Cutting out red meat...thoughts?

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brittanyjeanxo
brittanyjeanxo Posts: 1,831 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Sorry guys, I know I'm posting a lot haha. :) I've been thinking about cutting red meat out of my diet. I don't eat pork as it is (I like it and all, but I just don't really eat it) and I have the occasional steak, as it is my weakness, but I'm thinking about cutting it out entirely. No more hamburgers, meat in sauce with spaghetti, etc. Anyone else tried this? (Btw, my cholesterol is great, but it could stand to be a little lower.)
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Replies

  • chantel14
    chantel14 Posts: 128
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    sounds depressing..... lol
  • brittanyjeanxo
    brittanyjeanxo Posts: 1,831 Member
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    I really don't eat that much red meat in general, so the only things that will be missed are burgers and steaks, haha. But I love Boca burgers, so I can just substitute :)
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
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    I don't eat beef because I don't like it (shocks people, lol). Never liked the taste, no matter how it's fixed. Haven't eaten it in close to 20 years.

    Why are you considering cutting it out? Concerned about fat content? There are very lean cuts of beef you could consider keeping in your diet, and just leave out the ground (fatter) versions.

    Ground turkey can be a good substitute for beef, but you still have to check the fat content of it. It's not always as low fat as people assume.
  • PanteraGirl
    PanteraGirl Posts: 566 Member
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    I can't seem to do it.....I love my red meat sooooo much...so I've decided to just cut it down and have it once a week :( sucks!
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    I tried for a while and it didn't work for me but I had a friend who did it and had good results. I say try it and if it works for you great, if not then oh well.
  • IamJustSanie
    IamJustSanie Posts: 93 Member
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    I haven't cut it out all together but I only eat it maybe 1 to 2 times a month.
  • brittanyjeanxo
    brittanyjeanxo Posts: 1,831 Member
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    I don't eat beef because I don't like it (shocks people, lol). Never liked the taste, no matter how it's fixed. Haven't eaten it in close to 20 years.

    Why are you considering cutting it out? Concerned about fat content? There are very lean cuts of beef you could consider keeping in your diet, and just leave out the ground (fatter) versions.

    Ground turkey can be a good substitute for beef, but you still have to check the fat content of it. It's not always as low fat as people assume.

    Well for one, I really don't like ground meat, especially not ground turkey! lol. So if we have spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner, I usually pick out the meat. And it just seems like it could in the long run be a contributing factor to my cholesterol, and I don't want to have problems with it. It's okay now, but I don't want it to get high, you know?
  • meli_medina
    meli_medina Posts: 594 Member
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    haha... I just wrote a blog about going vegetarian and back. If it doesn't sound appetizing, don't eat it, but I guarantee that if it's something you desire on occasion, it is going to be very difficult to resist when you do desire it. I would suggest cutting back first, and then if the desire to eat red meat isn't there, don't eat it. Just don't make it a "never again" food because at some point, you may want to have it again. Good luck, though, no matter what you choose!
  • pa_jorg
    pa_jorg Posts: 4,404 Member
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    I don't really understand why anyone bans something from their diet that they seem to enjoy. If you didn't like it or have an ethical reason not to eat it then it makes sense. Otherwise, just have it in moderation. Red meat has lots of protein and iron, so it isn't terrible for you anyway.
  • nilisabel
    nilisabel Posts: 338
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    sounds ok, recently read a post about vegan diets being entirely cholesterol and trans-fat free (not that you're going vegan, but in terms of cutting red meat - it just made me think about some words of wisdom from my nutrition professor: Every time you cut out an entire type of food, you have to think about what you'll be missing out on nutritionally)

    So, with that in mind, it's important to remember that your body craves what your body thinks it needs. Make sure you get enough iron and protein and also, a healthy body needs 30% calories from fat and that fat should be divided into thirds: one third saturated, one third monounsaturated, one third polyunsaturated. Red meat is a good source of saturated fat (hence, low density cholesterol) but if you trim the hard fat found in marbling and around the membrane (edge of the meat) you can cut that down significantly. If you find yourself in my "peanut butter boat," that is enough is never enough, then by all means cut it out so you can maintain a healthy BMI. Just make sure you are meeting your nutritional requirements. For protein, that would be 0.8g per kg body weight. (FYI kg=pounds divided by 2.2)
  • melizerd
    melizerd Posts: 870 Member
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    I did it 99% of the time. IF I have red meat it's a REALLY good steak, not ground beef junk.

    I switched to ground turkey in my chili and no one even noticed ;) It's great! I season as I cook it but it goes into just about everything you ever made with ground beef, and the pre-made seasoned turkey burgers are GREAT.

    I think the last time I had red meat was Memorial Day when we got some great steaks. I didn't really purposely try to cut it out I just realized it wasn't worth it. Which is how most of the things I've "cut out" happened. Same reason I don't eat cake anymore, I don't LIKE cake (GASP!) I just ate it before because it was there and I was "supposed" to eat it.

    I had a pie for my birthday on Sunday instead.

    Edit: I have no iron problem, I donate blood every 6 weeks and it's always fine, I also have no issue hitting my protein needs with the turkey in place of beef.
  • thereseofdoom
    thereseofdoom Posts: 66 Member
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    I haven't eaten meat in 15 years! Usually the vegetarian foods at restaurants are healthier. Boca burders are great, I have one for lunch almost every day. My typical lunch is a boga burger on a sandwich thin, with hummus avocado and tomato. about 400 calories and super filling!
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    From what you wrote, you don't eat red meat very often anyway so that probably isn't effecting your cholesterol numbers. Instead of cutting out something you enjoy having once in a while, how about upping your intake of fish, leafy greens and doing more cardio exercise?
  • nilisabel
    nilisabel Posts: 338
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    p.s. for people on a weight control blog, might consider not being so judgmental of difficulty with portion control. some of these posts have a mean tone.
  • brit49
    brit49 Posts: 461 Member
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    Dont eat red meat, and I dont miss it. Mosttly eat veggie burgers.
  • brit49
    brit49 Posts: 461 Member
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    I haven't eaten meat in 15 years! Usually the vegetarian foods at restaurants are healthier. Boca burders are great, I have one for lunch almost every day. My typical lunch is a boga burger on a sandwich thin, with hummus avocado and tomato. about 400 calories and super filling!
    [/quo









    Thats what I had for lunch today:smile:
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
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    I don't eat beef because I don't like it (shocks people, lol). Never liked the taste, no matter how it's fixed. Haven't eaten it in close to 20 years.

    Why are you considering cutting it out? Concerned about fat content? There are very lean cuts of beef you could consider keeping in your diet, and just leave out the ground (fatter) versions.

    Ground turkey can be a good substitute for beef, but you still have to check the fat content of it. It's not always as low fat as people assume.

    Well for one, I really don't like ground meat, especially not ground turkey! lol. So if we have spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner, I usually pick out the meat. And it just seems like it could in the long run be a contributing factor to my cholesterol, and I don't want to have problems with it. It's okay now, but I don't want it to get high, you know?

    Ah, then definitely go for a meatless sauce! If you don't eat much ground beef, but enjoy steak, I'd say just stick to enjoying lean cuts of beef on occasion as your budget, etc, allows. There's no reason to cut it completely out as long as you eat correct portions and focus on the lean cuts. Beef does have plenty of good nutrients.
  • Fochizzy
    Fochizzy Posts: 505 Member
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    I don't eat red meat, never have. My body does not have the enzyme to digest it, aka allergy. If you don't really like it than why not. But I would say it doesn't seem to be a problem for you. You could do what I do with cheese, I don't really like cheese and I never "cut cheese out of my diet" I just choose the non-cheese options avaliable, and never add cheese when I make food for myself. Less dramatic then a be all end all solution and it would probably have a similar effect. Good luck!
  • ATT949
    ATT949 Posts: 1,245 Member
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    Why do you want to cut out any particular food source?

    In the case of meat, it's extremely nutrient and calorie rich. Yes, here in the very wealthy first world we can afford to spend the extra money to buy other forms of food that aren't so full of nutrients. Most people in the world would look at you strangely if you just decided to cripple your nutrient intake on a whim.

    I'm a little hypocritical in this respect — I gave up Coke Zero when I started losing weight even though there's no medical or dietary reason to do so. Over the past few weeks, I've wondered if it was a measure of penance that I was inflicting on myself to "atone" for getting fat. Is that, perhaps, what you're feeling?

    Insofar as cholesterol is concerned, I don't get to wigged out about that. I'm a carnivore, by gum, but I also eat pork, fish, and chicken. My cholesterol is very low and various medical people (RN's and MD's) have suggested it's because of a balanced diet and because I exercise.

    I'm not suggesting that lard in your smoothie is OK but I'd caution against flip flopping from the obese self-destructive lifestyle that most of us had to one of austerity.

    Feeling a bit loquacious this morning… :-)
  • emily_ylime597
    emily_ylime597 Posts: 9
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    I have been a vegetarian (well, technically pescetarian) for a little over 4 years now and started just like you are now. I was curious because I had heard that cutting back on red meat intake was healthier in general, and I realized I wasn't really eating that much meat except for chicken. So, in October or November of 2007, I decided to cut out red meat and pork from my diet and just stick with poultry and fish. I have since cut out all meat except for seafood. In the beginning it was a little difficult adjusting but I realized that I actually liked red meat substitutes (like ground turkey instead of ground beef, turkey burgers/veggie burgers instead of beef burgers, turkey bacon instead of pork bacon, etc) much better than the meat itself. It sounds like you are concerned about future cholesterol problems, but I really wouldn't worry unless your diet is super high in red meat, which it doesn't sound like it is. My advice? Try cutting it out for a little while and see how you do! If you feel that it is a change you can live with, then by all means keep it up (it's nice to have a little extra cash that you are not spending on steaks!), but if you find it to be too difficult, then you can try just cutting back like some of the other bloggers have said and only eat red meat once a week or so.

    Hope that helps!

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