August 30th, 2010 by Matt
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Recent food research is finding out that there is more to meat than just which animal and which cut it is. What that animal eats and how it lives can drastically improve or destroy the quality of meat. Resulting in something that is either immensely healthy or potentially cancer causing.
These are things which in our modern food industry we have no way of finding the answers to. There is no way to track back a steak to the farm it came from. We don’t know if the cow was sick and foaming at the mouth, depressed or breathing exhaust fumes his entire life. Chicken comes as a breast in a cellophane package and we just assume that chicken is chicken. Organic or not we have been told that it’s all essentially the same thing.
Well it’s not.
One of the recent discoveries in food research has been regarding the importance of Omega-3 fatty acids. Specifically the ratio of Omega-3s to Omega-6s is what seems to be important. It has been strongly linked to brain development and the forming of memories. From my experience (taking it as a supplement) it has many noticeable positive effects on energy levels and health.
Corn fed beef – (cows don’t naturally eat corn BTW) have almost no Omega-3s in the meat. Compared to the relatively high levels of Omega-3s in grass feed cows. This is one of the main reasons why we consider salmon a healthy meat. Yet farmed salmon (fed corn) see almost the same drop in omega-3s as corn fed cows making the health benefits of salmon almost negligable. Grass fed Beef, like wild salmon have a healthy balance of fatty acids that make them taste better and actually improve our health.
However, trying to find naturally raised grass fed cows is difficult in a country that has realized the cost effectiveness of force feeding cows corn, and providing enough drugs to allow them to digest this unnatural food in order to fatten them up quicker. But there are farms all around the country where good meat that actually tastes like meat can be purchased. You can find a good list of local farms that can provide you with high quality meat at http://EatWild.com.
It costs more to get unsubsidized non-industrial food, it’s true, but good things cost money. And somethings things – like what you put in your body – are worth spending a little bit more money on.
Buy it for whatever reason you want to… because it supports local farmers and keeps money in the community, because it tastes better, because it’s healthy rather than toxic or because you like to be able to know and trust your food source.
Is it worth the money? Absolutely yes it is.
August 22nd, 2010 by Matt
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What you’ll need:
2 racks of baby back ribs
1 large (2 liter) bottle of Dr Pepper
3/4 cup salt
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp canola oil or vegetable oil
1/2 onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
How to make it:
- Place the ribs in a large baking dish. Pour in Dr Pepper to cover them, reserving at least 1/2 cup for the sauce. Add the salt and soak the ribs in the fridge overnight (or at least 2 hours).
- Heat the oven to 350F. Remove the ribs form the liquid, dry them, and rub with chili powder. Place them on a baking dish, add 1 cup of water, and cover tightly with foil. Cook for 2 hours, until the meat nearly falls off the bone.
- For the barbecue sauce, heat the oil in the saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until they’re soft and fragrant, and add the ketchup, Worcestershire, vinegar, cayenne, and 1/2 cup of Dr Pepper. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
- Fire up the grill, and brush the ribs with sauce. When the grill is hot, cook them bone side down on a cooler part for 10 to 15 minutes. Flip them and cook until lightly charred and smoky. Remove, and brush on more sauce.
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving 400 calories, 15 grams fat, 1,140 mg sodium.
February 20th, 2010 by Matt
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It is now three weeks into my experiment. Everything has been going without too many problems.
This was probably both the best and worst month to be doing this experiment. I’m here in Vancouver where the Olympics have taken over the city. There are tons of events, free food, beer (yum), and so I’m finding myself wanting to try things but having to hold back because there are no meatatarian food options. It’s good because the venues are charging premium prices for everything and so I’m saving money. It’s bad because it makes it difficult to enjoy this once in a lifetime experience.
One nice thing about having a defined set of dietary requirements is that it is much easier to select from a menu at a restaurant. In most cases for me the only options are in the starters section and they’re much cheaper then full entrees. The limited options means I usually have a choice between something like chicken wings or dry ribs.
For the most part though I’m eating at home. There it’s actually pretty cheap meals. You can get at least 5 meals worth of pork for $15. Chicken with the bone in is just as inexpensive. Bulk ground beef is also pretty cheap. They all freeze well and are simple to cook
I have found that the fat content of meat plays a big part in how full I feel. The more fat the better since that’s where the majority of my calories are coming from.
February 12th, 2010 by Matt
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So everything hasn’t been all peachy on the All-Meat diet. A number of problems have come up and to deal with them I have had to make a few concessions.
The first thing is that I’m getting almost no fibre in my diet. This has made going #2 quite a bit different. I’ll leave it at that. I haven’t added any fibre back into my diet yet but I may have to.
Even though I don’t feel low on energy, I have been going to bed earlier than before. Not sure if this is totally diet related, but my average nights sleep has increased by about 30 minutes.
On another energy related note, I had to give in on my idea of only drinking water. It’s just too hard to get through the day without my coffee. I am drinking about 2 cups of coffee every day again. Not a terribly large amount of non-meat but one that I was hoping to avoid.
Also, there has been one area where I gave in. I did happen to buy a case of wine just a week before starting this experiment and it has been hard to resist opening a bottle in the evening. The occasional glass of wine may have been drunk. And it was good.
Other than the coffee and wine I have managed to stick pretty closely to only meat.
All told though, things have been going fairly easy and uneventful. Just 12 days into my all-meat experiment and I have already lost 6lbs. That’s significantly faster than I expected.
Keep in mind that I am trying to maintain my caloric intake at about 2000 calories per day. Any weight loss is not due to eating fewer calories
February 7th, 2010 by Matt
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What options does a Meatatarian have for breakfast? Just one – meat.
This morning I fried up some bacon. Not too much though. Six thick cut slices fried slowly on the frying pan. Sometimes I like my bacon crispy but lately I’m finding the fat is what makes it satisfying to eat. Sweet juicy bacon.
February 6th, 2010 by Matt
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The proper way to cook pork is something that I never really learned until recently. Growing up I was always told to cook pork until it was well done to prevent getting food poisoning or worms. Turns out that is not really an issue.
The best way to cook pork is to let it cook for about 5 minutes on each side hot enough so that it sears, then let it rest on either low heat or totally off the heat for about 5 more minutes. The internal temperature will continue to rise an extra 10 degrees while it’s off the heat.
The final result is a juicy pink colored melt in your mouth piece of meat. Delicious.
That’s what I cooked tonight for supper.
This one was grilled on the stove with a bit of olive oil and seasoned with rosemary. Very satisfying.
February 4th, 2010 by Matt
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Today went really well. Energy levels were high, brain was working well, and I wasn’t feeling hungry.
I started the day with 2 pre-cooked hard boiled eggs. A great on the go breakfast that I can just grab from the fridge on the way out the door. After struggling for the last few days to find something decent for breakfast I think a couple of eggs make an ideal meal.
Lunch was a mixture of salmon, and chicken from an indian buffet. It actually worked out rather well – I was a bit worried that eating out wouldn’t be possible. Ordering 8 beef patties from McDonalds and asking for a fork and knife would be a bit awkward.
For supper it was a large delicious piece of sockeye salmon (in the picture above). Seasoned with just a bit of salt. That was it.
One of the interesting things that I have started to notice is that I’m not feeling hungry between meals. I’m not even really thinking about food. It’s a subtle change, but I haven’t been craving anything. My habit of opening the fridge unconsciously seems to have disappeared.
February 3rd, 2010 by Matt
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Today was like stepping back to the 90s. Back when Mom used to make Shake’n Bake Chicken legs.
Tonight I baked some chicken legs in the oven. None of this skinless boneless stuff. When I’m eating an animal I want to know that it’s an animal – Bone in, Skin on. The extra fat from the skin makes it so much more filling.
Chicken legs (bone in, skin on) are so cheap too. It makes a great meal that’s easy on the pocket. The dozen legs that we cooked tonight cost about $5. Not bad for feeding 2 people for supper.
Just cover them with some spices and bake for an hour at 350F – flipping half way through. Nothing to it.
It’s too early to tell if the new all-meat diet is affecting my weight. It’s been holding pretty steady for 2 days.
Today started off kind of rough though. I woke up feeling more tired than usual and basically sleep walked to work. But by 9am I was feeling pumped. My second wind finally took hold.
Tonight I’m feeling great. This all-meat thing is starting to get easier. My body seems to be adapting to the extremely low amount of carbohydrates and my energy levels have returned to normal.
February 2nd, 2010 by Matt
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Turns out just eating meat isn’t so easy. There’s not a lot a lot of options for food that doesn’t have vegetables, fruit, or grains in them. It’s kind of annoying being on such a restricted diet.
After 2 days with no vegetables or fruit I can definitely feel the difference in my body. I have been feeling a little more tired than usual the last two days. That’s to be expected as I adapt to the lack of sugars. In a couple more days everything should even out.
It’s actually kind of interesting. I’m trying to eat as much meat as I can until I feel totally full. That will probably work out to 2lbs per day of meat. With that much meat I have noticed an interesting response to the way my body works.
After eating a big hunk of beef I will notice that I feel my body temperature rise. It might even bring me to a sweat. If I stand up I feel like doing something – jumping, lifting weights, going for a jog etc. The energy I get from meat makes my body want to use it.
Just two days into this experiment and the impact has already been felt. One thing for certain – this is far more difficult than I expected it to be.
February 1st, 2010 by Matt
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First day of my meat only experiment is just about done with and I wanted to quickly report back about how things stand.
I started the day by weighing myself. 163lbs. That’s close to my lowest weight since high school.
Breakfast was a few pieces of sliced deli meat. It turns out that wasn’t really enough. By 9:30 my stomach was growling for something more, and water just wasn’t satisfying. By lunchtime my hands were feeling cold.
Lunch was 200g of ham. That held me over until supper time. But only just barely.
Supper was a large steak cooked rare, seasoned with just salt and peper. That finally held my appetite.
Lesson learned. I need more calories than I can get from a few slices of deli meat in the morning. And I need some food that I can pack with me easily for lunch.
For tomorrow I’m going to have to pack more food. Need to get my calorie intake up to 2000 calories/day.
