I was faithful to a vegetarian diet for about a year, but then decided to go back to eating meat. Since then, I have had a few minor health concerns. I went to a health food store and talked to a naturopathic physician and was told that my ailments could actually have been caused by my being on a vegetarian diet. I'm not sure this makes sense to me. Does anyone else have any input? Thanks!
2007-09-24 12:23:04 · 9 answers · asked by Lydia 5 in Food & Drink ➔ Vegetarian & Vegan
So much depends on the particulars of your diet; I have been a vegetarian over 10 years, and the points to remember are that you make certain that your diet isn't lacking in anything, be it protein, vitamins, or whatever.
A lot depends on your personal physical makeup as well. Some people just have a hard time being vegetarian. I remember reading how the Dalai Lama was advised by his doctors to abandon vegetarianism for reasons of health, so there is perhaps something dependant upon what your body's needs are and what you are used to and can tolerate.
The best thing to do is to speak with your physician and follow their advice. If you wish to try vegetarianism again, be sure to follow the guidelines suggested by your physician to ensure adequate nutrition.
2007-09-24 12:42:02 · answer #1 · answered by Jack B, goodbye, Yahoo! 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The only real physicians are medical doctors and doctors of osteopathy. Registered Dietitians are the only nutrition experts recognized by the health care profession. You are free to believe in naturopathy if you want to, but I don't take them any more seriously than I would a fortune teller.
You did not specify what your "ailments" or "health concerns" are.
My wife is a vegetarian since birth, and is a Registered Dietitian. Medical Doctors follow her advice on diets, and the hospital she works for doesn't hire "naturopathic physicians."
A vegetarian diet can be a healthy choice and anyone who says otherwise is wrong; plain and simple.
2007-09-24 14:49:29 · answer #2 · answered by majnun99 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's possible to be healthy while eating a vegetarian diet as long as you take the time to learn about the nutrients you need and know where to get them. Some vegetarians eat a lot of processed junk food, and that's obviously not the way to go.
On the other hand, someone who eats a lot of meat with sodium, preservatives, and hormones is not eating healthy either.
With whatever diet you choose, find out the best sources of protein, calcium, vitamins and then make sure you include those foods.
2007-09-24 12:37:33 · answer #3 · answered by Suze N 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Not knowing what your "ailments" are . . . you can easily become deficient in protein or iron if you eat a poor vegetarian diet. With so much junk food out there that is "vegetarian," it's easy to do.
HOWEVER, if you eat plenty of fruits & veggies with an emphisis on green leafy veggies, a vegetaian diet can cure most ailments.
Green leafy veggies are best blended up in a high speed blender with frozen bananas, or other fruit, and drank. In order to get the most out of these greens, they must be ground up to a creamy consistancy then . . . BAM, nutrients come alive!
Green for Life is a WONDERFUL book all vegetarians & vegans should get and read -- I highly recommend it!
2007-09-24 12:35:18 · answer #4 · answered by MaryBerry 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I was a vegetarian for several years when I was in my 30's, but ended up having to go back to eating meat. It turned out that because I was training so heavily in the martial arts, I was depleting by body's protein supply more rapidly than I could replensih it. I ended up destroying the amino balance in my body, and to this day I cannot become entirely vegetarian (although I go as natural and organic as I possibly can with all meat choices).
I have known others who chose to become vegetarians later in life who also had this type of problem, and they were not even working out like I was. My theory (not scientific by any means) is that our bodies adjust to the production of amino acids as the result of the foods we eat. When we alter those foods, we are not able to process the aminos as effectively as we did for all those years when we were eating meat.
Try being a vege who eats dairy and some fish. Dairy and fish will produce those aminos your body is used to getting from hardcore meats. My niece, who developed iron deficiencies and became anemic, is doing this and it works very well for her.
2007-09-24 13:00:44 · answer #5 · answered by Shihan 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
What the "physician" was probably saying is that your body had become accustomed to your meat free diet and as a result was not adjusting properly to the reintroduction to the ingestion of protein. I am confident that our bodies were designed to be omnivores and when we unbalance our diet by removing meat protein it can take some time to re-adjust.
2007-09-24 12:36:06 · answer #6 · answered by Just wonderin' 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It could be if when you cut out meat you did not replace all the vitamins minerals and protein you get from meat.
You can eat healthy and be veggie, but you can also be veggie and have a poor diet. Same could be said for meat eaters.
2007-09-24 12:33:12 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
well depends on how you ate during your vegetarain diet.
2007-09-24 13:53:02 · answer #8 · answered by antonio m 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
life's better veg, hon. plain and simple
2007-09-24 13:53:51 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋