Thinking about adding meat back to my diet..

mybestme33 · October 2010

I stopped eating meat almost 6 months ago. At first, it was like a miracle cure - I lost weight, I had more energy, I slept better, my chronic pain seemed to improve, etc. etc.

I should also say that I did not stop eating meat for health reasons, but for ethical reasons. Without getting too much into a debate, I will say that I don't necessarily think people shouldn't eat meat - I am just deeply saddened by the way it happens, with 99% of the meat bought/sold in America being from factory farms.

Anyway, after the initial first few months of feeling GREAT, now I feel poopy. I'm tired. I don't have as much energy. And I hate to admit it, but I'm craving it so bad. (The first 3-4 months I was nothing but disgusted to even THINK about eating meat again!)

The biggest thing is that I have 2 kids (I'm a single mom) and it's SO hard feeding them. They eat meat at school and at their dad's house as well as at friends' houses and when we go out to eat, so when I stopped eating meat, I also stopped serving it. They have been nothing but supportive (they are 9 and 11) and I have never asked them to stop eating meat. But the problem is that without cooking/serving meat, I find that what they end up eating is probably worse than just eating the meat. I can deal with eating beans/legumes/whole grains/fruits/veggies all the time (I don't do "mock meats" or other things of that nature - they're not very good for you anyway) but my kids aren't so hot about that. So they end up eating a lot of carbs, a lot of cheese, and a whole lot of peanut butter sandwiches. (As do I when I am preparing the food for dinner with them - when they are at their dad's, I eat healthier, because I eat the things that they don't/won't eat) It seems like if the main food on the plate is vegetables, they don't want to eat much of them. But back when I served them with baked chicken, they'd eat twice as much! Maybe because they just seem less appetizing now?

Anyway.. I'm not necessarily looking for someone to tell me to eat meat or not to eat meat.. just venting, I suppose. Are there any "former vegetarians" here that could offer me some words of wisdom, advice or support? I'd really appreciate it!

Thank you!

Ge0rgiana · October 2010

You may want to consider the possibility that you may be anemic. I think talking to your doctor would be a wise step. :flowerforyou:

maprotano · October 2010

I lived in San Diego for about 8 years and began a vegetarian lifestyle because of some health issues I was dealing with. I did however eat eggs, but everything else was vegan/vegetarian. The problem that some people encounter with following a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle is that they do not get enough protein/iron/vitamin D. You should probably talk to a nutritionist to make sure that you are getting all the vitamins/minerals/protein that you need daily. It's funny because when I moved back to the east coast I went back to eating meat and just this week I decided to go back to eating vegetarian!! Good luck as a meat eater or peace loving vegan/vegetarian!!

sunshine4me · October 2010

Meat is terribly hard to give up!!! I was a vegetarian for seven years, fell back into the habit of eating meat and am now slowly climbing out of the meat section! If you are craving meat then you have an imbalance and I recommend you talk to a nutritionist to help get your chemistry back in line. Temporary reprieve would be to eat more protein, but I'm sure you already know that. I know you don't like eating fake meat but I found that the morning star vegetable nuggets are really good and help curve the craving! The only other substitute I use is a Boca burger every now and then but I don't try to convince myself it's meat. I just throw a slice of fat free cheese on and eat it! Hopefully, your eating meat by products like eggs and dairy. Eggs are my favorite way to stave off cravings and keep my energy levels up. I only eat eggs from free range chickens and they have to be organic. Nothing to hurt the animals they come from. Same for my other dairy products! Good Luck, but I would try to resist the meat temptation.

DeeDeeLHF · October 2010

Anemia or lack of B12 or Vitamin D are good places to start. Get a blood panel done to see what is going on. I am assuming you are well read about combining proteins to make a complete protein, especially if you are encouraging a vegetarian diet for the majority of time for your kids.

If you feel strongly about remaining vegetarian, talk with your doctor. Vegetarianism shouldn't make you feel "poopy" if you are doing it right.

Best of luck!

D

ArchyJill · October 2010

I was a vegetarian for about 16 years. When I started to get serious about my health and my running I went back to meat and cut out the flour and sugar. Lost about 20 pounds and I am MUCH healthier. Does this mean you can't be veggie and be healthy? Of course not, but everyone is different.

If it is really about ethics though (and I am with you there) I would worry far more about eating whole foods in general...anything processed just involves tons more chemicals, pollution, exploitation, etc.

msemejuru · October 2010

You may not be getting all your vitamins now that your diet has changed. Make sure you are "eating the rainbow" by eating every color of food daily. My daughter and I eat meat but my husband and son are vegetarians. It is difficult cooking for both. You may get a lot of mileage out of making pizza's, pasta and veggie soups.

If you make pasta make sure to add mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, peas etc. to the sauces and serve with whole wheat rolls to make them a meal. I use ziti, penne and bow tie pasta so the guys can chew something.

Grilled cheese sandwiches served with steam veggies are popular among my kids. You can expand this to include panini sandwiches served with soup or veggies. Put any flavored mustard on the bread and the veggies then place a smaller pan on top the sandwiches while they fry in a larger pan. Unless you have a panini maker. Serving a baked potato w/scallions or sweet potato w/cinnamon with a meal helps the meat lovers fill up.

Minestrone, potato or corn chowder, split pea and egg noodle soups are filling. Mixing the textures of food helps the meat eaters get the variety back. If you make a soup, serve with croutons or crunchy bread. If you make vegetables add a grain.

If you like to bake add breads like zucchini, strawberry, banana, corn, cinnamon raisin etc. to serve with meals. They don't take a bread machine to make and keep for the entire week if wrapped.

They sell lots of seasonings for fried rice and lo mien noodles, just watch the salt. Serve with steamed veggies and they won't miss the meat.

Your kids are old enough that you can get a George Foreman grill for them to prepare their own meats to add to foods if you are okay with purchasing meat. Just make sure you are making a detailed meal plan so you don't let anything go to waste or being a vegetarian can get pricey. Only the first week takes time, the rest you can just tweak the original. Sorry to ramble, good luck!

EDesq · October 2010

Hi There:
I definitely understand where you are coming from. About 10 years ago I stopped eating meat, not something I planned, it just happened. I began eating it after about 7-8 months...got very sick, but I kept on and it got ok. NOW I have decided to become a Vegetarian for Medical reasons...let's say "an Ounce of Prevention is worth a Pound of possible cure." Anyway, I have done some research on how to get protein in My Vegetarian Eating Plan and it is wayyy better than I thought, without adding a lot of soy. (1) The quality of Whey Protein is wonderful...especially made into Protein/Fruit Smoothies; (2) Whole grains are out there in Abundance; Whole Grains have a great deal of protein in them, AND Remember, all carbs are NOT created equal! Whole Grains and Bean... Carbs that are less or not refined are GOOD Carbs, they Metabolize Slowly and give energy-as well as protein. (3) Maybe it is a matter of Creativity; what about all of the great whole grain pasta dishes and whole grain rice dishes and whole grain bread sandwiches, wraps, pizzas, flat breads...energy + protein. But also, why so stringent, why can't you feed your sons "meat" sometimes... not necessarily store it up, but buy it on an "as used basis," meaning if Wednesday you want to feed the boys some chicken, buy one and cook it or buy a rotisserie chicken, or if it's burgers...buy enough for the boys that day...They are really GREAT kids to support you that way, most kids wouldn't! In the end, if you just want to eat meat again, Do It, but know that the "reasons" you stopped still exist. This Journey (Life) is full of experiments. Oh, by the way, I know many "over weight" Vegetarians. I personally believe that there has to be a Commitment to vegetarian eating but it does not have to be fanatical. I don't see Myself evolving into a vegetarian fanatic, I can see Myself eating eggs, cheese, whole grains in all forms, nuts, whey protein, some soy products (very limited), if I want to taste some gravy over My potatoes at Thanksgiving-I will do it guiltless, or if I make soups with chicken stock-no big deal. But most of all, I will hit up the web sites with all types of Vegetarian Recipes and not get locked into "this is a breakfast meal or dinner meal..."

Do what will make YOU feel good and be healthy>>>Live and Enjoy Life's Journey!

mybestme33 · October 2010

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply to my post.

Yes, I am pretty well-read about proper nutrition, so I know for a fact I am getting enough protein (and I know about complete proteins as the first 2 months of my vegetarianism, I was eating vegan and the options become a LOT fewer!) I actually chart my protein on my thing here because I have issues with calcium/oxalate kidney stones and eating too much protein can contribute to that (though it is mostly a concern when most of your protein comes from animal sources). I'm quite sure I'm ok with B12, Vit. D etc, as I do eat dairy products and eggs and also take a good multi-vitamin.

As for my kids (a son and a daughter - it was weird to read someone post about "your sons" - lol - but I don't think I ever said they were a boy and a girl, so that would be my fault! - well, they are just not into beans/legumes. I mean, we can only eat veggie soup/rice so much, you know? Whole-grain pasta, yes. We do that too. But it just seems like I used to have limitless recipes to choose from that they would eat and now we have ... like.. 4. lol. And we did experiment for a while, using different foods, different seasonings, etc. but the problem is that we all have very simple palates. My daughter and I have funky bellies, so we don't like a lot of spices or seasonings (even if they're not hot, they still bother us) and none of us really like condiments or sauces or anything like that. I know it sounds funny and my fellow vegetarians don't believe me, because they like to say that when people crave chicken, they're actually craving the taste of everything they use to make it and you can do that with non-meat things, but when I used to bake chicken, the only thing I ever put on it was a little bit of olive oil and maybe a teaspoon of oregano. We would have a little piece of chicken and a bunch of veggies - no sauces, no spices, etc. So we make PLAIN vegetarian food and then because the kids don't like it, I end up putting cheese on it so that they will eat it. I guess my frustration is just that we aren't enjoying our food the way we used to, you know? We eat a family dinner every night, and it used to be this thing that everyone looked forward to with yummy smells coming from the kitchen, and the kids excited to eat, complimenting me on my cooking and now meals are all about anxiety for me, trying to figure out what I can make for them that they'll actually like (besides macaroni and cheese) and disappointment for them, because they don't get excited about their food anymore. I hate that.

Oh, but in answer to someone's question - no, they don't eat vegetarian the majority of the time - they eat meat at school every day, and at their dad's house (they go there often - once during the school week for dinner and then 2/3 weekends per month) and also at friend's houses.

And if I start cooking meat for them, I know I will end up eating it too, because honestly, I like the taste of it, regardless of how I feel about it in general.

I am lucky that I love in a rural area and we have farms all over, so I can get my milk/eggs locally from family farms and I bet I could find poultry at some of them as well. I just never bothered to ask. I really would like to NOT support factory farms.

I'm just obsessing way too much about food - when I don't eat meat, I feel sick and I crave it and when I do eat meat I feel guilty about it. How can I find a happy medium? I wish I could just make food, eat it and enjoy it - the way I used to!

Oh, I should add - the reason I joined this site to begin with is because I have gained 10 pounds since I stopped eating meat. When I started eating vegan, I lost a bunch of weight and was quite thin. As soon as I added dairy/eggs back in, I gained 10 pounds.

Also, my main sources of protein/iron/calcium thus far have been leafy green vegetables and beans - I have been told by my urologist and the nutritionist that works in his office to cut waaay back on all of them, as they are super high in oxalic acid, which is what is contributing to my kidney stones. So if I cut way back on them, I am not left with a whole lot of options.

Wow - I'm longwinded. If you made it this far, thanks for listening!

halobender · October 2010

I've never heard of someone being told to cut back on leafy greens. I wish someone would tell me that

(Of course, I suppose I'd have to actually eat some in order to ever have a chance at being told that.)

If you live in a rural area, there must be someone who raises cattle and poultry in an environment that would be suitable for your needs. Organic, fed properly, all of that. If I could afford organic meats I would only buy that, but I'm poor so I just get what they have at the local grocer. I totally feel ya on the factory farm thing, it's disgusting (but I couldn't give up meat for anything).

You mention the family farms and that you've not asked about poultry. My advice would be to ask; even if the ones that you tend to go to don't have meat they'll surely know of someone who does.

paddlemom · October 2010

I've never heard of someone being told to cut back on leafy greens. I wish someone would tell me that (Of course, I suppose I'd have to actually eat some in order to ever have a chance at being told that.)

If you live in a rural area, there must be someone who raises cattle and poultry in an environment that would be suitable for your needs. Organic, fed properly, all of that. If I could afford organic meats I would only buy that, but I'm poor so I just get what they have at the local grocer. I totally feel ya on the factory farm thing, it's disgusting (but I couldn't give up meat for anything).

You mention the family farms and that you've not asked about poultry. My advice would be to ask; even if the ones that you tend to go to don't have meat they'll surely know of someone who does.

My thoughts exactly. While there are a ton of health, lifestyle and ethical reasons for being vegetarian - if your primary reason is because you are concered about the agricultural ethics, then by looking for ethical meat sources you not only can satisfy yourself but also contribute to supporting the industry and encouraging the growth of ethical meat production.

You could also look into alternative meats like bison or venison. They tend, again, to be from much more grass roots sources.

My husbands family actually used to have a deal with a local farmer,. where they would buy two calves, one for the farmer and one for themself - that was the 'fee' for the farmer to raise both and have them butchered. They then had a freezer of wonderful local grain fed beef.

mybestme33 · October 2010

Thanks again for the responses. I really appreciate it.

Yes, I spent YEARS acquiring a taste for green leafies - spinach, kale, swiss chard, etc. and I reached a point where not only did I like them, I was eating them every day! I was SOOO proud of myself.

Then my urologist, when looking over my diet, was like "No wonder you have kidney stones! Your oxalate levels from all this must be through the roof!"

And here I was, thinking I was Superwoman for eating so well. And once you get one kidney stone, you are called a "stone former" for the rest of your life and prevention becomes your #1 goal. He said they're like dandelions. You can get rid of them THIS year.. but they'll be back. Great.

Yes, I will definitely look into local sources of organic meat.

Halobender - Believe me, I am quite poor myself. I am a single mom with 2 kiddos, and while I do work, and I get paid ok, it's still a struggle, especially since I have a pubescent boy under the roof who is eating me out of house and home. Buying local meat is going to be something I have to budget carefully for if I go that route, because I have a hard enough time just buying regular groceries. Having said that, I have NO idea how much local meat would cost. It may turn out to just not be an option for me. Or not an option to get 100% of my meat local. We'll see.

paddlemom - yes, I have heard that bison is a great meat - very lean. I think one of our local grocery stores has it. It's not farmed in the factory sense is it? I have never heard of a factory farm for bison..

stephqj · October 2010

You might also want to check into organic meats and natural meats. I'm outside of Atlanta, and I have we have a great local chicken farm (Springer Mountain) that sells through some of the local grocery stores. No antibiotics, grass-fed, no hormones, and ethical practices. Similarly, we have a wonderful grass-fed beef farm, Tinks. And because they're grass fed, they're naturally lower in saturated fats and higher in Omega 3's than most store-bought proteins. They do cost a little more, but I find that we generally eat less meat and more vegetables anyway. I'm also less wasteful and more careful about using all of what I buy. My kids have even pointed out how much better the chicken tastes. You might try searching for a local organic co-op or online directory.

halobender · October 2010

Halobender - Believe me, I am quite poor myself. I am a single mom with 2 kiddos, and while I do work, and I get paid ok, it's still a struggle, especially since I have a pubescent boy under the roof who is eating me out of house and home. Buying local meat is going to be something I have to budget carefully for if I go that route, because I have a hard enough time just buying regular groceries. Having said that, I have NO idea how much local meat would cost. It may turn out to just not be an option for me. Or not an option to get 100% of my meat local. We'll see.

Since you guys eat so many vegetables to begin with, perhaps if you just use meat as an ingredient that would be enough. That way it's in the main entree, but the entree itself is not just meat. That way you can make any meat products you get last longer. It's something to consider, anyhow.

Thinking about adding meat back to my diet..

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