Which are the most suitable meats for me?

jph100

Hi folks.

I'd appreciate any help here. Firstly, my fitness goals are to keep body fat to a minimum and to put on lean muscle. I'd like to know which would be the best meats/poultry/fish for me to eat to complement my fitness goals.

I'm presuming I should have these foods as the most important part of my diet because the protein is the most important for me?

thanks very much in advance

keen

Chicken (unbreaded breasts are good), tuna, cod, haddock (no batter).

EileenG

I was reading an interesting article last night about the best foods for increasing testosterone: oysters, eggs, beef, garlic and broccoli. T is great stuff for building muscle and burning fat.

jph100

thanks both for the great help.

Keen, it seems that fish is the way to go for me? all them fishes easily bought at a supermarket?

Eileen, when you said T i presume you meant the testosterone that you mentioned in the previous sentence!?

I do eat a good bit of unbreaded chicken fillets. how good are beefs/steaks? I occassionally have them but they seem to be high in fat which I presume I'm to avoid?

thanks

rubadub

Yes she would have meant testosterone. You can get steaks and trim the fat off so they are lean. I just got some rib steak now with very little fat, it is €6.50 per kilo which is a lot cheaper than lean mince, and probably leaner than it. You can chop it up really fine and stick it in spag bol etc, I prefer bigger bits.

If cooking a sirloin steak I would cut the fat off and fry it up to release the fat, then fry the meat in its own fat. This also means the fat is cooked and will not go off as quickly when binned. Some would advise to go easy enough on the red meat, chicken & turkey is as cheap or cheaper these days.

Turkey mince is also usually lean, tesco do have a cheaper turkey mince which is 10% fat, which is still as low as some lean beef minces, and still lower in calories too. It can be a little dry but is fine in spag bol type saucy dishes.

I get frozen unbreaded white fish fillets in lidl, they are a lot cheaper than fresh fish and far more convenient for me.

jph100

rubadub wrote: »

I get frozen unbreaded white fish fillets in lidl, they are a lot cheaper than fresh fish and far more convenient for me.

cheers for that.

so is rib steak cheaper+the best steak to eat?
is turkey mince nice?
would the fish from lidl be just as healthy+tasty as fresh fish?

bearing in mind that steaks would have more fat+calories, would maybe a ratio of chicken fillets 3 days a week, fish 2 days a week and rib steak 2 days a week be suitable?

thanks a lot!

rubadub

Rib steak is just cheap, you would not fry it like a steak (too tough), I would chop it finely and brown it and use in place of mince. Most steaks when trimmed of fat will have the same nutritional value, just some are tender, usually going up in price the more tender they are. Round steak usually is easier to cut up as the fat is normally one big strip, but you can get lucky with rib steak and get a similar easily trimmed piece.

The turkey mince is a bit dry as I mentioned, goes well in sauces where you would ordinarily use beef mince, think spag bol, or chilli. I sometimes mix it with normal mince to make burgers.

Frozen fish could in fact be fresher, usually they quick freeze it on the boat, many people do not trust fresh supermarket meats, personally I never get there in time! my butcher counter closes around 6 before I get home, I could only make it on saturdays and fish goes off pretty quick. Of course if you have a good butcher/fishmonger you might get decent fish. But it is costly, esp. if like yourself you are eating more than usual while doing resistance training. Lidl white fillets are boned and about €10-12 per kilo which is cheap.

jph100 wrote: »

would maybe a ratio of chicken fillets 3 days a week, fish 2 days a week and rib steak 2 days a week be suitable?

Yes, sounds OK. I could have several types on one day. I like to get a slab of beef and make up a big pot. I save up old sauce jars and then fill them immediately after cooking, only about 1/2-2/3 full, then freeze or pop them in the fridge. This way I have several things to choose from each day, and saves on cooking & cleaning up.

Don't forget other non-meat protein sources, nuts, milk, cheese etc, I also eat gram flour which is high in protein, and I take some whey shakes and add whey to oats etc.

EileenG

Fat is not bad, just high in calories, but you should have a certain amount of fat, including saturated fat, in a healthy diet. Just eat the amount that fits your calorie requirements.

Tesco at the moment have stewing steak which is dirt cheap, surprisingly lean, and absolutely gorgeous grilled on a moderate griddle pan.

Don't forget the oily fish. Eating three portions a week cuts your risk of just about all the nasty diseases.

eclectichoney

Tesco also do a healthy living irish Steak Mince 500g pack (about 4-5% fat) for €3.66, which is pretty good value imo And I have just discovered their frozen tuna steaks (2 x 150g steaks for €3) having one tomorrow night so not sure if they are edible yet lol.

jph100

thanks, this is all very helpful?

how good would the likes of burgers and kebabs from butchers be?

EileenG

Ask what's in them. If they are just meat and a few herbs or spices, then fine. But they often have a lot of rusk, breadcrumbs, added salt, sugar or even MSG.

Personally, I'd rather make my own.

neuro-praxis

Yes, make your own home-made burgers. Kebabs are best avoided, although chicken kebabs are considerably lower in calories than lamb ones.

Basically, ALL lean meat and fish are fine. Keep your portions small-medium if looking to shift weight.

all_smilz

i adore turkey mince burgers
as they CAN be a little dry i sometimes finely chop up onion or mushrooms and mix into the mince - adding bulk, fibre, flavour and moisture!

a LOVELY recipe for koftas can be adapted to lamb or turkey mince and you can make meatballs OR burgers with them

Pack of turkey mince,
Juice of a whole lemon
zest of lemon
Finely chopped mint
Good pince of cumin and black pepper, u can use pince of chilli and curry powder if u like as well

SMUSH altogether and make into meatballs or burger patties- can be fried in a LITTLE oil, or put on george foreman style grill or barbecue! YUMMY

dioltas

If I have mince beef I sometimes brown it, then pour it into a strainer and wash it and then finish frying it. Supposed to rinse away the fat. Don't have it very often though, and not sure if it really meakes a difference.

Sometimes if I cook a frozen burger (****e I know), I put in in the George Foreman, after it softens a bit I cut it into chunks and after a while squeeze the george forman down on it to help get out the sh*t. Then I blot it with some kitchen towel. Sounds like a lot of effort but it really isn't. Again I dont know if that makes any difference but it seems to get alot of the grease out, which makes me feel better after eating it.

MeatProduct

Avoid meat if you want optimum performance. The cholesterol in all meat products reduce the width of your arteries, hence the rate of blood flow, more pressure on the heart and less oxygen getting to body parts.

Once I came off meat I saw significant imporvements in my fittness. Lots of reading for you to do if you come off meat, need to get your nutrients elsewhere but it's no comparison. For optimum performance come off all animal products. Carl Lewis had his most successful year the year he went on a 100% plant-based diet.

Protein is so common, it's really a misnomer that you can only get it in meant. There a plently better sources of protein available. To be protein deficient you actually have to be starving, that's how common protein is.

Nick