Vegetarian of 6 years returning to meat?

PearlAng
PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
edited October 2014 in Food and Nutrition
Hello all,
I've seen a few topics like this one, but I wanted to make my own because I have a few specific questions.

I have been a full vegetarian for about 6 years. I haven't eaten beef or pork for about eight years, as I just don't like it much. The last thing I gave up was chicken and turkey. I have never eaten fish. I still eat most milk products and some meat broth-based soups (french onion made with beef broth, for example). So, considering my individual situation, does anyone have any advice on how I might go about going back to eating some meat? I gave it up because I just wasn't a big fan of it, but if I do decide to eat it again, I would probably just have lean chicken, turkey, and maybe a little bacon now and then. I'm not into anything too heavily fried or fatty, I hate biting into the fat of the meat. I don't think I would have burgers because I don't really like the taste, I would probably stick to veggie burgers.

My other concern is that I've gotten sick twice in my life from meat that wasn't prepared correctly (albeit both times from McDonalds, which I stay away from now, anyway) but those two incidents was part of the reason I gave up eating meat. Do you think I will have a problem with digestion or getting sick if I start to eat meat again? I probably wouldn't eat it every day, just once in a while on a sandwich or at a restaurant. I guess that would make me a flexitarian.

All comments and suggestions are appreciated!

Replies

  • PearlAng
    PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
    Also, how can I get my body used to eating meat again?
  • luvsyoga
    luvsyoga Posts: 90 Member
    I was a veggie for about 7 yrs. Not a very good one. I still ate fish and seafood occasionally. But no meat based sauces or soups. I went back to meat about 3 weeks ago. I went to a farm market, found some organic, ethically, cruelty free meat and made a roast. Oh.... I missed roast!!! And that's that. I eat meat a few times a week. I didn't get sick, except for the time I ate KFC , I got wicked stomach cramps and felt exhausted. Why did I go bach to meat? I was bored of veg food. Not the best reason, but it is what it is. Good luck.
  • luvsyoga
    luvsyoga Posts: 90 Member
    Oh, we will stick to veggie burgers too, we like them more. And we'll stick to veggie lasagna, and veggie sandwiches....
  • pap3rw1ngs
    pap3rw1ngs Posts: 58 Member
    I brought 5 years of being vegetarian to an end by eating a McDonald's Happy Meal, lol. I'm not a big meat fan because I don't like the texture of a lot of it but I never had any issues going back to it after 5 years. I still stick to Quorn for a lot of things but I eat a fair bit of chicken.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    start slowly, maybe adding one thing at a time. That way you can tell if it is upsetting to your stomach.
  • PearlAng
    PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
    Thanks for the replies, very helpful :)
  • the_nerdgasm
    the_nerdgasm Posts: 86 Member
    When I went back to eating meating after being veg for 6 years, the one thing that really struck me was how long it took to digest meat. I ate a chicken breast for lunch the first time I ate meat, and I was so stuffed I couldn't eat anything the rest of the day. I was also really lethargic (food coma symptoms and the like). So I'd recommend taking it slow - maybe a current favorite dish with added sliced chicken in it or something.

    Other than the initial few days when it just took a long time to digest the meat, I haven't felt sick or anything.
  • Mediocrates55
    Mediocrates55 Posts: 326 Member
    I was veg for almost 10 years. Then I got pregnant and started CRAVING meat, so I listened to my body. Start small, an ounce or two at a time, to make sure your body is going to be ok with it.
  • besaro
    besaro Posts: 1,858 Member
    not a vegetarian.
  • amandanndel
    amandanndel Posts: 47
    I was Vegan for about 5 months, (I went vegan instantly from making my first Thanksgiving turkey...need I say more) When I went back to meat I didn't really get sick but I noticed a huge difference in bowels, I often had stomach aches and had trouble..going. This lasted for about two weeks. My digestion is better now but you may experience something like this.
  • 1stplace4health
    1stplace4health Posts: 523 Member
    These sound like reasons not to eat meat. Processed meat (fast food) is bad for us. Why do you want to start that again?
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    I was vegetarian for 10 years, then pescetarian for another 10 years before I took to eating meat again. I had no issues with chicken and turkey. The issue came when I had beef of any kind... the gas could have cleared a city, and the cramping was quite painful. Just start slow and be wary if you plan on trying red meat.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    PearlAng wrote: »
    I gave it up because I just wasn't a big fan of it, but if I do decide to eat it again, I would probably just have lean chicken, turkey, and maybe a little bacon now and then. I'm not into anything too heavily fried or fatty, I hate biting into the fat of the meat.
    Uh... you do know what bacon is comprised of, yes?

    So, if you're really wanted to go back to being an omnivore, I think you might want to just try it in small bites. Add in a couple ounces of lean, lightly prepared meat, from time to time. Stay away from the heavily flavored meats for now until you find what you like.

    Also get milder meats, veal, young lamb, spring pig, young chickens, rabbit. Then go from there. The older the animal, the more "character" the meat has. Also, don't be afraid of trying exotics like frog, rabbit, duck. They're interesting, and definitely not like the average big three you get from day to day.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    1stplace4health wrote: »
    These sound like reasons not to eat meat. Processed meat (fast food) is bad for us. Why do you want to start that again?

    Disabuse yourself of the concept that processed = bad.

    Unless you're like me, you're probably purchasing precut meat, which is of course processed. If you want unprocessed, be like me, kill it, clean it, prep it, cut it, wrap it, and store it. Otherwise, relax - processing is a technical innovation that has helped us, and shouldn't be used as a dog whistle for easily lead and generally naive people to hate certain products. kthxbai. :)
  • ljashley1952
    ljashley1952 Posts: 275 Member
    I would take it very slow and not start out with beef or pork. Bacon or sausage would be pretty fatty. I'd maybe have a little chicken or turkey to start out. Or a small salmon fillet. Salmon is wonderful.
  • JenniDaisy
    JenniDaisy Posts: 526 Member
    I was vegetarian for 12 years, went back to eating meat and never got sick. Just start off small and you'll be fine.

    Also FYI you probably got sick from the salad in the McDonalds burgers, it's actually incredibly unlikely to get food poisoning from meat. Most cases are due to contaminated raw vegetables, and pre-prepared salads especially cut bags of lettuce are the absolute worst.
  • Poods71
    Poods71 Posts: 502 Member
    I was a full veggie for 10 years, I didn't even eat eggs. I started eating meat again when I was pregnant because I was craving it something terrible (obviously baby decided she wasn't veggie lol). I just ate whatever I wanted immediately with no ill effects. I still like my quorn and have quorn burgers and use quorn mince and chicken pieces but I also love my meat. I don't think you will have any problems with meat, you are probably just a bit paranoid as you have had bad experiences.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    After 30 years as a vegetarian, I've recently re-introduced fish. In terms of digestion, it was completely unproblemmatic. But I find it hard to eat, and there are only a few kinds that, emotionally, I can handle. (I know, it's silly, nobody has to jump on here to tell me....)

    Other friends who have reintroduced meat have also reported that fish is difficult to get to grips with so I'm not convinced it's good advice to start there. It's strong smelling and strong tasting. For someone not used to meats, I'd say white chicken would be the least offensive place to start.

    I think a lot of nonsense gets talked about the impact of reintroducing meat on your digestion. We are adapted to *be* omnivores (and in all my years as a vegetarian, I never understood why people would challenge that basic biological fact!). It isn't physiologically challenging to eat meat - it's what our systems were made for.

    My lifelong vegetarian daughter started eating meat a few months ago, having never eaten it. No problems at all. She just got on with it.

    The sickness people might feel on reintroduction is emotional, not physiological.
  • PearlAng
    PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
    Once again, thank you everyone for the replies :)

    In response:
    -Lol yes, I know what bacon is. As long as it's super crispy and I only have a strip or two I'll be good to go, that's how I used to eat it.

    -I want to go back to being an omnivore because I feel it will promote a healthier lifestyle for myself. Obviously, I won't be eating chicken nuggets. I can add more protein to my diet, as it's lacking. I'll have more variety when it comes to sandwiches and salads, among other things. I don't see any reason why I cannot incorporate some lean white meat with the occasional bacon into my diet in a healthy way. Really, I probably won't even eat meat everyday once I go back.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Take it slow. Good luck, and welcome back to being an omnivore.
  • PearlAng
    PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
    dbmata wrote: »
    Take it slow. Good luck, and welcome back to being an omnivore.

    :blush::heart: thank you
  • girldownsouth
    girldownsouth Posts: 920 Member
    I was vegetarian for 10 years, no meat or fish, reintroduced chicken/turkey and fish, then red meat 2 or 3 years later. There's a history of aneamia in my family and I was starting to get low iron, and I was less bothered about vegetarianism than I was as a teen so started eating meat again. No I'll effects, and I didn't do anything special in the way I started having it. I probably did increase it fairly gradually, though not deliberately, just lived alone then, so stuck with quorn, or even just tins of vegetable soup for dinner quite a lot, but now I have meat more often because of my boyfriend.
  • SNYDERINSPIRED
    SNYDERINSPIRED Posts: 5
    The problem with most vegetarians (myself included) is that we eat a lot of junk, just b/c it's not meat! I was a vegetarian, sometimes vegan, sometimes raw for 12 years and just recently started incorporating meat again. I started with eggs and fish (we caught and stored halibut from Alaska - yum!) - it's still hard for me to prepare meat and even eggs - even though they come from my own chickens! But, I can eat them. I'm doing some free range chicken now as well and beef if it comes from our farm. The biggest differences that I've found are when doing all raw or at least super clean vegan (no bread, pasta, added sugar, etc) I have a ton of energy all the time. When I eat meat it slows me down, so I choose it for my evening meal only.
    - I would highly suggest this if you're converting back. Try to keep your meals clean with mostly fruits a.m. and veggies/salad/avocado during the day and include a lean protein at night when your body is ready to slow down. :)

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