Eating Raw Meat

Last updated on April 29, 2018 by Liza Hawkins

It’s hard to believe there’s such a thing as eating raw meat—and I’m not talking sushi or tartare.

Yes, that’s right.

Eating. Raw. Meat. I’m talking about gobbling up a hunk of raw, bloody sirloin. Could you do it?

Freaky Eaters is a brand new show on TLC that I happened to catch the other night while I was channel surfing. I was expecting a look at other cultures in today’s society (Anthony Bourdain), or perhaps more of a history slant that took the viewer back in time.

Nope.

Instead, the show was a sophomoric attempt at a mini-documentary that ended up disappointing, predictable, and campy.

The feature of the first episode was Daniel, a 20-something who was “addicted to raw meat.” More than half of the 30 minutes showcased him feasting on raw beef AND chicken—lovingly selected from the sale bin at the grocery store—all the while chuckling and smacking his lips as though this was one big joke.

I knew guys in college who would’ve done the same thing, as long as there was a promise of money or beer afterwards.

Then, in an attempt to intervene, the show brings in two doctors to try and help Daniel break his raw meat addiction via stats and tests starting with the bacteria counts present in his supermarket sale meat, and ending with the fact that his strict upbringing was the catalyst for his fleshy dependency. Huh?

As you can imagine, the show went quickly downhill from there, almost as slippery as that raw meat. TLC, you are no A&E. I’m leaving it at that.

But the next day, I kept thinking about the “raw” theme of the show. There’s a whole movement that promotes eating only raw food, and I have a couple of friends who have (now, or at one point in their lives) adopted that lifestyle. I’m not sure I could, or would, want to make the switch myself, but I can certainly appreciate the benefits if done correctly.

It’s simple. Raw Foodists believe in eating only an UNCOOKED, UNHEATED, UNPROCESSED and ORGANIC plant-based diet. While nuts and seeds can be part of a healthy raw diet, even they lack the vitamin and nutrient quality of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially those found at your local farmers’ market, or better yet, grown in your own garden.

“What about protein,” you ask? I thought the same thing.

Turns out, according to the USDA only 6.5% of daily calories needs to come from protein. Raw Foodists believe that leaving food in its natural state allows for more of the plant protein to be absorbed, thereby making protein by way of animal moot.

It’s pretty interesting really, and there are a bunch of websites and blogs devoted to raw food.

You can tell it’s a passionate subject for many people, going beyond just a food preference and turning into a lifestyle that blends seamlessly with sustainable living.

(And yes, some Raw Foodists do eat raw meat. Just not that many.)

If you happen to catch Freaky Eaters, don’t waste your time with the “Addicted to Raw Meat” episode; skip it. Instead, tune into the following half-hour and watch “Addicted to Cola.” The ridiculousness of that goes along with the show itself.