Quitting Vegetarianism.

[leena fighter]

Well, after three (somewhat) decent years ... I'm kickin' the habit.

I didn't stop eating meat for any real moral/ethical/religious reason, it was just a completely personal decision I came to after eating a slab of chicken and getting the sickening realization of what I was ripping into. But I need more protein than I get, and since I have a terrible inclination towards anything carbohydrate (I could live off of breads - technically I have for some time,) I think it would be best for my heath if I start eating meat again.

My main problem... No meat for three years + a sudden reintroduction of it to my system = roughly two weeks of hating myself. Has anyone ever quit before, or know someone who has? Or even just knows a little something about health? I hate being sick, but I know it's unavoidable, I'm just looking for a little advice. I'm nervous about suddenly starting, I don't know if I'll be on the floor seconds within consuming any or what ...

Anyone want to give me a little confidence boost? Argue about vegetarian perks and pitfalls? Suggest good dishes to start with? (actually, pepperoni pizza is looking mighty nice right now.)

[Angelus Silverberg]

I wouldnt know, ive never considered becoming a vegetarian. I heard you throw up if you start eating it again. Maybe try in little propotions or something and work your way up.
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Living and dying, laughing and crying.

[Edge Riou]

Actually if you ask me I would start out with small portions of meat like a slice of sausage to see how your body adjusts to the change. Don't eat a lot of meat right away because you do not know how your body will react and it may end up rejecting the meat. Just be cautious.
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[Aurelien]

I agree with Diaz. Start small, and then when you're a little bit more used to eating meat again, then try to add more portions.

The suggested food that I could think of is probably either pasta or pizza (but don't order Meat Lover, try those with minimal meat instead). Pasta would still have more carbohydrate stuff that you like, and yet you could add some meat as well. Again, start small. As for the meat to use, I would suggest for you to not rely on the "meat in can" thingy. Instead, just buy ground beef and probably stir fry it with a little bit of ketchup (tomato sauce), salt and pepper.

Other possible way to gain more protein is of course, to eat fish. But I'm not sure how you'd feel on eating fish, would it be more difficult to eat compared to meat? If not, then you might want to start small by eating sushi (that has fish in it, like tuna or something).

Hope this helps.
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~City-States of Jowston and Tinto Republic~
06.06.2004 - 20.01.2008

[Njord]

I am not a professional on foods, but my advice for you is to start really slow in these matters since jumping on it so suddenly might have some side affects on you, I do not want to scare you but you have to be careful in these things. Maybe at first you just have to adjust with its smell and after a while begin tasting it, believe me after doing this for few days you will not have any problem eating meat.

For a little boost of confidence, in the past I did have a similar problem to this, I did not eat olives at all just the smell of it made me stop eating. Believe me I even took every olive from any food I ate from anything (pizza, salad, cheese) anything that contains it. However, one day I accidentally ate it with the pizza and after a while, I did not have any kind of problem eating it at first I just tasted it a bit then begin eating small amount of it, I think I just got over it.

Nowadays there is times where I do not like to eat it but I try my best, anyway you should give yourself some time to adjust with a whole idea, and that is all I can say to you.
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[Schala-Kid]

i don't think you have to adjust straight to it. i stopped eating meat "cold turkey", none of this "weening" off from beef, to chicken, fish, to vegetarian. you can switch off and on like that.

i was ocassionaly eating fish in the last 6 months, i probably ate 4 servings of fish and maybe 2 full serves of calimari. i don't feel incredibly guilty about it, it's going to be 4 years of being more herbivourous than omnivorous.

i never got sick after eating fish or calimari. i think the sickness that comes about is the "guilt" you may feel. but if you know what your doing, then you shouldn't feel it. if you're sure it's what you want to do, then do it. don't get all :cry: because of it, it's your choice to revert back to meat-eating, so i don't see why it should be a big dillema: you've come to the conclusion to do it, so do it, and don't feel bad. everyone else sees it as "normal", so it can't be wrong, right?! :mrgreen:

but personally, i don't think that any nutritionist could convince me to take up eating meat again. i have no craving for it! i would rather spend much more on vegetarian sourced protein supplements than eat meat again. and i'm not one to say "never ever", but IF, and this is a BIG IF, i know i would never be able to acheive my previous meat consuption levels: so what's the point? the protein increase would be most minimal, there was no point on changing.

why am i vegetarian: health, wealth, and simply because i am a masochist who denies herself any pleasure! (some people think meat eating is pleasureable, not I!!) mwahaha!

it doesn't matter if you rejoin with a roast, or some pork floss bun or something.

in most all vegetarian diets it is WAY TOO EASY to live off carbohydrates, and in that's not healthy: increase tofu intake! it's an order. if you eat dairy, eat cheese! and eat kidney beans and azuki beans for GJ! just make sure to eat these with some carbos, otherwise, you wont be absorbing protein.

i think i understand that you want more protein in your diet, but i've always been one to enjoy the hard road, and respect the people who take it. if you've fully explored your options with legumes cheeses and soy products, then go for meat if you're unsatisfied with the nutrition they provide. but if you haven't, then you can't claim to say that the vegetarian diet lacked protein.

just quickly turning to meat without exploring things is a band-aid fix. but i'm sure you've thought about this long and hard. :shock: . good luck anyway! don't worry what anyone else says, especially friends who think you've been "hanging" for it all this time you've been a vegetarian, and have finally "caved in". just make sure you're okay with whatever you do.

can't feel sorry for someone who feels bad because they chose to eat meat. isn't that silly? :wink:

I at no point jumped on a high horse. if you feel this is too blunt, then my sympathy to you for offending, it wasn't my intention.

[Vextor]

As long as you weren't vegan, you should be able to switch with-out a problem.
Dairy products, such as cheese is a lot more difficult for the body to digest compared to meat, so as long as you were a vegetarian who was okay waith dairy, you won't have a problem at all.

I used to be a vegetarian for 5 years, started eating some meat for a while, and I became vegetarian again recently. I never had a problem with transition. Sometimes I feel like eating a juicy chicken breast, in which case I usually indulge myself.

[Daniel Blackhand]

I hold a great deal of respect for individuals who can give up something like meat which I know I could not do seeing as how I am a carnivourous maximous. Yet I too have to agree with the others by saying not to take to much at a time, it's kind of like being out in the desert for a long time with no water, if you drink to much to fast than the body just rejects it like a foreign substance. Good lick with the whole process, and try not to push to hard.
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[leena fighter]

Thanks for all the advice. There was a failed experiment with pepperoni pizza last night, but I think I'll start over today.

Being a vegetarian /is/ hard, I've been one for over three years. For the most part I dealt well with it and ate enough tofu/other soy products/a hell of a lot of legumes. And don't worry, I'm not "caving" or anything of the sort. I've never treated what someone eats or doesn't eat as something that can be affected by peer pressure. Like I said, my decision to stop eating meat wasn't religious or moral, it was just a personal choice. Starting up again isn't going against anything in my life, I look at it more like I just took a break from meat for awhile. I just didn't want to eat it then, and now I do.

I definitely agree that I'll take it slow, though SARSadmin's advice makes me feel a lot better. I'm fine with dairy products, so hopefully this won't be a tough transition for me.

[Schala-Kid]

[Ikano]

I've heard that vegetarians tend to replace the protein they get from meats with tofu...

of course if you're not into trying to eat tofu then I guess that doesn't help ^^;;
other then that I don't know much about the topic of vegetarism....besides the fact my grandma doesn't eat beef and will get sick if she does-but that has something to do with religion and that's a different situation..
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[Angelus Silverberg]

Eww tofu is like...eww. Its like white rice but crap. Yeah just take it slow, dont eat a whole steak or anything. And make sure its cooked real good.
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Living and dying, laughing and crying.

[Schala-Kid]

vegetable protein is low quantity. i think it's a 'cleaner' structure, but it is a little harder for the body to absorb. to absorb the protein, carbohydrate based food should be eaten in conjunction with the meal: EG: Tofu (protein) and noodles (carbohydrates), Beans (protein) and RICE (carbohydrates), Cheese (protein) and mushroom RISOTTO (carbohydrates). also, a 'kick' of vitamin C is good to help: orange or blackcurrent (Ribena).

being a vegetarian would get REALLY boring if tofu was relied upon as the protein source. i couldn't eat it every day, it is like saying you could only eat chicken everyday: it wouldd be too much of a great thing, and you would eventually end up taking it for granted. I like Agedashi tofu, because i am not skilled enough to work with soft tofu!

my bigest concern with vegetarianism was just highlighted this month, i have the symptoms of a vitamin b deficiency. my skin was too sensitive to a face wash, and I was very emotional. (what's news :wink: ) hopefully, the supplement is making a difference, B vitamins are water soluble, and must be replaced daily: vegetarian diets are low in most of these. boo! :shock:

I have read about religion and vegetarianism, that subject is so interesting! what religion is your grandma Nadistu? and why is it not allowed?

[Angelus Silverberg]

I HATE tofu. Sometimes meat is disgusting, i only eat it REALLY cooked, it cannot be red or eww. And i hate when it has bones in it...that really sucks. Sorry if i offended you, i just meant to say i dont like tofu.
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Living and dying, laughing and crying.

[Vextor]

I love tofu, it is the best food in the world. Healthy as heck, and it tastes wonderful. It can be used in so many different dishes it blows my mind.