Too much red meat?

[stephbob]

I've encountered a serious problem - I'm so sick of white meat, I'm starting to gag whenever I try to eat it. I've tried to vary how I cook it, serve it, maybe adding dressings, but it's no good. It's not that I'm bored, I just can't eat it. I find myself eating the salad or veg and leaving the meat.
The only meat I'm able to eat right now is beef. But I find myself eating it daily, and it's starting to worry me a lot because I've always been told that eating more than 1 or 2 servings a week isn't good for you and is thought to be blamed for some causes of colon cancer.
I'm really stuck as to what I should do. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[2big4mysize]

Re: Too much red meat?

eat your meat. do some research and see if you can actually find a medical study linking it to anything. you's be surprized what you can't find.

[yemenitegreen]

Re: Too much red meat?

Steph,

what about other dark meat choices? Venison, lamb... ? If you can afford it, opt for grass-fed beef. And don't panick, like 2big said, see what you can really dig up about red meat. As far as I know teh colon cancer thing is realted BIG time to processed meats (and nitrites and sugars) and most of it is biased anyway.

But you should try to add variety to your meals because of a diversity of nutrients. What about fish?

yemenitegreen

[stephbob]

Re: Too much red meat?

I detest fish, the smell, taste, I just cant eat it. I used to be able to each shrimp or prawn fried rice pre-atkins. But without the rice, no luck lol

Actually, before I started Atkins, I ate no meat bar maybe a bit of chicken once a week, if that. So I've struggled eating the meat I already am eating, but anything other than beef, chicken and turkey, I wouldn't even dream of eating. It's not me being a fussy eater, I just cant face it.

[Piasabird]

Re: Too much red meat?

Well, right away I found an article at WebMD saying that red meat consumption does raise your risk of colon cancer according to a 20 year study by the American Cancer Society.

Those who eat the most red meat -- beef and/or pork and/or processed meat products -- get colon cancer 30% to 40% more often than those who eat these foods only once in a while.


The news is particularly bad for those who favor lots of lunchmeats, hot dogs, and sausages. Eating lots of these processed foods raises colon cancer risk by 50%

My mother was diagnosed with colon cancer late last November. They didn't find it until it had spread to other areas. Now she's undergoing chemotherapy simply to be able to live a little longer.

Am I hearing you right in that you were almost a vegetarian before Atkins? Do you dislike eating meat on moral grounds or you don't care for the taste? Have you tried getting your protein from sources like tofu? Have you tried Bocca burgers or another soy based meat alternative? I think they taste pretty good myself. Perhaps you could try having some shrimp or prawns with some brown rice once in awhile. I know that it's probably jumping ahead on the carb ladder for you. I'm just trying to think of some alternatives for you.

Good luck to you Steph.

[ttdriver]

Re: Too much red meat?

I am a TRUE red meat carnivore. If I had to give it up, I'd sooner die.

I agree totally with 2big....

ITS SUGAR THAT FEEDS CANCER. Not red meat. Now, go eat a steak!

Betty

[slimndown]

Re: Too much red meat?

I eat all the red meat I want.

[presidentholmes]

Re: Too much red meat?

Hi Steph,

I'm exactly the same!
I HATE all seafood, just couldn't bring myself to eat animal bits, I eat only chicken, turkey or beef. I think it's much nicer to have the little lambs running around a field rather than served on a plate!

I eat a lot of stir-fry's, turkey is a great thing. But uncooked turkey breasts, slice em up and add whatever veg you like, I always add lots of chilli powder. It is absolutely gorgeous and sooooooooooooooooooooooooo good for you.

[presidentholmes]

Re: Too much red meat?

Also, Steph, you look great! You looked great before Atkins and you look fantastic now.
Puts a smile on my face seeing your pic when I log in.

[yemenitegreen]

Re: Too much red meat?

I think it's much nicer to have the little lambs running around a field rather than served on a plate!

I eat a lot of stir-fry's, turkey is a great thing.

I guess I have to be a spoil-sport... at least the little lambs had a life running around a field.

If you have ever seen a turkey production plant (it ain't farming any more), you'll see turkey meat from a new angle... the only turkey I can eat (because of the poor creature's misery and because of a stunning amount of broadband antibiotics in most ) is organic or at least a whole bird, none of the big breasted monsters...

http://www.factoryfarming.com/poultry.htm

yemenitegreen

[Super Duper Matt]

Re: Too much red meat?

I agree totally with 2big....

ITS SUGAR THAT FEEDS CANCER. Not red meat. Now, go eat a steak!

Betty

Not to sound rude but shouldn't you say, I am not a doctor (IANAD) before stating that you have found a cure for cancer?

[allierw26]

Re: Too much red meat?

Not to sound rude but shouldn't you say, I am not a doctor (IANAD) before stating that you have found a cure for cancer?

She didn't say she'd found a cure for cancer, she said sugar feeds cancer. I tend to agree. Eating sugary, white flour, totally processed food probably contributes much more to colon cancer than red meat. The American Cancer Society primarily addressed processed meats...most of those are filled with preservatives as well. I do think preservatives should be reduced, but I wouldn't be afraid of eating red meat. I'm not a big fan of chicken (except wings) and so I eat mostly red meat and fish.

[fluffyman]

Re: Too much red meat?

If that's trying not to be rude, I would hate to see what happens when there is some effort put into it.

She most assuredly did not claim to have singlehandedly cured cancer by stating the obvious that refined, processed foods feed cancer.

Not to sound rude but shouldn't you say, I am not a doctor (IANAD) before stating that you have found a cure for cancer?

[Super Duper Matt]

Re: Too much red meat?

She didn't say she'd found a cure for cancer, she said sugar feeds cancer. I tend to agree. Eating sugary, white flour, totally processed food probably contributes much more to colon cancer than red meat.

It is as much of a cure as to say Lung Cancer is caused by smoking so don't smoke. Thats what I ment. Smoking feeds the cancer.

Probably huh? The fact of the matter is you don't know. White flour is bleached flour so are you saying the bleaching process causes colon cancer? It could be the chemicals in the diet sodas we all drink. Maybe its the fluoride in the water (America Only). In fact I would be willing to argue that all of the hormones in beef and other meat products causes colon cancer but in fact, just like you, I don't know.


Heres a cut and paste from wikipedia.com

"Studies show that a diet high in red meat (Chao et al 2005) and low in fresh fruit, vegetables, poultry and fish increases the risk of colorectal cancer. In June 2005, a study by the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition suggested that diets high in red and processed meat, as well as those low in fiber, are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Individuals who frequently ate fish showed a decreased risk.[2] However, other studies have cast doubt on the claim that diets high in fiber decrease the risk of colorectal cancer.[3] The nature of the relationship between dietary fiber and risk of colorectal cancer remains controversial."

So it says here that diet low on fiber MIGHT be the cause and that it is disputed.

So how much fiber should we have in one day?

Here is an paragraph from Colorado State University found at

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09333.html

"In 2002, the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences Research Council issued Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for fiber (see Table 1). Previously, no national standardized recommendation existed. The new DRIs represent desirable intake levels established using the most recent scientific evidence available. The current recommendations range between 19 grams per day and 38 grams per day depending on age and gender. However, the average American only consumes 14 grams of dietary fiber per day."

The chart to show how much fiber a day you should eat is located on that page. It shows some one my age should eat 38 Grams of Fiber a day! 38 GRAMS!?

There is no way I eat even a 4th of that on the Atkins' diet while on induction. So I can make the argument that the Atkins' diet feeds colon cancer due to lack of fiber. But once again I would just be speculating and IANAD (I Am Not A Doctor).

[LC_Dave]

Re: Too much red meat?

These studies where done with people eating a 'normal' high carb diet as well.