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Meat In Every Meal?


Razors Edge

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My mom's husband was a staunch "meat in every meal" sort of eater. It was one of his few "requirements" - he would get breakfast on the way to work, and grab lunch at a restaurant, and my mom would always have some meat-centric meal for dinner.  I definitely liked bacon at breakfast, cold cuts at lunch, and a burger or pepperoni pizza for dinner, but back then I was a teen or college student, so that made a lot of sense.

Reading some New Year's stories lately from various sources about the simple things folks can do to get healthier in the new year, and I was struck by the "going meatless for one meal a day" idea (below) and remembered that I used to actually often eat meat in all meals.  Pretty crazy when I look back on it now, but I have to assume there are plenty of folks still in that routine.

Less is better, he says, but that doesn’t mean everyone needs to be vegan. Start where you are, committing to, say, going meatless for one meal a day, or one day per week (as in Meatless Mondays). And/or you could reduce the quantity of meat in your meals by using small amounts to complement more plant-forward foods — like using some beef in a vegetable-forward stir fry or bean-based stew.

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I typically eat some meat at dinner, every day.  Of the remaining 14 meals in a typical week, I estimate that 10 of them are meatless.  That's really a change I made when I decided to lose the weight in 2015-16 and I do believe one of the reasons I've been able to keep it off (well, most of it).  The no-dairy restriction also helps in this regard.

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I grew up eating differently than most Americans and probably very similar to Shootie.  Meat was a part of a meal but not the main component of it.  I still eat that way and work in a vegetarian dinner 3-4 times a month.  

Definitely different when eating  with the in laws who serve a large hunk of meat with potatoes and a side of veg.  Shoot there are normally more desserts than vegetables when eating at the in-laws. 
 

 

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1 minute ago, donkpow said:

I never have meat for breakfast but I always have milk in the cereal. Fat is important to nutrient absorption. You have water soluble and fat soluble nutrients.

Yep - fat is good. Well, good fat is good :D  I get plenty of fat and protein without having much meat.  I think, though, I would be more likely to have meat 3x a day if I wasn't doing the cooking or prep.  IOW, on vacation, if meat is a menu option at a B&B (it usually is), I'll have meat.  Usually I'll choose fish/seafood for a dinner, but for lunch, on vacation, I think cold cuts often make the cut for picnic options.  At home?  PB&J or sardines would be higher likelihood. Or just a grilled cheese if I had the cheese.

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7 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

At home?  PB&J or sardines would be higher likelihood. Or just a grilled cheese if I had the cheese.

I eat a lot of PB&J well actually PB&B until I run out of bananas. The only fat I use is olive oil. I also eat a lot of avocados. Today I made chili with ground chuck and lots of jalapeños. Owl have a big salad for dinner, I might go all veggies in it or I might add tuna or sardines.

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Thinking back, there was always meat at dinner (except for Fridays in Lent).  Usually meat at lunch, unless it was pizza.  Breakfast usually only had meat on the weekends when my parents would eat sausage and bacon

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1 minute ago, Longjohn said:

I eat a lot of PB&J well actually PB&B until I run out of bananas. The only fat I use is olive oil. I also eat a lot of avocados. Today I made chili with ground chuck and lots of jalapeños. Owl have a big salad for dinner, I might go all veggies in it or I might add tuna or sardines.

You're in a tough place as you need to ADD weight, not trim it.  Veggies are great, but almost useless for bulking up!  Pasta! Or lots of eggs and dairy :)  Cheesy veggie omelets! 

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5 minutes ago, Kirby said:

Breakfast usually only had meat on the weekends when my parents would eat sausage and bacon

As a kid, I was cereal 90% of the time - all the super sugary ones.  But my dad would make poached eggs, bacon, and toast on the weekend, so that was HUGE!!!  Sometimes Taylor pork roll or scrapple would make a breakfast appearance.  I still love Taylor work roll, but never have it anymore.   When I was a teen, that was promoted to lunch duty in my grilled cheese and TPR sandwiches!

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12 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

You're in a tough place as you need to ADD weight, not trim it.  Veggies are great, but almost useless for bulking up!  Pasta! Or lots of eggs and dairy :)  Cheesy veggie omelets! 

I eat a lot of pasta but the only dairy I do is organic fat free milk, not much bulking up on that. Very few eggs, the jury is still out on wether they are ok or not. The experts keep changing their minds. I eat a lot of nuts, as an ingredient and just plain.

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1 minute ago, Longjohn said:

Very few eggs, the jury is still out on wether they are ok or not. The experts keep changing their minds. I eat a lot of nuts, as an ingredient and just plain.

Eggs are in and not ever going back out! :happyanim:

Nuts are soooo good.  Hard to beat PB and peanuts, but I love cashews, almonds, pecans, macadamia, and more, and I also like seeds but haven't been buying sunflower seeds in quite a while. I might have to re-add them.  Yum.  

I dropped skim milk a long while back for 2%.  You might have restrictions from your heart scares, but to me, 2% gives me some fat but is still pretty drinkable.  Whole still is too "thick", but I could probably adapt fairly quick back to it again.

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53 minutes ago, donkpow said:

I never have meat for breakfast but I always have milk in the cereal. Fat is important to nutrient absorption. You have water soluble and fat soluble nutrients.

I usually have milk and cereal for breakfast. Every once-in-a-while I'll have some bacon or sausage. For a real treat, I'll have some Gliers goetta which is a Cincinnati specialty. 

Since WoJSTL's heart attack, we have been having more meatless suppers and sometimes lunches.

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1 hour ago, Longjohn said:

I eat a lot of PB&J well actually PB&B until I run out of bananas. The only fat I use is olive oil. I also eat a lot of avocados. Today I made chili with ground chuck and lots of jalapeños. Owl have a big salad for dinner, I might go all veggies in it or I might add tuna or sardines.

Did you run out of them phantom buzzard reaper ghost peppers? They’d go well with chili!

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I stopped eating milk and cereal for breakfast back in 2016. Seemed like a big sugar bomb of processed flour. At the time I was eating plain yellow-box Cheerios as the honey nut variety had gotten too sweet for my tastebuds. I started eating more eggs, added sweet potato to a whole wheat tortilla for a wrap. Today, I toasted a few slices of homemade baguette with plum habanero jam and a diced apple. Some days, plain yogurt with fruit and homemade granola. 

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Now that think about it...   I probably have fish more often than meat.  And that's when we go out to eat.

I guess living with WoBG, who is a vegetarian, had changed me over the years.   I just never noticed...

At most, I may have meat once or twice a week.   Never for breakfast.  Most often that's generally a bowl of cereal.  

We have one big meal a day.  That seldom includes meat.   In the summer...  I'll grill bratwurst... I still love bratwurst and beer in the summer. 

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Breakfast is usually a couple granola bars and half a glass of milk. 
I am eating less meat at lunch working from home. I modified a Wendy’s salad that I love. I have a bowlful of spring greens. I sprinkle some goat cheese, dried cranberries and pistachios on it and some raspberry vinaigrette! I eat a few chips with it for crunch. 
Dinner usually includes a meat but we are trying to improve portion sizes. 
Right now we are trying to work through leftovers in the freezer. We are packing away most of the kitchen this weekend so next week will be more takeout. 

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4 minutes ago, groupw said:

I am eating less meat at lunch working from home. I modified a Wendy’s salad that I love. I have a bowlful of spring greens. I sprinkle some goat cheese, dried cranberries and pistachios on it and some raspberry vinaigrette! I

I used to get the Cosi Signature Salad at least once a week for lunch when I was in the city working. I LOVED that salad.Here's the "make at home version".

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I rarely have meat at breakfast or lunch, dinner, 3 days a week at most, usually.  A little heavier on the veggie dinners in summer when the garden is producing.

D2 is vegan.  Her BF isn't.  When they come to our house for dinner, we try to have meat on the menu for his sake.  I gave him a gift certificate to a great cheesesteak shop down the street from his hospital for Christmas.

D2 is nearly vegan, she will do some dairy and on rare occasion, some meat.  More likely fish.  Her new BF is a "dinner must include meat" guy.  They are negotiating. This one, we're going to have to help with the vegetables for dinner training.

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I use meat in a dish most times.  Meat as a main component maybe 50% of the time. That's dinner.  

Today,  before my bike ride,  2 bagels,  I can't believe it's butter,  and a banana. 😄

My MIL told me last night,  that I don't have much fat for as much as I eat. 😁

 

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8 hours ago, Razors Edge said:

My mom's husband was a staunch "meat in every meal" sort of eater. It was one of his few "requirements" - he would get breakfast on the way to work, and grab lunch at a restaurant, and my mom would always have some meat-centric meal for dinner.  I definitely liked bacon at breakfast, cold cuts at lunch, and a burger or pepperoni pizza for dinner, but back then I was a teen or college student, so that made a lot of sense.

Reading some New Year's stories lately from various sources about the simple things folks can do to get healthier in the new year, and I was struck by the "going meatless for one meal a day" idea (below) and remembered that I used to actually often eat meat in all meals.  Pretty crazy when I look back on it now, but I have to assume there are plenty of folks still in that routine.

Less is better, he says, but that doesn’t mean everyone needs to be vegan. Start where you are, committing to, say, going meatless for one meal a day, or one day per week (as in Meatless Mondays). And/or you could reduce the quantity of meat in your meals by using small amounts to complement more plant-forward foods — like using some beef in a vegetable-forward stir fry or bean-based stew.

When I make spaghetti or rotini by the plateful, I usually toss 5 frozen, 1/2 ounce meatballs in with the boiling spaghetti, drain it, plate it, add enough Prego and some powdered garlic and onion, then nuke it for 2 min, mix and add cheese.

Sometimes I forget to add the meatballs and the spaghetti is pretty good, especially if it's a "chunky garden combo" type sauce.  I guess I could also add red bell pepper or cauliflower in place of the meatballs, too.

No meatballs would cut this spaghetti meal from 849.5 Cal to 641.2 Cal and let me have 4 ounces of ice cream as an evening snack. I also have some Carba-Nada low-carb pasta to try.

The left side Calories through Na are the amounts on the container's nutrition label for the amount on the label.  The right four columns adjust to the amounts I use.  This is about twice as many carbs as my diabetic body likes, but the 12.7 g of fiber go a long way in keeping carbs from being absorbed too fast from the intestines:

image.thumb.png.1b55a6230892b4011238a52aba76f924.png

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