# I want to eat raw meat. Help me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 10, 2004, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487 "2004-10-10T17:43:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/1 "2004-10-10T17:43:46Z")
I’m a lover of the Atkins Diet. No flames please, hear me out. I’m reading a fascinating article in “Discover” magazine. Basically, I am wasting tons of nutrients across the board by eating my meat cooked. Were I to continue to apply low carb and high protein ratios, I would need a multivitamin. So. I think of the three biggies in the US. Pork, Beef, Chicken. Are there ways to prepare these meats so that they are raw, but safe? If I could manage a home irradiator, I would try it out. The gag issue is significant but I honestly believe it is psychological. I’m a homo sapien. Eating raw meat is in my DNA, I feel it wouldn’t be much of a step to get there. Can I slice beef thinly and soak it in …what?..to kill e.coli ? Pork? Chicken?? Fish, I love sushi and so if I trust the fish, I could eat raw fish. I haven’t researched the degradation of vitamin amounts due to storage and shipment, but I am serious about looking into this. Any thoughts on how I can safely make the most of the overall nutrients in raw meats? Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Voodoochile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/898d66/32.png) [@Voodoochile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voodoochile)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/2 "2004-10-10T17:53:11Z")
Well, I wouldnt touch raw pork or chicken, but I eat raw beef and fish all the time. Of course, with beef, you want the leanest you can find, and not brown at all. No big health or diet reason, I just love the taste. Raw hamburger 90% lean with some salt sprinkled on, or good lean steaks again with some salt and nothing more. Sure, there is a greater risk to eating it raw, but thats acceptable to me. If youre health is a geater concern than some diet or whatever and you dont like the taste so much, you probably shouldnt eat raw. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/3 "2004-10-10T17:57:08Z")
Well, even fish can have parasites. IMHO, any meat from a commercial meat packing plant would be unsafe to eat raw. Unless you’re willing to butcher bossy yourself, you’re treading on thin ice. You may be wasting nutrients, but liver flukes, tape worms e-coli and various other uglies can be lurking in raw meat. The idea that raw is healthier has come around a number of times over the years, but the fact is, we no longer produce the digestive enzymes and don’t harbor the intestinal flora that other omnivores have to deal with it. Sorry, I didn’t go cite hunting. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/4 "2004-10-10T18:05:20Z")
> [@Voodoochile](#): > > Well, I wouldnt touch raw pork or chicken, but I eat raw beef and fish all the time. Of course, with beef, you want the leanest you can find, and not brown at all. No big health or diet reason, I just love the taste. Raw hamburger 90% lean with some salt sprinkled on, or good lean steaks again with some salt and nothing more. Sure, there is a greater risk to eating it raw, but thats acceptable to me. If youre health is a geater concern than some diet or whatever and you dont like the taste so much, you probably shouldnt eat raw. Raw, or under cooked hamburger is the vector for [e-coli 0157](http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/escherichiacoli_g.htm) which has caused severe illness,even death, in children, Adults aren’t immuned. If you grind it yourself, you’re less likely to ingest e-coli 0157. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/5 "2004-10-10T18:39:09Z")
In Ethiopian cuisine, there’s a dish called kifto, which is raw beef prepared by curing in very spicy marinade. It is quite tender and toothsome, and is eaten by millions every day with no more incidence of poisoning than with cooked meat. ---
**Author:** ![Voodoochile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/898d66/32.png) [@Voodoochile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voodoochile)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/6 "2004-10-10T18:43:49Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Raw, or under cooked hamburger is the vector for [e-coli 0157](http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/escherichiacoli_g.htm) which has caused severe illness,even death, in children, Adults aren’t immuned. > If you grind it yourself, you’re less likely to ingest e-coli 0157. I have no illusions about the health risks, but I do it anyway. Thanks for your concern though. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/7 "2004-10-10T18:46:52Z")
Atkins made it very clear in his books that anyone on his diet over an extended period of time \*\*must \*\*take supplements. He even wrote an entire book, \*Dr. Atkins’ Vita-Nutrient Solution, \*with which you can figure out exactly what your individual needs are. I don’t think eating your meat raw will substantially change that, though I agree it would help if done safely. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/8 "2004-10-10T18:59:03Z")
There’s a Lebanese dish called Kebbah, which is based on raw minced lamb, wheat, onions and spices. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/9 "2004-10-10T19:08:28Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Well, even fish can have parasites. > IMHO, any meat from a commercial meat packing plant would be unsafe to eat raw. Unless you’re willing to butcher bossy yourself, you’re treading on thin ice. > You may be wasting nutrients, but liver flukes, tape worms e-coli and various other uglies can be lurking in raw meat. > The idea that raw is healthier has come around a number of times over the years, but the fact is, **we no longer produce the digestive enzymes and don’t harbor the intestinal flora** that other omnivores have to deal with it. > Sorry, I didn’t go cite hunting. (Bolding mine.) Inuit (Eskimos) in the far north traditionally lived exclusively on raw meat for extended times, and seem to have no problem. Some vegetables need cooking before we can digest them; maybe that’s what you’re thinking of. As I see it, cooking meat is mainly for flavour and tenderness, although sterilization is necessary too. Another traditional raw-meat dish is [‘steak tartare’](http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,steak_tartare,FF.html). I’m told the best version is Russian, topped with caviar and a little sour cream. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/10 "2004-10-10T20:09:59Z")
I could be wrong, but I think even in the “raw” dishes mentioned the protein ids denatured by lemon juice, vinegar, or strong spices. Its not exactly raw, its just not denatured with heat. I don’t know what, if anything the chemical denaturing products do for “hitchhikers” on the meat. Are the Lebanese and Ethiopian dishes usually made with meat processed in the U.S.? **rjk** I’m not saying every one on the planet lacks the wherewithal to digest raw meat, just those of us in the industrialized parts of the world. Its not easy to change one’s intestinal flora, as an adult. If one is willing to put up with the inconvenience of loose stools for a couple weeks or so, and is somehow able to tell that its only from one’s body adjusting and not from some life-threatening organism left in/on the meat by the packers, go for it. First, you’ll have to rid yourself of your existing flora. That takes a little time, using indigestible antibiotics and antifungals. Of course, you’d have to stay in a sterile environment, until recolonization is complete, so as to not colonize with a pathogen, like _Clostridium botulinum_ It causes paralysis when it colonizes infants’ as first flora. Once the gut is sterile end to end, you’ll need a helpful Inuit to regurgitate his/her stomach contents for your recolonization. Then you could eat raw meat without difficulty, except… its still processed by the folks who don’t give a rat’s ass whether you live or die. And actually, they probably would give a rat’s ass, and legs and ears and eyes… Ok, I got a little graphic, sorry. I just don’t want to hear about any of my Doper friends dying from something preventable. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/11 "2004-10-10T20:29:06Z")
Ok, most of your know through my **caveman** threads, and grilling threads how much I love the cooking of a good flank steak over the grill. Heck, I’m contemplating a novel _ **Chronicles of Grilling: Adventures of a Reluctant Phlosphr** _, but I am concerned for fellow dopers wanting to venture down the road of uncooked, US processed meats. If you truly want steak tartar or someother concoction, with raw flesh, please, for the love of OG, go to a local butcher and explain to them what you wish. Butchers understand, and will help you. The butcher in my town is named **Scott** - trust me ask the butcher, he/she will help. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/12 "2004-10-10T21:00:03Z")
**Cartooniverse** , in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=268169), you said I was your new hero, so, please be careful! I’ve never been called a hero before! ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/13 "2004-10-10T21:17:12Z")
This guy at work claims to wash his meats (not hamburger) with anti-bacterial hand soap and hot water. He also grinds his own hamburger. He had a pretty bad case of poisoning once. Maybe it got into his brain. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/14 "2004-10-10T21:28:27Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Well, even fish can have parasites. > IMHO, any meat from a commercial meat packing plant would be unsafe to eat raw. Unless you’re willing to butcher bossy yourself, you’re treading on thin ice. > You may be wasting nutrients, but liver flukes, tape worms e-coli and various other uglies can be lurking in raw meat. > The idea that raw is healthier has come around a number of times over the years, but the fact is, we no longer produce the digestive enzymes and don’t harbor the intestinal flora that other omnivores have to deal with it. > Sorry, I didn’t go cite hunting. I don’t quite understand what you’re saying. Re your claim that we don’t have the “digestive enzymes” (anymore) to handle raw meat do you have a cite for this claim? As far as I know human digestive enzymes in modern humans will break down most raw meat just fine. This link [The Human Digestive System](http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0857763.html) outlines the process. Where are you getting this information about the modern human’s lack of necessary digestive enzymes to process raw meat? ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/15 "2004-10-10T21:40:35Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > There’s a Lebanese dish called Kebbah, which is based on raw minced lamb, wheat, onions and spices. And it’s delicious!!! Fact is, you can use beef rather than lamb and it tastes quite the same. Get a good recipe, and buy from a market that arabs patronize and you might get away with it. (And not to quibble but I’ve always seen it ground, not minced.) Arab restaurants around here don’t serve raw Kebbah anymore, for fear of poisoned-food lawsuits. Happily my wife learned how to make it. There are also variations of cooked kebbah. One that I know of is prepared in a frectangular pan. In this version the kebbah itself is flat, and about 1/2" thick. The other is round, hollow, and vaguely reminiscent of a handgrenade. (Actually we called the raw variety Kibbe Nayah (KIBbee NAEyeah). YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/16 "2004-10-10T21:47:40Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Are the Lebanese and Ethiopian dishes usually made with meat processed in the U.S.? I suspect that’s a very important point. Most (but not all) of the criticisms of raw meat so far are to do with problems that can be avoided by proper butchery. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/17 "2004-10-10T22:34:08Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I don’t quite understand what you’re saying. > > Re your claim that we don’t have the “digestive enzymes” (anymore) to handle raw meat do you have a cite for this claim? As far as I know human digestive enzymes in modern humans will break down most raw meat just fine. > This link [The Human Digestive System](http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0857763.html) outlines the process. > > Where are you getting this information about the modern human’s lack of necessary digestive enzymes to process raw meat? Your cite is acurate, however, it doesn’t address digesting raw meat either way. [this site](http://www.newtreatments.org/doc/WisdomExperience/188) addresses it a bit, but I’m not familar with the organization. It looks like sound science, but, who knows. [This site](http://ific.org/foodinsight/2002/ma/foodsafetyfi202.cfm) addresses the safety issue. Sorry about being so lazy today, its Sunday, after all. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/18 "2004-10-10T22:40:28Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > The gag issue is significant but I honestly believe it is psychological. I’m a homo sapien. Eating raw meat is in my DNA This may not actually be the case; once cooking entered the scene, a preference for cooked meat (which would alsmost certainly be safer without the possibility of refrigeration) would become a selectable advantage. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/19 "2004-10-10T23:12:46Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Your cite is acurate, however, it doesn’t address digesting raw meat either way. > [this site](http://www.newtreatments.org/doc/WisdomExperience/188) addresses it a bit, but I’m not familar with the organization. It looks like sound science, but, who knows. > [This site](http://ific.org/foodinsight/2002/ma/foodsafetyfi202.cfm) addresses the safety issue. > Sorry about being so lazy today, its Sunday, after all. 🙂 Per your first site cited, in the second paragraph - :dubious: > [@](#): > > Uncooked foods contain more solar magnetism than cooked foods. The more directly food comes to us from the soil, the more solar magnetism it contains. Consequently, it ‘‘stays with us’’ the longest when eaten uncooked. When food has gone through the process of cooking, a part of the ether it contained is lost, as a number of the finer particles are dissolved by heat and ascend in the kitchen as odor from whatever food it comes I didn’t see anything in either link about modern humans lacking the digestive enzymes necessary to break down raw meat. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487/20 "2004-10-10T23:47:30Z")
The Perfect Master, as always, has the [straightdope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010119.html) on surviving on a diet of raw meat. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-eat-raw-meat-help-me/268487.md?page=2)