Do I have to eat red meat for Psychological well being?

Question

Hi
I gave up red meat 10 years ago (I'm 38) and don't miss it, but for the last two years I've had muscle pain and some anxiety symptoms. A doctor I visited suggested that I should eat it again since it contains some nutrients I may be needing. Is this true? If it helped me I'd considered it, but I'd rather not eat it.
Thanks!

Answer 1

no, I think your doctor is wrong. There shouldn't be anything in meat that you couldn't get from vegan foods or supplements.

Answer 2

Doctors are not your best source of nutritional information. Most medical schools provide scant education in nutrition (as little as a few hours... some schools provide exactly NONE.) You should see a registered dietitian or nutritionist, both of which are far better versed in nutrition than an MD. There may indeed be something missing in your diet, but there is nothing in meat that can't be gotten elsewhere so if you have a deficiency you can resolve it without returning to eating meat.

And granted, I only have a bachelor's degree in Psychology, so I am not qualified to make a diagnosis, but I don't recall any psychological problems in the DSM that are cured by red meat eating...

Answer 3

It is likely that you aren't getting enough of the B vitamins or iron. As for B vitamins, you can get it without meat, but it's easier to take a supplement. Just about anything else can be VERY easily obtained from a vegan diet (i.e., no red meat). As for iron, try lentils, beans, leafy green vegetables (not iceberg lettuce, even I like it more than darker varieties) tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, potatoes with skin, bread made from completely whole-grain flour, and molasses.

You may just want to consider a multivitamin supplement with iron. Good ones, even vegan versions, can be had for about $12 for 90 one-a-day tablets. I'm not a nutritionist, but I've been vegetarian for 3 years and vegan for 1.5 and you must not listen to some people-- why take advice from someone about something if they know nothing about it? Some people, like doctors, mean well. But they don't know anything about not eating meat, dairy, eggs, etc. and so they wrongfulyl assume that the notion of people not eating meat are unhealthy is correct. It is far from it.

If people who ate no meat were unhealthy, why would there be vegan triathletes?

From the Vegan Society's website:

Well-known vegan sports people include:

* Sally Eastall, marathon runner
* Keith Holmes, former world champion middleweight boxer
* Carl Lewis, winner of nine Olympic Gold Medals and one of the greatest athletes of the twentieth century
* Martina Navratilova, champion tennis player - one of the most successful tennis players in history
* Dave Scott, six-time Ironman Champion and first inductee into the Ironman Hall of Fame
* Lucy Stephens, triathlete


Good luck!

Answer 4

Vegan Death Squad gave you great advice.

You can get all of your nutrients from plant sources, but you need to be more mindful. This is true for a lot of foods, including amino acids.

It could also be your lifestyle. See a nutritionist if you can. They might be able to help you figure out sources of these nutrients and how to best incorporate them in your diet without the animals.

Answer 5

There is absolutely no reason to eat red meat unless you wish to add to your likely hood of heart failure, diabetes, cholesterol elevation, and high blood pressure just to add a few.
You can get all your nutrition without red meat. Now I am not a doctor, but have done lots of reading on diet and health. Read Dr. Campbell's book "The China Study" It one of the best.

fruits and veggies, no dairy, nothing white, no processed food, no fast foods, nothing fried lots of water, good supplements B-12, Omega 3 and http://www.juiceplus.com/nsa/pages/Home.soa?site=Lb53116

And much to my surprise I found that doctors get NO NUTRITIONAL TRAINING IN SCHOOL. That was a shock to me. I know there is a lot of controversy about, diet and diseases but a doctor with NO training. That like your mechanic doesn't know your car needs gas and oil and which one goes where.

Answer 6

I'd say usually to trust your doctor, but I'm suspicious.

The Canada Food Guide, Dieticians of Canada, hell, even the National Cattlemen's Beef Association have stated that veg diets can fulfill all your dietary requirements. From my own experiences, anxiety has a lot to do with your life's stresses and very little to do with what you eat. Just to be sure, get your iron and B12 from a few extra servings of lentils and eggs each week.

I think your doctor may be projecting his own biases onto your diagnosis. You should either ask him what in his training suggests a link between psychological disorders and beef, or get a second opinion. I might try a registered dietician, too, just to make sure you're getting a balanced diet.

Answer 7

I think you need another doctor. I have been vegetarian for 20 years and am in perfect health. I eat lots of good stuff though- and take a multivitamin in case I'm missing anything.

Either ask him/her to be more specific on what those nutrients are or find another MD.

Answer 8

I have been a vegetarian for years and have never had any nutritional problems. I suggest you get a new doctor. Most doctors realize the health benefits from staying away from red meat. Your doc sounds like he is not up to date on the latest med news. Avoiding red meat isn't all that new either. Get yourself a homeopathic doctor.

Answer 9

No.

I would suggest seeing another doctor; sounds way off base to me. I never had a doctor who said I had to eat meat. My wife is a dietitian who works in a mental hospital; she works closely with the doctors and no patient has ever been told they had to eat meat.

Answer 10

No way. i finished having abdomen aches while i finished ingesting pork while i replaced into 12. i'm 27 now and sense spectacular getting what i want from the two supplementations and distinctive ingredients. i'm getting my fat content textile from black olives, peanut butter anmd cheese and protein from chicken, tuna and turkey. If something..upload slightly greater seafood into your weight-alleviation plan. you will get what you like from it. Thank polluters to mercury ranges yet i'm advantageous we would be proof against it at some point

Answer 11

There is absolutely nothing in meat that you can't get through a plant based diet. That being said, there are a few things to watch out for and to consider with respect to your own diet.

The top two are Omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin B12. These are both easy to get without meat, however. Probably the greatest source of Omega 3's on a plant based diet would be in flax seeds. Just make sure to buy the ground flax seeds (they are easier to absorb than whole seeds) as opposed to flax oil which is highly unstable and can spoil easily. Just add flax seeds to foods you normally eat (for example, on top of cereal in the morning, one tablespoon is all you need per day). As for B12, it is not found in any plant sources as it is produced by bacteria. Unless you eat unwashed fruits and veggies that have been fertilized with fecal material, the three sources that you can get it are: fortified foods (such as, Silk soy milk, just two servings per day), certain yeast extracts (some nutritional yeast has B12, for example, but must be stored properly) or a supplement.

Also to keep in the back of your mind is iodine, but it is easy to get with either sea vegetables or iodized salt.

That's it, if you are eating a variety of foods and make sure to get your leafy greens and whole grains, you should be all set. Throw in some legumes, nuts, fruits, and there's nothing you need worry about. I would recommend seeing a doctor who is familiar with vegetarianism and has clients who are on a plant based diet.