Former Vegetarians- Please Read! - Page 3

[jocelyndale]

I was vegetarian for 12 years. I was soy-free for the last five or so of those years. I was gluten-free for the last two of those years. (I'm also allergic to hempseed, peanut, papaya, pork, nitrates/nitrites, and moldy cheeses.)

I lost too much weight. I had trouble getting enough calories. I was somewhat lactose intolerant (since resolved) and eggs worsened my eczema/rashes. I couldn't have lots of nuts, either. I needed to lose some, but I dropped a bit too much. Then my iron tested lower than low, practically non-existant.

So I introduced meat into my diet. Over three months, I gained 50 pounds and my iron levels dropped further (but my B12 became normal for the first time in YEARS). Needless to say, I was peeved. I went back to vegetarianism and saw a hematologist, who gave me IV iron.

The weight was *just* starting to trickle back off when I got pregnant a few months later. No energy + increased caloric need + difficulty getting calories = craving for chicken curry.

I figured my body needed meat and it does seem to help. I had trouble keeping weight on during my pregnancy and finished below my pre-pregnancy weight. My baby's perfectly fine, thank goodness.

I'm still eating meat. I think I'll continue eating it so long as I'm breastfeeding, because it's a quick and easy way to pack in calories, fat, and protein. I'm still not hitting more than 1200 most days, which is *way* too low. If my caloric intake remains that low, I slow waaaay down and start gaining weight. I did recently switch my lattes to whole milk from half and half. I didn't need THAT much extra fat.

Our home was completely vegetarian until my husband developed a nasty issue with hypoglycemia a few years ago. In our then soy and peanut-free household, he couldn't get enough pure protein sources to sustain himself. Eggs and wheat gluten weren't sufficient. He needs denser sources, so he eats meat. That's fine with me--he's much healthier now. It was a scary couple years until we figured that out.

There's my story. I may edit it out later. Lots of personal info there, of course. I occasionally get grossed out by meat, but I do buy, prepare, and eat it. I try to buy local and sustainable/organic, which makes me feel somewhat better on many levels.

[quelindo]

I was vegetarian for about ten years, and vegan for the last three of those. I ate that way mainly for health reasons, though I always liked to say that saving animals and the environment were great side benefits.

I never felt that great, though. But since I never felt particularly healthy or strong before becoming vegetarian I really didn't think not eating meat had anything to do with that -- I sort of thought I was just born with a weak constitution. I only got one or two periods in my life (at about 13 or 14) before going on BC pills at 21 (and then got nothing when I went off right before TTC, and had to do IVF to get pregnant with my son). I just felt weak a lot -- I got tired easily, had little stamina (I used to run but the MOST I could ever do was 1/2 hour of very slow running), needed a lot of sleep.

Then my son was born, and he had a lot of digestive issues in the first year or so, along with some skin problems (bumps, scaley patches). I started investigating diet (he EBF for his first nine months, so I was looking into what I was eating). Suddenly all those soy yogurts I had when I was pregnant seemed like a bad idea -- he reacted to soy in my diet. I found out earlier this year that he's gluten intolerant. I started learning about good fats vs. bad fats, that grains may not be so great after all (I ate TONS of breads/granola/pizza).

Mostly, though, it was when I learned about Weston Price and his work that it all started to make sense to me -- meat and dairy are not evil in and of themselves...but factory-farming is. I realized that the reason I felt crappy before becoming vegetarian was not because I was eating meat/dairy -- it was because I was eating the SAD. It helped me personally to think about how native peoples ate and how healthy they were, as shown by Dr. Price.

I started taking cod liver oil high in natural vitamins A & D, and about six months later I got my first period on my own, even though I was still BF'ing my son. I got another one about fifteen weeks after that, and then another one eight weeks after that. I then found a study that showed that women with PCOS who didn't get a period who were found to be deficient in vitamin D and who took supplements starting having regular cycles, and some of them got pregnant. I think vitamin D deficiency is a problem for a LOT of people -- it's just starting to get some press.

I also started looking into yeast overgrowth as a possible reason for my son's skin issues. I started a anti-candida diet that emphasized good fats (eggs, coconut oil), grass-fed/organic meat, and no grains. I felt soooooo good on this diet, and my skin (which has always been prone to breaking out) looked amazing.

I've fallen off the wagon as far as that diet is concerned, but I'd like to get back to it. My thinking as far as food goes has done a complete 180 since I was pregnant and planning on raising my son as a vegan.

Hope that helps.

[alicia622]

I was veg for about four years. I started eating flesh again very shortly after my mother died from cancer in January 2003. She was vegetarian for about 30 years. I think I may have become vegetarian in an attempt to feel closer to her and once she died I didn't see the point. Or it could be that she spent the last month of her life in my house and we couldn't cook anything as the smells made her nauseous. I lived on fake meat sandwiches for the month and probably never wanted to eat another meat analog ever again

[Simplicity]

My husband (3 yrs) and I (2 years) both were vegetarians. We both stopped being vegetarians for the same reason. We both became vegetarians because it felt good to eat that way and we were getting many health benefits. However, after years of eating that way the health benefits started to wane. we both started having the same problems. Tiredness, increased pain (he's had two back surgeries), aches, and just plain feeling like we really weren't doing well physically. We decided to start eating meat again (at different times) and felt really good again.

It was never outside pressure as everyone supported us and most of our friend circle is vegan or vegetarian. If anything, it's more pressure now that we're eating meat again to stop eating it. At this time eating meat works for us. When it doesn't anymore we'll go back to not eating it.

[my2suns]

I too was veggie for four years prior to getting pregnant with my first son. I craved meat then too. After he was born I backed off and only occasionally ate fish or chicken. Got pregnant with second son and did not crave (maybe because I was eating some). I started seeing a naturopath and the first thing he said to me was "You're vegetarian" after talking with me about my symptoms. No energy, crazy periods, what I thought was depression, dry hair, skin etc. So slowly he had me add in some red meat. My body needed the nutrients he said. So, then I would eat it and get stomach cramps and have terrible bathroom issues. I have since found a balance and will eat more chicken and very rarely a few bites of red meat. Just can't stomach it. It is still an ethical issue with me. We live in GA and the chicken farms are popular down here so all it takes is me seeing a truck of packed in, sick looking birds going to the Gold Kist packaging plant and I am ill. I have sought out pastured, free range, organic chickens that have lived a good life if I am going to eat it. I could very easily be veg again but am leary because I do feel better and am much healthier now. :