Cutting out red meat...thoughts?

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!

I haven't cut it out all together but I only eat it maybe 1 to 2 times a month.

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!

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)

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!

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.

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!
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Thats what I had for lunch today

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!

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!

I have been a vegetarian.....

I have since cut out all meat except for seafood.

Then you're not a vegetarian.

I CUT OUT MOST RED MEAT YEARS AGO... I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE I WAS DOING IT. I EAT MOSTLY CHICKEN TO THE POINT THAT I'M SUPPRISED I DON'T LAY EGGS LOL. I'LL STILL HAVE A HAMBURGER OR STEAK HERE AND THERE, AND BEING THAT I'M ITALIAN I WOULD NEVER MAKE SAUCE WITHOUT MEAT. PLUS YOU CAN ALWAYS INCORPORATE MORE VEGGIES OR EVEN FISH, I'D SAY PASTA BUT THAT TURNS INTO SUGAR AND PASTA IS MY DOWNFALL. WELL GOOD LUCK GOING MEATLESS (RED) AND ANOTHER FORM OF RED MEAT WITHOUT THE FAT IS VENISON AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT ITS REALLY GOOD. WELL ONCE AGAIN GOOD LUCK

80% beef means that it's 20% fat and a 16 ounce portion of that mixture will be 16 x 0.2 = 3.2 oz of fat and that's 28*3.2 = 89.6 grams of fat (close enough to 100).

That's not a problem with "hamburger having too much fat" - that's 'cause you had hamburger that had a lot of fat mixed in with it.

And that's an entire pound of hamburger. Even when I was eating a lot (when I was in the Army) I wouldn't eat more than a triple at Wendy's so an entire pound of hamburger is a hell of a lot of food.


If you want to eat hamburger but don't want that much fat, get hamburger that's more lean. I buy 12% hamburger but I've also seen 5% fat.

if tell your butcher grind up some chuck with no fat and you'll have really lean burgers. But they'll taste pretty bland 'cause fat is one of the sources of taste in beef.

I am the opposite; I am trying to eat more due to low iron. But I gravitate more toward vegetarian proteins, chicken, and fish, so it has taken some adjusting. I am starting to acquire a taste for it.

Sorry to hijack!