Ranking of Meats? page

[maxshralp]

Does anyone know what Mark suggests in terms of the most to least beneficial meat (looking at only grass/pastured sources)?

ranked based on quality of protein, vitamins, and fat.

I.e. beef-pork-fish-turkey-chicken or something of the like.

a little background would be good as well.

maybe an aside question of within the types of meat, is it ok or even beneficial to buy the cheaper fattier cuts?

[Timothy]

I don't think Mark ranks meats anywhere, but I'll give you my opinions. I couldn't really rank them unless I knew what your goals were.

Disclaimer: this is all from my experience. Don't ask for sources cause I got none.

Ruminant meat (beef, lamb) is the best all-around meat. As has been said elsewhere, no other animal does as good a job of vacuuming up a whole field of vegetation and turning it into full-spectrum nutrition for mammals. Liver is the best if you can stand it, but you wouldn't want it every day (you could actually overdose on things like Vitamin A.)

Pork is in my experience the best meat for learning to burn fat instead of carbs. Because of the very high fat content, it's very satiating and comforting and can push sweet cravings to the side. Also, dousing your body in dietary fat will help it learn to burn the fat, and most people who are going low-carb for the first time find that dietary fat is not efficiently stored without the carb-generated insulin spike.

For lean meats, chicken breast, shellfish, and tuna are best. These are of interest to people who are doing a carb refeed for purposes of getting lean.

Among fatty fish, sardines and salmon have excellent nutrient profiles.

Eggs are a solid substitute for organ meats if you can't handle offal. Whites should always be cooked and yolks should be as raw as you can get them. You can't go wrong with eggs.

Goes without saying these are all assumed to be from animals raised in their natural environments. Once you start dealing in CAFO meat or strangely fed animal products, all bets are off.

[maxshralp]

that was pretty awesome. follow up q's:

why liver?

why are yolks better raw? is it b/c of oxidation potential?

I am a highly competitive cross country mountain biker (aka chronic cardio and endurance athletics to the extreme). 18 years old, 5'8, 120-125 lbs, around 5.5% body fat, 12-16 hours of training a week, some minimal core work, yoga, massage. currently eating grass fed/pastured animal meat sources, vegetables, some fruit, definitely not low carb, definitely some nuts, no grains or legumes, and yogurt but no other dairy.

my goals are therefore to be as light but as strong/fit as possible

[dado]

#1 from the cow
#2 from the piggy

[HeatherJ]

I agree with Timothy: Grass-fed/pastured/organic 1. Ruminants, 2. Pig, 3. Poultry. Can't comment on seafood because I can't eat it! And of course eggs, couldn't live without them.

Re: Liver. It is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet; replete in a host of vitamins and minerals, it is truly a healing food and if you can stomach it, 4oz per week is a good amount. Beef or lamb liver is the best IMO but chicken liver may also be used. I eat mine raw in order to benefit from the enzymes, but it's great for you either way.

[Timothy]

Maxshralp, Heather is right on about liver. A good rule of thumb is to eat the most nutrient-dense foods possible. That way your body has to expend the least amount of effort for the most nutrient gain. You'll be satisfied with fewer calories and will lean out painlessly and naturally.

But at 5.5% body fat, you're pretty much at the wall in terms of leanness. Congratulations on that! You must be able to see every little muscle under the skin. Fun.

Yolks should be raw because oxidized cholesterol is no good for you at all. Also because they are a delicate organ meat and, like liver, contain fragile nutrients that are easily damaged by cooking.

I've heard some cyclists have improved their performance by doing heavy squats. Do you have any experience with that?

[maxshralp]

well actually i've still got some insulin resistant fat around the midline so im not quite at the every defined muscle state yet.

I have done some strength training work with squats before but found it was too much on top of my training on the bike (which is already usually pushing the limits of too much).

for the fattier cuts of meat, can someone explain why the saturated fat isnt harder to breakdown in your body than unsaturated fat since it has a more stable structure with those extra bonds?

[SlimIcy]

If I were only allowed one meat type for the rest of my life here is how I would rank them (considering all optimally raised/fed/farmed):

1. Beef
2. Fish
3. Pork
4. Poultry

Reasons: Beef is the most complete. Fish has the best Omega3. Poultry has the most Omega6. Pork usually seems to fall somewhere in between.

[ChocoTaco369]

If I were only allowed one meat type for the rest of my life here is how I would rank them (considering all optimally raised/fed/farmed):

1. Beef
2. Fish
3. Pork
4. Poultry

Reasons: Beef is the most complete. Fish has the best Omega3. Poultry has the most Omega6. Pork usually seems to fall somewhere in between.

I mostly agree with this. I'd put lamb either right above or right below fish. From what I've seen, deer, elk, bison and horse are even better than beef. Horse meat looks to be some of the most nutritious I've ever seen. Too bad it's illegal in the US

[tfarny]

1. Wild clean seafood
2. pastured ruminants esp. organs and fatty portions - beef, lamb, goat
3. pork
4. poultry

I'd put eggs at # 1.5 perhaps.