Aminal Protien

Do you want the low down on meat? In the past, it has felt confusing for me to decide what to buy when I am standing in front of the meat at the supermarket wanting to make a healthy selection.  I had no idea what was the difference from organic, grass feed, natural and hormone free food. Check out the information below for some tips. The list was taken from this blog. He gives you a guide to each meat category. So the next time you go to the grocery store, you will be prepared!

Animal Protein

Red Meat
In the news recently there has been a lot of controversy over whether or not red meat is a healthful food and whether or not it causes cancer.
We’ve been eating meat since the beginning of time, but the meat we evolved on makes up for a very small fraction of what is available to us today.
The truth is that all the studies that have said it is a cancer and other disease causing food are flawed studies that combine a McDonald’s bacon cheeseburger with the list of high standards meat must have to be a healthful food.
There is absolutely no evidence to support that the following classifications of meat are bad for you however a lot to support how healthful it is:
Note: If you are unable to meet these standards for whatever reason, do your best. Even lower quality meat is going to be better for you than conventional diet. As a rule of thumb, if it isn’t quality, make it lean.
Beef, Lamb, Buffalo and other game meats:
- 100% grass-fed and finished (No grain or corn fed at any point of the animal’s life)

– 100% hormone & antibiotic-free

-Not processed (No breakfast sausage, pepperoni, salami, deli meat, canned/frozen meats, beef jerky, corned beef, bacon, hotdogs, etc)
If you follow these guidelines, red meat is definitely not something to avoid. Any investigation can pretty clearly point to how this is possible, because most places that you’d buy red meat at, either restaurants or stores, don’t offer meat that meets these standards.
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Poultry
Poultry is less often accused of causing major health risks, but there are still qualifications that it should meet if money allows it:
-Pasture Raised (You likely will have to shop farmers markets for this one. No grocery store sells pasture raised chickens)If not available:
-Free range chickens
- 100% hormone & antibiotic-free

- Not processed (No turkey bacon, packaged turkey / chicken sausage, jerky, deli meat, etc) unless you happen to find a quality one

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Pork

-Foraging diet (You likely will have to shop farmers markets for this one. No grocery store sells foraged pigs)

Fish
- Wild (not farmed)

- Primarily Small (To help avoid mercury exposure, it is better to stay away from large fish)
- If canned, must be packaged in water only (no salt, phosphates, or vegetable oil)
LEAST MERCURY
Anchovies
Butterfish
Catfish
Clam
Crab (Domestic)
Crawfish/Crayfish
Croaker (Atlantic)
Flounder
Haddock (Atlantic)
Hake
Herring
Mackerel (N. Atlantic, Chub)
Mullet
Oyster
Perch (Ocean)
Plaice
Pollock
Salmon (Canned)
Salmon (Fresh)
Sardine
Scallop
Shad (American)
Shrimp
Sole (Pacific)
Squid (Calamari)
Tilapia
Trout (Freshwater)
Whitefish
Whiting
MODERATE MERCURY
Bass (Striped, Black)
Carp
Cod (Alaskan)
Croaker (White Pacific)
Halibut (Atlantic)
Halibut (Pacific)
Jacksmelt (Silverside)
Lobster
Mahi Mahi
Monkfish
Perch (Freshwater)
Sablefish
Skate
Snapper
Tuna (Canned chunk light)
Tuna (Skipjack)
Weakfish (Sea Trout)
HIGH MERCURY
Eat three servings or less per month:
Bluefish
Grouper
Mackerel (Spanish, Gulf)
Sea Bass (Chilean)
Tuna (Canned Albacore)
Tuna (Yellowfin)
HIGHEST MERCURY
Avoid eating:
Mackerel (King)
Marlin
Orange Roughy
Shark
Swordfish
Tilefish
Tuna (Bigeye, Ahi)
Mercury Source: http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp