We Are Meat Eaters

My family are meat eaters.

I used to be a vegetarian through highschool, purely because I connected with animals well being (the health benefits of being a vego didn't even occur to me back then), to me it seemed cruel to raise an animal for human consumption. I also have family members and friends who what the same morals towards animals, so I had contact with non-meat eaters throughout my life.

I have to admit, I crave meat. I love the taste. There is nothing more satisfying than an antipasto platter with a bit of prosciutto on the plate. Taste is undeniably the first reason I began eating meat again. Focusing away from sustainability, I feel as though meat has a purpose in our diet, meat from smaller frames such as poultry, seafood and game. I believe in a balanced diet from wholefoods, personally if it was my choice, we would be eating a diet consisting mainly of vegetables, pulses, fruit, grains, some fish and little meat. But, living in a family which considers other members, I feel I must provide what my family wants, within reason. What I don't believe is that meat is an everyday food, that it should be the focus of the meal.

 

Because I have high morals about animal cruelty and living sustainably, I buy either organic free range meat or at the very least free range. I don't buy my meat from the supermarket, only from local butchers who buy from local farmers.

My two favourite butchers at the moment are Feast Fine Foods, who provide a range of meats and cuts you would see at the supermarket or any other butcher BUT they deal with the most premium producers you can find in the state. You'll find restaurant quality, organic, free range, rare breeds and rare cuts of meat. They really try to respect meat and it shows by the support they have for local farmers and the butchery classes they hold at The Adelaide Central Markets. I buy cheaper cuts of meat from Feast, as their prices are quite high and I'm realising because I buy meat that is mostly on the bone or a whole bird, it allows me to connect with the animal. During food preparation, I find myself slowing down and really seeing what animal I'm working with, where it came from and I give  it a little more respect and dignity. I don't think I could get the same feeling from a shrink wrapped, clean piece of fillet.

The second is Wild OZ. Wild OZ caters to my sustainable side. They hunt their produce, to a certain degree. I can be sure to find wild kangaroo (which is one of Australia's most sustainable meats), wild rabbit, open range pork and goat. They also try to focus their flavours on Australian bush foods, which also feeds my passion for native plants.

I'm finding if I have balance with my meat eating I can do so without overwhelming guilt. I am still working towards gradually cutting down my family on farmed red meat and I think kangaroo will be a great alternative. But boy, pushing for veggies in my family is hard work, although Mike has started eating more and he actually LOVES mushrooms now. Persistence!



MamaKoo

Does your family eat meat? What are some of your family favourites when it comes to vegetarian meals?

Sustainable Seafood

When choosing fish from your local fish monger have you ever thought what purchase would have a lesser impact on the environment? Now you can make a more informed choice with The Australian Marine Conservation Society's Australia's Sustainable Seafood Guide. They've released a free iPhone app, PDF file or hard copy you can purchase off their website for easy access to the information.

They've made the database easy to use, classifying seafood under "better", "think" and "no". It not only takes overfishing into consideration, but it also takes into account destructive fishing techniques, contamination and leakages dues to poor aquaculture practices and pollution. I highly recommend it for people who do consume seafood.


Overfishing, destructive fishing gear and poor aquaculture practices impact significantly on our seas, marine wildlife and habitats. An incredible 80% of the world's fish stocks are now over-exploited or fished right up to their limit. Once considered inexhaustible, our oceans are now in a state of global crisis, and they need our help.

As consumers we can and do make a difference through the choices we make. By choosing sustainable seafood we take a step towards a future with healthy oceans by helping drive change in the way our fish and shellfish are caught or farmed. We can all help make our seafood sustainable.


Also The Australian Conservation Foundation is conducting an independent Sustainable Seafood Assessment Program and provides an interactive map of Australia with a few sustainable seafood available in some states. As the assessment continues the map will be update and hopefully they can gain enough funding and momentum to have an extensive assessment avaliable.




MamaKoo

Excess baggage

Since giving birth my appetite has been absolutely monstrous! Producing all of that beautiful breast milk to feed my growing baby Grub is hard work for my body. I always told that as soon as I gave birth, that all my 'baby' weight would fall right off. How wrong I was.

Wedding day 'ideal' weight

I still have 'fat days' when I can't find anything to wear because nothing sits the way it used to, not to mention how massive my boobs have gotten. I also find it hard to mentally push aside all the images and articles of celebrities that have gotten into shape two weeks after giving birth. But I always find myself asking, "Do they actually spend time with their newborns, or are they too busy working up a sweat so they can feel better about their body image? Surely they can't be eating a healthy diet!".

Giant boobs

I feel that reality is, you'll never get your body back to the way it was pre-baby, its just been through one of the toughest physical efforts it will ever have to endure. For nine months it created life, its not going to take two weeks to get it all back, give yourself time. The main thing is to eat healthy and stay active, thats all you can do. Obsessing creates more problems and solves nothing. Besides, everybody's body works differently, I have friends who within four months of giving birth have gotten back to their pre-baby weight without doing anything differently. Whilst other mothers, after a few years of giving birth to their first, have just become comfortable with their weight again.

I found this guideline of healthy eating for breastfeeding women, to help me remind myself when I feel down about eating. It makes me feel like I'm not eating enough!!

Healthy Eating Guidelines for Breastfeeding Women

The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommends the following servings per day:

- 5 - 7 servings from the bread, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles group.
An example of one serve is 2 slices bread; 1 medium bread roll; 1 cup of cooked rice, pasta or noodles; or 1 1/3 cups of breakfast cereal flakes.

There is an allowance of about 20 g a day for poly or monunsaturated fats and oils that can be used to spread on breads or rolls or used elsewhere in the diet.

- 7 servings from the vegetables, legumes group.
An example of one serve is 75 grams or 1/2 cup cooked vegetables; 1/2 cup cooked dried beans, peas, lentils or canned beans; 1 cup of salad vegetables; or 1 small potato.

- 5 servings of fruit. An example of one serve is 1 medium apple; 2 small pieces (150 g) of fruit (apricots, kiwi fruit, plums); 1 cup of diced fruit pieces or canned fruit; 1/2 cup of fruit juice; or 1 1/2 tablespoons of sultanas.

- 2 servings from the milk, yoghurt, cheese group.
An example of one serve is 250 ml of milk; 250 ml of soy milk; 40 grams (2 slices) of cheese; or 200 g (1 small carton) of yoghurt.

- 2 servings from the meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts and legumes group.
An example of one serve is 65-100 grams cooked meat or chicken; 2 small chops; 2 slices of roast meat; 1/2 cup of cooked dried beans; 80-120 grams of fish fillet; 1/3 cup peanuts (almonds); or 2 small eggs.

Source: Australian Department of Health and Aging

Give your body time to heal, look at the miracle your body just produced!

MamaKoo