Science and Health Tidbit

I just read this article in the NY Times today. As if there wasn't enough proof already, it looks like eating a diet heavy in red meat and light on the fruits and veggies is pretty detrimental to the old bod.

Fortunately, due to my general lack of income during my college years, I realized I couldn't really afford meat, especially red meat (and I haven't been a fan of fast food since I was 7 and would always ask my dad to take me to Burger King when everyone would go to the French bistro La Madeleine, which we later found out was really secret-fast-food, but probably was still more nutritious than my cheeseburger-hold-the-cheese and ketchup only), so I really haven't eaten much in the past four years.

What I have noticed, though, is that the longer you go without eating red meat, the less you enjoy it. I remember freshman year when I had my first steak after about four or five months without any red meat except hamburgers, I really did not enjoy it that much. Now, I generally avoid steak on a menu. Sometimes I will get it, though, so long as it's cooked medium, because I really, really, do not enjoy a bloody steak. I know, it's strange, but it's true. That's what time will do to your taste buds.

That being said, since I've been trying to both up the protein and down the meat/dairy consumption, I will admit it's been rather difficult, especially since I don't eat fish, which everyone loves to rave about. Lately, I've been eating more lean meats and have slid a little backwards on my cheese consumption (I love cheese too much! I can't let it go!), but I like to blame this more on the pressure of finishing up college than any significant upward trend. When I'm all settled in my new apt, I'll start pumping myself full of delicious protein shakes (which I have not been able to have since I was in Dallas due to my current lack of a blender) so I can avoid meats and cheeses more readily.

And fortunately, when I do need a burger, I love me some turkey burgers.