Should I give up meat altogether?

[gotem3303]

So ever since I was a little kid (Im 23 now) I've had higher than normal cholesterol levels, and I am considering giving up all meat (beef, chicken, fish) and want to get some other peoples opinions.

Now, I love meat. I can't say I eat A LOT of meat, but I definitely have it at least once a day (usually for dinner) and can't remember a day in my life where I didnt. I eat all meat but tried always to focus more on chicken because I thought it was so much healthier than other meat.

Recently I found out that chicken has the same amount of cholesterol as red meat. This sucks because this whole time I though I was doing really good by trying to eat mostly chicken. Pretty much the only reason I am considering giving up meat is because of the cholesterol. I could care less about the fat content and treatment of animals and things like that.

Should I give up meat altogether? I haven't eaten meat in a week and a half and it hasnt been TOO hard yet since there are some good meat-like things from morning star and boca burger that arent that bad actually. I've definitely saved money from going out to lunch everyday at work and I am trying to eat more vegetables too. But at the end of the day, I love meat and was wondering if you think I should really give it up altogether or just eat it more in moderation. Is it really THAT bad for you?

 

[drankin]

How about just fish, the other white meat?

 

[gotem3303]

How about just fish, the other white meat?

Im not a big fish eater though. Maybe I have tuna once in a while but that's pretty much the extent of it.

I like it, but its just too hard for me to make usually and would rather settle for something else.

 

[VeeEight]

Fish is very good (just try to avoid the farmed ones)
You would be wise to avoid saturated fat and simple sugars to lower your cholesterol (although you need saturated fat in your diet). Exercise is very important.

If your cholesterol problems are really that bad I would consider writing out your entire diet and fitness routine and go through and fix that rather than completely eliminating a food group.

 

[hypatia]

You could give up meat, and have your cholesterol levels stay the same. I know several Vegans who have high, bad cholesterol levels. You should consult your Doctor for the best way to lower your bad cholesterol and ways to raise the good cholesterol levels.

 

[rewebster]

You could give up meat, and have your cholesterol levels stay the same. I know several Vegans who have high, bad cholesterol levels. You should consult your Doctor for the best way to lower your bad cholesterol and ways to raise the good cholesterol levels.

yep, it not only meat that make cholesterol levels high---I'm sure there's web pages that discuss it

 

[Moonbear]

If your cholesterol levels have been low even since a very young age, it's unlikely that your diet is the cause. For some people, it's more of a genetic issue than a dietary one, and means they're also more of a candidate for cholesterol-lowering medications rather than dietary changes.

Of course, HOW MUCH meat do you eat? Once a day could mean you're eating just a small chicken cutlet broiled or baked, or it could mean you're sitting down with a half of a chicken deep-fried in lard. If you're really just having a small serving of meat, then that's not the source of your problem.

 

[Proton Soup]

what else could you change besides diet? exercise? lose some bodyfat?

also, you might find Dr. Davis' Heart Scan Blog interesting: http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/

 

[mcknia07]

Giving it up totally, is fine. I did it for 10 years. I'm now 20. I have slowly let some meat back into my diet, mosly just white meat chicken, but occationaly a few other meats, in very small portions. I've always been big into my fruits and veggies though.