Stopped eating beef and pork, and...

[ChiDem]

need some advice, it's been almost a year now and I am not sure if my diet is right, where should I be getting iron from ? ..I heard mussels were a good source.

Also wondered about organic beef, is it safe ? ...is grass fed better than grain fed ..ect...

Is it organic if the mother wasn't fed organic ? ..what if the mother was on hormones ?

I just need all around advice on how I should ballance my diet now..

Thanks.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. There is a vegetarian/vegan DU group. You could get lots of help there.

Organic meat IS much better than the usual market bought stuff.

[sasquatch]

14. Says you, I'll take a home raised black angus steer steak anyday

:P

[jilln]

17. Why do people like you and the poster below even post to this?

Not everyone wants to eat crap and you have not been helpful at all.

[WCGreen]

19. Yes, regular beef from the store is tasteless.....

I mean the stories they tell about the pigs next door....

Tasteless...

Why do you think there are so many suaces, rubs and topping to put on steak....

Why I remember when a steak tasted good with only a little Worsteshire and a shake of salt.....

[sasquatch]

23. Our homegrown steer meat was cooked with only salt and pepper

I didn't even use any A1 sauce on it except for the fat and grissle.

[WCGreen]

24. I remember when my uncle had a butcher store

in the late 60's...

Steak was a treat, it tasted so good without anything except a little Wors and a touch of salt and pepper....

Now, well look at all the shit they put on a steak at the chain steak houses...

I won't eat in them any more....

It's all just balhhhhhhh

[sasquatch]

27. I always tell my friends I look for the marks from where the jockey

was hitting it.

[Racenut20]

2. Go to the butcher shop

And get a big juicy beef roast and eat it before you start getting stress fractures in all your bones.

[ChiDem]

6. Are you saying...

I am putting my bones at risk ?

I have developed tennis elbow since I stopped.

[shockra]

9. Meat (high protein) causes more calcium loss

Boning up on Calcium and Osteoporosis

Since the 1920's researchers have known that diets that are high in protein, especially animal protein, cause calcium to be lost through the urine.1 In nations with high rates of osteoporosis, protein intake is generally high~usually more than twice the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance. Vegetarians have lower rates of osteoporosis than meat eaters. This may be due to the lower protein intake of vegetarians. Different types of protein also affect this loss. Meats are overly high in protein and are high in a particular kind of protein building block, called sulfur- containing amino acids. These cause increased calcium loss.

http://articles.animalconcerns.org/ar-voices/archive/calcium.html

Meat 'bad for bone health'

Vegetable proteins could be good for bones

Elderly women who get too much protein from animal products like meat and cheese risk fractures and bone loss, researchers are warning.
They say women can improve their bone health by using vegetables as a greater source of protein.

In a study, women who got a high ratio of their protein from meat or dairy products rather than vegetables, had three times the rate of bone loss than those at opposite end of the scale.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1083066.stm

[BrklynLiberal]

15. High protein acidfies the blood. To get the pH back to the proper level,

calcium is leeched out of the bones. That is why too much protein causes osteoporosis. Celery is one excellent non-acid food to balance out the acidic production of protein. When you eat a lot of meat, have a lot of celery in your salad.

[rawtribe]

3. Good sources of iron.

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/iron.html

[Arugula Latte]

4. I haven't eaten beef or pork or lamb for 24 years.

I stopped when I was a teenager, and I've always been healthy.

Just take a multivitamin for iron.

[Catchawave]

5. Link to DU Veg Group:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=231

Google's your friend too :hug:

[Anarcho-Socialist]

7. What about cereal? Cornflakes, branflakes have lots of iron

[mcscajun]

8. Other good sources of iron...

"Although iron is found in a variety of different foods and supplements, its availability to the body varies significantly. In general, iron is not readily absorbed by the body. Availability is partially determined by whether the iron is found in the form of HEME or NON-HEME iron.

HEME iron is found only in meat, fish and poultry and is absorbed much more easily than NON-HEME iron, which is found primarily in fruits, vegetables, dried beans, nuts and grain products."

HEME IRON SOURCES:
Chicken, Cod, Flounder, Salmon, Shrimp, Tuna, Turkey.

NON-HEME FOOD SOURCES:
Almonds, Beans, Broccoli, Dates, Blackstrap Molasses,
Prune juice, Raisins, Brown Rice, and Spinach.

Much more info here:
http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/Handouts/dietiron.html

[shockra]

10. Some info on iron

Whilst iron from plant sources (non-haem iron) has always been viewed as an inferior source to haem iron from meat, there may in fact be an advantage in deriving dietary iron from plants rather than meat. Red blood cells need some iron to carry oxygen but excesses can be risky and it may not necessarily be the case that the more iron we consume the better. Iron is known to act as a potent free radical that can damage body cells and may increase the risk of plaque formation in the arteries. A number of studies have found support for the hypothesis that excess dietary iron intake is a risk factor for coronary heart disease (206, 207).

A team from Harvard investigated the type of dietary iron that may be a problem. Researchers here found an increased risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack) among men with higher intakes of haem iron - largely from red meat - and higher body iron stores. There is clearly a level at which body iron stores are at an optimum. Haem iron is absorbed regardless of iron status, potentially encouraging iron overload. Non-haem iron from plants on the other hand is efficiently regulated such that absorption is increased or decreased depending on body stores at any particular time (210). This means the body can absorb more iron when it needs it and less when it doesn't rather than having it pass straight into the bloodstream to excess.

http://www.vegetarian.org.uk/reportschildrenshealth.htm#Iron

[smartvoter]

11. Whey you fry or stirfry, use a cast-iron pan (for taste and iron). nt

[Gormy Cuss]

29. Yes. As long as you're female this is a good way to up your intake.

Any acidic food in cast-iron (tomato sauce for example) increases the iron leaching from pan to food. Sounds weird, but it works. The cooking surface must be exposed cast iron, not sealed in enamel a la Le Creuset.

Men can get too much iron this way if they are meat eaters and have spaghetti sauce cooked in cast iron on a regular basis. Women on the other, rarely have the problem of too much iron.

Your doctor can test for iron in the blood. You may be OK as it is.

[NNadir]

12. If it worries you take an iron pill with orange juice. You don't need it

but if it makes you feel better, well then OK.

I haven't eaten beef, pork or chicken for some thirty years. I never have been identified as anemic, and in fact, I frequently give blood. I don't take iron, and I don't worry about it, but hey, that's just me.

[BrklynLiberal]

16. Be careful- educate yourself. Know which Vitamins and minerals

should be taken together.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FDE/is_3_20/ai_74510761

Most of us know that the form of iron found in plants (called non-heme iron) is not absorbed as well as heme iron, found in animal products. Vegetarians are often taught that vitamin C improves the absorption of non-heme iron so that to maximize iron absorption from vegetarian meals, meals should include orange juice, tomato products, or other good sources of vitamin C. There is a great deal of variation from one individual to another in the amount of iron that is absorbed. A recent study found that this individual variability accounts for more than half of the variability in iron absorption, while vitamin C accounts for only about 8% of the variability. However, food sources of vitamin C can still improve iron absorption, although perhaps not as much as was once believed. Because of the benefits of both substances, it is still important for vegetarians to include good sources of both iron and vitamin C in their diets.

[AuntieM1957]

13. Get a copy of a good veggie guide

or check out some sound message boards.

You can live well and healthy without meat.
BTW, green leafy vegetables are great sources of iron. Also legumes and sweet potatoes.

And once grown, we really don't need that much of it anyway.

Did you give up the beef and pork for ethical,religious,health reasons?

If so, I hope you stick with those - and don't let anyone talk you out of what you think is right for you.

[WhoseMarie]

20. I gave up meat for ethical reasons

Think about it - the way our food is raised is outrageous. We will take on the karma of the animal if we 'buy into' the system that abuses it.

I'm a firm believer in this. Look at it in the manner that Native Americans look at it. They honor the animal for it's life, it's freedom and thank it for what it's done for them.

However, our chickens for instance, live their entire lives in cages, often with their beaks cut off to keep them from pecking the birds in the adjoining cages. They live one on top of another, are fed awful, genetically engineered 'stuff'...they live and die in confinement - imprisoned.

Same with our beef - have you ever seen a stockyard? Thousands of animals, packed in, knee deep in excrement, waiting to die. And we can't even begin to tell of the evils of pig farming! They stack them the way they stack chickens in some places.

If you choose to eat meat, I strongly recommend certified free-range and organic. We eat mostly fish and seafood, but we also live where we know it was swimming and had a quality of life hours ago.

You have to be smart about your food and ask a lot of questions - because I promise no one is going to tell you. Look how long it took them to tell you about the latest 'mad cow' discovery? 6 months?

The government will protect their buddies. No one will protect you anymore - at least not with the regime we have in power now.

[jilln]

18. Here's a link to a bunch of nutrition articles

http://www.veganhealth.org/

It is for vegan health, but the information still applies.

[GoneOffShore]

21. Grass fed beef is the best

We've been buying Dr. Elkins Angusbergers for over a year. The ABSOULUTELY best tasting ground beef I've ever eaten.
Go for grass fed and pastured pork. Delicious and good for you.

"Vegetarian - that's an Indian word for bad hunter isn't it?"

[BeTheChange]

22. Grassfed, organic....

Is best. You can find local suppliers at www.eatwild.com

However, my husband is a vegetarian and has been since he was 5. He has never broken a bone, never been in the hospital and has had 3 colds in the last 7 years. He also has his tonsils and appendix. Pretty darn healthy. :)

I recommend reading up on healthful vegetarianism, not a diet loaded with carbs. :)

I also seriously recommend the cookbook, Passionate Vegetarian.. it has great nutritional tips on how to get all the vitamins, minerals and aminos you need and then some.

[Floogeldy]

25. Raisins are a good source.

B-)

[deadparrot]

26. Could you just take iron pills?

:shrug:

Forgive my ignorance if that's a stupid response; I'm getting by on four hours' sleep the past two nights. :) My mom's anemic, and takes them regularly. She says they've been great in boosting the low energy levels that result from the anemia.

[Redstone]

28. You could eat some buffalo. Lower in fat than even

chicken, and most of it is raised by small farmers, so it's likley to be pretty much organic.

And buffler is really tasty, believe me...

Redstone