Is no meat better than questionable meat?

[batsoup]

Just as a point of theory, and for a vegetarian who is slowly reintroducing some meat.... What do you do if the only animal product sources are bad, ie. mainstream factory-farmed? (And i'm including eggs, cheese, milk, in this query) Do you still eat them and also ingest all the toxins and hormones, etc? I just started thinking about this because i'll be on vacation in Mexico and was wondering what i should do dietarily, but i'm curious to hear what you all think about this in general.

[AJP]

If the only options for me locally were factory-farmed animal foods, I'd rely on mail-ordered stuff, or I'd move. I would choose no meat over conventional, factory-farmed, CAFO, feedlot meat, but I feel I need animal foods so I would go to extraordinary lengths to obtain quality, humane products. Easier said than done, I know, especially in some areas.

On vacation, I'd compromise somewhat, since it's temporary.

[Ruthla]

You need to decide what you're comfortable with. I have so many food sensitivities that there's no way I could be healthy without a lot of meat and eggs, regardless of the source. If I could eat legumes safely I might feel differently about it. If you do well on a vegan diet, then you may choose to only add in those animal products that your'e 100% confident about.

[cjr]

I went through this recently. It's hard. I cooked a lot of vegetarian/vegan meals and ate meat only a couple meals a week. I need meat as well. I found a good source for chicken so that's what we ate.

If it's the cost of good meats in your area, a little is better then none. IMO But I wouldn't say the same for conventional meats. I stayed clear.

[barose]

Originally Posted by AJP

If the only options for me locally were factory-farmed animal foods, I'd rely on mail-ordered stuff, or I'd move. I would choose no meat over conventional, factory-farmed, CAFO, feedlot meat, but I feel I need animal foods so I would go to extraordinary lengths to obtain quality, humane products. Easier said than done, I know, especially in some areas.

On vacation, I'd compromise somewhat, since it's temporary.

:

I would like to know more aobut mail ordered meats.

Originally Posted by Ruthla

You need to decide what you're comfortable with. I have so many food sensitivities that there's no way I could be healthy without a lot of meat and eggs, regardless of the source. If I could eat legumes safely I might feel differently about it. If you do well on a vegan diet, then you may choose to only add in those animal products that your'e 100% confident about.

I feel the same way. My protein choices are pretty limited because of allergies and intolerances. If I had to do w/o meat, it cant be for very long (not more than a day).

[DreamsInDigital]

Originally Posted by barose

:

I would like to know more aobut mail ordered meats.

http://www.lacensebeef.com/
http://www.grasslandbeef.com/index.html

I also like this link for finding local sources of produce and animal products.

http://www.localharvest.org/

[kittyhead]

Originally Posted by barose

:

I would like to know more aobut mail ordered meats.

hi neighbor ( we are in the bay area, too)

we have been thinking of ordering some meats from this ranch. they charge a buck a pound for shipping, and have a 150$ minimum, but if you have a freezer its an alright deal for this area.
http://www.bigbluffranch.com/Products.html

to the OP, we eat good meat at home but we do eat out quite a bit and even in the bay area its hard to find restaurants that serve the good stuff. we dont eat ground meats or sausages out of the house, but the rest i dont sweat about... i figure we make up for it by how well we eat at home. im nursing a toddler and i get hungry.:

[flapjack]

I'd eat dairy in moderation and avoid eating the liver and other organ meats, if eating conventionally-farmed. A friend of our family is dying from suspected CJD, so it's not something I have the luxury of being able to be blase about.

[MeadowSong_]

I'm in a similar boat, have been vegetarian for a while and have in the past before also. I told my husband I will go back to eating meat, but only quality meat. This means driving a little further to get it and paying a lot more. But, IMO, it's quite worth it to meet my meat and for the quality.

Anyways.................. www.localharvest.com and www.eatwild.com helped me find a local farmer that is providing us with quality meat and raised ethically. Good luck in your search!!

[barose]

Originally Posted by DreamsInDigital

http://www.lacensebeef.com/
http://www.grasslandbeef.com/index.html

I also like this link for finding local sources of produce and animal products.

http://www.localharvest.org/

Great! Thanks.

Originally Posted by kittyhead

hi neighbor ( we are in the bay area, too)

we have been thinking of ordering some meats from this ranch. they charge a buck a pound for shipping, and have a 150$ minimum, but if you have a freezer its an alright deal for this area.
http://www.bigbluffranch.com/Products.html

to the OP, we eat good meat at home but we do eat out quite a bit and even in the bay area its hard to find restaurants that serve the good stuff. we dont eat ground meats or sausages out of the house, but the rest i dont sweat about... i figure we make up for it by how well we eat at home. im nursing a toddler and i get hungry.:

We dont have a large separate freezer. We have one of those modern refrigerators that has the freezer on the bottom. Its pretty spacious but I'm not sure if I can stor a lot. I wonder how much $150 would be in terms of volume.

I normally buy my beef from the Berkeley Farmers Market (forgot the vendor), but they have recently gone up in price and I don’t always want to feel so pressured to go every early Saturday morning.

[kittyhead]

Originally Posted by barose

Great! Thanks.






I normally buy my beef from the Berkeley Farmers Market (forgot the vendor), but they have recently gone up in price and I don’t always want to feel so pressured to go every early Saturday morning.

is it the marin sun farms guy? good meat:, but $$$$$. i buy from them sometimes, too.

[barose]

Originally Posted by kittyhead

is it the marin sun farms guy? good meat:, but $$$$$. i buy from them sometimes, too.

I think its the Highland Hills Farms.
I also buy items from Fatted Calf.

I'm not sure who Marin Sun Farms are...which farmers market do you go to?

[Shazer]

Originally Posted by barose

:

I would like to know more aobut mail ordered meats.



I feel the same way. My protein choices are pretty limited because of allergies and intolerances. If I had to do w/o meat, it cant be for very long (not more than a day).

Go to www.eatwild.com. You can find local farms or simply mail order places to buy good meats.

As for me, when I started eating naturally, I couldn't afford much in the way of organic. And locally, my choices are limited. Now I do mostly organic grass-fed beef, but will buy standard hormone and antibiotic free chicken because I don't feel so bad about chickens being fed corn. But I need the meat. I can't survive on little protein or vegetable based proteins.

[saratc]

When I'm traveling, I still eat eggs, but only hardboiled or fried so I know they are real eggs, and butter. So many things rely on saturated fats to function properly, and since I get sick on pasteurized milk and milk products, about the only thing I can tolerate is butter.

I will eat lamb since it's difficult to raise lamb in the same cramped conditions as chickens and beef. Other than that, I look for the seafood choices or go without animal products. I will also occasionally eat bacon when traveling.

If I can't get animal products, I try to get lots of fat through olive oil and avocados which I've read are both not too bad in terms of pesticide residue if getting conventional.

[tamagotchi]

barose, have you looked at Morris Grassfed Beef? They have a CSA option where you get your split-half divided into three deliveries of about 28-30 lbs of meat per delivery. I have a regular fridge with a top freezer and the CSA box fills a little less than half of my freezer.

http://www.morrisgrassfed.com/