If You Don't Eat Meat & Feel Exhausted/Tired, What's Good To Eat For That?

Question

I've never considered myself a vegetarian since I do eat meat sometimes. But I notice, I just don't feel like eating it at all now for some months now (pretty close to a year since, actually). Is there anything I should be eating to give me more energy, that isn't meat ?

Answer 1

You are probably low on protein and iron. Nutritional yeast is a good source for both, including B vitamins (make sure its nutritional yeast, not bakers or brewers) ALso, eat some quinoa or millet-both are complete proteins. Try adding some leafy greens, such as swiss chard, mustard greens, spinach, etc. to your diet for iron (juicing is a great way to accomplish that), as well as some sprouts. Beans, legumes, pulses, and lentils will add protein, and seeds, such as sunflower, nuts, almonds, chia, and flax will add omega 3 amino acids to your diet. Try to limit or avoid any processed foods that have chemicals and preservatives. If you cant pronounce and ingredient, or dont readily know what it is, dont eat it. Your energy should increase quickly by just making these few modifications.

Answer 2

When I first stopped eating meat I felt so drained of any energy too. It took a few days before I first started feeling that way and then it lasted about 3 days or so. Here is what my research has found.

When animals are slaughtered, they do know that something bad is going to happen. When their turn comes up to go to the chopping block, they naturally release tons of adrenaline into their bloodstream just as we would do in an extremely stressful situation, such as a life and death one! All of this adrenaline that was released just prior to their death, of course, remains in the meat when it is chopped up and sent off to the stores and restaurants.

When we stop eating meat, we also stop consuming all of that adrenaline and other hormones that the animal had in their bloodstream just prior to their death. That is why we get that feeling of being "drained" or exhausted after going without it for a while. Your body will eventually adjust, however.

I would just suggest trying a juice cleanse to detox your body of any unwanted chemicals or hormones it may have stored up from years of eating meat. Eventually, your energy will be restored but you need to make sure you are getting a well-balanced diet without meat. The worst thing for someone to do is to stop eating meat and then not eat the right food as a vegetarian to maintain proper health.

I've seen people stop eating meat thinking they will lose weight and be healthier but in place of beef they pile down the cheese products! I would tell them that a lean grilled steak would be much healthier than a cheese pizza with extra cheese.

If you are going to choose a vegetarian diet, please eat vegetables with all sorts of colors. Your dinner plate should have dark greens, light greens, reds, yellows, purples, whites and all of the other colors in-between on it. That is the best way to insure you're getting the right balance.

And contrary to popular belief, we can actually survive on a lot less protein than the FDA recommends. You can get a lot of good protein from nuts and legumes and you really don't need that much of it to survive!

Answer 3

If you aren't eating meat, you need to pick up a book on vegetarianism and see how to do it properly. Protein is essential to the human diet, and if you're not getting enough, you could get very sick. There are various combinations of foods you can eat to get all the protein you need. I don't know what they are, but the library will. Good luck.

Answer 4

You need to go online for nutrition advice if you not seeing a doctor or nutritionist. If you're not eating any meat, there are a combiniation of foods that you should be eating to get full nutrition. A nutritionist is the best one to see since you can go into detail about what you do and do not eat.

Answer 5

Vitamins and protein shakes will make up for some of the loss you have from not eating meat.

Answer 6

other than those Kinko bola and gin sing... there is one product that gives a little boost that is actually healthy and that is Niacin. Mostly comes in Niacinmide but if you take it say 50mg doses you will perk up a little, what it does is expand your blood vessels to get more oxygen to your brain and and other vital organs thus the pick-me-up. The other two stimulants I mention are good for the brain but they can severely hyper you.

Answer 7

If you dont at much meat remember to get protein through eggs, nuts, seeds, milk and (?) fish.
also eat energy foods such as pasta, rice, cheese, etc.
if you still feel light headed go tot he doctors-it may just be because you o not drink engouh water!

Answer 8

A lot of times people who cut meat end up replacing it with carbs. If you get a huge carb load you will come crashing down off of it. Try eating a fat with the carbs because this will help them break down slower. As an example try an ounce of cheese with the slice of toast.

Answer 9

Raisins have a lot of iron
dark leafy veggies are good also
peanut butter and beans are good sources of protein too

Answer 10

Take iron and B complex pills to supplement for the meat.

In a week or so the B complex will bump up your energy levels.