethical thing or is this a mental thing related to your ED history? Because again, fat doesn't make you fat. You NEED dietary fat in your normal diet.
  • FreakinFlabuless
    FreakinFlabuless Posts: 29 Member
    Whole chicken pieces on the bone can and do gross people out. You don't eat anything that's rubbery or sharp or clear on whole chicken pieces. Sounds like your best bet would be staying away from whole chicken pieces on the bone and switch to eating/buying ground chicken and bags of boneless-skinless chicken breasts, chicken tenderloins, etc. Nothing gross in those, but you may find the need to trim off excess fat on occasion before cooking.

    You need to know that eating meat doesn't make your weight shoot up overnight. The fact that you jumped on the scale to see believing it does means you HAVE to tell yourself that's an incorrect assumption, untrue, etc. Your body needs fat and processes it accordingly. If your body weight is shooting up every time you eat it, it may just be because it's holding onto exactly what it needs--that's how our bodies are designed....to snatch everything IT needs from anything you put into your mouth.

    Pork tenderloins are leaner and usually just have a thin piece of fat along one side that you can cut off. I do Weight Watchers points, and pork tenderloin is only one point per ounce for me.

    I was a picky kid and still have problems ignoring slimy fish images when eating fish, but I know it's my mind. You just have to fight those images in your mind like I do when eating fish. I think fish is way more disgusting than meat.

    If you have trouble with the taste, then work on finding well-seasoned recipes. Just plain meat...that doesn't taste good to me.

    I eat meat because those animals may have waded in their own poop but didn't GROW IN it. ;) lol

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