I love meat - but determined to change tastebuds and health

[uberinquisitive]

Looking for a little support!

I love meat in a most unhealthy way. I honestly feel like I have a certain bloodlust, because I love rare and raw animal flesh. And, of course, I also love cheese and butter.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), I'm really determined to break this addiction. I'm 28-yrs-old, and my cholesterol is out of control. I'm not at my ideal weight. I eat massive quantities, because the meat triggers my appetite.

This past year, I've gained huge amounts of weight following the suicide of my fiancé. Now, I can't zip up my boots. I can almost feel the saturated fat clogging my arteries. I feel out of control.

Sept. 5 - Weight: 160lbs.

For about a month, I've been mentally preparing myself for a lifestyle change. I read Dr. Fuhrman's "Eat to Live." I'm reading Dr. Barnard's "Breaking the Food Seduction."

About 2 weeks ago, I tentatively tried a week of the Eat2Live program. I lost almost 10lbs. And then, I went back to my normal diet, but slightly revised - I've cut down portions and only eat chicken. My cravings for steak and bacon are gone, but I do still crave poultry and seafood. I've gained back maybe 1 lb.

Nov. 10 - Weight: 148lbs.

It's been about a week since I went back to my normal diet. Today I went back to cutting out all animal products and excess fats.

I'm trying to focus on the good parts - how light I feel when I eat clean, how easy it is to go to the bathroom, and how much weight I'm losing.

This is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Any good vibes would be really helpful.

[Erin Pavlina]

Before I went vegan I was a pretty die hard meat eater. I loved Big Macs and steak and cheese and butter and eggs, etc. I didn't think I could get over the cravings. Substitutions worked great for me. I've had some amazing meat substitutes with amazing sauces. And no gristle and ligaments and tendons, uck!

I don't know if this will help you or not but it is what worked for me. Eating the substitutes which taste great!

Take a look at this list of vegan products and see if anything whets your appetite and tingles your taste buds.

Vegan Product Reviews

[dmauder]

Originally Posted by uberinquisitive

Looking for a little support!

I love meat in a most unhealthy way. I honestly feel like I have a certain bloodlust, because I love rare and raw animal flesh. And, of course, I also love cheese and butter.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), I'm really determined to break this addiction. I'm 28-yrs-old, and my cholesterol is out of control. I'm not at my ideal weight. I eat massive quantities, because the meat triggers my appetite.

This past year, I've gained huge amounts of weight following the suicide of my fiancé. Now, I can't zip up my boots. I can almost feel the saturated fat clogging my arteries. I feel out of control.

Hey Uber! I don't think there's anything wrong with eating meat, you just need to make sure you have balance in your diet with other things. I've tried the veg* way several times, and never quite felt right after eating that way for an extended period of time.

Lately, I decided to go back to a book I read some time ago -- The Paleo Diet. Basically, it's about getting back to eating what our paleo ancestors ate - which includes meat!

I've only been eating this way now for a couple weeks, but I already feel WONDERFUL and I'm losing weight steadily.

Here are a couple of great websites that explain the paleo way of eating/living:

INTRODUCTION TO THE PALEOLITHIC DIET

Paleo (Neanderthin) introduction

Enjoy!

Dave

[Rose of Cairo]

uber, that's just awesome! I send you lots and lots of good vibes!
Do that for one month and you'll see how wonderful you will feel...

I noticed that we are in very similar situations, you and me, working on ourselves, with food, men, jobs.. everything. I'm happy for that. Your courage and willingness to change and to do challenging things is very inspiring! Thanks for that.

Lots of Love and best wishes to you

[escapee]

I second the paleo diet, it's the kind of diet ( LOW GI ) we are supposed to eat for optimal health. But even if we follow the diet religiously we may still deficient in certain minerals due to non-organic farming .

A Summary Comparison of organic vs non organic fertilizer

Organic vs Inorganic

Eat the following:

· Meat, chicken and fish

· Eggs

· Fruit

· Vegetables (especially root vegetables, but definitely not including potatoes or sweet potatoes)

· Nuts, eg. walnuts, brazil nuts, macadamia, almond.

· Berries- strawberries, blueberries, raspberries etc.

[uberinquisitive]

Originally Posted by Rose of Cairo

I noticed that we are in very similar situations, you and me, working on ourselves, with food, men, jobs.. everything.

It's really great to know that someone else is in the same boat as me! I've also been reading your posts with great interest.

We can do it - one step at a time, one issue at a time.

[NotesMaeve]

I used to love rare steak! I tried a bite of salmon the other day, and YUCK! You just get used to it. The texture of meat... Bleh. Eating a corpse... Bleh.

[Addict]

^That's a shame. I had some salmon last night. It was delicious. Salmon is probably the healthiest food you can possibly eat in my opinion.

And I'll third the Paleo diet.

I honestly feel like I have a certain bloodlust, because I love rare and raw animal flesh.

You know, I have a similar addiction I just can't get over. WATER! As hard as I try, I can't stop my cravings for water...

[dmauder]

Originally Posted by Addict

^That's a shame. I had some salmon last night. It was delicious. Salmon is probably the healthiest food you can possibly eat in my opinion.

And I'll third the Paleo diet.

Me too! We went to Applebee's and I ordered the honey grilled salmon with a double batch of steamed veggies. OMG - it was AWESOME!

Dave

[uberinquisitive]

This Paleo diet seems to go against everything I'm reading now (especially Dr. Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" which recommend very limited animal proteins).

I'm totally confused. I do feel better eating meat, but my cholesterol level is ridiculous.

[Jim11]

This Paleo diet seems to go against everything I'm reading now (especially Dr. Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" which recommend very limited animal proteins).

I'm totally confused. I do feel better eating meat, but my cholesterol level is ridiculous.

A lot of dietary information contradicts each other. As a result, I just try and keep a balance and will never stick to one specific diet or label.

I think the Paleo diet has some interesting ideas. My diet is very similar to that in some ways. I eat things like walnuts instead of grains, etc, and I like it a lot better. For example... I always used to bring a sandwich and maybe some fruit to work - I changed the sandwich part to having a couple hundred calories worth of walnuts or something else that isn't bread, and I like it a lot better.

The major part of the paleo diet I will never follow is no dairy. I have no lactose intolerance.... and I just don't feel there's any reason to get rid of it.

If your cholesterol is really high it doesn't mean you need to totally get rid of meat. Just minimize it and try and balance things out a bit more

Just experiment and figure out what works for you.

[Addict]

This Paleo diet seems to go against everything I'm reading now (especially Dr. Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" which recommend very limited animal proteins).

I'm totally confused. I do feel better eating meat, but my cholesterol level is ridiculous.

To me, Paleo is probably the easiest diet to understand because it's based on a simple premise: the optimal way of eating is the one that we are adapted to. Is "Eat to Live" offering better reasoning than that? If so, I would like to hear it!

[openeyes]

Originally Posted by uberinquisitive

I'm totally confused. I do feel better eating meat, but my cholesterol level is ridiculous.

Your body produces much more cholesterol than most people would ever eat, and the less they take in, the more it simply produces (to the extent it is able), as cholesterol is necessary for the healthy functioning of your body. For a period of several months I ate 12-18 raw eggs per day, and upon having my cholesterol checked the only notable thing was high levels of what the docs consider good cholesterol (HDL).

My view is that cholesterol is a fragile substance, like many other important nutrients, and is best eaten raw or minimally cooked. I could see potential problems coming from eating lots of heavily cooked, highly processed animal products, and I don't even put a McDonald's hamburger in the same category as a rare grassfed steak. High quality raw and rare animal products are an excellent health food. If you're putting on an unhealthy amount of fat I'm guessing it's something in your diet other than meat (do you drink soda or eat grains/bread?).

you might enjoy this site:

The Cholesterol Myths

There are indeed many dietary theories out there. I've tried many different eating styles and at this point feel that different methods may be best for different people in different situations. This is the view of metabolic typing, where some people excel on a near vegetarian diet, while others NEED plenty of animal products, with everyone else somewhere in between. What a person needs may change with time. When I attend a meditation retreat I feel great on vegan fare. You simply have to adjust to whatever feels best for you at the moment. In general though, with whatever ingredients you pick, fresh and minimally processed (stick to the outside isles of the grocery store) is a good start.

[dmauder]

Originally Posted by uberinquisitive

This Paleo diet seems to go against everything I'm reading now (especially Dr. Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" which recommend very limited animal proteins).

I'm totally confused. I do feel better eating meat, but my cholesterol level is ridiculous.

I'm right there with ya! I've read SO many contradictory things over the years, that I don't know how anyone could possibly know the *right* way to eat.

Basically, what I'm doing now is basing everything on how I feel. So far, I feel great eating paleo. I'm not hungry, my clothes are getting loose, and I have lots of energy.

Here are some articles that might help you...

Vegetarian and Veganism Articles: Thought-provoking Articles about Vegetarianism and Vegans

Specifically, check out this one, Natural Health Gurus Ate Animal Foods, which talks about all the veg* gurus who eat meat. One that kinda shocked me was to find out that Harvey Diamond, author of Fit for Life, later denounced veg*anism and started consuming animal proteins.

Also, here's a wonderful list of links about the paleo way of eating/living if you're interested in learning the reasoning & science behind it.

Paleolithic Diet Page (Paleo Diet, Caveman Diet, Hunter/Gatherer Diet)

As for your high cholesterol, you might try sticking with very lean proteins and adding a lot more fresh fruits and veggies to your diet.

Hope that helps!

Dave

[escapee]

Nobel price wining Linus Pauling clearly stated, “Every ailment, every sickness and every disease can be traced to a mineral deficiency (as a result of modern farming).

Poisoning of Mankind: Blood Types, Copper Deficiency,

Copper Functions: Copper maintains mineral balance, thus a balanced pH with normal blood viscosity, by functioning as the primary antioxidant in the body. When the blood is of normal viscosity with optimal blood flow, the blood is able to rid the body of toxic metals, chemicals, and any overload of other minerals, thereby retaining and balancing out the nutrient minerals. It has been documented that a “decrease in antioxidant protection caused by copper deficiency goes beyond a decrease in the activity of copper-dependent enzymes by inducing a wide range of disturbances in the other enzyme systems.” (Ref 4) This is because sufficient copper levels are extremely important in the formation and/or activity of numerous other enzymes involved in the formation of bone and connective tissue, immune system, cardiovascular and heart, brain, liver, blood vessels, pigmentation, collagen and elastin, blood clotting factors, all the glandular systems, and many others. (Ref 4) Thus, it can be stated with certainty that copper is the single most important nutrient in the body. This is why copper is the target for deprivation and depletion.

Well-known people affected or dying of an obvious copper deficiency include Albert Einstein ( A VEGETARIAN ) (ruptured cerebral aneurysms), Paavo Aerola (ruptured cerebral aneurysms), Conway Twitty (ruptured abdominal aorta aneurysm), George and Barbara Bush (thyroid disease, white hair). Four to six of every 100 Americans autopsied have died of a ruptured aneurysm; an additional 40 Percent have aneurysms that had not yet ruptured.

Conditions Linked to Deficiencies of Magnesium

WARNING! ZINC DEFICIENCY -- AS CAUSE OF MODERN ILLNESSES

Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University-manganese

Diagnose-Me: Condition: Chromium Deficiency

Tissue levels of chromium tend to decrease with age, which may be a factor in the increase of adult-onset diabetes, a disease whose incidence rose more than sixfold during the second half of the 20th century. This increase may also mirror the loss of chromium from our diets because of soil deficiency and the refinement of foods. Much of the chromium in whole grains and sugarcane is lost in making refined flour (40% loss) and white sugar (93% loss). In addition, there is some evidence that refined flour and sugar deplete even more chromium from the body.

Furthermore, the absense of vital essential fatty acids and the inclusion of toxic processed or ruined vegetable fats and chemicals which has no role in human metabolism make matter worse for most of us .

Brian Peskin is Brilliant, Truth about Brian Peskin, Essential Fatty Acids, Basic Essence, and Quantum Nutrition | Home Page | The Truth About Prof. Brian S. Peskin, L.S.E.

You can see how frustrated am i to see the popular media still talk about the ill effect of all fats, cholesterol and red meat with respect to degenerative illness. It's like blaming the peanut butter for the E-coli infection instead of the hygience of the processing workplace ...

[uberinquisitive]

Well, I definitely feel better with meat in my system. And, I've tried some meat substitutes - and my digestive system is NOT impressed. I sometimes feel like throwing up afterwards.

For breakfast, I had a banana. For lunch, a small bowl of spaghetti topped with salsa (because spaghetti sauce usually has sugar). And for dinner, a pot of chicken soup, and it was delicious.

Usually, I would have a big egg omelet and home fries for breakfast, then half a rotisserie chicken with a huge side of white rice for lunch, and duck or pork or a big hamburger for dinner.

For right now, I'm going to reduce portions, especially meat portions and dairy. I'm also going to try to cut out as much sugar and fats (oils and butter) as possible.

[eblight]

Sounds like you're doing great losing 10lbs. I've been vego for decades now and that suits me but it's not for everyone and you've got to know what's right for you. Certainly eliminating refined carbs like sucrose and white flours will help your health and weight considerably. Go well.

[escapee]

Butter is good if it's organic (minus the pesticide and hormone). All of the fat soluble vitamins are in there and it's very stable when heated .The bad guys are the Margarine and commercial vegetable oils.

THE MARGARINE HOAX

Have you ever spent extra money to purchase a 'higher-quality' health food or vitamin product, only to discover some time later that it wasn't all it was claimed to be? It has happened in our family more than once. Our most recent experience was with a line of vegetable oils sold in health food stores and co-ops. The attractively labeled bottles touted their special processing techniques, implying low temperatures and the superior quality of their product. We had used their canola oil for many years when I decided to write the company with some questions and request information on their oils.

We were shocked to find out that the "cold-pressed" and "lightly refined" canola oil was subjected to the same high temperatures (450°-500° Fahrenheit, or 232°-260° Celsius) and most of the chemical processing steps suffered by regular grocery store oils! The main difference was that they didn't use chemical solvents to extract the oil from the seeds or add preservatives or defoamer.

Margarine is made by adding hydrogen atoms to the fat molecules to make them more saturated, raising the melting point of the fat so it remains a solid at room temperature, i.e., the margarine won't run all over the table. This process, called "hydrogenation," requires the presence of a metal catalyst and temperatures of about 500°F (260°C) for the reaction to take place. It causes about half of the cis- bonds to flip over into a trans- configuration.


In recent years, measurements of trans- fats in the membranes of human red blood cells have been as high as 20 per cent, when the figure should be zero. While red blood cells were used because they're easy to access, it's safe to assume that most other cell membranes in the body also contain these unnatural fats.

[Enlightenment]

Ub,
I completely understand why people, these days, would want to be vegan. Especially with mass production of food, the addition of steroids and hormones, and the inhumane treatement of animals.
However, there are alternatives to the regular meat, milk and cheese products we see in grocery stores. Most grocery stores worth their salt carry organic goods. These are quality foods produced by established farms. Even here in Canada, Loblaws has started its own line of PC organic products, so you know its clean and pure and without hormones. In Canada, Dominion only sells meat without hormones, which is excellent for the necessary move towards more organic and natural food.
But I digress, I think you can cut down on meat and dairy and still be healthy. It's sugar you need to watch out for. I've lost ten lbs since I have started using honey in my coffee and raw sugar instead of white processed sugar.
I love salad and feel that it's still the best appetizer for a meal.
I think cutting out all meat and dairy could lead you to more health problems as you need a certain amount of fat in your diet in order to even burn fat.
But it's your choice and this is just my opinion!

[Lisa McGregor]

Hi Guys, just thought I would let you know about a really delicious lunch I've just had. Trying hard to give up meat. We had a barbecue. Living in South Africa we have a pretty meaty culture. So, while the rest of the family ate barbecued chicken, I sliced up an aubergine lengthwise, each slice about 1 cm thick. Brushed with garlicky olive oil and cooked on the fire. Also a cob of sweetcorn done on the fire. This, together with potatoes and a mixed salad (lettuce,spinach,tomato, grated carrot, avocado,peppers,spring onion,feta cheese and olives) made an incredible meal and I didn't miss the meat at all.Hope I can keep it up.
I feel really healthy. First time I've had a non meat/fish/chicken barbecue.
L