Anyone else going from vegetarian to TF?

[lakeruby]

After being a die-hard vegetarian for almost 15 years (well, I ate some seafood along the way...I am a Floridian after all!), I have felt this change coming through me for a while, and have slowly been moving towards a more Traditional Foods-based diet. I got the Nourishing Traditions book two years ago and am just now making my way through it. We have switched to mostly raw dairy and butter, we've been soaking our oats, eating more yogurt and sauerkraut, and I've been drinking raw egg and cream smoothies that I read about in Ramiel Nagel's book Cure Tooth Decay.

BUT, I still need to make the move to meat... I feel like I need more protein in my diet, so I started eating beef cooked in chili-type dishes a few months ago, and have snacked on some of my DP's bacon, but I just feel totally hopeless when I think about things like....liver. I just have no idea where to start! Not much meat is appealing-- and least of all organ meats. I think I could find some local sources of wild or organic liver, but...where do I go from there? Anyone have any suggestions for liver recipes that would be palatable for a beginner?

[rhianna813]

I was veg (no meat, fish, yes dairy and eggs) for also 15 years, then added some fish in for another 5 years. For me my 20 year old body could live on carbs and pasta, but my 40 yo body needs way more protein. Like you, I knew this change was coming. I started wanting to eat less processed foods and realized soy was a big one and flour products are another.

I got NT a year or so ago after checking out the WAPF website. Shockingly I have made the transition to eating meat very well and now regularly eat chicken, turkey, pork and beef. I have not made any attempts at organ meats. I am curious but feel I need a solid grass fed source for these.

Some ideas that seem “tryable” to me are: chicken liver stroganoff, which I’ve heard non liver eaters love. Liver or organ meats ground in with beef in meatloaf or marinara sauce. And I have heard that sweetbreads are the most mild but I am still not sure what those are LOL

Right now my main veg to TF issues are learning to cook meat so it tastes good. Having no adult life practice makes it tough. Sometimes my MIL will give us frozen meats from her grass fed source out of town. I have no idea what the cut is or how to cook it. I need a basic of cooking meat cookbook, with pictures. Do these exist?

And my 6 yo DS was raised veggie and he has no interest in meat or eggs. All he wants to eat is peanut buter sandwichs and bananas.

Rhianna

[zh97]

Yes, this is me and my family too. I will be following this thread too because I need all the help I can get. Like PP, I don't know how to prepare meat. Tonight, after the kids went to bed, I had to prepare myself for cooking the ground chicken meat I had bought at WF's. I did not enjoy the sights or smell of cooking it, but I really have been feeling that we need to add it, especially for my DD who seems unable to be full and as a result eats all day (mostly fruit). It's nice to know I am not alone in this transition!

[FairyRae]

Here are some old threads you may find helpful.


ex-veg*ns: how did you know it was time to switch to TF?
Vegetarian considering bone broth--is it worth it?
arrrrrrrr...so confused!!!!! opinions please
Converts to TF/organic/Vegan/Vegetarian...how?
To those of you who were vegetarian before choosing TF...

After 12 years as a vegetarian, I found TF when wanting to heal digestive issues and food sensitivities in my ds (and myself). Becoming a veg*n in my teens after a childhood of never helping out in the kitchen (wasn't allowed, and we mostly ate fast food/take out anyway ) the first time I ever *touched* raw meat was when I was 27/28 and learning about TF. So it was a really big transition--I totally empathize w/ where you're coming from!

As far as meat goes I started w/ chicken (breasts), then beef (steak), then fish (canned salmon). At first, I either pan-seared everything (frying in a skillet in some ghee/butter) then baked in the oven, or grilled it. The salmon I'd make into salmon cakes mixing w/ brown rice 'breadcrumbs' or mashed potatoes and spices--I like to do them w/ Italian seasonings and top them w/ sauce (cheese would be great too.) Next I added in ground meats like ground turkey and beef, making burgers or meatballs (yum!). Honestly, once I 100% believed meat was necessary for my ds's and my health, it was not that hard of a transition, b/c it is sooooo tasty! I would recommend going really slowly--sounds like you've already made some impressive changes. Not long after adding in ground meat we started doing bone broths--I would instead buy a whole chicken, rub it w/ salt, pepper and olive oil, and roast it in the oven. Eat the meat/take it off the carcass, then use those bones to make bone broth. (Um, and once you start buying whole chickens or chicken legs etc., you will fall in LOVE w/ chicken skin--soooo darn tasty when it's nice and crisp!) Making broth was probably the weirdest thing for me--handling a whole chicken body. Then I started making it w/ feet as well...Crazy stuff. But it made me feel more connected to my food--in the weirdest way--more than I had ever felt connected as a vegetarian. (My veg*n days were not full of farmer's markets and gardens etc.--they were full of pre-packaged soy foods and take out--so NOT healthy, so disconnected from the food sources. I'm certain many veg*ns are very connected to their food--I was just not one of them!) Anyway, I now like to boil down my bone broth until it's really concentrated, freeze it into ice cubes and add them to things like soup, sauces, bbq sauce, etc--I am not a huge broth lover, (couldn't imagine drinking it) but this method really works for me...

For liver, to start, you could always take dr. ron's liver pills. Once you are ready to tackle it, my favorite way to have it is to sneak it into stuff. So I puree fresh liver in a blender, then pour it into an ice cube tray, freeze the cubes and keep them all in a baggie in the freezer. Whenever we are eating ground meat (esp. for taco meat or pasta sauce etc) I throw in a couple of cubes. It has a pretty strong flavor, and I've not yet made pate or some other liver-centered dish, sneaking it is ok w/ us for now.

Hope this is helpful! And good for you! It's a huge change, but an amazing one, and I now wonder how I ever survived w/out meat! (I was not in the greatest of health that's for sure!) Good luck!

[lakeruby]

Thank you so much for the tips, links, and recipes! I am definitely going to try those salmon cakes to start, and work my way up to sneaking liver into things. That's a really great idea! Also-- thanks FairyRae for the bone broth tips. I have been really thinking a lot about buying a whole chicken to do just that, and now I'm definitely going to give it a try!

[lakeruby]

Originally Posted by FairyRae

(My veg*n days were not full of farmer's markets and gardens etc.--they were full of pre-packaged soy foods and take out--so NOT healthy, so disconnected from the food sources. I'm certain many veg*ns are very connected to their food--I was just not one of them!)

That was my vegetarian/vegan experience when I was younger, too! I wish I could go back to my still-developing teenage self and give her a talking-to...

[FairyRae]

Originally Posted by lakeruby

That was my vegetarian/vegan experience when I was younger, too! I wish I could go back to my still-developing teenage self and give her a talking-to...

I SOOOO hear you! I think it would have made such a difference in my health, happiness, and the health of my son now had I kept meat in my diet back then during those vital years!!! It's crazy too, b/c I look at pics of myself. On my 16th birthday, I was thin, looked healthy, happy, etc. The day I turned 16 was my last meat-including meal. Not long after I started gaining weight--by the time I was off to college I totally counted as 'obese' by the AMA standards. I also started getting strep throat yearly around the time I switched to vegetarianism (very unhealthy veg*nism, mind you!), and by college I got it probably 3x a year. I was on antibiotics all the time...it was awful. I learned more about whole foods and organics after college, got into yoga, and did a little better (didn't get *as* sick all the time) etc., but did not feel vibrantly healthy. I'm amazed at the difference meat (and completely whole foods/TF eating) makes now that I eat it so much, and am THRIVING. It's just amazing!!!

In Sandor Katz's book, he refers to himself as a 'post vegetarian'. I really really like the term. For a bit of time, I thought it was the healthiest diet there was--now I believe differently, and am soooo grateful to have found something that really really works for me! (Not trying to knock vegetarianism--it just wasn't right for me even when I was eating all whole foods. I do personally believe we are designed to be omnivorous and eat some--or a lot --of animal-based foods, although we each need to find what works best for ourselves...)

[FairyRae]

Originally Posted by rhianna813

I have not made any attempts at organ meats. I am curious but feel I need a solid grass fed source for these.

I completely, 100% agree w/ this--esp. irt liver. I don't think I'd eat it if I couldn't find a grassfed/pastured source. (I get pastured chicken livers for like $1-2 a lb from my grassfed farmer--he's awesome. And we probably have enough for a month w/ that amount...)

[Quirky]

I may be on this path as well, although I am not a total believer in some of the ideas such as soaking grains (because from my research phytates are actually very powerful anti-oxidants, but I digress).

Anyway, I'm not that interested in organ meats, so I'm not going there -- but I'm just focusing on baby steps in transitioning from soy products to pastured meats. I still think that eating a wide range of fruits and veggies is one of the healthiest ways to eat, so I'm looking to integrate pastured meats and pastured products into our diets but in a way that I think is more traditional -- i.e., with smaller amounts of meat as flavoring and a protein boost to complement the proteins in plant foods without reverting to the SAD of a huge hunk of meat on the plate.

IOW, I'm trying to integrate the virtues of pastured animal food sources without throwing the baby out with the bathwater, because I think that there's a lot of wisdom in vegetable-centric diets as well.

[wholewheatchick]

Learning to cook meat has been a huge transition for me, too! I'm definitely learning by trial and error, but I'll get there. I did buy a pastured chicken, and cooked up the liver separately; just dredged it in flour and then fried it, after soaking it in lemon juice for hours. I had first chopped it into quarter sized pieces. I had a piece a day till it was gone. I was shocked that I actually liked it. I wouldn't want to do a full meal out of it to start with, but just the little bites are good to get me used to the flavor.

[lakeruby]

Originally Posted by wholewheatchick

I did buy a pastured chicken, and cooked up the liver separately; just dredged it in flour and then fried it, after soaking it in lemon juice for hours. I had first chopped it into quarter sized pieces. I had a piece a day till it was gone. I was shocked that I actually liked it. I wouldn't want to do a full meal out of it to start with, but just the little bites are good to get me used to the flavor.

That does sound good! I'm bookmarking this idea, thanks!