Any ex-vegetarians?

nassaugyal

I've been a vegetarian for almost 20 years (started when I was 13). I was a vegan for about 5 years of that but went back to eating dairy and eggs.

Now, for the first time in 20 years I'm considering going back to being a full meat-eater. Part of it has to be the weightlifting and just plain feeling like I need more food to keep up with my growing muscles and strength. Another part of it is my changing views on the morality of eating animals and the health benefits.

The thing is though, I live in a super small town and don't have access to really healthy meats. Organic meat is pretty much unheard of in this town. I don't want to start eating meat, only to end up having to settle for factory-farmed, antibiotic/hormone-laced meat-like product.

And then of course, there's also just a part of me that so completely identifies with being a vegetarian that I don't know if I could actually bring myself to do it.

Any advice?

questionfear

I was a vegetarian for 7 years. As far as easing back into meat goes, try starting with cooking with chicken broth and beef broth, then eat very tiny portions of both, so your body gets used to meat again. And there's nothing that says you can't be a vegetarian and lift, or that you can't eat meat 3x a week and eat vegetarian style the rest of the time.

You can always mail order organic meats: http://grasslandbeef.com/ and https://www.americanfarmersnetwork.com/ both do organic meat delivery. Amazon Local often has deals from American Farmers Network where it's 50% a box of meat. It comes frozen in a cooler, so you don't have to necessarily be home the second it gets delivered or invite the UPS man in while you pack your fridge.

I toyed with going back to eating meat for a while before I did it; I didn't have a particular reason to stop eating meat, I just was never a big chicken fan, didn't want to eat much red meat, and didn't eat fish or shellfish due to allergies. But I did miss bacon a lot. Then one day I was making fake soy bacon in my toaster oven, and my phone rang. I went to answer the phone, and my toaster oven full of soy bacon caught fire. I walked into my kitchen, saw my flaming toaster of soy bacon, and thought "Well, this is clearly a sign, like Moses and the burning bush, that I should eat more real bacon. Because then I'd have a grease fire, but at least I'd still have a toaster."

The next day I started incorporating meat back into my diet.

But just because you start eating meat again doesn't mean you have to go all-in. My wife jokes if I had been a vegetarian when we met that would have been a dealbreaker, but we've found that we trend towards vegetarian meals 3-4 nights a week just because. I've even gotten her to appreciate tofu. So it's not an all or nothing deal, and you can always try meat and go back to being a veggie!

hanlonsk

I have no input on the ex-vegetarian end, I grew up in a ranching family, I think I would have been disowned...

However, if you live in a small town, you are probably surrounded by a certain amount of agriculture. USDA has been pushing the "know your farmer, know your food" idea for many years now. You should be able to make contact with a local rancher and be able to source your meat direct. Many ranchers in small towns sell 1/4, 1/2, or whole beefs, hogs, etc. If a rancher has done well at it, you often times can find one who will sell a box of meat at a time. By developing relationships like this you can choose grain fattened, or grass fed, and possibly even have some input as to other factors including where/how it gets processed.

By buying direct from a producer in this manner and possibly having input on the processing end, it could also help ease some of your concerns regarding morality related issues.

Hopefully that all makes sense... Has been a horribly under caffeinated day.

nassaugyal

Thanks for the advice. I should have mentioned that I'm also not in the US but I'm pretty sure I can find local farmers. I feel so silly for not thinking of it before actually. And this would definitely help me be able to sleep a little better at night.

And @questionfear - you're totally right about being able to be a vegetarian and a lifter - I just think that I've come to a point, personally, where I'm over it.

questionfear

I hear ya, I hit that point too. I strongly recommend starting with meat based broths if you haven't had meat in 20 years though...your stomach will thank you.

awkwardsoul

I was vegan for 5 years and vegetarian for 4 years after that. I switched as my husband is omnivore and I was getting tired of my crappy food options.

Big thing i'll warn you is once you switch to meat you are going to feel hella full right away (and I thought when I was veg I managed my protein well with tofu/soy milk/fake meat). The animal protein hit is strong, especially for eating something like lamb or beef! Increase your fiber too or expect some bad (or lack there of) toilet trips. I found fish easier to stomach, I'd suggest going that route first. When I was transitioning to omnivore I ate mostly fish for awhile, then starting eating chicken. Beef/lamb was just off the table for years as it was just too hard on my stomach.

Do you have a farmer's market? Or a small butcher shop? Those would be better odds on quality meat than your mega grocery chain (though grocery chains have been getting better at that sort of thing too). Admittedly, I don't go for organic "happy" animals as I can't afford it.

nassaugyal

So, against all of your wonderful advice I dove straight in and had a medium rare steak on Saturday. It was really anticlimactic. Lol, I thought I would taste it and my entire world would shift as I remembered how wonderful a perfectly grilled steak could be.
I wasn't ill or anything, although my stomach has been a little wonky since. Haven't had any meat since, mainly because I didn't feel like it, plus I'm still not used to seeing it as an option.
It's funny how my dietary choices have grown to become a part of my identity.

Thanks for all your help, advice and support!