Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Ground meat alternatives

About 5 years ago I completely cut ground beef out of our diet, I believe for about 6 months to a year. The reason? I have GERD (Acid Reflux Disease) and tummy problems (unfortunately there is some sort of stomach cancer that runs in my family, my aunt died when she was my age now (28) from it). In 2001, I started on a drug called Metformin for my PCOS and Insulin Resistance, at the lowest dosage. I was on that for a full year and eventually they figured out I could not handle it because it caused a lot of gastro upset, so they took me off of it. Currently I use Cinnamon and Chromium Piconilate for my Insulin Resistance/PCOS and it seems to be working (I haven't had my insulin levels checked in years however my blood sugars are still in the good limits and I do NOT have Type 2 Diabetes- which is what I am trying to avoid). Right now I prefer the holistic side of treating ailments, and so I also started on an acidolphilis probiotic, but I don't see any change. However, I do find that whenever I eat these Dannon Light & Fit yogurts, it helps calm my tummy aches down, so I am stocking up on those when we go grocery shopping this Thursday.

I talked with my husband last night and he seems to have forgotten that we didn't eat ground beef for about a year or so, and is against the idea of buying ground turkey or chicken instead. I told him that Costco's ground beef is fine, fat percentage wise, but with all the troubles I have been dealing with lately, I think it would be wise to cut it out of our diets and go with something that is a lot more lean. There is a ground top sirloin that is about 98% fat free from the local beef company we go to, but at $2.99/lb, I am not sure we could fit it in our budget. Granted, it's only $0.70 cents/lb more than the Costco stuff, but I'd prefer ground turkey. I mean, it's not like I'm asking him to eat soymeat! (Hee!) I will also add that we do eat a LOT of boneless, skinless chicken breast, but the ground beef is more versatile and basically it's one of the few cuts of meat we buy per month. I usually pick up two bulk packages of ground beef and chicken breasts from Costco and separate them into smaller portions for the freezer, and I'll buy a roast or maybe pork chops as a third type of meat for the month.

So what could I do to convince my ground turkey-shy husband that it's just as good as ground beef (I like it!)? Or should I suck it up and let him have his ground beef and when I cook it for him, cook myself something else? Also, I would think that ground pork may be harsh on a stomach too because of the fat content- does anyone happen to know if fat content is posted on ground pork packages?

What I'm trying to do is eliminate the culprit- GREASE.

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6 Comments:

At 12:46 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Maybe make the switch without telling him and see if he even notices. Then if he doesn't tell him that for the past x days he has been eating ground turkey and didn't even notice so not you are making the change full time.

Hope you can do it!

 
At 1:26 PM, Blogger Jennifer said...

I would but we go shopping together. Maybe I can just throw it in the cart w/o him noticing. He's always throwing stuff in the cart w/o me noticing! LOL!!!

 
At 5:31 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hmm... I think that is some cheap ground beef! I think the best I can find here in MN is about 3:50/lb for 93% lean. One thing I do sometimes too, especially if I don't need to brown the ground beef with anything (like tacos, sloppy joes, etc) I will drain the ground beef and then run it under hot water in the colander to get the last of the fat off... And with turkey, I find that the inexpensive ground turkey isn't all that lean. Have to make sure it's white meat... But also with turkey, sometimes I add worchestshire sauce to make it more "meaty" flavored...

 
At 12:13 PM, Blogger wheresmymind said...

I can't stand ground turkay. *shiver* so dry...so dry..

 
At 4:01 PM, Blogger Jennifer said...

Jane, that's a great idea (worchestshire on ground turkey)! Thank you for the idea. I bet you our ground beef prices will be going up with the cost of fuel. I wouldn't be surprised.

Hey J! How are you?! It's great to see you around. Good luck with your papers and classes.

 
At 11:25 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have GERD--so I know what you're dealing with. Hmm..can you sneak to the store and buy the turkey? I find that if you buy the kind with dark meat in it, it's a bit more moist. GERD is awful!

 

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