Julie - how to eat meat
Julie Knapper, I have been travelling, just caught up on my e-mails. Thank
you for sharing your story of childhood experiences looking in the “butcher
bag”. No wonder you have a gag reflex to meat! I have thought about your
experience, and I am glad to hear you are willing to keep trying to do this.
Here
are some suggestions, and I hope at least a few will work:
1. The #1 thought to keep in mind is you don’t want to look at meat that is
clearly in the form of animal parts, like legs, wings. organs, etc. I think
you might also want to shy away from whole cuts of red meats that clearly show
the muscular structure of the animal. Will your husband or butcher pre-chop
everything into chuncks for you?
Best of all would be if your husband cooks, or is willing to learn, and would
assist in meal preparation, so he could do the meat part, and you don’t have
to handle it or see it cooking.
2. It sounds like you already use spicy dishes and stir-fries to mask the
meat, and I think you should continue in that direction. As you already have
the cooking skills, experiment with curries, stews, etc. that have all the
ingredients mixed together, and lots of flavors, so it’s not just a “meat dish”.
You could also cut the meat very small, so you never get a bite of meat that
fills your whole mouth. There are lots of recipes available on the web, and in
our archives.
3. To get used to eating meat, I say it’s ok for you to eat meats in forms
that a purist on this list would not normally go for. We have discussed here
that grinding meat is not good, as it introduces oxidation. However, you may
find you can handle ground meat better than a chunk of solid meat. Here in the
US, we have access to ground beef, chicken and turkey nearly everywhere, and
sometimes ground lamb or veal. You also mentioned you can eat fish if it’s
breaded. Well, once or twice a week, go ahead and have a fish dish, just bread
it with neutrals, such as an egg wash and spelt bread crumbs. Cook it in a
little olive oil or ghee.
Not 100% compliant, but you’ll be on the right track. As you develop a
tolerance for meat, and perhaps even a liking for certain dishes, you can start
adjusting your recipes and meal plans to more closely adhere to ER principles.
Right now, you are in serious need of adding significant amounts of animal
protein to your diet. As for the organ meats, it is probably great for you if
one
day you learn to eat them, but it is not necessary for good health, so don’t
worry about it. Personally, I have never learned to eat them either. Good
luck!