Transitioning out of Vegetarianism, what should I be careful of?

Question

Been a loyal vegetarian for 7 years. The past fue months I have had very strong cravings and curiosity toward meat again. Even previously to be being a veg. I never had cravings for meat. After some pushing and pulling emotions, I decided that listening to my mind and body's constant cravings was the best answer. It's been 2 weeks since I have started eating meat again. Ive started slow. Is there anything I should be mindful about now that I have made this decision, in terms of my health and what I might expect to happen, or feel. The second day of testing my new waters, I did feel very lethargic and tired on the 3rd day, very much in a fog, and slept just about all day until 4pm! Could have been unrelated to my new ways, but I dont know....Just looking for some useful advice! Thank you :)

Answer 1

If you're otherwise healthy, this is not a big deal.

I went through something similar after being vegetarian for about 10 years and it was this craving that almost did me in!  It was mainly bacon, but I also wanted a rare bleu cheeseburger and some liverwurst.

So I gorged on that stuff off and on for like a week....and then went back to being a veggie.  It was like a blip or something!  But I didn't get sick - I just ate normal portions and still had lots of veggies.

Answer 2

Only eat ground meat and fish for the first month or so.

You are actually in danger of getting too much protein - at least if you keep eating your soy, lentils etc. So limit your intake of beans etc. Eat fresh veggies in stead - as well as fish and ground meat.

Answer 3

Avoid fatty meats, especially pork. I "transitioned" rather rapidly with ssamgyapsal. It was a very bad idea. I'm now back on the wagon.

Besides that, I can't think of too much. You might put on weight or lose weight, as is the case with any diet change. Your skin might change, your homone levels could also change and cause disruptions in that regard.

Let us know how it goes.

Answer 4

that feeling of lethargy is what happens when you eat "THAT" heavy a meal - to digest it blood leaves other parts of the body - the brain being one that directly effects the lethargic & foggy things you mentioned above and be very careful of over loading your liver - it is used to your other diet - now your throwing in some real heavy stuff - way more toxins and acids for liver to purify.  and your emotions  they get raddled too - my oldest son ( r.i.p.) would become a real weenie after experimenting eating meats ( family of veggies - told kids to experiment away from home w/ meat) angry, frustrated, things that normally did not bother him seemed SO DISTURBING.   you should make sure you eat some kind of cultured dairy to help you friendly flora in tummy for digestion.  and do not forget all those lovely meat born diseases you now have to look forward to & the extra added boost of antibiotics from the meat-you know the stuff they inject into the animals, unless you are eating organic that is.  well be careful - just curious.....would you eat meat if you had to kill the critter, skin it, gut it, & render all the blood out of it b4 you got to cook and eat it?  just wondering???????  :)

Answer 5

i dunno, but i did hear that every seven years your body changes its taste for food

Answer 6

I am sorry that you have decided to stop being a vegetarian after seven years.  That is amazing.  I guess you didn't become a vegetarian because of cruelty to animals.  I am a vegan and I would never go back to eating meat but to each his own.  I am surprised that you would have craving after doing it for seven years.  You do what works for you.  Being a vegetarian is a personal choice.  My advice is to ease into it slowly.  I would start with the healthier meats and ease into the fattier meats.  You will feel different at first because you are feeding your body differently.  When I first became vegan I felt nauseous, I had diarrhea and terrible gas pains.  I was putting healthy food into my diet and I was also giving up the foods that I used to eat so my body just had to adjust.  Now I feel great.  Slow and steady wins the race.  I became a vegetarian after moving into my new house in the country with a cow pasture over my fence.  I see this cows every day out my kitchen window.  It made me look at meat very differently.  Now when I look at meat I don't think of it as just a piece of meat.  I think about what animal it came from.  Anyway, good luck to you.  And I commend you on being a vegetarian for as long as you were and I'm sorry that it didn't work for you.