Giving up red meat?

I gave it up when the AIDS epidemic hit. I figured I had to figure our SOMETHING I could do. At the time in gay mags like Honcho and whatnot there were suddenly full page ads for vitamin supplements and I thought I would go to a health food store and get a multi. While there I picked up a pamphlet by a yogi and he talked about the road to health being paved with the life force in plants and not the death force of animal flesh. I thought about how at the record store I worked at it seemed somebody made a McDonalds run every day. So I decided to give up red meat.

I've only had a few bites of it entirely by accident since the mid-80s.

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Updated On: 7/23/14 at 04:41 PM

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Updated On: 7/23/14 at 04:51 PM

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Updated On: 7/23/14 at 04:58 PM

The article I linked isn't about cholesterol.

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Updated On: 7/23/14 at 05:56 PM

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Updated On: 7/23/14 at 06:03 PM

I would second much of what ghostlight says. While I DO think that reducing the frequency with which I eat meat--once-ish a week--has been a healthy change, the real motivation was my objections to mass-produced meat--the treatment of the animals, the damage to the environment and the quality of the product.

I am fortunate to spend time in areas where there are many small- and medium-scale farmers committed to healthy, humane, environmentally sound production, and thus have a reasonable level of confidence in the quality of the meat that I consume.

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I think if any meat eater watched the undercover videos of animal factories and slaughterhouses, they would never feel right about eating meat again.

I don't condemn meat eaters. Personally I don't digest red meat very well so I avoid it. If I do eat fish or white meat, I choose my markets carefully for where they get their products and choose organic or farm raised. I feel much healthier eating mostly fruits, veggies whole grains and some dairy. I can't return to red meat anymore. Also, never eat fast foods or packaged or processed foods. It's a lifestyle change, but it works for me.

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I don't condemn meat eaters either (I know we've had this thread, but if anything I find some meat eaters get defensive thinking I care what they eat.) It's obviously a personal decision that could be made for a myriad of reasons...

"There is a huge difference, and even though it's more expensive to consume meat that was humanely and ethically raised, it's worth it to be able to sleep at night. At least, to me it is."

Meat should be expensive and less common. Eat meat, if you're inclined to, but make it count. Have a sirloin, not a Big Mac. A Cornish game hen instead of KFC.

That said, if I'm at a friend's BBQ, and the ribs look good, I am not asking the provenance of the pig and will likely indulge rather than stick to potato salad and watermelon - and I'll sleep just fine.

To Borstalboy: I've found that a lot of times, it's more about the idea of giving up meat and its place in the American culture that it is actually giving up meat. Early on, I experimented with meat substitutes - I'm not talking about faux hotdogs or tofurkey. I mean things like grilled portobellos, eggplant, home made veggie/bean/quinoa patties - foods that take the physical place of meat on your plate, and offer the mouth feel and texture of it, to a degree.

Start by substituting things like this gradually, and eventually you'll find that even if you haven't cut red meat out of your diet entirely, you will have at least cut back on it.