Maybe eating red meat isn't so bad for us after all?

PeterDisAbelard. said...
Found the recipe for Paltrow's veggie burgers in the Toronto Star.

They sound good.

I'd serve them with a light-bodied red wine, a simple salad on the side -- spring greens with a vinaigrette -- and a few slices of crisp bacon on top.

LOL! I have thought of going vegan or vegetarian but I guess I need to see the proof. From my post above:

article said...
From left to right, lowest quartile of unprocessed red meat(far left) increasing intake quartiles to the right:
"Median unprocessed red meat intake vs hazard ratio:
 Model 1 1.0 (ref) 1.12 (0.69, 1.81) 0.89 (0.52, 1.53) 1.02 (0.60, 1.76)
 Model 2 1.0 (ref) 1.09 (0.67, 1.77) 0.80 (0.44, 1.43) 0.95 (0.55, 1.66)"
Notice the lowest risk, though insignificant risk increase in all quartiles, is with the next to highest intake of red meat for a hazard ratio of 0.80, vs HR 1.0 for lowest intake. How's that for a kick in the butt? Not a whole lot different for processed red meat.

Maybe a problem with that study is that the lowest quintile of red meat intake was not zero red meat, or even zero meat?

Then there is this from Austria:
www.nhs.uk/news/2014/04April/Pages/Vegetarians-have-poorer-quality-of-life-study-claims.aspx Despite lower BMIs for the vegetarians:
"The researchers conclude that their results show that “a vegetarian diet is associated with poorer health (higher incidences of cancer, allergies, and mental health disorders), a higher need for health care, and poorer quality of life.” They suggest that “public health programs are needed in order to reduce the health risk due to nutritional factors”." But many limitations in the study were pointed out.

I grew up with meat as the centerpiece of a meal. I have since lowered my beef consumption. I posted some time ago about the book mentioned on this, 'Eat, Drink and Be Healthy' by Walter Willett, which is a more-or-less Mediterranean type of diet. I have tried to followed his recommendations ever since reading the book a number of years ago.

My problem with food is not that there is less meat on my plate than before, or that the milk is either missing or low-fat, but that meals are no longer a time of companionable conversation with the rest of the family, as it was in my youth. I love those kinds of meals and try to arrange them at every opportunity. Our son and daughter, now adults, are the same way. I like to cook, so a home-cooked meal is likely to encourage us to sit around the table and enjoy a good meal together. I don't know if any of you have read any of MFK Fisher's books on food, but she has a way of writing about food and meals that is, well, beautiful.

Dreamerboy said...
I wonder if the Austrian study takes into account people such as myself who became vegetarian because of health issues. I question their research saying that vegetarians have more health problems. Here are 2 links to compare:

#1 World cancer map:

http://globalcancermap.com/

#2 Meat consumption world map:

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fchartsbin.com%2Fview%2F12730&ei=ZhfYVNHuGIehyQSjo4HgBw&bvm=bv.85464276,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNE2I9DxOiVgAmOotri4BNG2qSRkvg&ust=1423534217827517

The correlation is remarkable.

Personally, I find that I feel much better since going to a mostly plant based diet. I was close to requiring cholesterol-lowering drugs and now I'm back in the normal range. I've lost over 20 pounds without even trying and feel lighter both physically and mentally. That being said, I'm leaning toward moving to a more Japanese style diet - the longest living people in the world must be doing something right. (The US is number 36.) The Japanese eat mostly plant based food, and small amounts of seafood, but occasionally will also have a small piece of chicken or beef. The also eat very little sugary foods and dairy.

Yes, it is remarkable.

Actually, in the article reporting on the study, it said that was indeed a limitation of the study: 3 different types and degrees of vegetarians (all grouped together) and no way to know how many of them became such in response to whatever health problems. Great to hear about your results with going plant based. As I have said, I consider it. The Okinawan style of eating is interesting, and talk about your low PC rates!

Post Edited (BillyBob@388) : 2/8/2015 9:33:31 PM (GMT-7)

I made veggie burgers for a while, then I switched to Costco.

They have frozen black bean burgers that I really like.
They also have a veggie burger that is ok.
When I just have to have a meat protein burger Costco has a great salmon burger.

I have become very dependent on Costco, I'll bet half of what we buy comes from them

Sophie, I find that vegan cooking is very time consuming if you want the food to taste good. My husband is a fussy eater and I cannot just serve him lentil mush. I spend hours trolling for recipes online and reading reviews of cookbooks. I have ordered many cookbooks from Amazon, and sent some of them back. I tend to use cookbooks because I find it easier.

The diet that we follow is to alternate vegan meals with fish or chicken. I don't cook with sweeteners and I use whole grains. I try to find recipes that contain healthy ingredients (lots of veggies), not just ones that eliminate meat. I like the recipes in anti-cancer books because they contain anti-cancer ingredients. But the more veggies that you have to chop up, the longer it takes to make the dish.

The best cookbooks that I have found are:

"The New Prostate Cancer Nutrition Book" by Snuffy Myers. This book must be ordered from his website. The book is a combination of vegan recipes and recipes that contain fish or chicken, but most recipes are vegan. The recipes follow the Mediterranean diet principles. This cookbook is my favorite.

"The Ultimate Anti-Cancer Cookbook" by Pam Braun. I just bought this book and made one recipe from it that my husband loved. The recipes look great and are primarily vegan.

"Zest for Life: The Mediterranean Anti-Cancer Diet" by Conner Middelmann-Whitney. This book is a combination of vegan and non-vegan recipes.

"Power Foods" by the editors of Whole Living Magazine (Martha Stewart). This book is a combination of vegan and non-vegan recipes. I have not yet tried the vegan recipes but the dishes I made were easy/quick to make. I think you can find a lot of the recipes in this book online.

"Isa Does It' by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. This is a vegan cookbook.

Last night I made Lentil-a-Roni from "Isa Does It". It was pretty good.

http://rainydayveggies.blogspot.com/2014/06/lentil-roni.html

I will assemble a few of the recipes that I think are best and email them to you. It will take me a few days.

Sophie,

I ordered Kris Carr's book. Thanks for the tip. The recipes that I was going to email you are from Snuffy's book. Everything that I have made from his cookbook has turned out great. They do take time to prepare though. For quick and easy I think Martha Stewart is good, and her recipes are online.

I have a juicer and make my husband vegetable juice a few times a week. I recently purchased a high-end blender to make smoothies and for vegan recipes. It looks like Kris Carr's book has juice and smoothie recipes, which I could use. I saw a documentary about her a few years ago and was impressed with how she turned her life around.

SophieW,

I have a similar smoothie most mornings of the week.  Always kale-based, but fruits and other veggies based on whatever is in the frige...although this includes a regularly re-stocked supply of frozen fruits, usually strawberries. 

It always looks a little iffy, but tastes great.

-Norm

Norm,

LOL yes brown shakes are a little scary looking, but so yummy!

I do freeze bananas in a gallon bag with lemon juice when they are too ripe, but it's funny you say that because my husband doesn't like the smoothies cold! he wants them room temp.

We went through countless blenders before buying an expensive VitaMix blender, which breaks down just about any food to the atomic level. I love smoothies and often throw in whatever fruit is in the fridge or freezer. A standard ingredient in most is a few tablespoons of protein powder. And like Norm, I usually add a few ice cubes to make the drink colder and thicker. Now, thanks to the recommendations from previous posters, I'll have to try some kale.