I am going to have to change my ways

[geebee]

For anyone still using slow cookers - here is an easy low fat pork dish.

Take a 2# pork loin roast and trim off most of the fat. Place in a slow cooker with 1 jar of Franco-American beef gravy (which is FF) and 1 jar of Franco-American turkey gravy (also FF). Add water if needed to cover the roast (gravy can be thickened by boiling after meat is done) Cook on low for 4 hours or so until meat starts to fall apart. Serve over rice.

Yumm.

 

[Barry]

Ah, gee bee, now that's the kind of recipe I like: Designed for folks who love to eat and hate to cook. Gotta check it out.

As hensylee noted, the swine being raised today have much much less fat than those of yesteryear.

Also as hensylee noted, poultry is commonly packed with antibiotics - ongoing saga of reducing the effectiveness of antibiotics through their over-use.

I'm pretty sure that beef is loaded with antibiotics,too. Don't know about pork.


perkicar, I knew trichinosis had become pretty rare, but I hadn't realized that it's become vanishingly rare in livestock. I wonder what game meats they're talking about, though: I do know that trichinosis is pretty common in bear. meat. Because of the life-cycle of the parasite, I think (but don't know for sure) that it's limited to scavengers and omnivores (like pigs, bears, and people).

 

[Barry]

...Marbling gives you flavor - no doubt about it...

McDonald's got sued a couple of years ago by some vegetarians when it turned out that the reason why their fries tasted so good was because they put suet (beef fat) in the cooking oil. I believe they no longer do that.

 

[tobagotwo]

Pam, dogs get heart disease and have strokes, too. Please be stingy with what fat you give your furry best friend.

I always save a bite or two of what I'm eating for my little dog at the end of the meal, as sharing is part of a dog's culture. But the fat all goes into the trash.

Best wishes,

 

[Barry]

Tobagoto, I see no problem with feeding my dog food fat and other foods that aren't heart-healthy. Although one of the major design flaws of the universe is that dogs don't live long enough, the flip side of that coin is that dogs don't need to worry about conditions that are the cumulation of 20 years. I don't think dogs live long enough to have to worry about keeping the fat content of their diet down.

For the same reason, I have no problem with my dog smoking cigarettes.

 

[Mary]

For the same reason, I have no problem with my dog smoking cigarettes.

I guess you'll tell us next you're ok with him drinking the hard stuff?

 

[tobagotwo]

Tobagoto, I see no problem with feeding my dog food fat and other foods that aren't heart-healthy. Although one of the major design flaws of the universe is that dogs don't live long enough, the flip side of that coin is that dogs don't need to worry about conditions that are the cumulation of 20 years. I don't think dogs live long enough to have to worry about keeping the fat content of their diet down.

'Tain't so, McGee... Our parents believed that. I believed it for a good part of my life. Try running it by your vet the next time you have the pup on the table for a rabies vaccination, though.

I'm not saying you or Pam are giving your dogs too much fat. Obviously, I have no way to know that. An occasional tasty sliver of steak suet is certainly not harmful. Nor do I for a moment believe either of you would ever do anything to harm your dogs.

But...dogs do get heart and arterial disease, and they have heart attacks and strokes very commonly in their short lifetimes. And they can get a number of other fat-related health issues (other than obesity). All of their metabolism runs faster than ours, including the parts that develop diseases. They do need more fats in their diets than humans do, but while they can handle more, too much isn't good for them, either.

A smattering of sample info. Then I'll stop, so I don't sidetrack any more of this thread.
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1580&articleid=335 (highlighting mine)

Pancreatitis (Inflammation) Holly Nash, DVM, MS Veterinary Services Department, Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc.

Multiple factors can contribute to the development of pancreatitis. Certain medications, infections; metabolic disorders including hyperlipidemia (high amounts of lipid in the blood) and hypercalcemia (high amounts of calcium in the blood); and trauma and shock can be associated with the development of pancreatitis...Nutrition also plays a role. Dogs with diets high in fat, or dogs who 'steal' or are fed greasy 'people food' seem to have a high incidence of the disease.

From http://www.volhard.com/holistic/artbywv.htm

Too much animal fat in the diet creates: obesity, mammary gland tumors, and cancer of the colon and rectum

There is also a set of articles from Dog Fancy magazine available onlline which deal with heart and artery disease in pooches.

Articles which extoll the virtues of fats for dogs refer constantly to Omega-3 fatty acids (the kind we're told to eat), and steer away from too much of the Omega-6-rich animal fats (which we're also advised to limit - for the exact same reason).

Best wishes,

 

[McCln]

Everything that says free, not really free of the item in question, just in lower percentage or serving. Fat free, still has fat, but lower. Salt free, still has some salt, etc. Best to cook from scratch and know exactly that it is salt free, fat free, and so on. It is great that you are going the healthy route, but do not give up everything, just do portion control, and do not skip meals. Look at what different diets offer and blend together. You must be consistant to have a healthy diet. I am still experimenting. Good luck and have a great week.

 

[Barry]

...I'll stop, so I don't sidetrack any more of this thread....,

Aw, you're no fun anymore. Interesting tangents are half the fun.

Thanks for the links. I guess I'm operating with the premise of moderation in all things - using my dog as a four-legged garbage disposal would likely be a different matter were I part of a large family instead of living alone. I don't think it's good for a dog when it doesn't have to rely upon dry food for nearly all its food intake, and you and I are in complete agreement that obesity is very very bad for a dog.

But I still say that it's OK for my dog to smoke cigarettes.

 

[Barry]

...Best to cook from scratch and know exactly that it is salt free, fat free, and so on...

Thankfully, I've always cooked from scratch because I quickly get tired of eating out (and broke!) and I don't care for prepared foods. I long ago quit using salt when I cook, not for any particular reason, just began using it as a table condiment instead of a cooking seasoning. Once you start doing that you really develop a dislike for prepared foods because they invariably are far too salty.

I always kinda snicker when I see stuff labelled "95% Fat Free!" and some such. Oh boy - only 1/20th of it is fat!

I gotta admit I tend to avoid fat for reasons that have little to do with my heart and a lot to do with my vanity: Ever since reaching middle age I've had a tendency to run to fat myself, so I gotta minimize it in my diet.

 

[hensylee]

don't use any salt when cooking beef and pork. It dries and toughens the meat. You can add salt later, although there is always some in the meats when you buy it, via the animal's diet.

Miss SS eats dry, canned food, mixed. They need some moist food. She always goes to the water dish after eating, I guess to add even more moisture to her food. As a treat we give her sugar cookies (1) about once a day. She goes bananas over them. And she knows the difference in that cookie and any other. Other treats are dog biscuits and chews. But not many because she's getting older now and everything adds lbs - including dogs.

 

[Barry]

Hadn't known cooking with salt dries and toughens meat, although I have heard that you shouldn't cook beans with salt because it toughens them.

Regarding doggie calorie-counting... I should think that doggie biscuits are no different than dry dog food, and I'm pretty sure that rawhide chews contain very few calories. Main thing I've been given to understand is that a diet of canned dog food and lots of table scraps is bad for a dog's teeth regardless of whether or not you keep it down to where the dog won't get fat.

Although note tobagoto's links: I was especially taken by the one linking pancreatitits to excess fat. Pancreatititis is relatively common among severe alcoholics and is horridly painful - nothing I'd want my dog to go through. Thankfully, my dog only drinks moderately.

Wondering...

I presume that among fats we're including vegetable oils. I generally use Canola oil and olive oil. Are they OK for you? [Another language tangent: Canola oil is rape seed oil. Clearly any product with the word "rape" in it is going to face some serious marketing challenges, so they began calling it "Canola Oil".]

 

[hensylee]

I don't want to hijack this thread but...

my dog had a root canal not too long ago and the vet said it was from rawhide chews! Guess some dogs can't handle the hardness of them and they will crack their teeth. And, never knew it but my aunt's dog had to have a root canal for the very same reason! Maybe it's the drydrydry Colorado air that makes them rawhides so hard!

Miss SS has a huge mouth, huge strong teeth, makes short work of any chew, but we don't give them often. Last one I bought was 3-4 $ and she made such short work of it that she'd break her budget in short shrift.

Barry, we use olive oil.

Barry, mother always told me not to use salt in pork and beef when cooking - and my mother was always right. Check it out both ways - with/without - and see for yourself, tho. I did. When I fussed about tough dry meat, she told me why. Wet heat always makes meat more tender, maybe that's why we cover when making a pot roast.

 

[Harpoon]

In cooking, I've found meats (especially chicken) work out better when baked if there's some fluid (I'll often use "virgin" white wine rather than water, but water does fine) in the pan and if the meat is wrapped at least loosely in foil. Some recipes call for this, some don't.

I also have a meat thermometer and use that as a judge for cooking times rather than a stove timer. If your stove cooks "too hot" or "too cold" then the timer won't give you an accurate gauge of when your meat is done. Check the internal temp, in several places if possible.

I marinade stuff too when I can, that seems to help a lot and my marinades don't contain salt, or at least, they're VERY low sodium...

 

[Barry]

In cooking, I've found meats (especially chicken) work out better when baked if there's some fluid (I'll often use "virgin" white wine rather than water, but water does fine) in the pan and if the meat is wrapped at least loosely in foil. Some recipes call for this, some don't....

Here's a weird one I've heard of that I've yet to try: You open a can of beer, and put a chicken on it vertically with the beer can entering the chicken's body cavity, and then bake/roast the chicken.

 

[geebee]

Here's a weird one I've heard of that I've yet to try: You open a can of beer, and put a chicken on it vertically with the beer can entering the chicken's body cavity, and then bake/roast the chicken.

I saw that on a barbeque TV show and the one thing they kept stating was "Don't forget to open the beer can" Apparently some folks left it unopened and blew up the bird and part of their oven.

I think you can do this on an outside grill too.

 

[perrybucsdad]

I saw that on a barbeque TV show and the one thing they kept stating was "Don't forget to open the beer can" Apparently some folks left it unopened and blew up the bird and part of their oven.

I think you can do this on an outside grill too.

So it's kinda like a Beer enama? Interesting!