OT: Healthy Living 3.0

[Kahvi]

My recommendation to everyone is to eat less meat, but to make sure that the meat you eat is of a better cut and prepared well. I.E, you don't need meat every meal of the day; but when you do eat it, make sure it's of a nice cut of pork, beef, chicken, lamb, etc. Quality meat goes a long way; it also made me appreciate and love food more than I already do. Instead of growing up and eating meat 2/3 meals a day, 1 of which was some overcooked cheap pork, or poorly made lamb, I normally have meat once a day, or every couple days. The meat is cooked perfectly and tasty.

I agree absolutely everything in your post except this part. Some of the cheapest cuts have produced some of the best dished out of necessity. So, for every piece of meat, use the methods that produce the best outcome.

 

[InfinityIggy]

As I've become a better cook over the last 2 or 3 years, I find myself relying a lot less on meat in my dishes, especially red meat. More than that though, I've stopped using meat as the 'primary' ingredient in a lot of meals I make. Instead the meat is there to add to the dish. I think in a lot of North American cooking in particular, too many dishes are built around a meat instead of the meat just being an ingredient of the dish.

Also regarding cheap cuts of meat, it's all about what you do with the cheap cut of meat. If you use a cheap cut as the centerpiece of the dish it'll often be lackluster. If you can use it as an more of an ingredient instead you can do quite a lot.

 

[Volica]

I agree absolutely everything in your post except this part. Some of the cheapest cuts have produced some of the best dished out of necessity. So, for every piece of meat, use the methods that produce the best outcome.

I don't disagree if you're going to be doing a recipe that requires a meat of a certain type.
IE, if you're doing a pulled pork, you don't want a tenderloin, you want a shoulder or butt for the extra fat to keep the meat moist during the cooking.

I mean in terms of grilled meat or roasted meat.
Essentially: If you're a steak guy. Like you love yourself some steak. Instead of weekly getting some single A blade chuck, maybe make it a nice AAA T-Bone cut every few weeks instead. It'll come out to about the same price (I.E 2 of the really cheap cuts vs 1 of the really great cut); but you're eating quality meat.

 

[Kahvi]

I don't disagree if you're going to be doing a recipe that requires a meat of a certain type.
IE, if you're doing a pulled pork, you don't want a tenderloin, you want a shoulder or butt for the extra fat to keep the meat moist during the cooking.

I mean in terms of grilled meat or roasted meat.
Essentially: If you're a steak guy. Like you love yourself some steak. Instead of weekly getting some single A blade chuck, maybe make it a nice AAA T-Bone cut every few weeks instead. It'll come out to about the same price (I.E 2 of the really cheap cuts vs 1 of the really great cut); but you're eating quality meat.

Agree. I'm really disappointed that I didn't have time for proper Alberta beef after all. Maybe next time

 

[Volica]

Agree. I'm really disappointed that I didn't have time for proper Alberta beef after all. Maybe next time

Hopefully next time you're around, I'll be available. I'd be happy to show you around a bit more. I didn't get this unofficial, official tour guide moniker for no reason

 

[Rangediddy]

Does anyone order meals from Chef's plate? I've been ordering from them for a couple months now and they've been awesome. A great way to add some variety to your meals without having to spend a lot on the ingredients since they are all included in the package.

Not all the meals are the healthiest (There's still burgers and fries or cream-based sauces), but for the most part, you can definitely put together a healthy lineup for 3 or 4 days a week. If anyone has trouble trying to plan for healthy meals in a week, I would suggest giving a meal delivery service a try (doesn't have to be Chef's Plate, but that's what I've tried and really enjoy it). It's very easy to prepare the meals and you get to make things you normally never would.

 

[InfinityIggy]

Does anyone order meals from Chef's plate? I've been ordering from them for a couple months now and they've been awesome. A great way to add some variety to your meals without having to spend a lot on the ingredients since they are all included in the package.

Not all the meals are the healthiest (There's still burgers and fries or cream-based sauces), but for the most part, you can definitely put together a healthy lineup for 3 or 4 days a week. If anyone has trouble trying to plan for healthy meals in a week, I would suggest giving a meal delivery service a try (doesn't have to be Chef's Plate, but that's what I've tried and really enjoy it). It's very easy to prepare the meals and you get to make things you normally never would.

I've looked at it before primarily because I really dislike going to the grocery store multiple times a week, but enjoy cooking somewhat. The price kind of put me off of it though.

 

[Rangediddy]

I've looked at it before primarily because I really dislike going to the grocery store multiple times a week, but enjoy cooking somewhat. The price kind of put me off of it though.

It's really not too bad for what you get. It works out to about $10 a meal. Yes, you can buy groceries and make meals for cheaper, but the variety and quality of meals makes it worth it for 3 meals a week (for me anyways). Just find someone with a referral code and I think you can try 3 meals for free, something like that.

 

[Mr Snrub]

It's actually funny that this should come up since I'm getting ready to start reincorporating shellfish into my diet after three years of not eating meat - trying to get some extra protein while I enter a deeper cut for a few weeks. I'm curious whether I'll notice anything different or if I'll feel better or worse. Also just generally pretty excited since I cook for a living and I want to see what I can do with complicated flavours like shrimp and crab when I'm not clocked in

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Well there's your problem. Your generalize too much, thinking everyone is like you, and do not have any evidence to support your claims.

On average, vegans probably eat healthier than other people, but there's some many reasons that explain it more that vegan food being better (level of income, education, living area are the ones I can remember from a National Geographic article; poor people do not have any other choice than cheap fast food). And btw, I'm vegetarian like 99% of the time, meaning I eat meat but really rarely.

Veganism is cheaper than an omnivore and vegetarian diet regardless of circumstances. I do agree because poor people tend work a ton of different jobs in different locations, sometimes they don't have time to prepare food thus having to resort to cheap fast food. Still the point remains true that if they were to cook everything, a vegan diet would be cheaper. Staple vegan foods such as legumes, grains, and seeds are some of the cheapest foods on the planet, and they provide almost every nutrient you need daily. Vitamins you can get from eating little amounts of fruits and vegetables which are still pretty cheap by a per pound or kilo basis. What about taste? Well if you know how to cook well vegan foods taste much better than meat, but we're not discussing taste we're discussing absolute money when it comes to how cheap it is to eat and prepare food on a vegan diet compared to an omnivore diet.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

It's actually funny that this should come up since I'm getting ready to start reincorporating shellfish into my diet after three years of not eating meat - trying to get some extra protein while I enter a deeper cut for a few weeks. I'm curious whether I'll notice anything different or if I'll feel better or worse. Also just generally pretty excited since I cook for a living and I want to see what I can do with complicated flavours like shrimp and crab when I'm not clocked in

Legit question, what staple foods did you eat on a non-meat diet? Yes, most plant-based foods don't contain all essential amino acids, but it's very easy to get all of them by mixing things up (For example lentils and brown rice provide you with all amino acids). Quinoa actually contains all essential amino acids. A ton of ex-vegans I know literally ate only vegetables, faux meats, and rice and never even touched legumes, nuts, or seeds, so no wonder they couldn't even enough protein lol.

 

[Mr Snrub]

Legit question, what staple foods did you eat on a non-meat diet? Yes, most plant-based foods don't contain all essential amino acids, but it's very easy to get all of them by mixing things up (For example lentils and brown rice provide you with all amino acids). Quinoa actually contains all essential amino acids. A ton of ex-vegans I know literally ate only vegetables, faux meats, and rice and never even touched legumes, nuts, or seeds, so no wonder they couldn't even enough protein lol.

I still eat eggs and dairy so those are big staples. Apart from that, there's lots of beans and vegetables (spinach, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, zucchini, green beans, etc). I could continue to go without meat if I weren't planning on as big of a cut - I'm starting at 227g protein on 1700 calories which would be hard without animal products, lots of supplements and a pretty repetitive and bland diet.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

I still eat eggs and dairy so those are big staples. Apart from that, there's lots of beans and vegetables (spinach, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, zucchini, green beans, etc). I could continue to go without meat if I weren't planning on as big of a cut - I'm starting at 227g protein on 1700 calories which would be hard without animal products, lots of supplements and a pretty repetitive and bland diet.

Why do you need that much protein lol?

 

[Mr Snrub]

Why do you need that much protein lol?

The lower your caloric intake, the more protein you need to consume relative to other macronutrients in order to mitigate losing muscle. This is pretty common knowledge.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Sounds like some of ya'll need some insta-pot into your lives.

I absolutely f***ing love my instant pot.

Beans, lentils, beef, pork, shredded chicken. Roasted an entire (small) chicken in like 20 minutes. Great for meal prep.

Makes great bone broth too.

 

[Volica]

Why do you need that much protein lol?

If you're bodybuilding, or trying to put on a lot of muscle grams proteins to lbs is the easiest math method. If you want to be a big muscle guy, there's a tonne of protein involved, getting to it is a pain without limitations.

 

[Kahvi]

Veganism is cheaper than an omnivore and vegetarian diet regardless of circumstances. I do agree because poor people tend work a ton of different jobs in different locations, sometimes they don't have time to prepare food thus having to resort to cheap fast food. Still the point remains true that if they were to cook everything, a vegan diet would be cheaper. Staple vegan foods such as legumes, grains, and seeds are some of the cheapest foods on the planet, and they provide almost every nutrient you need daily. Vitamins you can get from eating little amounts of fruits and vegetables which are still pretty cheap by a per pound or kilo basis. What about taste? Well if you know how to cook well vegan foods taste much better than meat, but we're not discussing taste we're discussing absolute money when it comes to how cheap it is to eat and prepare food on a vegan diet compared to an omnivore diet.

I think we have quite a big difference in definition of "poor". Poor people dont cook vegan, or anything else. Poor people dont "work a ton at different locations", they dont work at all. They go for fast food because it's the only option, and even if McDonald's changed into 100% vegan those people would still eat as poorly as before. I'll try to see if I can find that National Geographic article I mentioned

I seriously wonder how old you are and how long you've been vegan

 

[Volica]

I think we have quite a big difference in definition of "poor". Poor people dont cook vegan, or anything else. Poor people dont "work a ton at different locations", they dont work at all. They go for fast food because it's the only option, and even if McDonald's changed into 100% vegan those people would still eat as poorly as before. I'll try to see if I can find that National Geographic article I mentioned

I seriously wonder how old you are and how long you've been vegan

He's a kid.

I think he's mentioned it before.

 

[Lunatik]

He's a kid.

I think he's mentioned it before.

No, thats Scorpion/Ponyboy/Glengarry Glencross. Sushi claims to be in the 30s iirc

 

[Volica]

No, thats Scorpion/Ponyboy/Glengarry Glencross. Sushi claims to be in the 30s iirc

I recall him talking about schooling or something.
Who knows. Age isn't a mark of intelligence anyway.

 

[Lunatik]

I recall him talking about schooling or something.
Who knows. Age isn't a mark of intelligence anyway.

This is a guy that openly wondered if stalking was okay... so who knows

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

This is a guy that openly wondered if stalking was okay... so who knows

I recall him talking about schooling or something.
Who knows. Age isn't a mark of intelligence anyway.

I'll admit I had my big share of faults back then. But maturity grows with experience, and I'm trying to evolve as a person. What I did that time was wrong and I don't want to dwell on the past.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

If you're bodybuilding, or trying to put on a lot of muscle grams proteins to lbs is the easiest math method. If you want to be a big muscle guy, there's a tonne of protein involved, getting to it is a pain without limitations.

Okay thanks for clarifying. But it's possible to get protein on a vegan diet while eating low amount of calories. Three words, textured vegetable protein.

 

[SKRusty]

Before I start to those vegans and vegetarians congratulations on your commitment to your choice.

My wife and I are on a keto diet. Being older and my wife's allergy to grains we chose a different route.

For those unfamiliar with keto it is high in protein, green vegetables and berries. Carbs and complex sugars are reduced to almost nothing to encourage the use of natural sugars in food. In 4 months my wife lost 50lbs and despite my situation (shattered my ankle 2 years ago reducing my activity levels to almost none of what it was) I have lost 6 lbs in a month.

Most of our protien is fish, chicken and pork. We avoid beef for the most part because our belief it is not the best meat to eat. A nice t-bone once in a while is a treat.

For those battling weight issues look into keto. Unlike any other diet we don't walk away hungry from our meals.

I do believe our reliance of carbs in our daily diet is a large part of the issues of an obese nation.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Before I start to those vegans and vegetarians congratulations on your commitment to your choice.

My wife and I are on a keto diet. Being older and my wife's allergy to grains we chose a different route.

For those unfamiliar with keto it is high in protein, green vegetables and berries. Carbs and complex sugars are reduced to almost nothing to encourage the use of natural sugars in food. In 4 months my wife lost 50lbs and despite my situation (shattered my ankle 2 years ago reducing my activity levels to almost none of what it was) I have lost 6 lbs in a month.

Most of our protien is fish, chicken and pork. We avoid beef for the most part because our belief it is not the best meat to eat. A nice t-bone once in a while is a treat.

For those battling weight issues look into keto. Unlike any other diet we don't walk away hungry from our meals.

I do believe our reliance of carbs in our daily diet is a large part of the issues of an obese nation.

Refined carbs is a bad thing, but natural carbs aren't they're your main energy source. High fat, high calorie diets while lack of nutrient dense foods is the issue. Refined carbs are bad for sure though.