Vegetarians: Why is my body rejecting a no red meat diet?

Question

I have tried twice to not eat red meat but after a few weeks I get very lethargic and extremly weak. I still eat chicken and fish sometimes. I was trying to cut out meat altogether but gradually. I thought something was wrong with my thyroid but it wasn't. Finally my husband said "eat some Steak girl" .within about 30 minutes I was feeling much better. so I eat it maybe every couple weeks, but just a small peice ,it seems to keep that weakness from returning.The next time I attempted Months later same thing happened all over again. So I ate some meat and same results. please help me .

first of all ,It's not in my head. I'm not a person that loves red meat. I could go quite a while and not even have a desire for it. So thats not the problem. I need serious answers here. Others need not answer

Answer 1

That really is physcological

There is nothing in steak that will get into your system in 30 minutes.

If its a few hours then eating more products with iron might help.

Oh dear, i didn't think the protein myth ( below) would appear quite so quick, but here is the answer:
http://www.vegsoc.org/info/protein.html

There is no need to eat meat and a decent diet of veggies, gfruit, dairy , nuts and cereals will give you all you need.

try increasing the ammount of dark greens you eat ? Maybe

With the addition of your chicken and fish I would definately point to something other than the lack of red meat as being the course for making you tired.

I've been veggie for 27 years and never tired. In fact, you would find most people wonder where i get the energy from...Lifes motivations provide more than enough energy for me to work frm 7AM to 10PM 7 days / week with my daily office job, running a business and an arable farm !

Answer 2

Come on... only fruit on an empty stomach can get into your system in less than an hour.

But seriously, if you did feel better after a while its probably iron, red meat is loaded with the stuff.

its also loaded with too much protein which can deplete our trace elements, including iron and calcium.

chronic meat consumption also can damage the finger like lining of the small intestine which can make it harder for us to absorb nutrients.

Do you eat mixed leafy vegetables? especially the dark green ones? what about beans or legumes? seeds and nuts?

eating a balanced diet is a good idea, regardless of consuming meat or not, most plant based sources of iron are also sources of many other good nutrients, like calcium and calcium ascorbate (vit c).

also, meat can slow your digestive system down half over, i found that after i stopped eating meat i starting eating much more than i did before, you may want to have more for dinner and round the meal of with some toast or muesli.

fruit during the day is a good way to keep energy in your system.

the sugar in fruit, fructose is used directly by our body and doesnt have to go through our whole blood sugar system.

good fats are also a good source of burnable energy, not to mention good for us. i like walnuts and avacadoes for this, usually have them whenever i have salad, almonds and cashews too.

Answer 3

I agree with Michael. Nothing in red meat will make you feel better in such a short period of time. B12 is stored and so is iron. It takes years to deplete the body of B12 and as long as you are eating foods with iron everyday..the excess gets stored and is used when diet is inadequate.

One small piece of red meat every few weeks does not make a bit of difference. I suggest asking this in the health section or diet section though. Vegetarians don't eat fish or chicken either so this question isn't really our forte.

Answer 4

You could be anemic. Red meat gives you an overload of iron and consuming it often can impair your absorption abilities so that when you stop eating it, you end up with low iron. Try taking a multivitamin plus iron and remember to eat leafy greens like spinach and get enough vitamin C (iron from plant sources, including enriched pasta, is not absorbed well without vitamin C). Slowly wean yourself off of the supplements when your absorption increases.

If this isn't the case, it's just psychological. Red meat is not something the human body really needs.

Answer 5

Your body changes with each diet. In many cases of depleting meat from your diet your body goes into a recovery state. Basically your body has adjusted to eating red meats which are much harder to digest than white meat. White meat isn't any picnic for your body either. When you remove the white meat your body starts to semi-detox which uses more energy than your body does when adjusted to the meat. This detox process causes you to feel lethargic for a time. Once the process is over and your body is readjusted you will begin to feel better. Think of it as exercising. If you don't exercise for awhile and suddenly start your body aches and you feel tired the next day. It's the same thing with your muscles on the inside. They have grown used to working slower to try and digest the red meat and now they are workign faster because the foods you are eating are slightly easier to digest.

Answer 6

I 've been a veggie for 16 years, the no red meat thing could be to do with the amount of calories your taking in, are you replacing them with something else not starving yourself. The most likely is that you may be a bit anemic, girl veggies have to be watchful of this due to our periods causing a loss of iron,so the best thing to do is to increase your intake of Iron, dark Green Leafy veg etc and take a supplement also. Keep your strength up with grains and pulses and protein from eggs, cheese and a grain called Quinoa, pronounced Keen-wa, you can get it from health food shops. Good Luck. x

Answer 7

Red meats contain lots of fats, which are very filling, maybe your body simply needs more calories. Since your female an iron supplement is good only if you are actually anemic. Routine test at most all clinics.

Answer 8

Apparently your body is lacking in some of the vitamins and nutrients in red meat. Eat it! If you are still concerned, talk to your doctor about it. Good luck to you.

Answer 9

your body got used to it, eating red meat, you don't actually need to be a strict vegetarian, eat red meat/foods you like and at the same time eat fruits and veggies, whats the purpose of being healthy if your not enjoying the food you are eating, juz try to make it balance =P

Answer 10

First of all, you must check with your doctor before you ingest any pills. I don't care whether they are vitamins, minerals or a combination of both. You should get a complete physical from a "trusted doctor" and then determine what has happened with you. Remember this, What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? - Romans 8:31. Peace, Love and God Bless.