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Raw Paleo Diet Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: invisible on September 15, 2009, 09:59:42 am

Title: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: invisible on September 15, 2009, 09:59:42 am
ok the meat i'm eating at the moment doesn't taste good...yet it is entirely grass fed. What gives? and do you just eat it anyway?
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: PaleoPhil on September 15, 2009, 10:02:48 am
Yup, but I try to get local venison and bison, because I like them better than beef. Sometimes the bison doesn't taste all that great to me too, but the venison always tastes very good.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: goodsamaritan on September 15, 2009, 10:20:31 am
I'm now well adjusted to raw so I choose the meats that taste good.  If it tastes bad I don't eat it.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: invisible on September 15, 2009, 10:26:00 am
I'm now well adjusted to raw so I choose the meats that taste good.  If it tastes bad I don't eat it.

yeah but I got heaps of it. Waste of money if I don't. The bad taste doesn't mean that nutritionally it's inferior is what I guess I'm interested in.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: invisible on September 15, 2009, 10:28:59 am
Yup, but I try to get local venison and bison, because I like them better than beef. Sometimes the bison doesn't taste all that great to me too, but the venison always tastes very good.

yeah that's the thing...this is grass fed beef. I always eat grass fed beef and always like it, but this beef is tasting strange.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: TylerDurden on September 15, 2009, 04:46:02 pm
yeah that's the thing...this is grass fed beef. I always eat grass fed beef and always like it, but this beef is tasting strange.

Well, either the meat was exposed to some chemical before sale or the cow ate something dodgy. I've had wide variance re taste between different sources of 100% grassfed/organic beef and I suspect a lot of the difference is down to whether the cattle are also fed on herbs like clover  etc.

If the raw beef tastes so bad, you should adulterate it with raw spices such as crushed raw garlic etc. But like Paleophil said, wild game meats have a much richer taste and are mostly  not interfered with re nutrition by humans so their meat is virtually always superior to any grassfed meats.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: invisible on September 15, 2009, 08:00:59 pm
I suspect that one possibility is way the meat is aged or hung at the slaughterhouse has caused the taste since there is no taste of any blood or juices.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: goodsamaritan on September 15, 2009, 08:28:56 pm
yeah but I got heaps of it. Waste of money if I don't. The bad taste doesn't mean that nutritionally it's inferior is what I guess I'm interested in.

I trust my taste buds and my smell instinct.  If it tastes bad and smells bad it may be bad.  Just because the supplier labeled it grass fed doesn't mean individually there can't be rotten or sickly animals.  In a tray of fertilized eggs there can be bad eggs.

I think our taste buds are there for a reason and it is to keep us safe.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: wodgina on September 15, 2009, 10:27:40 pm
mmm I think ditch it and cut your losses. Not worth it.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: DeadRamones on September 15, 2009, 10:36:11 pm
What's it taste like? Rancid,gamey,sour,dry? I think you're right. Probably was aged dry so it stores longer. Meats for me never always taste the same. Some times my Grass-fed beef has a gamey taste.(Which I think is the best)
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: Raw Kyle on September 16, 2009, 04:40:05 am
If it tastes "not good" then I might eat it anyway. Although a couple of times I got some weird smelling and tasting meat from the local co op. I got a bunch of packages of beef cubes and about half of them smelled and tasted weird, almost like the gamey taste of lamb but it was beef, and stronger than the lamb taste/smell. I didn't eat most of it.

If it tastes "bad" as in rotten, you probably should get rid of it unless you're comfortable with high meat.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: invisible on September 16, 2009, 09:02:39 am
the thing is I don't like the taste, yet it doesn't taste like 'bad' meat as if it's grain fed or something. It just tastes different. It may just be a taste I'm not used to. I'll eat it for a week or so and see if I get used to and maybe even enjoy the taste.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: invisible on September 16, 2009, 09:06:39 am
almost like the gamey taste of lamb but it was beef, and stronger than the lamb taste/smell. I didn't eat most of it.

yes, it has that flavour now that you mention it. Kind of like a warm flavour in your mouth though it's straight out of the fridge
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: Raw Kyle on September 16, 2009, 09:32:10 am
I should have complained when I got the meat I was referring to, but I'm not that kind of person. If it kept happening I would just stop ordering it. But as best as I can remember there were some packages that smelled and tasted off, in a way that isn't readily comparable except for the gameyness reference.

Is all the meat you got that way, or just some?
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: invisible on September 16, 2009, 10:01:27 am
I should have complained when I got the meat I was referring to, but I'm not that kind of person. If it kept happening I would just stop ordering it. But as best as I can remember there were some packages that smelled and tasted off, in a way that isn't readily comparable except for the gameyness reference.

Is all the meat you got that way, or just some?

Hmm...only been eating it for 3 days so not sure
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: PaleoPhil on September 16, 2009, 08:42:46 pm
If you've been eating RPD long enough, you probably have a pretty strong stomach that could handle rotting meat at this point, so I wouldn't be overly concerned about it unless it tastes much worse to you than usual and you want your money back.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: invisible on September 17, 2009, 10:12:08 am
If you've been eating RPD long enough, you probably have a pretty strong stomach that could handle rotting meat at this point, so I wouldn't be overly concerned about it unless it tastes much worse to you than usual and you want your money back.

well this meat is fresh....but I could handle rotten meat.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: TylerDurden on September 17, 2009, 04:38:34 pm
If you've been eating RPD long enough, you probably have a pretty strong stomach that could handle rotting meat at this point, so I wouldn't be overly concerned about it unless it tastes much worse to you than usual and you want your money back.

It is erroneous to assume that rotting meat is more difficult for one's digestive system to handle. In fact, the opposite is generally true, as most people find "high-meat" digests much more easily than standard, fresh raw meats as the "high-meat" is already predigested by the multitude of  bacteria in it. The only exception is "high-meat" from a highly unhealthy source(eg:- grainfed meat) as that encourages unhealthy bacteria to thrive.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: invisible on September 18, 2009, 06:27:03 pm
It is erroneous to assume that rotting meat is more difficult for one's digestive system to handle. In fact, the opposite is generally true, as most people find "high-meat" digests much more easily than standard, fresh raw meats as the "high-meat" is already predigested by the multitude of  bacteria in it. The only exception is "high-meat" from a highly unhealthy source(eg:- grainfed meat) as that encourages unhealthy bacteria to thrive.

That's a good point, and though i've never eating truly high meat, the taste of meat that has turned brown all over i.e. starting to rot is fine.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: PaleoPhil on September 18, 2009, 11:18:38 pm
Interesting, I am learning a lot from you folks in this forum, Aajonus, the Inuit, etc. when it comes to high meat. What did Aajonus recommend for newbies when it comes to high meat? Did he just tell them to jump right in or take it slow or what?
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: TylerDurden on September 19, 2009, 05:13:36 am
Interesting, I am learning a lot from you folks in this forum, Aajonus, the Inuit, etc. when it comes to high meat. What did Aajonus recommend for newbies when it comes to high meat? Did he just tell them to jump right in or take it slow or what?

Well, it's Primal Diet custom to usually wait at least a year before trying high-meat. I seem to recall Aajonus suggesting people should start with marble-sized portions at first. I found that I needed 2 mouthful-sized chunks of high-meat before I got the full proper benefits re mood-enhancement/energy etc., so I wouldn't suggest keeping high-meat-intake to too low a level.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: PaleoPhil on September 19, 2009, 06:44:08 am
Well, it's Primal Diet custom to usually wait at least a year before trying high-meat. I seem to recall Aajonus suggesting people should start with marble-sized portions at first. I found that I needed 2 mouthful-sized chunks of high-meat before I got the full proper benefits re mood-enhancement/energy etc., so I wouldn't suggest keeping high-meat-intake to too low a level.
OK, now how do we square the above with "It is erroneous to assume that rotting meat is more difficult for one's digestive system to handle. In fact, the opposite is generally true...." Perhaps there is a missing piece of the puzzle that I'm missing (as my knowledge is limited when it comes to high meat)?
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: TylerDurden on September 19, 2009, 04:14:51 pm
OK, now how do we square the above with "It is erroneous to assume that rotting meat is more difficult for one's digestive system to handle. In fact, the opposite is generally true...." Perhaps there is a missing piece of the puzzle that I'm missing (as my knowledge is limited when it comes to high meat)?

I simply meant that most people don't like the taste of rotting raw meat and so it's usually recommended for newbies to first get used to(and enjoy) eating raw, fresh meat before they go on to high-meat. The Aajonus recommendation re marble-sized portions is also only to do with the taste factor. The actual digestion of high-meat is quick and easy judging from multiple reports, and, judging from my own experience, it's better absorbed by the body than fresh, raw meats(ie far fewer stools).
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: PaleoPhil on September 19, 2009, 10:39:12 pm
I simply meant that most people don't like the taste of rotting raw meat and so it's usually recommended for newbies to first get used to(and enjoy) eating raw, fresh meat before they go on to high-meat. The Aajonus recommendation re marble-sized portions is also only to do with the taste factor. The actual digestion of high-meat is quick and easy judging from multiple reports, and, judging from my own experience, it's better absorbed by the body than fresh, raw meats(ie far fewer stools).
Interesting. I have noticed that sour meat doesn't bother me nearly as much as it used to, though more decayed meat that has a rotting smell and taste still does. I also noticed that in one of his TV interviews, Aajonus seems to enjoy the taste of his rotted foods. If rotted meat digests better than fresh, then that suggests to me that Stone Agers may have consumed it relatively frequently. Do you have any idea what proportion of traditional Inuit food was eaten as high/rotted?

One reason I thought that it might be better to start out slow with high meats, beyond the taste factor, is that modern cooked food eaters are prone to getting sick if their food is undercooked and contains some living bacteria (ie, "food poisoning"), whereas people who have been eating mostly or all raw for some time seem less prone to this. I thought perhaps they might be even more prone to GI discomfort initially if they went right to eating lots of raw, rotted meats bountiful in bacteria. In other words, it seemed to me like it might not give their intestines sufficient time to transition to a different biotic culture.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: TylerDurden on September 20, 2009, 12:56:31 am
Interesting. I have noticed that sour meat doesn't bother me nearly as much as it used to, though more decayed meat that has a rotting smell and taste still does. I also noticed that in one of his TV interviews, Aajonus seems to enjoy the taste of his rotted foods. If rotted meat digests better than fresh, then that suggests to me that Stone Agers may have consumed it relatively frequently. Do you have any idea what proportion of traditional Inuit food was eaten as high/rotted?

I'm not really sure but it is noted by Stefansson et al that high meat(or rather high-fish) was a particularly coveted food. And then there are multiple other staples of the Inuit diet such as aged whale "high-meat"(aka "Muktuk"). As for Palaeos, except in Arctic areas, they had limited opportunity to freeze raw meats, so would have often have had to eat their meats in a partially-rotten state, at times, when game was plentiful.

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One reason I thought that it might be better to start out slow with high meats, beyond the taste factor, is that modern cooked food eaters are prone to getting sick if their food is undercooked and contains some living bacteria (ie, "food poisoning"), whereas people who have been eating mostly or all raw for some time seem less prone to this. I thought perhaps they might be even more prone to GI discomfort initially if they went right to eating lots of raw, rotted meats bountiful in bacteria. In other words, it seemed to me like it might not give their intestines sufficient time to transition to a different biotic culture.
Well, eating rotting, aged cooked wild gamebirds was a common practice among the English upper classes and they seem to have thrived on it.  And then there's the Inuit on their partially-cooked diets who seemed to be OK on raw high-meat. For my part, I've found that my usual detox effects from cooked foods are minimal if I consume high meat beforehand, suggesting little conflict. The real key issue is to get hold of high-meat from a high-quality raw source - if the raw animal food comes from a polluted bay or from a grainfed cow etc., then one should avoid aging it like the plague.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: PaleoPhil on September 20, 2009, 02:07:11 am
Interesting. I didn't know the muktuk was aged. Muktuk usually refers to the whale skin and subcutaneous fat. It makes sense, because I had read that they like it when the seal oil ferments.

When looking into this, I found the following. Apparently, the types of containers one keeps high foods in is very important:

<<Risks of consuming fermented foods

Alaska, despite its small population, has witnessed a steady increase of cases of botulism since 1985. It has more cases of botulism than anywhere else in the United States of America.[12] This is caused by the traditional Eskimo practice of allowing animal products such as whole fish, fish heads, walrus, sea lion and whale flippers, beaver tails, seal oil, birds, etc., to ferment for an extended period of time before being consumed. The risk is exacerbated when a plastic container is used for this purpose instead of the old-fashioned method, a grass-lined hole, as the botulinum bacteria thrive in the anaerobic conditions created by the plastic.[12]>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermentation_(food)

Well, eating rotting, aged cooked wild gamebirds was a common practice among the English upper classes and they seem to have thrived on it.  
But were the meats rotted and then cooked, so that the bacteria might have been killed off, or the reverse?

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And then there's the Inuit on their partially-cooked diets who seemed to be OK on raw high-meat. For my part, I've found that my usual detox effects from cooked foods are minimal if I consume high meat beforehand, suggesting little conflict.
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I don't think the cooked-food eaters who get very ill from undercooked foods do so because of a conflict between cooked and raw foods. Rather, I think there is some difference in their bodies, because not all cooked-food eaters who eat the same tainted food get sick. I suspect that some people's systems are more damaged than others by modern diets, and these people are less able to handle bacteria, especially pathogenic bacteria, than others.

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The real key issue is to get hold of high-meat from a high-quality raw source - if the raw animal food comes from a polluted bay or from a grainfed cow etc., then one should avoid aging it like the plague.
Thanks, that's good to know.
Title: Re: meat that doesn't taste good
Post by: TylerDurden on September 20, 2009, 05:07:31 pm

When looking into this, I found the following. Apparently, the types of containers one keeps high foods in is very important:

<<Risks of consuming fermented foods

Alaska, despite its small population, has witnessed a steady increase of cases of botulism since 1985. It has more cases of botulism than anywhere else in the United States of America.[12] This is caused by the traditional Eskimo practice of allowing animal products such as whole fish, fish heads, walrus, sea lion and whale flippers, beaver tails, seal oil, birds, etc., to ferment for an extended period of time before being consumed. The risk is exacerbated when a plastic container is used for this purpose instead of the old-fashioned method, a grass-lined hole, as the botulinum bacteria thrive in the anaerobic conditions created by the plastic.[12]>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermentation_(food)

Interesting, it explains why RVAFers are always told to aerate their high-meat.
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But were the meats rotted and then cooked, so that the bacteria might have been killed off, or the reverse?
I seem to recall that the aged gamebirds I used to eat, prerawpalaeodiet, were first aged and then cooked, admittedly. Cooking foods and then aging them is a real recipe for disaster re food-poisoning as the process of cooking ages the food, introducing new toxins, and bacteria which feast on the remains then start becoming pathogenic. It's unsurprising that  canned foods(all/most of which are normally pre-cooked at very high temperatures) are routinely recommended against due to the food-poisoning issue.