Why I Had To Eat Meat Again After Being Vegetarian & Vegan
I gave up eating meat for health reasons, then I had to start eating meat again for health reasons. There’s no right way that fits everyone when it comes to eating, whether you are a meat eater, a vegetarian, or a vegan. Unless you’ve been placed on a special diet by a professional, what you eat should be driven by how healthy you feel. In this post, the terms vegetarian and vegan have not been separated since they’re so closely related and I did follow each diet.
Background
As a bit of a background as to why I became vegetarian/vegan in the first place, I’d been somewhat conscientious about the food and meat I ate for a few years before becaming vegetarian. I had cut out red meat except for the occasional steak or roast. My meat consumption consisted of poultry, fish, and seafood which I bought from a quality meat distributor, and the produce I bought was organic when available. Then, I gave up eating animal flesh—except for fish—after a spiritual awakening.
As an empath, I couldn’t process the energy of the animals I was eating. For a couple of years, I was unaware that meat was what was agitating my energy. The material I read when I went looking for answers on how to calm spiritual energy was pointing me to the need for grounding. A known recommendation to facilitate grounding is to eat meat. So, I had continued to eat meat without any concern.
After I realized that eating meat was contributing to my feelings of unease and nervousness, I gave up consuming fish as well. My journey to being vegetarian/vegan began.
Becoming vegetarian/vegan was something I was willing to maintain, especially since I believed in the movement behind these two lifestyles. As mentioned earlier, I had already greatly reduced my consumption of red meat. I had resolved within myself that I would never enjoy a beef steak or cook a turkey again.
I started out trying different dishes without including meat. It was a bit trial-and-error when I first started cooking vegan style. Luckily, I was only cooking for myself. Eventually, though, when I decided to learn how to prepare wholesome and natural dishes, I really enjoyed experimenting and tasting all the different new ways to prepare vegetables and other natural foods. I hadn’t eaten so many herbs and spices for seasoning before.
Never a big fan of too much manufactured foods, I tried numerous vegan replacements for much of the yummy products we sometimes buy already prepared such as dips and sauces. I sincerely believed I was eating healthy for my body, and thought surely this would enhance my health. A real bonus about being vegetarian/vegan is that you get to eat a lot without feeling too heavy.
Now What?
Fast forward a couple of years later, my health began to decline. Attributing it to age, I wasn’t overly concerned about it. I thought maybe I needed to add more protein into my diet. As I increased my intake of protein, my joints started swelling and were sore.
I had a flash in a psychic vision of something to do with my breakfast. For those readers who are not psychic, please understand, psychic visions are not black and white. Many are riddles to decipher. Anyways, from what I was able to make of it, grains and beans were highlighted. For me, this raised the question of whether I might be allergic to grains. A member of my family was diagnosed years ago with gluten intolerance. As I read up and investigated this subject, I decided the best course of action to take was to eliminate the grains involved in gluten sensitivities from my diet.
As I gave up gluten—and learned the hard way—there are foods we’d never suspect of containing gluten do have it, I did feel energy return and my joints were not as sore. I felt better. Then, after a few weeks, my symptoms returned. This time though, I became weaker and weaker. I started losing weight—which I didn’t have much to lose in the first place—then the alarm went off. I knew there was more than a gluten intolerance behind my physical problems. I started investigating what other foods people are allergic to, and how intolerances develop.
One day—following my gut feeling—I decided to make an appointment to be tested for food allergies. I had become desperate for answers. Although this would be an out-of-pocket expense, the results were well worth it. I couldn’t afford to ignore the fast decline of my health. I honestly became so weak, I felt I was on death’s door. Part of me was thinking, “this must be how people feel when they’re so much advanced in age, and their body is about to give out.”
When I got the results of the food allergy test, I was shocked. I was shocked to find out most of the foods I was eating on a daily basis, my body was having intense immune reactions to. As far as the naturopath doctor was concerned, my diet was clean. I never would have guessed eating an orange could cause my body to overreact, but it did react to oranges because I was eating one every day.
What I didn’t know, and what many readers here may not be aware of, is that it’s not beneficial to our body if we eat the same foods for extended periods of time. This is what the doctor and the literature I got with my test results informed me of. For some reason, the body will treat as invader any substance that is continuously ingested. It’s best to introduce and rotate foods from each food group regularly.
Food Allergies
A risk to develop food allergies for vegetarians/vegans is many of the foods consumed are daily staples of a meatless diet. As shocking as it was for me to discover the foods I was consuming in my vegetarian/vegan diet were causing immune reactions, it was a relief to find out the causes of distress. My body was overreacting to cashews, corn, peas, peanuts, red kidney beans, and more. All foods, and ingredients I used in many recipes, and ate almost daily. If we simply look up corn for example, we’ll discover it’s included in a lot of foods. Corn is used to make vegetarian patties, and corn flour or corn syrup are often part of many food preparations.
When I increased my intake of proteins, I had included too many of the same legumes (cashews, peanuts, peas, and beans). Some nuts, too, were listed as borderline problematic in my lab results. Prior to going vegetarian/vegan, I had only eaten nuts sporadically. They were never a problem for me, until I ate them regularly. It seems that after months of ingesting nuts daily, or every other day, my body went into allergic reaction.
Other foods we consume on a daily basis such as coffee, although a herb and considered healthy, could potentially create problems. Depending on the cultivation method used to grow these crops, coffee could arbor undesired chemicals. There are certain preservatives, both natural and otherwise, sprayed on fruits and vegetables that are problematic for sensitive individuals. If the same compounds show up in our daily consumption of produce, our body may react to them. This would then mean that our body may not necessarily be allergic to a particular fruit or vegetable, but rather to what’s left on their outer surface as a result of growing and distribution practices.
A plant-based diet usually includes many legumes. Although healthy in many respects, there are drawbacks. Beans are naturally coated with protective compounds that are difficult to digest for some people, and in certain individuals may cause damage to the intestinal tract. Undercooked legumes can create discomforts such as gas and cramping. These are signs from the body of distress. If persistent, they should not be disregarded.
Vegans/vegetarians who prepare their own legumes can make sure the legumes they eat are cooked long enough. However, in packaged products, legumes (proteins) included to make meat substitutes such as in patties or meatless balls, there’s no telling how long the legumes were cooked. As with any healthy diet, minimizing consumption of manufactured foods is good practice.
Gratitude
Any beneficial change we make to our diet and routine will naturally have an impact on our health in a good way. This is why people will report feeling better after adopting a new practice or new lifestyle. On a deeper level the body, and also Soul, are appeased by the move towards greater awareness. Anything we do for the betterment of our health is well received, and our wellbeing is enhanced.
There are times though, as in my case, the benefits fade when existing conditions haven’t been resolved. If after making changes you felt and thought were right for you, illness or discomforts develop, it may be wise to look closely at the signals your body is sending. You may have to reassess your position. Extremes on any side have the potential to create imbalances and/or adverse conditions.
When it comes to feeding our body, a healthy practice to adopt is one of moderation and variety.
I’ve resumed eating meat. My body was starving for protein, and unfortunately, I had allergic reactions to many of the plant-based options. Now, I look for meat that comes rom animals who’ve had some freedom and seen the light of day, as well as fish that is wild caught if I can find it. I try to enjoy in full appreciation the life-sustaining nourishment each food delivers and grants me. A plant grew to give me life, and an animal lived to feed my body.
As humans we are stewards of the creatures we share our world with. On a soul level, it boils down to, sick animals should not be consumed. Given the practices now at play in mass meat production, it seems plausible to assume many animals slaughtered are actually sick. It’s that simple. Animals are here for our benefit and to help us. Some are here for us to marvel at their magnificence. Some are here to assist us in life and work, others are here to remind us of the natural order of life. Some are here to teach and love us, and yes, many are here to support us by sacrificing themselves to feed us. They are not, however, here to endure suffering at the hands of corruption and greed. Respect for all life is one Soul lesson we will undoubtedly fail as a collective until we change our attitudes and practices.
When possible, don’t support the inhumane practices of big producers. Check your local area, and buy from local farmers and producers who are doing their part to support the wellness of their communities. Demand will bring change, and the availability of best practices in fresh market foods, whether animal or plant-based will grow.
Whatever side you happen to be on with regards to eating meat or not, remember everyone’s journey is different. The body’s nutritional requirements fluctuate and vary from person to person. What helped you may not necessarily help another. Alterations to one’s diet may need to be made from time to time. Availability of foods are not the same across the globe.
Let’s all reserve our judgements and criticism—and rather—focus our attention on finding out where the food we eat comes from and making healthy choices. This may require a bit of extra effort and commitment on our part, but it’s the small changes at the personal level that will eventually help shift the collective.