has anyone given up read meat? reviews?

cavewoman15
cavewoman15 Posts: 278 Member
in Food and Nutrition
thanks for reading. somewhat for health reasons, but mostly for environmental reasons, i've been considering giving up red meat. from my casual reading, beef production seems to be one of the biggest problems with the american meat industry, and since it's the worst meat in terms of calories and cholesterol, i'm thinking about whether i really need it. (it's also relatively expensive!).

has anyone given up beef? was it hard? was it worth it?
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Replies

  • KuroNyankoSensei
    KuroNyankoSensei Posts: 288 Member
    I don't like red meat in general, but my grandmother just doesn't eat red meat at all, she's the ripe age of 84 ;3.
  • Telugammayi87
    Telugammayi87 Posts: 170 Member
    Watch the documentary Food, Inc.... :) It will help in your decision....

    I have not eaten red meat in 2.5 years.... you don't "need" it. I craved it for a few months, but now the smell of it cooking is more of a turn-off than a turn-on!

    I'm down to only eating meat one day per week, and I can NOT tell you the difference it has made... As a child I was always the "meat and potato" girl. I NEVER had veggies on my plate. Now I'm popping asparagus into my mouth like it's candy!
  • wasveganvictoria88
    wasveganvictoria88 Posts: 249 Member
    when I was vegan (for around a year) I did...but its like my ultimate favourite so I found it really hard!! I don't eat a lot of it now but its only because I'm not stopping myself from eating it...it almost gave anxiety!

    Sorry, just thought I'd say I gave up meat/dairy for the same reasons you are thinking.
  • It_never_ends
    It_never_ends Posts: 105 Member
    I never eat red meat. It's expensive and it really isn't that good. Turkey, chicken and sea food. :D
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    the only red meat i eat is lamb and that's on very rare occasions (xmas lamb and a few times a year i have afghani food).

    i can't really digest beef and it tastes yucky to me anyway so i've never really eaten it so never really had to give it up. lamb is a little easier for me to digest but it's still pretty hard for me to get through.

    i do eat a lot of poultry, pork, seafood.
  • run2jeepn
    run2jeepn Posts: 183 Member
    Never will give it up. I love it all. even cheap round steak or Iron Steak.
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    I generally don't eat meat that's already been read.

    (I actually don't eat red meat. Haven't for about 20 years)
  • aksunshine
    aksunshine Posts: 62 Member
    I've been a veggie for over two years and was vegan for about a year and a half. I just can't eat meat now at all. I actually feel healthier although I would like to go vegan again one day :)
  • LexyDB
    LexyDB Posts: 261
    An invaluable source of iron and great for muscle building. Anyone serious about adding muscle will eat red meat, steak in particular.
  • dunc289
    dunc289 Posts: 54 Member
    I always go to the reduced corner at the supermarket.

    Usually its chicken.

    Once in a blue moon, its a nice bit of beef or buffalo.
    Then I get it.

    Saves me a fortune, and I never have to think what to make for dinner.
  • BeetleChe13
    BeetleChe13 Posts: 498 Member
    I only eat it once a week tops, so there's not much to give up. I prefer fish and poultry anyway.
  • JennMarieFitz
    JennMarieFitz Posts: 73 Member
    I've given up all ground beef and switched to ground turkey and chicken. We don't eat sausage in my house unless it is turkey sausage. I get very sick to my stomach if I eat ground beef. For some reason, steak doesn't seem to make me sick, so we eat it on occasion, but not often.

    I'm actually tempted to start cutting back on all meat, since my body feels so much better having cut out the beef.
  • ReneeSkyeDreaming
    ReneeSkyeDreaming Posts: 8 Member
    It's been 2.5 years for me now. I do it for health and moral reasons. Red meat has saturated fat that is the main source of clogging arteries. It's also quite gross in my opinion. I stick to chicken, turkey and fish, ONLY lean cuts. If you are going to do groud turkey make sure it is 99% fat free. I also don't believe in putting animals through the abuse they endure with America's horrific food and lovestock industry and I make sure I know what farm my food is coming from. Trust me, you don't NEED it and you will feel better if you give it up.
  • bluegirl10
    bluegirl10 Posts: 695 Member
    I gave up red meat about 3 to 4 years ago... It was just a personal choice... I don't really miss it... I thought I would, nope can't say that I do.
  • kayleesays
    kayleesays Posts: 564 Member
    I gave it up when I was around 14. I just never liked the idea of eating cows, and it seemed easier to not gain weight if cheeseburgers weren't staring me in the face. Also, I watched too many documentaries on factory farming, which is HORRIBLE; both for the animals and for the meat you're consuming.

    ANYWAY. I think it's really helped me. I have very low blood pressure and pulse and have never been overweight. When you realize that most of the things that contain red meat are also very fat- and calorie-dense, it becomes easier to make healthy choices. McDonalds? No thanks, I don't eat burgers. BBQ? No thanks, I don't eat steak. I don't crave it at all, either!
  • douglasmobbs
    douglasmobbs Posts: 563 Member
    If you want to give up bacon please post any surplus stocks to me.
  • Nanadena
    Nanadena Posts: 739 Member
    We farm and raise cattle. We do not eat them because we hunt our meat. I do not care for beef, but if we did not have the wild game, we would eat some. I have not eaten a fast food hamburger in over a year.
  • Pfitzer
    Pfitzer Posts: 18 Member
    I gave up all meat over a year ago, and all dairy products and eggs about 6 months ago. I have so much more energy, and I think my hair and skin look healthier now as well. My diary is open if you want to look for ideas. Feel free to add me as a friend if you want support making the transition (or just making some small changes, I don’t judge). The movie Earthlings played a big role in how I eat.
  • Nanadena
    Nanadena Posts: 739 Member
    If you want to give up bacon please post any surplus stocks to me.

    Too funny!
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
    thanks for reading. somewhat for health reasons, but mostly for environmental reasons, i've been considering giving up red meat. from my casual reading, beef production seems to be one of the biggest problems with the american meat industry, and since it's the worst meat in terms of calories and cholesterol, i'm thinking about whether i really need it. (it's also relatively expensive!).

    has anyone given up beef? was it hard? was it worth it?

    I had to as for whatever reason I developed a intolerance to red meat. I do miss it some times but I don't want to deal with the side effects that it gives me. Wasn't really hard for me to give it up at all and yeah it is worth it IMO. People may comment how you wont get any creatine since red meat is the most talked about source of creatine. 1lb of red meat = 5g of creatine 1lb of salmon = 4.5g of creatine ... Other fishes contain creatine as well, tuna and I read somewhere that sushi and sushami are good sources.
  • muchadoaboutme2000
    muchadoaboutme2000 Posts: 86 Member
    I try and limit my red meat intake to once, maybe twice monthly in small doses. I make sure that red meat is the highest grass fed/free range I can find. I also don't eat pork at ALL. Pork makes my gallbladder angry and anyone with that issue knows sausage isn't worth it. Your protein can come from hundreds of other sources.
    I WILL say, nothing beats the smell of a steak on a charcoal grill. If they made that a candle, I'd buy it. LOL
  • sheila569
    sheila569 Posts: 269 Member
    Gave up beef and pork 6 years ago for health reasons, and for my love of animals. My stomach thanks me for it. I eat poultry and fish a few days a weeks but try to get in as many meatless days as I can. Hope to one day become a full veg, but one day at a time. Good luck to you.
  • AliciaNorris81
    AliciaNorris81 Posts: 185 Member
    I stopped eating it because of the calories and until I could learn to fit it into my diet in a healthy way.

    Last night, my husband brought home some beautiful looking steaks. I cooked them (I can cook a steak, I actually won a small competition once). We sat down to dinner and after one bite, I was done. I couldn't take the flavor. I got up and made a couple of eggs.

    I guess it is poultry and seafood for me from now on. :ohwell:
  • katlyndstewart
    katlyndstewart Posts: 2
    I gave it up awhile ago, with the rare exception here and there. I'm not going to say it was easy. Red meat is delicious. But nowadays if I eat it, it almost makes me feel sick for a couple hours afterwards. As a whole I feel much better and healthier now that I rarely eat it. There are great recipe books out there geared especially towards chicken and fish (and I'm not a big fish person) but it really helped in making eating chicken constantly not get old.
  • Zichu
    Zichu Posts: 542 Member
    Nope. I just couldn't do it. I really enjoy it. We have roast beef or pork once a week. We have Shepherds Pie or Cottage Pie once a week. I have beef pasta, burgers, etc. I eat bacon, sausage, ham, etc.

    I just wouldn't be able to hit my protein goals without meat. I know chicken and turkey are the best choices, but I don't think I could live on two kinds of meats knowing right now I enjoy other meats.
  • momtokgo
    momtokgo Posts: 446 Member
    I've never been able to eat hamburger (texture issue), but I LOVE steak. Sadly, my digestive tract, and my IBS, do not love steak, so I do not eat it. Its not worth it. Last time I had a few bites while cutting up the kids steak for dinner and was sick the next day, for the entire day. Since I'm also bothered by pork, chicken, eggs and dairy, I'm started following a vegan diet. Fish I can digest, but it grosses me out.

    Honeslty though, if it didn't make me sick, I would eat a big juicy pink steak as often as possible. Especially bbq'd with cattleboys bbq sauce. Mmmmm.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    I eat red meat about once a week for the iron. However, when I was a child, I refused to eat any red meat other than veal and the occasional hot dog or meatballs and I was perfectly fine.
  • cavewoman15
    cavewoman15 Posts: 278 Member
    If you want to give up bacon please post any surplus stocks to me.

    Sorry bud! I don't think I could ever give up pork, especially when it's cured! Shoot, if prosciutto is on the menu, may as well burn the rest of the menu!

    Thanks for all these comments. This is very helpful. I LOVE, let me repeat, LOVE steak. I eat it about once a week. I'm not crazy about ground beef, so that won't be a problem. When I do eat a burger, it's usually from a restaurant and I prefer bison (still red meat, yes, but not beef). I'm still not sure what to do about this - perhaps I'll move to organic meat only and then see if I can cut down from there since the cost will be so high, I might have more incentive. And then at least I'll feel better about the moral/environmental concerns - we have lots of organic butchers in my area. Thanks all!!
  • kayleesays
    kayleesays Posts: 564 Member
    Nope. I just couldn't do it. I really enjoy it. We have roast beef or pork once a week. We have Shepherds Pie or Cottage Pie once a week. I have beef pasta, burgers, etc. I eat bacon, sausage, ham, etc.

    I just wouldn't be able to hit my protein goals without meat. I know chicken and turkey are the best choices, but I don't think I could live on two kinds of meats knowing right now I enjoy other meats.

    I love Shepherd's Pie, too, I just make it with ground turkey! I don't even remember what the beef kind tastes like anymore.
  • lilmisfit
    lilmisfit Posts: 860 Member
    I gave up red meat in 2003 and all other meat (including fish -yes, it's meat!) in 2011. I've never missed it.

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