Spiga

Meat : Is It Safe to Eat ?

Eating too much meat isn't good for us. We all know if we eat too much it will make us feel run down and tired. Not only that, but there are health risks involved too. A diet in high fatty meats can lead to heart disease and cancer. No one wants that. Some people choose not to eat meat for religious reasons, they believe that it is wrong to kill an animal, or they may want a healthier diet. It is popular with the young crowd. I have never understood it really.

Though I suspect that after you get older and bust your ass off for a living, you want to reward yourself with some nice juicy meat. This might come as a shocker, but anyone who has read any of my articles knows that I don't hold back. I don't think the vegetarian diet is more healthy. I really don't.

The problem is, most people that I know who don't eat meat load up on other things. They eat a lot of dairy or eggs. I think they do this because all humans crave animal products. We crave the fat and the flavor. Most of the vegetarians I have known have really done a number on themselves with the amount of fat they eat. They lie to themselves because they think since they eat no meat, that their diet is more healthy. They think they can eat what ever they want, as long as it isn't meat.

While I don't think that meat is the devil that some make it out to be, too much isn't good for you. Also, too much of the wrong kind of meat isn't good for you as well. What do you do? You love meat, but not sure what to eat? You should try cutting out a good percent of the red meat that you eat. This will mean that you can't eat burgers and fries every other day, but you shouldn't be doing that anyway. There is nothing wrong with eating some red meat from time to time as long as you aren't over doing it.

I tend to eat poultry every day. I love meat, I can't do without it. So, I stick to chicken and turkey when ever I can. I love these two meats anyway, so its not that hard. You need to find ways that you can eat these and enjoy them. I know that some people cook poultry to the point that they are so dry you almost choke on them. There is no need to do that. I know that it is important that you cook them well done so you don't get sick. There is a difference between well done and over done.

You should invest in a meat thermometer. This way you can take the guess work out of knowing if your meat is done or not. Temperature is the important thing when cooking meat. You want it to be an internal temp that is enough to cook it all the way through. If it comes up to temp, that means it is done. Cooking it more won't make the meat any more safe.

Roasting, grilling, baking is a great way to cook poultry. You don't want to add fat to it because you don't know how to cook it properly. You don't want to deep fry it to make it more juicy. That makes the whole effort of eating the lean meat worthless.

  • Here are some ideas that you can use:

Bake the chicken with some spices and herbs on the outside. This is a great way to make sure it is juicy and has a lot of flavor. Grill chicken breasts. Throw them on the grill and let them cook away. Chicken breasts are great for
grilling. I think that is the only thing they are good for really. If you do much of anything else with them, they will become dry and rubbery.

Thighs are great when it comes to being juicy. These tend to have a little more fat on them, but they are great. I love chicken thighs. There is so much you can do with them. Chicken wings are great in stir fries or when baked. Don't make the mistake of deep frying these great things. Bake them on a cookie sheet and load them up with hot sauce. You will have a great meal that will rival their deep fried cousins.

Depending on what part of the world you live in, fish can be great too. If you are like me and live far inland, getting fresh fish can be a problem. Sometimes if you live in a major city they will fly fresh fish in for the supermarkets to sell. If you live in a small town, you will probably be forced to buy frozen or whatever they can catch locally. There is no reason why you can't make it a weekend trip and go out fishing. Fishing is a great way to relieve stress as well. If you know of a few good spots, a few big fish is all that you need. You will have more fish than you know what to do with.

If you are lucky enough to live near the ocean, you have probably grown up eating all kinds of fish. My favorite way of eating fish is probably grilled. I like it to be grilled with a little seasoning and maybe a hint of lemon. The lemon I think keeps the fish tasting fresh and alive. When you are buying fish, the fish should never smell fishy. I know that sounds stupid, but that is the truth. If it smells fishy, then it is probably old. You don't want to waste your money on bad fish.

Fish should smell like the sea. Always buy fish with the head on it. If cleaning a fish bothers you, have the person selling it to you chop it off. The eyes should look clear and not foggy. It should look like it was just caught yesterday. With fish, freshness is the most important thing.

Like I said, I don't believe that anyone should avoid eating meat. I think that it is good for you. The catch is, you need to be careful what you eat. If you can do that, you have it made.

1 comments:

  Paul Lange

March 16, 2010 at 11:52 AM

Fully agree with you my friend. I once knew a Vegen who in fact looked extremely under-nourished and indeed was generally absent from school. Being a type 1 diabetic I base my diet around a balance of white meat, vegetables and of course carbohydrates allowing myself a red meat dish regularly. I believe a balance is essential in life for everything and seeing human-beings live long past their sell-by dates on a similar diet, it seems the most logical diet to follow.