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About Shrimp, Beef Hearts And Other Organ Meat
nunn
Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,013 ******
I have a little cholesterol problem, and was unable to control it with diet and excercise, so I take medication for it now.
My mother told me that ALL "organ meat" is high in fat and cholesterol. I can believe that about liver and kidney, but what about heart and chicken gizzards?
Seems to me that those meats are very lean, very dense muscle tissue, not "organs" in the same sense that liver is.
I love gizzards. I don't like chicken liver, but I do like calf liver, fried and smothered in onions. Chicken hearts are small, but good. Beef heart tastes just like chicken heart, but there is more of it per unit.
I also love shrimp, and have been told that, though it is high in cholesterol, shrimp does not raise blood cholesterol numbers. True or not?
My mother told me that ALL "organ meat" is high in fat and cholesterol. I can believe that about liver and kidney, but what about heart and chicken gizzards?
Seems to me that those meats are very lean, very dense muscle tissue, not "organs" in the same sense that liver is.
I love gizzards. I don't like chicken liver, but I do like calf liver, fried and smothered in onions. Chicken hearts are small, but good. Beef heart tastes just like chicken heart, but there is more of it per unit.
I also love shrimp, and have been told that, though it is high in cholesterol, shrimp does not raise blood cholesterol numbers. True or not?
Comments
The shrimp is fine, the others are a No No.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-diet/DA00074
Whoo boy! I go to the East Rock Oriental Buffet in the evenings, when they serve black pepper shrimp, boiled shrimp, hot spicy shrimp, and fried shrimp. One ounce isn't even a cocktail.
I guess taking the medication is a good thing.
I have a simple rule of thumb here.
If it tastes good it's bad for you.
And, if you have sex, you will die. Guaranteed.[:D][:D]
Problem is, if you DON'T have sex you will also die.
So which are you going to pick?
Nunn,
Whether or not heart is an "organ" meat is a question of semantics (but I'd say, yes it is).
Heart tissue is made of cardiac muscle, which on a cellular level is fairly similar to the skeletal muscle of ordinary meat. Liver is a totally different thing altogether.
To answer your question, neither ordinary beef liver nor heart are particularly high in saturated (animal) fat, when compared to the more yummy cuts like Ribeye or sirloin, which are marbled with fat.
That's exactly why the more delicious cuts taste better. They contain more fat. Goose liver pate is high in fat, but that's not what we are talking about.
Like all animal meats, both liver and heart are high in cholesterol, particularly the liver since it has many intracellular membranes. So its a little bit of a tradeoff that way.
Bottom line is, switching to heart or liver isn't really going to make all that much of a difference. Neither one of them is going to be significantly worse or better for you than an equivalent amount of good steak.
Your best bet is to cut down on the meat altogether, or if you can't do that at least try portion control. . .more rice, more beans, less meat.
Now in terms of chicken gizzards, I'm 98% sure those are made of smooth (ie non-skeletal) muscle, and realistically speaking probably aren't any different than other forms of lean chicken (ie breast).
I can't be as specific about shrimp (non-mammal tissue is a bit out of my league), but my guess is that while relatively high in cholesterol, its probably low in saturated fat, and therefore better for you, pound for pound, than steak.
And, if you have sex, you will die. Guaranteed.[:D][:D]
Well none of us get out of here alive so.....[;)]
BTW live chicken gizzards. I call them the original chicken nuggets.
NRA Lifetime Benefactor Member.
--watch out for your lead intake (not withstanding your job)--
--just kidding !!!
--[:D][8D]--JIMBO
Chicken Gizzards and Beer [:p][:p]
Not me , i'm gonna eat what i like, and die whenever my number comes up!
Jeff
Black pepper, lots of it will help reduce it also.
GOOD LUCK
http://www.deaddoctors.com/
I have listened to Dr. Wallach since the late 80's and his nutrition facts are very well known in "JAMA" http://jama.ama-assn.org/
In short, and I know it's a little off topic, but this guy keeped me from having knee surgery when it wasn't needed. I just needed to change my diet an add a few supplements.