To think I am not going to whither away?

[wavecurlnoidea]

Soooo, my BIL tells me today that I am destined to suffer sarcopenia and muscle loss when older because I only eat meat 3 times per week. Even worse, my chosen meat is fish.

i just prefer that, although I do like poultry every now and again. I don’t care about following a diet, it’s how I like to eat. I mix this with lots of whole grains, lentils, beans and dairy. I also like a bit of sugar for treats. I eat tons of veg. But I understand that I need more than that.

His theory is I won’t get enough protein and fish is inferior. And only eating it 3 times a week is encouraging muscle loss.

I am 50 and fairly fit, normal weight and feel ok. Health check recently just fine.

is he or am I the arsehole?

Not my experience as someone who was a Mum myself in the 80s and 90s.

I think my diet is fairly well balanced, but am no expert!

A sample of foods I eat for dinner through the week might include -

Salmon and roast veggies and quinoa/wild rice

Sardines with veggies

Cod with streamed veg

Mackerel etc

Mixed bean and lentil burgers with avocado, toms, cucumber, homemade coleslaw. Often on a homemade multigrain bun.

Egg frittata, with cheese, potato, cherry toms, courgette, pine nuts, broccoli, peppers and mushroom

Broth with (occasional chicken), including lentil, barley, carrot, celery, garlic, onion, turnip, cabbage, peas, spices, herbs, bone broth

Mixed roast veg and lentils on a bed of humous, with aubergine, peppers, mushroom, courgette, etc, either with a flatbread or tuna.

Various egg or cheese concoctions with avo and salad on sourdough for lunches, or homemade salads with wholewheat pasta or soup. I also eat a lot of kefir, greek yog, berries, seeds and nuts.

I love cooking!

There's cultures that are vegetarian their entire lives and have pretty good life expectancy.

My vegetarian mom lived to nearly 90 and was still doing yard work and everything until a couple months before she died.

Your BIL is a dumbass.

Technically fish is meat but normally it is distinguished and people mean land based animals when they refer to eating meat.

so I think your question is do you get enough protein as primarily a vegetarian, followed by pescatarian, the answer is like yes, your diet looks healthy.

does anyone know how to track it?
is it an app?

I don't eat meat at all - only fish, so I must be a ghost! 👻

Your BIL is batshit. Mock him and laugh at him. That's what his stupid comments deserve.

No, in that case theirs is ridiculously high (unless they are a leopard).

There are lots of apps you can use to track your nutrition. My fitness pal is the main free one though personally I found it quite difficult to find specific on there, or that there were multiple options for the same thing with conflicting info (the app is American based)
I find nutracheck much easier for UK food brands, though there is a charge - I think they do a free trial though so worth checking if you only wanted to do it for a few days for example?

Men who talk about meat are so boring.

Like a parody of manliness.

How does he know what you eat? Don't discuss it with him anymore.

Exactly. If we're being stereotypical about the habits of 'old ladies', most of them do their shopping on foot and carry it home multiple times a week. They're probably more active than young people who work at a desk and go to the gym several times a week. They've probably got a lifetime of manual housework behind them too.

I've just come back from holiday in (very hilly) rural Spain. I was forever being overtaken by them carrying their shopping up hill back from the market while I paused to 'admire the view' aka not have a heart attack.

I don’t eat red meat and eat very little dairy and you’d be amazed how it bothers people who think I’m going to fade away.

You can always take a B12 supplement. It’s not necessary to eat red meat at all. I have been vegetarian for about 40 years, I’m in my mid 70’s and very fit and well.

I don't eat any meat, haven't for almost a decade and am in excellent health if I do say so myself! Any time someone comments on my health and protein intake (and ironically it's often someone who is overweight or unfit themselves!) I ask them if they're getting enough vitamin c in their diet as they look a bit peaky and I haven't been ill in years.

Your bil is bat shit uneducated and is just parroting the current dietary craze about proteins.
When I was a fat child it was all about fibre ...then it was all about fat ...then it was all about sugar...now it's all about proteins.
Your diet sounds balanced and sensible.
I'm unsure why you let someone like your bil worry you

Your diet is fine, but why do you refer to fish as “meat”? Animal protein, yes, but “meat” doesn’t include fish in English.

oh and it’s wither not whither.

There's no protein in butter....

Surely fish is meat, it's animal flesh.

As for older ladies, I was amazed how many were doing the peaks in the lake district last year, on their own too. I passed several who were in their 70's+ and moved with as much ease as myself! These weren't fitness freaks, and I doubt they'd turn their noses up at a cream scone, but they were so sprightly and alive.
I often think keeping active is the single best thing we can do, getting older. Not just lifting weights.

I do a lot of activities and never feel tired, so am just going to hope presume I have enough protein.
Breakfast today was greek yog with kefir, nuts, seeds and a pear. Lunch was a mushroom barley risotto with parmesan (small but delicious). Tonight we are having salmon with roast veg and bulgur.
I just made a pile of toasted seeds for the next few days with spices, pine nuts and hazelnuts. Used black/white sesame, coriander, fennel, caraway, cumin. So lovely to sprinkle into meals throughout the week but must keep in an airtight jar.

BIL loves to cook so we often chat about recipes when visiting. He isn't a meat fanatic, but he is obsessed with losing muscle.

It’s worth asking a dietician to assess your protein intake. You may just need a few supplements or something, or you may be perfectly fine!

Millions of people don't eat meat because it is too expensive - that doesn't mean they are as healthy as people who do. Nearly 40% of children under the age of 5 in India are stunted due to malnutrition. If these children had red meat several times a week they would be a lot healthier.

You don’t need red meat for b12. B12 comes from soil, which most (factory farmed) animals no longer graze on and do not get it naturally. So they inject the cows with b12 supplements. So you can just take the b12 supplement yourself. Meat isn’t needed by most people. There are vegan strongmen and athletes. Plant proteins are great. Baked beans on brown toast contains all 9 amino acids.

Or eat red meat from cows that live in fields and eat grass all year as most do here.

Veganism is a quasi-religion and like all religions should be taken with a pince of salt.

Correct

What a weird reply. The OP is concerned about meat intake for protein and b12, we know that meat isn’t necessary for those things. I’m not talking about beliefs, religious or otherwise. It’s science.