How to start eating meat again?

Songbirdcw

I have be a pscetarian (eating seafood) for 4 1/2 years. I am trying to reintroduce myself back into eating some meats. I have ate small pieces of meat (twice) just to see if it will make me sick. I have gotten headaches sometimes but nothing major. However, I wouldn't jump back into it. One step at a time. :-)

TheWiseCat

I was a vegetarian for three years.
The first meat I had was a double cheese burger from McDonald's. It didn't make me sick.

You need a food scale. You can get a good one for under twenty dollars. Go by what the food package says, most will tell you to go by the pre-cooked (raw) weight of the meat.

I eat meat daily... and McDonald's would still make me sick. That food be nasty.

Ade2013

dont Go have a kentucky fried cruelty burger etc, get a real quality piece of meat if you feel you must. I am still wondering why you feel you need to eat meat ? maybe have an omelette instead ?

redraidergirl2009

Just wondering why you want to eat meat again? I was veggie for years, then started eating meat again but went veggie again about three years ago. With current farming methods (cruelty plus all the chemicals they pump in them plus the nasty abbatoirs) I couldn't see myself ever going back to eating meat. It would have to be wild caught with no trauma or at least raised naturally with access to outdoors, given a normal lifespan and killed humanely. I truly believe if you can't look something in the eye and kill it yourself then you shouldn't eat it.

I know none of this helps your original question but was just curious as to the reasons for beging veggie in the first place and what has changed your mind?

Well,the truth is.I started being a vegetarian for the wrong reasons and now it's making me sick(vomiting,hair loss,blackouts,low blood sugar).I started it to restrict my intake and now that im not doing that I see no reason not to.I understand the animal rights thing though,my father is a rancher and he raises his cows in a humane way.(even though raising something right & then killing it isn't any better).
I just think I wasn't cut out for this:/
I'm not doing something right but tbh,I'm tired of focusing all my attention on food,I just want to get all my nutrients in one place and not worry about protein & b-12 etc.
It's just that I now associate vegetarianism with my eating disorder and I want a change.

It sounds like the eating disorder was making you sick, not being vegetarian.

cleotherio

I was raised vegetarian. I never at any meat at all from birth until I was about 12 (pre-teen rebellion). I ate a pretty rare hamburger at a friend's house and didn't get sick. I have a really good digestive system, too. No sensitivities to anything (gluten, dairy, etc.)

Carnivor0us

Just wondering why you want to eat meat again? I was veggie for years, then started eating meat again but went veggie again about three years ago. With current farming methods (cruelty plus all the chemicals they pump in them plus the nasty abbatoirs) I couldn't see myself ever going back to eating meat. It would have to be wild caught with no trauma or at least raised naturally with access to outdoors, given a normal lifespan and killed humanely. I truly believe if you can't look something in the eye and kill it yourself then you shouldn't eat it.

I know none of this helps your original question but was just curious as to the reasons for beging veggie in the first place and what has changed your mind?

Well,the truth is.I started being a vegetarian for the wrong reasons and now it's making me sick(vomiting,hair loss,blackouts,low blood sugar).I started it to restrict my intake and now that im not doing that I see no reason not to.I understand the animal rights thing though,my father is a rancher and he raises his cows in a humane way.(even though raising something right & then killing it isn't any better).
I just think I wasn't cut out for this:/
I'm not doing something right but tbh,I'm tired of focusing all my attention on food,I just want to get all my nutrients in one place and not worry about protein & b-12 etc.
It's just that I now associate vegetarianism with my eating disorder and I want a change.

It sounds like the eating disorder was making you sick, not being vegetarian.

I don't think that matters much - what matters is that she associates a vegetarian lifestyle with an illness and if she feels that eating meat will help her break away from an eating disorder then we should support that.

OP: Start with something light, like fish, and then work your way up to poultry and then red meat if you want to go that far.

redraidergirl2009

Just wondering why you want to eat meat again? I was veggie for years, then started eating meat again but went veggie again about three years ago. With current farming methods (cruelty plus all the chemicals they pump in them plus the nasty abbatoirs) I couldn't see myself ever going back to eating meat. It would have to be wild caught with no trauma or at least raised naturally with access to outdoors, given a normal lifespan and killed humanely. I truly believe if you can't look something in the eye and kill it yourself then you shouldn't eat it.

I know none of this helps your original question but was just curious as to the reasons for beging veggie in the first place and what has changed your mind?

Well,the truth is.I started being a vegetarian for the wrong reasons and now it's making me sick(vomiting,hair loss,blackouts,low blood sugar).I started it to restrict my intake and now that im not doing that I see no reason not to.I understand the animal rights thing though,my father is a rancher and he raises his cows in a humane way.(even though raising something right & then killing it isn't any better).
I just think I wasn't cut out for this:/
I'm not doing something right but tbh,I'm tired of focusing all my attention on food,I just want to get all my nutrients in one place and not worry about protein & b-12 etc.
It's just that I now associate vegetarianism with my eating disorder and I want a change.

It sounds like the eating disorder was making you sick, not being vegetarian.

I don't think that matters much - what matters is that she associates a vegetarian lifestyle with an illness and if she feels that eating meat will help her break away from an eating disorder then we should support that.

OP: Start with something light, like fish, and then work your way up to poultry and then red meat if you want to go that far.

Well actually it does matter to an extent because it appears the op is blaming their health issues on a vegetarian diet, not an eating disorder which likely was the culprit of it.

OP: If you decide to stick to vegetarianism there is a group here of vegetarians/pescartians and vegans that can help you learn to eat healthy http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/45-happy-herbivores

thecakelocker

I was a vegetarian for six years and went right back to meat with no issues at all.

lawkat

Everyone is different. I would suggest to start and slow and see how your body reacts. I am a vegetarian and my digestive track knows when I might have mistaken ingested red meat or poultry when eating out. I have always had a sensitive system and giving up red meat and poultry wasn't that difficult.

nikilis

dont Go have a kentucky fried cruelty burger etc, get a real quality piece of meat if you feel you must. I am still wondering why you feel you need to eat meat ? maybe have an omelette instead ?

cruelty burger?

laele75

dont Go have a kentucky fried cruelty burger etc, get a real quality piece of meat if you feel you must. I am still wondering why you feel you need to eat meat ? maybe have an omelette instead ?

'Cruelty burger' is my new favorite phrase. I am planning to have a 91% fat free cruelty burger, with tortured turkey bacon and abusive swiss cheese for dinner. On whole wheat bread with a side baked sweet potato fries, of course.

Okay, I am going to say it. If you choose not to eat meat for whatever reason, that's great. Good for you. But stop being nasty and abusive and insulting to meat and people who eat it to justify your eating choices. Being a vegan or vegetarian doesn't make you better than us meat eaters. Hate is hate, no matter if the people with the 'politically correct' attitudes are doing it.

To the OP. Add some chicken to something you normally eat vegetarian. There is NOTHING wrong with deciding a dietary choice doesn't work for you.

lobo_a_gogo

Just wondering why you want to eat meat again? I was veggie for years, then started eating meat again but went veggie again about three years ago. With current farming methods (cruelty plus all the chemicals they pump in them plus the nasty abbatoirs) I couldn't see myself ever going back to eating meat. It would have to be wild caught with no trauma or at least raised naturally with access to outdoors, given a normal lifespan and killed humanely. I truly believe if you can't look something in the eye and kill it yourself then you shouldn't eat it.

I know none of this helps your original question but was just curious as to the reasons for beging veggie in the first place and what has changed your mind?

KAYRRIE

Former vegetarians, I'm just curious, what made you go back to eating meat?

Lupercalia

My hair was falling out, my complexion was grey, I had very little energy and stamina, and at the same time, could not sleep properly. I was constantly hungry. I had a lot of anxiety and depression and was having issues with obsessive thoughts. I was very unhealthy. A vegan diet is typically deficient in micronutrients as well as saturated fat, which is what your brain truly needs to function properly. It is an incomplete diet, at best. I also had issues with joint pain which then became arthritis, ongoing digestive problems, trouble with different tendons and ligaments.

I started eating meat a couple years before my son did, because I was at the end of my rope. I'd been a vegetarian, a vegan, and spent about 9 months as a raw vegan...that was utterly miserable for me. I was cold all the time, just could NOT get warm for anything. I was spending FAR too much time thinking about what I could eat, what I could not eat, what needed to be combined with what, what micronutrients I was missing...and it dawned on me one day that all this was just crazy, and perhaps I should just chill out and try eating a bit of fish. I did that, then chicken, and moved on to other meats as I felt interested in them and up to eating them.

My son was healthy enough until he moved away from home to attend a residential ballet school. He was a vegetarian (not vegan) during his time there, and his diet could not be adequately supported in a healthy way at the school. He became very ill, pernicious anemia, as he was dealing with both adolescent growth spurts and high levels of activity (6+ hours of dancing 6 days per week), and he was not properly nourished on the school's limited vegetarian fare. He was sent home to recover, and I gave him the choice to either eat meat and return to his school or stick to his vegetarian diet and stay home where I could see to it that he had the proper food. He chose meat and school, of course.

rosemaryhon

I read a way to guesstimate one meat serving is it's about the size of a deck of cards or checkbook.

theycallyoumister

I experimented with vegetarianism for 3.5 years in the late 90s and that was after several unsuccessful attempts at it because I was always getting sick when I tried. I managed to stick it out though and I didn't eat anything that used to have a face. The weight was stable, however, near the end I just didn't feel healthy or that energetic (i.e. whole plate of fries for lunch! Hooray, I'm vegetarian!). I felt I could get more quality protein etc. in smaller quantities going back to meat. The first time I ate meat after this length of time (turkey dinner at Christmas), I ended up yakking in my in-laws washroom and it wasn't food poisoning! :sick: Interesting reintroduction...I'll never say never and there is a far superior variety of food options now

Sapporo

After 3 years of being vegetarian I caved to a pregnancy craving for a Burger King Whopper. Didn't get sick or even feel bad at all. I went on a huge red meat kick after that like floodgates were opened.
A good friend of mine went through what you are and had to start eating some meat again. He eats fish often and chicken here and there but not any other meats. Is a lot healthier now.

redraidergirl2009

dont Go have a kentucky fried cruelty burger etc, get a real quality piece of meat if you feel you must. I am still wondering why you feel you need to eat meat ? maybe have an omelette instead ?

'Cruelty burger' is my new favorite phrase. I am planning to have a 91% fat free cruelty burger, with tortured turkey bacon and abusive swiss cheese for dinner. On whole wheat bread with a side baked sweet potato fries, of course.

Okay, I am going to say it. If you choose not to eat meat for whatever reason, that's great. Good for you. But stop being nasty and abusive and insulting to meat and people who eat it to justify your eating choices. Being a vegan or vegetarian doesn't make you better than us meat eaters. Hate is hate, no matter if the people with the 'politically correct' attitudes are doing it.

To the OP. Add some chicken to something you normally eat vegetarian. There is NOTHING wrong with deciding a dietary choice doesn't work for you.

How is being nasty back helping your argument? I also don't think that poster was vegetarian since they suggested getting " a real quality piece of meat" which doesn't sound like something a vegetarian would suggest. js

RoseDarrett

I understand how you feel.I've been vegetarian/vegan for almost 10 years.In that time,even though I was a good vegetarian I had issues with my health,long story short,my red blood cells became defective,affected my asthma and my oxygen.Needless to say I ended up on more asthma meds and my doctors(I went to a few)said I should start eating meat again.

I started slowly with chicken,little amounts in soup,I ate breast cos you can't really taste it.I found chewing it was so difficult.I eat it now and still dry reach.It's hard knowing I'm eating something that had to die,even if it's free range you just never know.Enough of them get mistreated.So there is a lot of guilt there.

My suggestion is try with something you used to like and enjoy.Like for example.I LOVED bacon,so I can eat that(not the healthiest choice)but it is very tasty.Try incorporating some meat into your favourite dishes as well.

Good luck!It's tough getting back on the meat horse,but it can be done.I struggle everyday but it can be done

NCISFanatic01

Start with the leanest meat possible. Eggs, tuna, other light fish, lean chicken..in small portions..red meat is going to affect you the most because of the higher fat content. It's just a matter of starting one or two bites at a time..

NCISFanatic01

Start with the leanest meat possible. Eggs, tuna, other light fish, lean chicken..in small portions..red meat is going to affect you the most because of the higher fat content. It's just a matter of starting one or two bites at a time..

Oh and for portion sizes. a NORMAL meat portion is the size of a deck of cards or the size of you fist. That is approx. 3-4oz. take a cooked meat portion and cut it into 3-4 parts. That would make it about an ounce of meat.

MercenaryNoetic26

I tried the vegan/vegetarian life just to see how my body reacted. I dropped a lot of weight. A lot of muscle mass. I didn't like that. I also got tired fast of eating boca burgers and other so called meat replacements. There's just nothing like a juicy burger. I started eating meat again with relish. Meat builds and maintains muscle. Its wonderful.

Eta: yeah, yeah I know vegetarians get their protein.... but its hella easier eating meat! Especially if you want 1.5g per lb of LBM.

JJordon

Bacon. 1 slice. Do it now.

MsEmmy

I can only see one or two people on here who medically needed to go back to eating meat. The rest went back because it was easier. I know I did when I started eating meat again. But then you see what happens on farms and in abbatoirs and it ain't pretty or easy, and you realise being a veggie is emotionally easier than supporting such a nightmare industry. It's also less expensive and less damaging to the environment.

I'm about to start lifting and I know I'll need to be really careful with my diet to make sure I get enough protein, but I still won't go back to eating meat. As an animal lover I really don't think I could until things in the industry change very drastically.

I understand that the OP has issues that have become enmeshed with vegetariansim to a point that she can't see the difference and if she needs to eat meat again to get over that, then so be it. She needs to realsie that she hasjust been eating a bad vegetarian diet though - a proper one is very healthy.

Lulufifi1994

I was a pescetarian for nearly 7 years then I made the drunken decision that "This place has naff chips. I'm having chicken.".... I wasn't ill at all. Since then I have eaten chicken out if the vegetarian option has not been something that I can stomach, or if I'm having a bad day IBS wise (dairy sets me off big style and many veggie dishes served in resteraunts have dairy in.) I'd suggest eating out the first time you eat meat if you havn't cooked it before, or have someone else cook and show you what to look for to tell that it's cooked, just to avoid possible illness due to undercooked meat, but I've never heard of anyone being ill just from eating meat again after a long period of abstinence.