Doctor is taking me off meat new territory for me

mrslizcaster
mrslizcaster Posts: 7 Member
in Introduce Yourself
After years of Digestive issues my doctor has determined I do not digest meat well. The problems have start causing bleeds in my GI system. I am a meat eater through and through so switching to a vegetarian diet is proving to be difficult. The first few weeks he wants me to try making salads and smoothies. Later I’m to move on to tofu and other meat substitutes. Any advice would be great. I’m a NoLa native where food is not just the fuel run on its our way of life. Everything happens around the table. Thank you for your time and understanding. I want to make this work just need help getting there.

Replies

  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    has he given you a referral to a registered dietician? they can help you identify foods to replace etc - i'd be hesitant to change based off one doctor - what tests did he do to determine who don't digest meat well
  • mrslizcaster
    mrslizcaster Posts: 7 Member
    Personal history and blood tests. He’s been my doctor for a long time. No dietician yet.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    So it seems like you have two issues to be mindful of.

    One is just in a basic sense, how to put together a meal that doesn't have meat. I'm not a vegetarian, but I found picking up a couple of vegetarian cookbooks (and searching online for veggie recipe bloggers) really helped me to visualize what a meatless meal looks like.

    Second is to replace the protein that you would otherwise get from meat. I believe good sources of non-meat protein would be Greek yogurt & cottage cheese, lentils & beans, tofu and other soy products, seitan and other "meat substitutes". Will you be eating fish? If so, that will likely be an important sub as well.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    Can you still do seafood? If so, that can become a big part of your diet. There are also a lot of good "taste close to the real thing" meat replacements out there like the Beyond Meat Burger and Impossible Burger so you can still get your fill.
  • mrslizcaster
    mrslizcaster Posts: 7 Member
    I’m not sure about the fish but that’s an excellent idea. It’s easy to get fresh here. I know I’m still allowed dairy and eggs. When he started suggesting I may have an issue with digestion meat I tried tofu on my own. It won’t fool you into thinking it’s meat but will give a satisfactory full feeling. Thank you all for the help so far.
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
    I used to be a big red meat eater, just thru the course of my life I guess I have scaled wayyyy back, like went from burgers 2-3 nights a week to maybe once a month more so in summer, steak once a week to maybe once every 3-4 months. Not to mention the red meat is high in calories and I was eating way more then I needed. Plenty of other types of meat to choose from as stated here fish, seafood, chicken, pork. I get my protein thru Greek yogurt. I like Fago. I really do not miss it as a matter of fact making my kids steak quesadillas last night I had a couple of strips and really did not taste that great to me.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    Honestly, it's not a great idea to get your health info from documentaries, they are meant to be entertainment and are very one sided. Most vegans I know say What the Health is "just vegan propaganda".

    And only some fish are high in mercury, the closer to the top of the food chain they are, the higher the mercury in general. I thought this was a good summary:

    https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/tn6745spec
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    edited April 2019
    LadeanB62 wrote: »
    I switched to a Vegan/Plant based lifestyle 5 months ago. And it was hard for the first week then I was feeling so good I didn't even miss meat or dairy. And I was a big meat eater too. Watch "What the health" and Forks over knives, it helped motivate me. Your body will thank you!!

    Those mocumentaries ares BS and overstate the benefits of a vegan lifestyle and don't really look at the other side, not to mention made by and commissioned by Vegans.

    here is a critique of What the Health: https://robbwolf.com/2017/07/03/what-the-health-a-wolfs-eye-review/
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited April 2019
    erickirb wrote: »
    LadeanB62 wrote: »
    I switched to a Vegan/Plant based lifestyle 5 months ago. And it was hard for the first week then I was feeling so good I didn't even miss meat or dairy. And I was a big meat eater too. Watch "What the health" and Forks over knives, it helped motivate me. Your body will thank you!!

    Those mocumentaries ares BS and overstate the benefits of a vegan lifestyle and don't really look at the other side, not to mention made by and commissioned by Vegans.

    here is a critique of What the Health by another Vegan: https://robbwolf.com/2017/07/03/what-the-health-a-wolfs-eye-review/

    I am pretty sure that Robb Wolf isn't vegan, but there are vegans who are critical of the film. Here is a good critique from a vegan RD: https://www.theveganrd.com/2017/07/a-science-based-and-vegan-perspective-on-the-new-what-the-health-documentary/
  • ksharrell48
    ksharrell48 Posts: 171 Member
    Off the top of my head here, but I'm thinking it might not be a bad idea to get a second opinion, especially since this is such a big change for you, understandably.

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