Question for Vegans?

Question

Do you ever miss eating meat? Not trying to be rude, i'm curious...The only animal product i can is is Chicken..I'm allergic to pretty much everything else...So i'm just curious if i should stop eating chicken as well, since i pretty much already eat like a vegan...

Is it hard? Do you think it's true that you can get weak from being a vegan?.. I'm an anemic so...Would it make me even weaker?

Answer 1

No, I don't miss eating meat.  I haven't eaten it in over two decades and the simple fact of the matter is that I don't consider it food.

I don't find being a vegan hard, but it would probably depend on a number of factors: where you live, your level of dedication/reason for going vegan, whether you cook or rely on convenience foods, whether your friends and family would be supportive or hostile, etc.

No, I do not think it's true that you can get weak from being a vegan.  I think it's true that you can get weak from not eating a balanced diet and seeing to your nutritional requirements, but that can be done on any diet, including the Standard American Diet.  Animal foods are not necessary for human nutrition; nutrients are.  Vegetarians and vegans are no more likely to become anemic than the general population - as a meat-eating anemic, this shouldn't come as a shock.  You'll need to take care to eat iron-rich vegan foods, pair them with vitamin C to enhance absorption, have your iron levels monitored by your doctor and possibly take iron supplements.  Honestly, if you're concerned about becoming "even weaker" that suggests to me that you're not taking particular care now to treat your anemia appropriately.

Answer 2

I do not miss eating meat.  I find the sight and smell of it to be utterly repulsive.

Being a vegan does not make you weak, and anemia is more common among the general public than it is among vegetarians and vegans.

Answer 3

I don't miss meat as much as I thought I would. I still like the smell of steak cooking on the grill, but I know that it's bad for me so there's not much temptation to eat it. Whenever I reflect nostalgically on my meat-eating days, I tell myself that my arteries are much happier now than they used to be. If you're concerned about the effects of a vegan diet and anemia, you may want to ask your doctor. I personally think you would be okay as long as you get the necessary protein from various sources like black beans, etc but you can't always depend on health advice from strangers on the internet.

Answer 4

If you are anemic then I recommend using a cast iron pan to cook in.  You can get a significant amount of iron by cooking in one esp if you are cooking tomato-based sauces in them.

Answer 5

I don't really miss meat anymore, as i've found tastier substitutes for almost any meat product.

You don't get weak from being a vegan, you get weak from malnutrition.  It's your responsibility to eat healthy as a vegan or as a non-vegan.  If you're anemic, you will have to watch your diet even more closely.

Answer 6

Not long after, all cravings disappear.

You might want to plan a way to reverse your anemia before or even after you become veg. There are definitely plenty of ways to get iron on a vegan diet and vitamin c from fruits and vegetables actually increases iron absorption.

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/iron

http://www.veganhealth.org/sh

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo

ALL vegan people should take a B12 supplement which shouldn't bother anyone since people that eat meat, dairy AND fortified cereals are often slightly deficient.

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/b12

If planned properly, a vegan diet can offer everything that a meaty one can as proven by these fine gentlemen.

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/phpBB2/...

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/phpBB2/...

Answer 7

i am vegetarian...and i dont miss eating meat, but sometimes i do i guess. but i think about how much healthier it is and all of the animal lives im saving and i realize that its all worth it in the end.

Answer 8

You need vitamin B12 if you go vegan.

Answer 9

No, I don't miss eating meat. It repulses me to think of what the animals went through. The thought of what they were injected with (hormones, antibiotics, arsenic, etc.) also makes me nauseous. I don't see meat as something edible anymore. You might as well put a piece of plastic vomit  or some child's supermarket food toys in front of me. Same reaction. (You want me to do what with that?)

It's up to you if you want to stop eating chicken. No one can tell you if it's right or wrong. You have to decide that for yourself.

Is veganism hard? Yes, it can be. If you are staunch in your eating habits and are used to the convenience of eating out and quick trips to the grocery store it will all change. You would have to start carefully reading labels at the stores to make sure you're not eating animal products. At restaurants, you might be a bit frustrated because there is not much to eat (at least a large chain restaurants).

If you don't eat enough calories, enough protein and enough fibre, then yes, you can become weak. Meat eaters can be weak if they don't eat well either. It all depends on how balanced your diet is.

I don't think eliminating chicken is going to throw your anemia into a tizzy. If you already don't eat red meat, then you're surviving reasonably well (as red meat has more iron than chicken). There are plenty of plant sources that have iron. You just have to seek them out, pair it with foods rich in vitamin C and avoid coffee, tea, alcohol and dairy and you'll be fine.

Answer 10

if you like chicken, eat it.

that is the only meat i eat as well, don't like anything else.

just be sure to get your vitamins and minerals you are missing from the meat, from something else.

Answer 11

There are a couple of smells that make me miss meat, but it's rare. As a meat eater I felt so sick and run down all the time. Just remembering that and I know I'll never go back to eating meat.

You can become weak from being a vegan IF you don't eat the proper things. I've noticed a lot of new veg-heads eat a ton of "junk food" and then they get really sick. Knowing what your body needs and deciding what food source you're going to get it from before you switch over will really help a ton.

Answer 12

Well, first of all, vegetarians don't eat meat, and VEGANS don't eat anything that comes from animals at all, (eggs, dairy excetera)

So I think you mean to ask vegetarians if they miss it.

But anyway,

yeah,

I'm a vegetarian.

And yeah, I miss it.

I LOVE meat. I just did it to see if I could! Just a test you know?

Well, I've only been doing it for 2 months, but I get my protein from beans and rice for the main part.

For a while, I was just blacking out randomly while walking, and I went to the doctor and just said that I needed more protein.

So I ate more. :)

And there are different levels of being a vegetarian,

there are some that just won't eat meat directly,

some won't even eat things that have touched or been cooked in it!

But if you want to be a vegetarian, go for it!

But you can't really be called on until you don't eat meat at ALL.

Hope that helps!

~Maddie

Answer 13

it never crosses my mind... its not because i love animals, but because I hate plants that i eat them ;-)