On Friday I got a package in the mail.
It was a BIG package.
It was also an unexpected package.
Don’t you just love it when that happens?
Well, turns out that a friend of mine decided to send me about 20 lbs of organic grass fed beef as a thank you for some consulting I helped him with the other week.
Pretty freakin’ sweet, eh? (He’s from Canada, so he’ll appreciate that)
Of course, I made a point to defrost them immediately while planning to fire up the grill several times over the weekend for a 2-day feast of fresh burgers and NY strip steaks (and broccoli, and grilled asparagus, and a few huge salads :-)
Who says low carb meals can’t be fun?
I even broke the low-carb rules a bit and downed a big bowl of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries for dessert on both nights (hey, their GI is less than 20…they might as well be low-carb).
Back to the meat.
So last night I invited some friends over to enjoy the beef-fest with me, one of whom chooses not to eat meat.
Totally fine…I’m cool with that.
But then as we were all joking about how he was missing out on some most amazing, delicious beef out there, he replied with “At least I won’t be missing out the heart attack coming from all that red meat and animal fat!”
Uh oh.
Time to debunk the misconceptions.
Number one, there’s nothing wrong with “red meat”. In fact, there are some cuts of red meat that are just as lean if not leaner than chicken breast, so trying to lump all red meat into one category is the equivalent of saying “carbs make you fat”. Let’s consider the source.
Second, what is “animal fat”? Although the term is used interchangeably with saturated fat, not all “animal fat” is saturated. In fact, more than HALF the fat in beef is unsaturated.
Oh, and here’s another fact even beyond that—not all saturated fat is bad. The problem with most saturated fats is that they have been shown to be linked to heart disease when consumed in higher quantities. That said, the main saturate found in beef (especially organic grass fed beef) is stearic acid—a saturate consumption has been shown to decrease plasma and liver cholesterol by reducing intestinal cholesterol absorption.
That’s right, “animal fat” that lowers cholesterol.
Also, stearic acid intake helps to prevent arterial clotting and the formation of fatty deposits within the arteries to fight off heart disease.
Beef—it’s what’s for dinner. And beings that I still have about 6 lbs of it here, it looks like it’s going to be breakfast tomorrow, too.
Mmmmmmm. Steak and eggs.
So what about you? Have you ever bought into the anti-beef advocates claims? Did you learn something from this post? Going to devour a nice steak today?
Post your comments below and I’ll be back VERY soon with another eye-opening post!
Talk to you in the comments section!
Joel
P.S. My friend and fellow nutritionist Isabel De Los Rios is a big fan of red meat, too, but I have to agree with her stance on the 4 so-called “healthy” foods she warns about here:
==> 4 foods to NEVER eat <——- click here
My moms is a vegetarian and has been for a while. She had to become one for medical reasons (she suffers from fibromyalgia) and not eating meat has really reduced her symptoms. Her doctor says that the problem with meat is the amount of toxins tha t it brings.. Animals are fed a lot of hormones and the realize a lot of stress substances when they are being slaughtered that happen to be harmful to humans. I don´t eat to much red meat (twice a month maybe), I prefer fish or chicken. Like to hear your opinion.
Our bodies manufacture cholesterol from excesss, what???? hear it again????
blood sugar
The process of storing excess blood sugar ( our beloved carbs) produces our own cholesterol which also travels throuugh the blood stream and clogs arteries.
If I want to lose weight, I cut carbs, it is the ONLY thing that really works well.
When I reach my goal I add carbs to stop losing, and it works exactly like that.
I ice skate and I am an engineer so my brain and energy levels are just fine, thanks. Proof in the pudding/
I am fortunate enough to have hunters in my family. My deep freeze is filled with deer, moose and, dare I say, bear meat. Now that is what I call grain fed organic meat! My teenage daughters prefer the moose to any cattle beef out there.
I am no longer scared of red meat, even though grass fed beef is hard to get where I live. I either buy 3% fat beef or organic which is not as lean, I usually choose the leanest non-organic thinking that beef fat increased cholesterol.
When eating low carb I get hungry just having a 100-150g serve of protein and vegetables. Should I eat more protein even though it has more fat or add starchy carbs? I’m very confused after reading CYWT mannual and have never managed a no carb or low carb day.
I love to kill what I eat!! I am all for farm fed and home grown crops as well!! You have great information. Keep it coming I love spreading the word to my Friends about what you offer!!
read the china study and then tell me what you think
Great article on red meat. We live in an internet world. I find it is easier to obtain access to the healthiest steaks by ordering online. I don’t have to worry about antibiotics, hormones, or pesticides in my meat. If you want to buy steaks online that you know are grass fed, I would recommend LaCense Beef. While I do work for them, they honestly offer really high quality steaks. They are a great source of lean protein that is low in fat, heart-healthy, and a lower calorie option.
Joel, I really enjoy your posts and have followed your guidance for the last 2 years. We have grass fed beef here in Texas that has never seen antibiotics, hormones and graze on grass that has never been artificially fertilized or has had pesicidces applied. Try brokenbowranch.net for some amazing beef at amazing prices. Raw Milk is available on site as well as natural pork.
Raw milk also intrigues me and I want to thank you for spreading the word about that!!
Three years ago I lost 20kg. My main diet was eye fillet steak (totally trimmed) and eggs and canned tuna.
I got a bit lazy and put half back on plus the cost of streak went up.
It works though!!
Regards
Martyn
New Zealand
Saturated fat is not bad and fat gets you satiated so you are not hungry all the time.. Bad fat is processed vegetable fats. Nutrition is simple if you get back to the basics and don’t believe in the official nutrition propaganda..
I raised organic, grass fed beef when I managed a family cattle ranch in Central Oregon for almost 10 years. Knowing that beef has stearic acid in it and that it lowered cholesterol was something my grandmother taught me (she was the matriarch of the cattle ranch, having started it in about 1940) back when I was just 8 yrs old. She also told me how eating too much chicken was way worse for you than good beef. I think beef was served at least once every day in her home, and no one died of heart related problems while she was alive. BEEF – It IS what’s for dinner at my house, 44 years later.
Humans are omnivors, does anybody remember what that is these days with so many mad theories around ?
I eat everything as long as it is not processed junk.. and that’s it !!
Of course it has to be a balanced diet, but when u dont eat some kind of food you will be missing on some kind of nutrients for sure..
The problem with so many food paranoias is the toxics they have these days, nothing to do with that kind of food itself..
Thanks for the info on red meat as I too am a red meat eater. Have been all my life. In fact, I just ordered a front quarter of a beef on the hoof to be slaughtered in February. Know the owner/farmer and how they feed the animal and looking forward to the meat. Dr has me on Greenwise Meats from Publix as they are the “grass fed, no hormones” type of meat. And they are expensive. Again, thanks.
I love to buy grassfed beef as it is really tasty and good for you. In fact , Joel, is a local farm in Citra Florida that delivers, Rosas Farms, since you’re here in Tampa.
My problem is that I can’t always afford the grassfed but I do at least get Greenwise or Laura’s lean beef and Maverick brand….they are hormones free etc but I’m sure still fed grains and corn.
What’s your feelings about eating red meat that has been fed grains and corns? I always tease my husband that when he brings home some steak that I haven’t chosen , that he’ll enjoy eating his corn tonight….you are what you eat.
Do you think you are still getting the benefits from red meats (we do only get very lean cuts) if they are not grassfed?
Thanks,
Dianne
I have been told that it takEs almost a week to digest Red Meat in comparison to other meats and that the uric acid is really bad for your joints. This info was from a Vegan and a person I trust not to hype stuff up. That is a good enough reason not to eat it too often.
Eating red meat 3-4 times per week increases my Power.
But then, I drink the blood of my enemies, so really, what do I know?
@ david:
Ditto. I’ve read it and totally agree that ALL meat (and dairy) is very bad for us. I just haven’t been able to give it up yet :(
Where in Canada can you purchase grass fed free range beef?
I think when it comes to vegetarians vs. meat eaters some people’s systems are just “wired” differently. Some people don’t do well at all with red meat in their diet and some don’t do well on a vegetarian diet. Of course, I recognise that you can be a vegetarian and live on french fries and that’s definitely not healthy, but assuming one is maintaining a balanced diet I think there are some people whose bodies don’t respond well to certain things.
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...read more