Red Meat & Ground Beef

[luv2deadlift34]

I eat lots of this for my protein and strenght! I try to eat chicken and tuna but for some reason I see better results for strenght from my red meat intake. Is this just in my head or is there a reason? The second part of this question is will I lean out with only eating red meats? I eat the lean beef and always drain the oils and even go as far as taking a few paper towels to get even more oils from the meat. I train for power but would like to have a better look than most that are just huge without any shape but their guts! So red meats or not? Thanks in advance for all the help!

[heyzeus909]

You aren't the first person I met that said they grew more muscle/got stronger when consuming beef, as opposed to consuming chicken. I don't have good sources for this, so take it with a grain of sea salt, but a pound of beef has 2grams of creatine, while chicken contains very little. That could have something to do with it.

Better yet, it's likely the fat in the beef that's giving you the most benefit. Beef has a type of saturated fat called stearic acid in it that helps to boost testosterone levels. Grass fed beef would be the best call here, as it has a better fat profile overall, including higher levels of stearic acid. If you continue to consume grain fed, then you'll likely be best served eating the leaner cuts of beef.

Beef also has more cholesterol in it than chicken, and this could also benefit you in the muscle/strength department.

So...for building muscle/strength, I'd give the nod to beef over chicken thanks to the creatine, fat, and cholesterol content.


But wait...tuna has beneficial fats in it too, you say? The beneficial omega 3's in tuna have anti-inflammatory effects associated with them. This is great for the prevention of a lot of ills, but unfortunately, just like taking anti-inflammatory medicines (aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.) while trying to build muscle, there is concern that this anti-inflammatory effect can disrupt the process of building muscle. Fish oil inhibits the type of prostaglandins the body produces that are pro inflammatory. Beef, whole eggs, and milk have the opposite effect.

My advice would be to consider beef, whole eggs, and milk products while pursuing lean gains and strength, but switch to fish containing the beneficial omega 3's while cutting fat and retaining muscle.

Alternatively, you could continue the beef while in a cutting phase, but really, it's probably a good idea to cycle your foods to keep the body from adapting to the same diet.

Back to chicken...I've really never considered plain chicken breasts anything other than an anti-catabolic (muscle sparing) protein. There's nothing particularly anabolic (muscle building) about it. If someone is opposed to the taste of fish, like me, then replacing actual fish with chicken and fish oil capsules while on a cutting phase would be making some good use of chicken.

I know, I know...the magazines are full of diet plans of professional bodybuilders that include copious amounts of chicken breasts in their diets and these guys are all huge, right? Yes, and if someone is injecting testosterone into their system, then they can and should feel free to substitute chicken over beef, as well. They're getting all the help they need; they don't need the anabolic properties of diet like us mortals, nor should we emulate their nutrition.


Welcome to the site. Hope you find it useful.


MM

[luv2deadlift34]

Wow, thanks for your insight! I have to say beef is the best tasting to me but I also love tuna. I see what your saying on switching it up so I will try to do that more. Whats the best fish to eat if there is any?

[Thrust]

While it's anecdotal, I've also noticed better gains (strength and hypertrophy) while consuming beef. Beef, eggs, and raw milk are staples in my (cutting/maintenance/whatever) diet.

**note** no matter how hard it is to find raw milk, DO NOT consume it once it has a "sweet" smell, simply go buy fresh. AMHIK.....lol .

[luv2deadlift34]

Raw milk......Im guessing its from the cow? Not sure where to get it here in the states, plus im leaving to germany in a month or so. Any opions over there?

[heyzeus909]

For raw milk:
http://eatcleanlifthard.com/forum/sh...6961#post16961


I'm hoping someone more familiar with fish than myself will give you some input with your fish question. My understanding, though, is that wild salmon would be at the top of the list with regard to omega-3's and low levels of pollutants and mercury.

Since you're a tuna eater, you may find some value in this link from Consumer Reports about tuna safety.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/b...07_tuna_ov.htm


There's also this to consider from Dr Andrew Weil:

"The safest and best fish for omega-3 fatty acids is probably the sardine."
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/ART02049
(^^more good info about fish consumption at that site, too)

[CLENCEO]

I love beef! My experience is that my aggression levels go way up if I over consume beef ( more than 3 times a week ) I kept it to 2-3 times only. Noticeable strength gains & for some reason faster recovery time.
I hate chicken & really don't eat it, only at BBQ's. My staple has been raw eggs, protein powder, oatmeal, PB, raw fruits & veggies.

[Fast LTD76]

I am with all the others on this one..
Like the ole holy MM said, there isnt any solid data but red meat always was my choice when trying to add muscle..

I first only "dieted" on fish and chicken for like 16 weeks straight, but the second time i added flank steak and buffalo into the mix and i held size better and looked "fuller" all the time.

[Rockwild]

I am with all the others on this one..
Like the ole holy MM said, there isnt any solid data but red meat always was my choice when trying to add muscle..

I first only "dieted" on fish and chicken for like 16 weeks straight, but the second time i added flank steak and buffalo into the mix and i held size better and looked "fuller" all the time.

I personally like to try and eat a good mixture of "Red" meat, Chicken, Fish, for protein. All have their own benefits and disadvantages. I try not to flavor one over the other. Yet I do think I have always been eating a lot more red meat out of the 3 because my family always eat the oh holy red meat for dinner 4-5 days a week.

I'm the only one who actually likes fish so I try and buy Tuna steaks, salmon and swordfish as my favorites...when I go to get fish.

[heyzeus909]

I personally like to try and eat a good mixture of "Red" meat, Chicken, Fish, for protein. All have their own benefits and disadvantages..

Omega-3s May Hinder Wound Healing

Omega-3 fatty acids -- touted as being heart healthy -- may hinder the healing of acute skin wounds, suggests an Ohio State University study.

It included 30 people with blister-type wounds in the skin. Fifteen of them took fish oil supplements (a source of omega-3s) and 15 people didn't take the supplements. The researchers believed those who took the supplements would have fewer inflammatory proteins in their skin, CBC News reported.

However, it turned out that participants who took the supplements actually had more inflammatory proteins in the skin than those who didn't take the supplements. This suggests that omega-3s in the blood may increase levels of these proteins, the researchers said.

"That finding was hard to explain. These proteins may have other functions that we don't yet fully understand," said lead author Jodi McDaniel, an assistant professor of nursing, CBC News reported.

The study appears in the journal Wound Repair and Regeneration.
http://health.yahoo.com/news/healthd...uly262008.html

Omega 3's interfere with the inflammatory effect needed for healing. "Healing" is another word for "recovery". As in, "recovering" from a workout.

The benefits and advantages of fish/fish oil are numerous (as are the benefits and advantages from all whole foods Nature provides, including many pro-inflammatory foods.) No way would I want to discourage someone from the benefits of fish/fish oil and other anti-inflammatory foods. However, if you're looking to heal and recover from a workout in an effort to put on muscle, I think your nutrition should match those efforts and not hinder them.

Cycling different sources of beneficial fats and foods that match different types of goals would be a good idea, in my opinion. Such as, consuming the inflammatory fats of beef (grass fed, of course), eggs (preferably from chickens on a good diet and with room to move), and milk (grass fed, raw) when self-inducing the micro injuries from a workout in an effort to put on muscle; and then when you switch to a cut, replace those fats and foods with anti-inflammatory fats and foods. Not only for the other health benefits that those anti-inflammatory fats and foods provide, but also because some of them will aid in fat loss, and it gives the body a break from digesting the same foods. It's a win-win, win, win.

Pro-inflammatory foods get an unnecessary bad rap because inflammation occurs when the body is trying to recover from an injury (including the micro injuries from working out) and disease. Blaming the disease on the inflammation is comparable to blaming the infection on the fever; it's the other way around: the fever is a sign that the body is trying to fight the problem - not the cause of the problem. The same holds true with the inflammatory response and the disease that cause the inflammatory response.

Then again, most sources of information you'll find about anti-inflammatory/pro-inflammatory foods are written by the same people that prescribe medicines at the first sign of a fever for the sole purpose of bringing it down - even at the detriment of interfering with the body doing its job. (thereby prolonging the sickness. Albeit, making it a more comfortable sickness.)

Also, most - if not all - junk foods are pro-inflammatory (such as trans fat laden foods, processed carbohydrate foods, processed vegetable fat foods, and grain fed animal products.) Since these foods have such obvious negative effects of their own - and they're pro-inflammatory - it's easy to say that all foods that promote the inflammatory response should be avoided or limited. This is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Avoiding unnatural foods (read: junk foods) is always a good idea. Period. But the "guilt by association" of other whole foods isn't something I can subscribe to. Nature doesn't try to kill us with Her foods...man does.

To me, consuming anti-inflammatory and inflammatory foods in the same diet is like trying to walk two paths at the same time. For the bodybuilder, consuming these foods that match bulk and cut cycles would be the preferred method, in my opinion (and that's exactly what that is...an opinion. By all means, suit yourself.)

Consistently eliminating or limiting inflammatory whole foods (for an otherwise healthy person) could be setting up one's system for failure. It may not be a good thing to have a hindered inflammatory response system when that system is called on by the body. However, if someone has a preexisting inflammatory condition (arthritis, heart disease, etc.) then avoiding these foods may be a good plan of action.


blah blah blah.


MM


ps Should have mentioned in my first post of this thread that the increased zinc and iron content of beef over chicken could be another reason many people report an increase in stregth/muscle when consuming beef as opposed to chicken.

pps Blah blah blah.