Does BBQ tend to raise your bad cholesterol values?


 
J

Jeff Calhoun

TVWBB Fan
I've always been very healthy. I work out regularly and ride my road bike over 100 miles per week. My cholesterol values have always been well below the danger level.

At the last checkup with my doc, he noticed my bad cholesterol reading has increased. He asked me if I have made any changes with my diet. I told him I bought a smoker and have been eating more Pork Butt, Brisket, ABT's, and Baby Backs. He told me to sell the smoker and try curd patties.

Anybody else out there having the same problem? I love my WSM. I would hate to eat BBQ chicken the rest of my life....
 
Don't go to the doctor
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Keep the smoker. You also could make a pork butt or brisket for your doctors office, and I am sure he won't bother you again about the smoker
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Heck, don't be surprised,if he ask you where to get one after that.
 
If you're anal about your health and you're asking people that smoke meat, render fat, paste bbq, apply butter, etc, etc, you are not being honest to yourself. If you want to lose weight, stop eating fat, start consuming fiber, and reduce calories and carbohydrates.

If you run 100 miles per week, I don't care what your doctor says. You deserve ribs, bbq chickn, prime rib, and bbq shrimp, all day long.
 
Originally posted by Jeff Calhoun:
At the last checkup with my doc, he noticed my bad cholesterol reading has increased. He asked me if I have made any changes with my diet. I told him I bought a smoker and have been eating more Pork Butt, Brisket, ABT's, and Baby Backs. He told me to sell the smoker and try curd patties.
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I'd get rid of the doctor and keep the smoker. Life is too short to go through it unhappy.
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Honestly Jeff Calhoun, if you eat BBQ everyday, then it would probably be bad for you. HOwever, the key here is moderation (like anything else). Make sure you smoke and grill up a variety of foods (including vegetables, fruits, seafood, lean meats, chicken, pork, beef etc etc) and you'll be fine. The key to anything is moderation.

And more than likely it's not the BBQ that's effecting your health negatively but rather the combination of simple carbs (sugary sauces, whites breads, white pastas, baked beans, etc) while you're eating BBQ. Exchange this for complex carbs and more vegetables and fruits and you'll notice an increase of good cholesterol and a decrease in bad cholesterol.

Erik
 
Jeff, Had a similar result on my last physical. The doctor said that my good cholesterol readings had decreased slightly. The only thing that I had changed that year was I started BBq'n more. I agree with Erik in the "every thing in moderation". I realize too much beef and pork on a continual basis is not good for me. I'm learning to give a lot of my BBQ away and trust me I have no shortage of takers between relatives and friends. My wife doesn't care for it after the second day anyway so if I take some out of the freezer it just kind of sits in the fridge.
 
Evrything in moderation is fine..your doctor should know that. Just because hes a DR doesnt mean hes a nutrition expert. Ive worked w/ several DR's and most of them are so ignoorant on nutrition its not even funny. Get rid of the smoker? Try curd patties? This guy sounds like a fool.
 
Yum, curd patties! Let's BBQ tofu. NOT! What kind of curd? milk curd, bean curd, soy curd?

Place Mr. Yuck sticker here.
 
My cholesterol also went up in the year after my WSM was bought. Not much..but I eat more oatmeal for breakfast.
I wonder what has more bad cholesterol, pulled pork, spare ribs or brisket.
 
Not to beat a dead horse (sorry for the poor choice of words) but you sound like a pretty healthy guy, and as others have already stated in this thread, it's all about moderation. You don't have to eat pork or beef all of the time. You can always throw some fish on the grill from time to time, cut back on your carb intake and all is good. Life is too short to cut out all that we enjoy and it sounds like you enjoy your WSM and the end product that is produce from it. Most doctors now a days would have all of us cutting meat out of our diets all together and to an extent they are correct, however people are living longer these days largely in part doing or I should eating the things they like in moderation. Unless your cholesterol is over 200 I would keep your WSM and just keep things light, hell I'd keep the WSM no matter what your cholesterol is. With the healthy lifesytle that it sounds like you have I think you will be just fine. It's old farts like myself that don't exercise and drink too much beer that really need to slow down on the briskets and the pork butts, but heck I enjoy them too much.
 
Years ago I lifted weights 6 days a week. I had just started BBQing and my company had one of those "health fairs". The Doc gave me a blood test and when the results came back he called me to his office. Apparently, my cholesterol count was shockingly high. My good cholesterol count was high and my bad cholesterol was low. He still wanted me to lay off beef. I found out later that weight lifting was much better for my cholesterol & blood pressure than any cardio exercise.
 
Smoke up a nice brined turkey! I am sure your doctor will have no problem with that, and they come out great in the WSM
 
My cardiologist told me if it does'nt "swim or fly" don't eat very much of it!!
But, i break the rules quiet often. "pork fat rules"
 
Thanks for all the great replies. I'll never sell my WSM. I'm hooked for life.

My cholesterol was over 230 on my last visit. It's always been around 180 in the past. Maybe I should go for a re-test. I also believe in moderation. I usually only smoke on the weekends anyway.

Now you got me thinking. I wonder what the most unhealthy meats are to eat? My favorites to cook are Pork Butt and Brisket. I would hate to do a "Catch and Release" with my Butts.....
 
Originally posted by Jeff Calhoun:

Now you got me thinking. I wonder what the most unhealthy meats are to eat? My favorites to cook are Pork Butt and Brisket.
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Jeff, IMO ribs would have to be one of the worst as far as the most fat to meat ratio. That's why they are just so darn tasty.
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Originally posted by Jeff Calhoun:

My cholesterol was over 230 on my last visit. It's always been around 180 in the past.
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Its spelled L-i-p-i--t-o-r.

I agree with the moderation, especially at your levels which, ime, aren't terrible.

and, as "my son the doctor" said when he sat down to my a recent batch of my spares, "bad for the body, but good for the mind"
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Sometimes you need a little of both !

Paul
 
Jeff,
You might want to think more about what you are putting on the meat. Last time I came back from Iraq over half the people coming back had high cholesterol. These are young fit people that normally never have problems. The culprit was the mess hall food. The cooks drowned everything in butter, fried anything they could, and put fatty sauces on everything else. Within six months of coming back everyone's cholesterol was fine. If you are using a lot of barbecue sauce or something else you might want to cut back. I am not saying to go with out but maybe cut back some. In my opinion ribs definitely have the most fat.
 
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