Some of my acquaintances have strong feelings about eating meat. Vegans and vegetarians can be quite passionate and quite correct in their choices.
My Grandpa and my Dad were cattle farmers. I once had a client get so mad at me I thought he might burst because I hinted that saturated fat from beef wasn’t good for you.
It seems like this topic can be as heated as politics or religion. (I for one think politicians should not get to eat meat and have to eat beans, so they can relate to us little people who actually have to stick to a budget.)
But, from a nutrition standpoint is it good to eat meat or not? Meat comes from anything with a face. (Think about that for a minute.) Meat can be beef, pork, chicken, turkey, goat, squirrel… (We ate squirrel when I was growing up and then again while my husband was in med school. I do not like squirrel and dumplings!)
Depending on what animal or what part of the animal the meat comes from it can be a healthy choice or not.
Hints for choosing healthy meat options:
- Choose the leanest cuts that are not well marbled. These cuts end in “loin.”
- When choosing chicken or turkey choose white meat without the skin. Be sure if you buy ground turkey or chicken that it is white meat.
- Brown ground beef well, put it in a strainer, rinse with very hot water and pat dry with a paper towel. Then, to keep it from being dry, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on it.
“Meat” can be an excellent source of protein. Just try to stick to the leanest choices and you will be fine. Limit beef or pork to once or twice a week.
Now if only animals were made of vegetables instead of meat….