Switching back to eating meat after being vegetarian?
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KatiePapaya
Posts: 30
Hi, I've been a vegetarian for about 3 or 4 years now, but recently I've noticed that when people ask me why I'm vegetarian, I have no answer! I actually became vegetarian for pretty bizarre reasons--my OCD was exceptionally bad at the time, and in my head, meat became synonymous with "bacteria laden and disease riddled"--so I have no ethical qualms about eating animals provided that the meat is ethically sourced (same goes for eggs and dairy.) I'm in a catered university, so price won't be an issue, and all the food is local and organic. I know to start slow, start with things like fish and chicken (I hated the flavour of red meats anyway so this isn't really an issue) and maybe meat based soups...? Has anyone else gone through the transition, and if so, how did you go about it (and how did you feel)?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
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Replies
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I went through the transition years ago. It was also after a few years of being veggie. No one told me to "take it slow" or I would have negative consequences. So, I didn't take it slow. I jumped right back in to eating meat. The first day I had two gas station hot dogs and a steak. I suffered absolutely no gastrointestinal distress. Quite the contrary. I felt great.
If you want to eat meat, just go eat meat. There's no need to "re-adapt" or anything. If you see some meat that looks tasty, eat it.0 -
I actually just transitioned this week, first time eating meat in 6 years!
Well, what I have found is I like to have bits of meat in things. I had a sandwich with a little turkey and some spinach yesterday. I think it's a little bit easier to tolerate in the beginning if you eat it with something. I probably won't be eating meat everyday. Either way, take it slowly and treat it as a new, exciting experience to experiment with what you like/dislike0 -
I disagree with @frob23. I'm sure his tummy was fine, but I know that mine wouldn't be. I'm a vegetarian, and I accidentally ate meat once over the summer and was sick all night. Literally one bite and my tummy was a mess. Test the waters, take it slow, and see how you personally adapt. Some people will have no trouble, but some people have more sensitive stomachs.0
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I disagree with @frob23. I'm sure his tummy was fine, but I know that mine wouldn't be. I'm a vegetarian, and I accidentally ate meat once over the summer and was sick all night. Literally one bite and my tummy was a mess. Test the waters, take it slow, and see how you personally adapt. Some people will have no trouble, but some people have more sensitive stomachs.
The mind is an amazing organ.
http://sciencenordic.com/does-meat-make-vegetarians-ill
Unless you have an allergy to meat or literally stuffed yourself "accidentally" with that "one bite," it's extremely unlikely that your body was unable to handle digesting it without distress. Do I believe you suffered from distress? Sure. Do I believe that the distress came solely from your body being unable to handle a single bite of meat? Nope.0 -
"...but recently I've noticed that when people ask me why I'm vegetarian, I have no answer!"
This is sad to hear. There really are no reasons NOT to be vegetarian/vegan. How about this:
FOR MY HEALTH: The Western Diet is riddled with animal products, and most of us eat animals at every meal. The Western World is riddled with heart disease, cancer and diabetes--all DIRECTLY related to our diets. These are called the "Western Diseases". Most of the world still lives on a plant-based diet (Asia, Japan, Thailand, etc..), and they suffer nearly no heart disease, cancer or diabetes. As the Western Diet infiltrates their culture, they are developing the same diseases as us. Animal protein has been proven to acidify the body, and it was proven back in the 1940's by Dr. Warburg that cancer cannot survive in an alkaline body. Plants alkalize the body (even the acidic ones like lemons) and not only prevent cancer, but have been proven stop it from growing and even reverse it. One in two of us will die from heart disease alone, which is directly influenced by the high amounts of fat found in animal foods (even the 'lean' cuts are high fat). Fat we eat gets DIRECTLY deposited into our blood without being changed at all. It is then transported via our blood to parts of our body where it will be stored immediately for use later. Your body uses glucose for energy first, then glycogen (stored glucose) and then fats and proteins (from your muscles). When you dump fat into your blood stream (especially huge amounts of it from animal products), your blood literally becomes less viscous (think of oil), and it becomes 'sticky'. It coats things in a way that prevents your cells from taking up glucose (energy). This is why after eating a meal full of animal products (which always contain a significant amount of fat no matter what) you feel tired, lazy, and often crave sweet things--even though there is sugar in your blood, your cells can't take it up fast enough because of the fat that's literally slowing everything down. Think of a cat who gorges itself on an animal carcass--they go to sleep after and digest for a day or two. Why? Because animal protein and fat are the calorie jackpot and it takes a long time to digest those things. Plants, with their low fat content and high carbohydrate content (our primary source of energy) and optimal protein (sometimes even high-protein) content are the ideal foods for us and with variety give us everything we need to survive.
FOR HUMANE REASONS: If you wanted a hamburger, would you go and kill a cow? Most of us couldn't or wouldn't, so we pay people who ARE capable of killing things without moral repercussion. The types of people who enjoy killing things on a daily basis are the people who enjoy hurting animals, who enjoy seeing pain and suffering and inflicting it. They HAVE to become numb to it, obviously. 99% of our meat is factory farmed, local or not, "organic" or not -- they're all shipped to the same slaughter houses no matter how they're raised. Pigs are more intelligent, social and affectionate than dogs, but because we don't know them, it's ok to isolate, confine, abuse and kill them. (Isolation and confinement are still organic, still local...). You don't know what your'e eating, where your money is going until you see for yourself. Meat is money, they're not in the business of making animals happy and comfortable, obviously.
THE ENVIRONMENT: The number one contributor of greenhouse gases is not cars and not people. IT'S FACTORY FARMING. Why? Because CO2 is not the biggest culprit, methane is. Methane is 21x (2100%) better at trapping heat from the sun and heating up our planet. There are 1.5 billion cows on earth right now, and all they do until they die is eat and defecate. All that poop and pee gets stored in "MANURE LAGOONS" (look that up) which are just HUGE pits of disgusting poo and pee, leaching into our atmosphere. Not to mention they leak into our waterways and oceans constantly (by mistake).
THAT IS WHY YOU'RE A VEGETARIAN. Now, go vegan and save yourself, our slaves (the animals) and the planet.-2 -
You actually can buy meat that was not abused.I have two farms near me that do their own and I know for a fact that tthe animals live good and not confined, I actually worked on one, the animals were all treated well and the farm was small.0
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To the opportunity do as you wish just try to research the farms before you buy.0
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KatiePapaya wrote: »Hi, I've been a vegetarian for about 3 or 4 years now, but recently I've noticed that when people ask me why I'm vegetarian, I have no answer! I actually became vegetarian for pretty bizarre reasons--my OCD was exceptionally bad at the time, and in my head, meat became synonymous with "bacteria laden and disease riddled"--so I have no ethical qualms about eating animals provided that the meat is ethically sourced (same goes for eggs and dairy.) I'm in a catered university, so price won't be an issue, and all the food is local and organic. I know to start slow, start with things like fish and chicken (I hated the flavour of red meats anyway so this isn't really an issue) and maybe meat based soups...? Has anyone else gone through the transition, and if so, how did you go about it (and how did you feel)?
Thanks in advance!
I've never transitioned, but I think you have a good plan to start. If you want to start easier, maybe trying with sandwiches first with different lunch meats may be easiest on your stomach if you're having issues right away, since the pieces are thin. You can also try sprinkling some shredded tuna or chicken on salads as well.
Good luck!0 -
sherimiller123 wrote: »You actually can buy meat that was not abused.I have two farms near me that do their own and I know for a fact that tthe animals live good and not confined, I actually worked on one, the animals were all treated well and the farm was small.
This is pretty cool, to be honest, and only because you can see it for yourself. Government regulations are completely misleading. We absolutely need to go back to the ways of old-world farming, where people were responsible for animals, not corporations, machines and governments.
For health reasons, I'd still only eat meat a few times a week if I did. But this would be where I'd get it.
Good on you 0 -
herrspoons wrote: »"...but recently I've noticed that when people ask me why I'm vegetarian, I have no answer!"
This is sad to hear. There really are no reasons NOT to be vegetarian/vegan.
How about this:
FOR MY HEALTH: The Western Diet is riddled with animal products, and most of us eat animals at every meal. The Western World is riddled with heart disease, cancer and diabetes--all DIRECTLY related to our diets. These are called the "Western Diseases". Most of the world still lives on a plant-based diet (Asia, Japan, Thailand, etc..), and they suffer nearly no heart disease, cancer or diabetes. As the Western Diet infiltrates their culture, they are developing the same diseases as us. Animal protein has been proven to acidify the body, and it was proven back in the 1940's by Dr. Warburg that cancer cannot survive in an alkaline body. Plants alkalize the body (even the acidic ones like lemons) and not only prevent cancer, but have been proven stop it from growing and even reverse it. One in two of us will die from heart disease alone, which is directly influenced by the high amounts of fat found in animal foods (even the 'lean' cuts are high fat). Fat we eat gets DIRECTLY deposited into our blood without being changed at all. It is then transported via our blood to parts of our body where it will be stored immediately for use later. Your body uses glucose for energy first, then glycogen (stored glucose) and then fats and proteins (from your muscles). When you dump fat into your blood stream (especially huge amounts of it from animal products), your blood literally becomes less viscous (think of oil), and it becomes 'sticky'. It coats things in a way that prevents your cells from taking up glucose (energy). This is why after eating a meal full of animal products (which always contain a significant amount of fat no matter what) you feel tired, lazy, and often crave sweet things--even though there is sugar in your blood, your cells can't take it up fast enough because of the fat that's literally slowing everything down. Think of a cat who gorges itself on an animal carcass--they go to sleep after and digest for a day or two. Why? Because animal protein and fat are the calorie jackpot and it takes a long time to digest those things. Plants, with their low fat content and high carbohydrate content (our primary source of energy) and optimal protein (sometimes even high-protein) content are the ideal foods for us and with variety give us everything we need to survive.
FOR HUMANE REASONS: If you wanted a hamburger, would you go and kill a cow? Most of us couldn't or wouldn't, so we pay people who ARE capable of killing things without moral repercussion. The types of people who enjoy killing things on a daily basis are the people who enjoy hurting animals, who enjoy seeing pain and suffering and inflicting it. They HAVE to become numb to it, obviously. 99% of our meat is factory farmed, local or not, "organic" or not -- they're all shipped to the same slaughter houses no matter how they're raised. Pigs are more intelligent, social and affectionate than dogs, but because we don't know them, it's ok to isolate, confine, abuse and kill them. (Isolation and confinement are still organic, still local...). You don't know what your'e eating, where your money is going until you see for yourself. Meat is money, they're not in the business of making animals happy and comfortable, obviously.
THE ENVIRONMENT: The number one contributor of greenhouse gases is not cars and not people. IT'S FACTORY FARMING. Why? Because CO2 is not the biggest culprit, methane is. Methane is 21x (2100%) better at trapping heat from the sun and heating up our planet. There are 1.5 billion cows on earth right now, and all they do until they die is eat and defecate. All that poop and pee gets stored in "MANURE LAGOONS" (look that up) which are just HUGE pits of disgusting poo and pee, leaching into our atmosphere. Not to mention they leak into our waterways and oceans constantly (by mistake).
THAT IS WHY YOU'RE A VEGETARIAN. Now, go vegan and save yourself, our slaves (the animals) and the planet.
Or you could just respect her choice. Whatever.
I respect everyone's freedom of choice. But every choice should be an informed one. We're all making decisions based on what we know. She said she didn't know why she was a vegetarian. I provided three very valid perspectives to be considered.
If she still choses to eat me, so be it. I'm not going to disrespect her. This was in no way a personal attack, but information to help make informed choices.
No need to be rude.0 -
I would start slow and organic. I am pescatarian and when i ate pork it made me throw up. I havent tried beef or chicken though. I actually agree with Musiche but i understand how good meat is. Try not to binge.0
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herrspoons wrote: »"...but recently I've noticed that when people ask me why I'm vegetarian, I have no answer!"
This is sad to hear. There really are no reasons NOT to be vegetarian/vegan.
How about this:
FOR MY HEALTH: The Western Diet is riddled with animal products, and most of us eat animals at every meal. The Western World is riddled with heart disease, cancer and diabetes--all DIRECTLY related to our diets. These are called the "Western Diseases". Most of the world still lives on a plant-based diet (Asia, Japan, Thailand, etc..), and they suffer nearly no heart disease, cancer or diabetes. As the Western Diet infiltrates their culture, they are developing the same diseases as us. Animal protein has been proven to acidify the body, and it was proven back in the 1940's by Dr. Warburg that cancer cannot survive in an alkaline body. Plants alkalize the body (even the acidic ones like lemons) and not only prevent cancer, but have been proven stop it from growing and even reverse it. One in two of us will die from heart disease alone, which is directly influenced by the high amounts of fat found in animal foods (even the 'lean' cuts are high fat). Fat we eat gets DIRECTLY deposited into our blood without being changed at all. It is then transported via our blood to parts of our body where it will be stored immediately for use later. Your body uses glucose for energy first, then glycogen (stored glucose) and then fats and proteins (from your muscles). When you dump fat into your blood stream (especially huge amounts of it from animal products), your blood literally becomes less viscous (think of oil), and it becomes 'sticky'. It coats things in a way that prevents your cells from taking up glucose (energy). This is why after eating a meal full of animal products (which always contain a significant amount of fat no matter what) you feel tired, lazy, and often crave sweet things--even though there is sugar in your blood, your cells can't take it up fast enough because of the fat that's literally slowing everything down. Think of a cat who gorges itself on an animal carcass--they go to sleep after and digest for a day or two. Why? Because animal protein and fat are the calorie jackpot and it takes a long time to digest those things. Plants, with their low fat content and high carbohydrate content (our primary source of energy) and optimal protein (sometimes even high-protein) content are the ideal foods for us and with variety give us everything we need to survive.
FOR HUMANE REASONS: If you wanted a hamburger, would you go and kill a cow? Most of us couldn't or wouldn't, so we pay people who ARE capable of killing things without moral repercussion. The types of people who enjoy killing things on a daily basis are the people who enjoy hurting animals, who enjoy seeing pain and suffering and inflicting it. They HAVE to become numb to it, obviously. 99% of our meat is factory farmed, local or not, "organic" or not -- they're all shipped to the same slaughter houses no matter how they're raised. Pigs are more intelligent, social and affectionate than dogs, but because we don't know them, it's ok to isolate, confine, abuse and kill them. (Isolation and confinement are still organic, still local...). You don't know what your'e eating, where your money is going until you see for yourself. Meat is money, they're not in the business of making animals happy and comfortable, obviously.
THE ENVIRONMENT: The number one contributor of greenhouse gases is not cars and not people. IT'S FACTORY FARMING. Why? Because CO2 is not the biggest culprit, methane is. Methane is 21x (2100%) better at trapping heat from the sun and heating up our planet. There are 1.5 billion cows on earth right now, and all they do until they die is eat and defecate. All that poop and pee gets stored in "MANURE LAGOONS" (look that up) which are just HUGE pits of disgusting poo and pee, leaching into our atmosphere. Not to mention they leak into our waterways and oceans constantly (by mistake).
THAT IS WHY YOU'RE A VEGETARIAN. Now, go vegan and save yourself, our slaves (the animals) and the planet.
Or you could just respect her choice. Whatever.
I respect everyone's freedom of choice. But every choice should be an informed one. We're all making decisions based on what we know. She said she didn't know why she was a vegetarian. I provided three very valid perspectives to be considered.
If she still choses to eat me, so be it. I'm not going to disrespect her. This was in no way a personal attack, but information to help make informed choices.
No need to be rude.
The health perspective is not valid as far as a reason to abstain from meat because you cannot demonstrate a causative link between meat consumption and these so called "western diseases". There are plenty of lifestyle factors and additional differences in diet outside of meat consumption that can contribute to health markers when you compare populations.
Additionally, blood PH is tightly regulated internally. If you've got data showing that PH can be significantly altered by diet, I'd love to see it.
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Vegetarians and vegans should look at the sources of their plants. Many are grown and harvested by underpaid and overworked laborers who receive no benefits or job security. Not to mention the children working in the fields. Nothing wrong with being a vegetarian, but be careful throwing around the self-righteous ethics of the matter.0
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SherryTeach wrote: »Vegetarians and vegans should look at the sources of their plants. Many are grown and harvested by underpaid and overworked laborers who receive no benefits or job security. Not to mention the children working in the fields. Nothing wrong with being a vegetarian, but be careful throwing around the self-righteous ethics of the matter.
I would say to utilize farmers markets if you can! Benefiting local farmers, plus you can build a relationship with the person growing your food and know where it's coming from.0 -
We've been doing a bit of research on the meats we eat...and we have always been meat eather, but now are meats are organic, free range, no hormones and additives, and it tastes much better. We avoid the nitrates and nitrites and antibodies foods. So as you do get back into eating meat, I agree other those who have already said this...look for organic, naturally produced meat where the animals are treated well and not treated with all the hormones, etc. that is a huge part of processed foods.0
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You know, I really do have better grammar than is shown on my post....dang typos..
and it should be OUR meats, not are meats. ...grrr.. 0 -
herrspoons wrote: »"...but recently I've noticed that when people ask me why I'm vegetarian, I have no answer!"
This is sad to hear. There really are no reasons NOT to be vegetarian/vegan.
How about this:
FOR MY HEALTH: The Western Diet is riddled with animal products, and most of us eat animals at every meal. The Western World is riddled with heart disease, cancer and diabetes--all DIRECTLY related to our diets. These are called the "Western Diseases". Most of the world still lives on a plant-based diet (Asia, Japan, Thailand, etc..), and they suffer nearly no heart disease, cancer or diabetes. As the Western Diet infiltrates their culture, they are developing the same diseases as us. Animal protein has been proven to acidify the body, and it was proven back in the 1940's by Dr. Warburg that cancer cannot survive in an alkaline body. Plants alkalize the body (even the acidic ones like lemons) and not only prevent cancer, but have been proven stop it from growing and even reverse it. One in two of us will die from heart disease alone, which is directly influenced by the high amounts of fat found in animal foods (even the 'lean' cuts are high fat). Fat we eat gets DIRECTLY deposited into our blood without being changed at all. It is then transported via our blood to parts of our body where it will be stored immediately for use later. Your body uses glucose for energy first, then glycogen (stored glucose) and then fats and proteins (from your muscles). When you dump fat into your blood stream (especially huge amounts of it from animal products), your blood literally becomes less viscous (think of oil), and it becomes 'sticky'. It coats things in a way that prevents your cells from taking up glucose (energy). This is why after eating a meal full of animal products (which always contain a significant amount of fat no matter what) you feel tired, lazy, and often crave sweet things--even though there is sugar in your blood, your cells can't take it up fast enough because of the fat that's literally slowing everything down. Think of a cat who gorges itself on an animal carcass--they go to sleep after and digest for a day or two. Why? Because animal protein and fat are the calorie jackpot and it takes a long time to digest those things. Plants, with their low fat content and high carbohydrate content (our primary source of energy) and optimal protein (sometimes even high-protein) content are the ideal foods for us and with variety give us everything we need to survive.
FOR HUMANE REASONS: If you wanted a hamburger, would you go and kill a cow? Most of us couldn't or wouldn't, so we pay people who ARE capable of killing things without moral repercussion. The types of people who enjoy killing things on a daily basis are the people who enjoy hurting animals, who enjoy seeing pain and suffering and inflicting it. They HAVE to become numb to it, obviously. 99% of our meat is factory farmed, local or not, "organic" or not -- they're all shipped to the same slaughter houses no matter how they're raised. Pigs are more intelligent, social and affectionate than dogs, but because we don't know them, it's ok to isolate, confine, abuse and kill them. (Isolation and confinement are still organic, still local...). You don't know what your'e eating, where your money is going until you see for yourself. Meat is money, they're not in the business of making animals happy and comfortable, obviously.
THE ENVIRONMENT: The number one contributor of greenhouse gases is not cars and not people. IT'S FACTORY FARMING. Why? Because CO2 is not the biggest culprit, methane is. Methane is 21x (2100%) better at trapping heat from the sun and heating up our planet. There are 1.5 billion cows on earth right now, and all they do until they die is eat and defecate. All that poop and pee gets stored in "MANURE LAGOONS" (look that up) which are just HUGE pits of disgusting poo and pee, leaching into our atmosphere. Not to mention they leak into our waterways and oceans constantly (by mistake).
THAT IS WHY YOU'RE A VEGETARIAN. Now, go vegan and save yourself, our slaves (the animals) and the planet.
Or you could just respect her choice. Whatever.
I respect everyone's freedom of choice. But every choice should be an informed one. We're all making decisions based on what we know. She said she didn't know why she was a vegetarian. I provided three very valid perspectives to be considered.
If she still choses to eat me, so be it. I'm not going to disrespect her. This was in no way a personal attack, but information to help make informed choices.
No need to be rude.
The health perspective is not valid as far as a reason to abstain from meat because you cannot demonstrate a causative link between meat consumption and these so called "western diseases". There are plenty of lifestyle factors and additional differences in diet outside of meat consumption that can contribute to health markers when you compare populations.
Additionally, blood PH is tightly regulated internally. If you've got data showing that PH can be significantly altered by diet, I'd love to see it.
The health perspective is incredibly valid... I went vegan simply because I couldn't deny the truth of it anymore. I ate animals and LOVED meat for 32 years. The prior three years I was focused on high-protein paleo diet myself (and I've never been so unhealthy).
The "causative link" you're looking for is called acidosis. Animal protein acidifies our blood. Plant consumption alkalizes it. Yes, the body DOES regulate blood pH internally, and it does that by leaching calcium from our bones (also the reason osteoporosis is so prevalent in the western world). This is supposed to be a TEMPORARY fix, not a constant thing. We are designed to eat meat MAYBE a few times a week, giving our body a chance to neutralize our blood/body and return to a slightly alkaline balance. When we CONSTANTLY eat meat, we live permanent in acidosis, an that is not normal or healthy for us.
Again, the man who discovered this was awarded a Nobel Prize for it (Dr. Heinrich Warburg). Is the Nobel Prize, the greatest achievement in science, not proof enough that pH can be altered by diet, and that acidosis promotes cancer? Look up Warburg. And if that isn't enough, type in "Alkaline Diet" and you've got more links to data than you could ask for... (Just look at the 'images' section alone, that says it all).
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missiontofitness wrote: »SherryTeach wrote: »Vegetarians and vegans should look at the sources of their plants. Many are grown and harvested by underpaid and overworked laborers who receive no benefits or job security. Not to mention the children working in the fields. Nothing wrong with being a vegetarian, but be careful throwing around the self-righteous ethics of the matter.
I would say to utilize farmers markets if you can! Benefiting local farmers, plus you can build a relationship with the person growing your food and know where it's coming from.
Funny, I've always classed my self as the kind of vegetarian who isn't self-righteous; sorry if I came across that way (and I always buy Fairtrade products when I can...)
Farmers markets aren't a choice I have when I'm at college, I'm afraid, but the produce in the dining hall is all organic etc. (and Fairtrade. Just putting that out there.) It's definitely something I'll look into once I'm at home though! Thanks 0 -
Vegan ethics do not extend to human death and suffering.SherryTeach wrote: »Vegetarians and vegans should look at the sources of their plants. Many are grown and harvested by underpaid and overworked laborers who receive no benefits or job security. Not to mention the children working in the fields. Nothing wrong with being a vegetarian, but be careful throwing around the self-righteous ethics of the matter.
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sherimiller123 wrote: »You actually can buy meat that was not abused.I have two farms near me that do their own and I know for a fact that tthe animals live good and not confined, I actually worked on one, the animals were all treated well and the farm was small.
This is pretty cool, to be honest, and only because you can see it for yourself. Government regulations are completely misleading. We absolutely need to go back to the ways of old-world farming, where people were responsible for animals, not corporations, machines and governments.
For health reasons, I'd still only eat meat a few times a week if I did. But this would be where I'd get it.
Good on you
Local pampered chickens, fed a diet of sheep's milk, soy and hazelnuts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8SjkDq2ZwI 0
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