Those of you my age or older may remember when restaurants served what was often called the “waist trimmer” meal – a burger patty without a bun and a side of tomato slices with cottage cheese. When I was in high school, our health teacher (a former wrestling coach who helped athletes make their weight class) told us if we wanted to lose weight, we should cut out sugars and starches and eat more protein foods instead.
That was the “everyone knows” advice back in the day: too many carbohydrates aren’t good for you. If you need proof, check out this clip from an old Andy Griffith episode. The relevant portion begins about 8:00 into the clip.
Keep eating that meat loaf, Andy.
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I love the Andy Griffith show. We have the complete collection on DVD and watch it often. (They even have all the old Sanka and Jello commercials on them.) I swear if Andy’s version of Mayberry was real, I’d move there – nutty hillbillies and all. 🙂
I remember the diet plate too. I’d even ordered it a few times. It was tasty and filling. And like you said, we didn’t decide we just had to have dessert afterwards. Sadly, in this case, progress in nutritional thinking only caused us to walk backwards, instead of forwards. We already had it figured out.
I’d move to Mayberry if it were real, but our current town is a pretty decent substitute.
My MIL once told me her dad said to eat steak if you want to lose weight. Now we have all this sophisticated pseudo science to tell us otherwise.
Our grandparents had it figured out. Too bad we thought we knew better.
Is anybody surprised?
Actually, I’m surprised at the tone of the article in that it assumes everybody knows carbs are bad and doesn’t take any potshots at fat. The comment that meat = bad at the end was a shame.
ARGH! They just had to go and quote that (ahem) study concluding that plant-based low-carb diets are better for us than animal-food low-carb diets. In fact, the data in that study was all over the place and the diets weren’t what any of us would call low-carb.
Fast forward to a 1995 movie “Casino” where Joe Pesci makes his son waffles and syrup for breakfast with “only a little butter because it clogs your arteries”.
Yup, TV and movies after around the mid-1980s were full of that advice.
Jon, I feel your pain. Working for a cardiovascular specailty agency and seeing how the patients are treated just really breaks my heart sometimes. Low fat, low cholesterol, put’m on statins… Nobody’s going to get better. But you have to do “best practice” you know or you could get sued…
And Andy Griffeth had more goin gfor him than this clip. Like morals…
So, speaking of healthy burgers……………..I live in a suburb of Des Moines and shop in another suburb, comprised of higher income people than me, etc. When I shop for ground beef, I rarely find the 80/20 ratio, after all, these well educated doctors/lawyers/CEOs all know that they have to eat the low fat beef! They are also just starting to carry some grass fed ground beef at $7.99 a pound, which I cannot justify on a fixed income. So, what’s a LCHF person to do? Pay the higher price for grass fed, or travel into the “poorer”, low income sections of Des Moines to find the fattier beef and pay for more gas in the car? BTW I looked for a fattier chuck roast today and was going to grind it myself, but the meat counter guy said he really didn’t have anything available with that kind of 80/20 fat ratio. If he puts those in the case, they don’t sell!
If price is an issue, buy the cheap stuff. It’s still good for you, just not as good as grass-fed.
@Linda
If you’ve got the equipment (grinder or good food processor) to grind it yourself, ask your butcher to get you some suet and grind it in with your meat to get a good fat ratio.
Also, The Wife just saw a an idea in one of her cooking magazines to grind some BACON up and mix it in with ground beef before patting out your burgers. We haven’t tried it yet, but I’m expecting something between “awesome” and “phenomenal.”
Cheers.
Fuddruckers serves a chopped steak plate with grilled onions and mushrooms and a side salad. Yummy.
I love the Andy Griffith show. We have the complete collection on DVD and watch it often. (They even have all the old Sanka and Jello commercials on them.) I swear if Andy’s version of Mayberry was real, I’d move there – nutty hillbillies and all. 🙂
I remember the diet plate too. I’d even ordered it a few times. It was tasty and filling. And like you said, we didn’t decide we just had to have dessert afterwards. Sadly, in this case, progress in nutritional thinking only caused us to walk backwards, instead of forwards. We already had it figured out.
I’d move to Mayberry if it were real, but our current town is a pretty decent substitute.
I’ve always been a fan of Dick Francis, British jockey turned writer. Just recently I had a nostalgic re-read of several of his early thrillers. His jockey heroes frequently talk about needing to watch what they eat as they can’t afford to gain so much as an ounce, in order to make weight for the horses they ride.
So what do they eat? It seems that most commonly they eat just plain steaks, or sometimes steak and a salad, occasionally an egg or two. One of them says he loves to eat lobster. They are forever turning down the carby food choices that others offer to them.
Hmm, I don’t know if this is the way Francis ate, but I imagine he did during his racing years, and he remained trim life-long so perhaps continued to eat that way, and he lived to be 89.
So at 89, those steaks finally killed him.
Is anybody surprised?
Actually, I’m surprised at the tone of the article in that it assumes everybody knows carbs are bad and doesn’t take any potshots at fat. The comment that meat = bad at the end was a shame.
ARGH! They just had to go and quote that (ahem) study concluding that plant-based low-carb diets are better for us than animal-food low-carb diets. In fact, the data in that study was all over the place and the diets weren’t what any of us would call low-carb.
Hi, this comment has nothing to do with this post but more as an overall reply to your documentary. I just want to say thank you for putting all the real facts out there about what the slimy government wants us to eat purely for their wallets’ sake. I am 22 and overweight, probably stemming from the “drinking-is-so-cool” trend for my age. But I remember back in high school, (yeah, I know that was only a couple years ago, doesn’t take much memory ability) I was put on a low-carb diet by my mother even though I was only maybe 10 pounds overweight. (I’m a rambler.) Anyways, I remember losing weight very quickly just as you had during the filming of your documentary and I just want to tell you I am very grateful to you for putting back on the right track of losing weight and being healthier. Not to mention, not being a pawn of the government’s ludicrous health guidelines.
Glad you figured it out early in life.
Alex
Fast forward to a 1995 movie “Casino” where Joe Pesci makes his son waffles and syrup for breakfast with “only a little butter because it clogs your arteries”.
Yup, TV and movies after around the mid-1980s were full of that advice.
Firebird, I’ve done that cottage cheese and cocoa thing. I don’t touch splenda, but stevia/erythritol (Stevita spoonable) works well. I also use xylitol occasionally. And if the cottage cheese isn’t creamy enough, I’ve been known to add some whipping cream. 🙂
Sami, I LOVE coconut butter. I eat it straight out of the jar.
Jon, I feel your pain. Working for a cardiovascular specailty agency and seeing how the patients are treated just really breaks my heart sometimes. Low fat, low cholesterol, put’m on statins… Nobody’s going to get better. But you have to do “best practice” you know or you could get sued…
And Andy Griffeth had more goin gfor him than this clip. Like morals…
@Linda
If you’ve got the equipment (grinder or good food processor) to grind it yourself, ask your butcher to get you some suet and grind it in with your meat to get a good fat ratio.
Also, The Wife just saw a an idea in one of her cooking magazines to grind some BACON up and mix it in with ground beef before patting out your burgers. We haven’t tried it yet, but I’m expecting something between “awesome” and “phenomenal.”
Cheers.
Fuddruckers serves a chopped steak plate with grilled onions and mushrooms and a side salad. Yummy.
Great video! It reminds me of what happened during the Dark Ages. Civilization seemed to have lost its “knowledge”, just like we have lost our “knowledge”, that carbohydrates and glucose make us fat and sick. A little off topic(well, actually, a lot) but can anyone tell me what kind/type of coconut oil to use. I have used raw that I purchased on-line, but my local grocery store has some that is refined. I assume that raw is better, but would like advice/recommendations. Thanks.
We order big containers of it through Amazon. Our just says “pure coconut oil.”
I’ve always been a fan of Dick Francis, British jockey turned writer. Just recently I had a nostalgic re-read of several of his early thrillers. His jockey heroes frequently talk about needing to watch what they eat as they can’t afford to gain so much as an ounce, in order to make weight for the horses they ride.
So what do they eat? It seems that most commonly they eat just plain steaks, or sometimes steak and a salad, occasionally an egg or two. One of them says he loves to eat lobster. They are forever turning down the carby food choices that others offer to them.
Hmm, I don’t know if this is the way Francis ate, but I imagine he did during his racing years, and he remained trim life-long so perhaps continued to eat that way, and he lived to be 89.
So at 89, those steaks finally killed him.
Hi, this comment has nothing to do with this post but more as an overall reply to your documentary. I just want to say thank you for putting all the real facts out there about what the slimy government wants us to eat purely for their wallets’ sake. I am 22 and overweight, probably stemming from the “drinking-is-so-cool” trend for my age. But I remember back in high school, (yeah, I know that was only a couple years ago, doesn’t take much memory ability) I was put on a low-carb diet by my mother even though I was only maybe 10 pounds overweight. (I’m a rambler.) Anyways, I remember losing weight very quickly just as you had during the filming of your documentary and I just want to tell you I am very grateful to you for putting back on the right track of losing weight and being healthier. Not to mention, not being a pawn of the government’s ludicrous health guidelines.
Glad you figured it out early in life.
Alex
@ Marilyn, I’ve done that, too! Try it w/some peanut butter!
Firebird, I’ve done that cottage cheese and cocoa thing. I don’t touch splenda, but stevia/erythritol (Stevita spoonable) works well. I also use xylitol occasionally. And if the cottage cheese isn’t creamy enough, I’ve been known to add some whipping cream. 🙂
Sami, I LOVE coconut butter. I eat it straight out of the jar.
@Stacie
“Refined” means they’ve processed the coconut flavor out. With raw you’re going to taste the coconut.
I’ve bought Spectrum Organic. It’s mechanically pressed which means they don’t use high heat or chemicals for the processing. The chemically processed versions could involve hydrogenation, which you’d want to avoid. Check the label, but if you get the right kind it’s just a matter of whether you want the coconut flavor.
Cheers.
Great video! It reminds me of what happened during the Dark Ages. Civilization seemed to have lost its “knowledge”, just like we have lost our “knowledge”, that carbohydrates and glucose make us fat and sick. A little off topic(well, actually, a lot) but can anyone tell me what kind/type of coconut oil to use. I have used raw that I purchased on-line, but my local grocery store has some that is refined. I assume that raw is better, but would like advice/recommendations. Thanks.
We order big containers of it through Amazon. Our just says “pure coconut oil.”
@ Marilyn, I’ve done that, too! Try it w/some peanut butter!
@Stacie
“Refined” means they’ve processed the coconut flavor out. With raw you’re going to taste the coconut.
I’ve bought Spectrum Organic. It’s mechanically pressed which means they don’t use high heat or chemicals for the processing. The chemically processed versions could involve hydrogenation, which you’d want to avoid. Check the label, but if you get the right kind it’s just a matter of whether you want the coconut flavor.
Cheers.
@ Marilyn and Firebird…. You are making me SO HUNGRY!! I MUST get to the store today!!!!
oh yeah btw, thanks tom for the post! 🙂 Sharing!
@ Marilyn and Firebird…. You are making me SO HUNGRY!! I MUST get to the store today!!!!
oh yeah btw, thanks tom for the post! 🙂 Sharing!
I still think potatoes are getting a bad rap in there somewhere. You could find at least 1,000 classic Hollywood clips where it’s obvious to anyone that the most filling meal known to man is meat and potatoes. There was some classic study of satiety in the 1980’s where people ate 240 calories worth of various foods and their hunger was measured over the next 2 hours. Boiled potatoes were by far the most filling food tested, over 3 times as filling as white bread. Beef was #2. Oatmeal was pretty high as well, which makes me think that boiled gloppy starch might be much more filling than dry, crispy starch.
If it’s a choice between grains or potatoes, I’m going with the potatoes every time.
Linda – if you want to add fat to your burgers, the simplest way would be to add some raw sausage to the ground beef. Sausage is usually 3 parts fat to one part meat. Just slit them out of their casings and you’re good to go.
Personally, I enjoy lean beef a great deal, especially when it’s naturally lean such as the grass fed stuff you’re talking about. If you think the ground beef is too dry, you could counteract that by adding frozen spinach (defrost in the microwave and squeeze out the excess moisture with a kitchen towel before adding to the meat), or by adding finely chopped mushroom, onion, or even oatmeal (maybe with an egg to bind it).
If you still want fat, put a nice piece of full fat, full flavored cheese like a sharp cheddar on top and melt until it’s oozing.
BTW, the problem with hamburger today, in my opinion, isn’t that it’s too lean. It’s that it’s overcooked. Restaurants will often insist on cooking ground beef to extremely well done, where it is dry and tasteless no matter what the fat content might be. They’d rather serve a crappy burger than get sued for E Coli. 96% lean ground beef is perfectly delicious all by itself if you salt and pepper both sides, sear it over medium high or high heat, and cook it to a nice medium rare or medium.
I still think potatoes are getting a bad rap in there somewhere. You could find at least 1,000 classic Hollywood clips where it’s obvious to anyone that the most filling meal known to man is meat and potatoes. There was some classic study of satiety in the 1980’s where people ate 240 calories worth of various foods and their hunger was measured over the next 2 hours. Boiled potatoes were by far the most filling food tested, over 3 times as filling as white bread. Beef was #2. Oatmeal was pretty high as well, which makes me think that boiled gloppy starch might be much more filling than dry, crispy starch.
If it’s a choice between grains or potatoes, I’m going with the potatoes every time.
Linda – if you want to add fat to your burgers, the simplest way would be to add some raw sausage to the ground beef. Sausage is usually 3 parts fat to one part meat. Just slit them out of their casings and you’re good to go.
Personally, I enjoy lean beef a great deal, especially when it’s naturally lean such as the grass fed stuff you’re talking about. If you think the ground beef is too dry, you could counteract that by adding frozen spinach (defrost in the microwave and squeeze out the excess moisture with a kitchen towel before adding to the meat), or by adding finely chopped mushroom, onion, or even oatmeal (maybe with an egg to bind it).
If you still want fat, put a nice piece of full fat, full flavored cheese like a sharp cheddar on top and melt until it’s oozing.
BTW, the problem with hamburger today, in my opinion, isn’t that it’s too lean. It’s that it’s overcooked. Restaurants will often insist on cooking ground beef to extremely well done, where it is dry and tasteless no matter what the fat content might be. They’d rather serve a crappy burger than get sued for E Coli. 96% lean ground beef is perfectly delicious all by itself if you salt and pepper both sides, sear it over medium high or high heat, and cook it to a nice medium rare or medium.
a new article today from the geniuses of Shine Yahoo!
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/10-diet-and-exercise-myths-that-pack-on-pounds-2497440/
the problem i have with it is this one and especially where he says they don’t get enough protein ! okay, but don’t eat cheese! LOL
Eliminating meat from your diet can result in great health benefits, but if you don’t follow a vegetarian diet properly, you could accidentally pack on pounds.
Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet, explains common vegetarian beginners’ mistakes that may cause weight gain. Vegetarian “types” to avoid becoming:
•Cheese-aholic vegetarians: They cut out meat from their diets and turn to cheese as a protein source. But cheese is a high-calorie, high-fat food and should be eaten in moderation.
•Faux-meat fixators: All they eat is boxes of frozen faux meats, such as soy chicken nuggets, vegetarian sausage links, and veggie bacon strips. These products are okay once in a while, but they are heavily processed and can have a lot of sodium, resulting in bloating and water retention.
•No-veggie vegetarians: A lot of vegetarians don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. They eat only grains, beans and veggie burgers, all of which can be high in calories.
•Same-meal-minus-the-meat vegetarians: These people eat the same meals they did before, but without the meat. If they’re not replacing the protein, they’ll probably have a ferocious appetite and may be missing out on essential nutrients.
•”Vegetarian” food label fans: These people find any recipe or packaging that contains the word “vegetarian” or “meatless” and then overeat that food. They often wind up taking in too much junk food. Be aware that the word “vegetarian” is not synonymous with “healthy” or “low calorie.”
Blatner recommends replacing meat with beans in recipes for an easy, healthy—and inexpensive—protein source. She advises new vegetarians—and those who want to dabble in a vegetarian diet—to start having fun with vegetarian recipes. “Find ones you like that you’re going to keep eating. Enjoy the journey of it.”
The faux-meat fixators crack me up, frankly. If you’re craving burgers and hot dogs, doesn’t that tell you something?
a new article today from the geniuses of Shine Yahoo!
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/10-diet-and-exercise-myths-that-pack-on-pounds-2497440/
the problem i have with it is this one and especially where he says they don’t get enough protein ! okay, but don’t eat cheese! LOL
Eliminating meat from your diet can result in great health benefits, but if you don’t follow a vegetarian diet properly, you could accidentally pack on pounds.
Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet, explains common vegetarian beginners’ mistakes that may cause weight gain. Vegetarian “types” to avoid becoming:
•Cheese-aholic vegetarians: They cut out meat from their diets and turn to cheese as a protein source. But cheese is a high-calorie, high-fat food and should be eaten in moderation.
•Faux-meat fixators: All they eat is boxes of frozen faux meats, such as soy chicken nuggets, vegetarian sausage links, and veggie bacon strips. These products are okay once in a while, but they are heavily processed and can have a lot of sodium, resulting in bloating and water retention.
•No-veggie vegetarians: A lot of vegetarians don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. They eat only grains, beans and veggie burgers, all of which can be high in calories.
•Same-meal-minus-the-meat vegetarians: These people eat the same meals they did before, but without the meat. If they’re not replacing the protein, they’ll probably have a ferocious appetite and may be missing out on essential nutrients.
•“Vegetarian” food label fans: These people find any recipe or packaging that contains the word “vegetarian” or “meatless” and then overeat that food. They often wind up taking in too much junk food. Be aware that the word “vegetarian” is not synonymous with “healthy” or “low calorie.”
Blatner recommends replacing meat with beans in recipes for an easy, healthy—and inexpensive—protein source. She advises new vegetarians—and those who want to dabble in a vegetarian diet—to start having fun with vegetarian recipes. “Find ones you like that you’re going to keep eating. Enjoy the journey of it.”
The faux-meat fixators crack me up, frankly. If you’re craving burgers and hot dogs, doesn’t that tell you something?
This is very encouraging:
Quote from a movie called You Again:
“No…no, Joana don’t do it!! Put…down…the spray cheese. There are so many carbs!”
Quote from The Devil Wears Prada:
“And just think of the CLOTHES you’ll get! You don’t deserve them, you eat CARBS for crying out loud”
Quote from When In Rome:
“Food’s great. Low-carb, high protein”
These are not old movies, at least not from way back when everyone knew carbs were bad for you. They’re all pretty modern.
That is encouraging.
This is very encouraging:
Quote from a movie called You Again:
“No…no, Joana don’t do it!! Put…down…the spray cheese. There are so many carbs!”
Quote from The Devil Wears Prada:
“And just think of the CLOTHES you’ll get! You don’t deserve them, you eat CARBS for crying out loud”
Quote from When In Rome:
“Food’s great. Low-carb, high protein”
These are not old movies, at least not from way back when everyone knew carbs were bad for you. They’re all pretty modern.
That is encouraging.
I also remember those diet platters. There was a Kmart a couple blocks from my highschool so I would go to the kmart cafeteria for lunch instead of my highschool cafeteria and get the diet plate for lunch. It cost less then $2.00.
I loved it and it was pretty much the only time I ever got cottage cheese and a hamburger patty because my mother never bought them. She fed us mostly pasta with sauce (no meat for dinners). Breakfast was toast and peanut butter or cereal.Lunch was that boxed Lipton chicken noodle soup or a sandwich.
I never did see eggs in our fridge either until I found them in the crisper drawer under some salad veggies. Our mom was hiding all the good foods (proteins) for herself to eat. I found that out later after she died and I was reading her diaries.
I also remember those diet platters. There was a Kmart a couple blocks from my highschool so I would go to the kmart cafeteria for lunch instead of my highschool cafeteria and get the diet plate for lunch. It cost less then $2.00.
I loved it and it was pretty much the only time I ever got cottage cheese and a hamburger patty because my mother never bought them. She fed us mostly pasta with sauce (no meat for dinners). Breakfast was toast and peanut butter or cereal.Lunch was that boxed Lipton chicken noodle soup or a sandwich.
I never did see eggs in our fridge either until I found them in the crisper drawer under some salad veggies. Our mom was hiding all the good foods (proteins) for herself to eat. I found that out later after she died and I was reading her diaries.