Hi everyone! I have been coming here now for a few years and making the odd posts here and there. I hope this post is acceptable, please advise me where to go if it isn't. I spent the last few weeks kind of in a "crisis" and came to the conclusion I wanted to start eating meat again. I have been vegetarian as a teenager, vegan in my early twenties, and for the last few years I have been a vegetarian. I thought I would share why I have decided to go back to eating meat, and also ask you for advice on foods to eat, and your favourite recipes.
For about 4 years now, I have been severely deficient in Vitamin D. It's incredibly common in my country, but I am one of the ones who hasn't managed to resolve it with normal treatment. I have tried OTC supplements, basking in sunlight, monthly high dose pills and recently witnessed cholecalciferol (I may have spelt that incorrectly, but you basically take an enormous dose in front of a nurse at hospital) and all to no avail, my bloods always come back low. I am exhausted all the time, my muscles ache, and I have had a long ongoing battle with depression (which can worsen with low vitamin D). Recently my GP's pharmacist called me to discuss a plan of action and asked me about my diet. She told me that if I wanted to start taking better care of myself, I need to start being more serious about my diet. Fish, fish, fish. Mushrooms aren't enough, sunlight isn't enough. I want to start planning for a baby, and low vitamin D can cause complications during pregnancy for the mother and the baby. I was devastated, because being veggie has always been an ethical issue for me.
I've come to the conclusion though, that no matter how I feel about treatment of animals, is my health less important? This is where I also add in the fact I also have had long ongoing issues with disordered eating since I was a teenager. My relationship with food has always been complicated. I only just started drinking milk after 15 years of avoiding it. My reasoning was always "I don't like milk, milk is bad for me". Through therapy I came to realise that I enforce strict rules about food on myself, some of which I cannot keep and end up breaking, and I punish myself by bingeing, or binge because I feel sorry for myself. Milk is milk. I cried when I had my first hot milk. Disordered eating is actually a fairly common, but exhausting, condition to have, and I have come to realise I have been doing this with all food, including meat. "I can't eat meat because animals suffer", which is true, but then I have spent literally years of my life suffering by abusing myself with unhealthy foods, and depriving myself of foods I enjoy. I have been miserable about food for years, mostly because of all the pressure and guilt I put on myself. In my teenage years I had issues with anorexia/bulimia because I was afraid of food. It started with cutting out meat, then eggs, then milk products, then cosmetics, then clothing that was sourced from animals, and it became too much for me. I was afraid of living in case I hurt something. It needs to stop, and the first step is to let myself eat things I have banned for various reasons. I had a panic attack buying a rotisserie chicken this week. I kept thinking "poor bird, I am awful, this animal is suffering for me" and that is exactly the reason why I have serious issues around food. My SO said it's a chicken, just eat it, and I realised how complicated I have made my life with food.
I am not saying that veganism/vegetarianism/ethical eating is wrong, not at all. It just doesn't work for me as a personal with mental health issues and I have learnt to accept that in order to get better. I have not come here to insult people who don't eat meat, I respect them enormously. I just cannot keep doing this punishment and guilt trip to myself anymore. I am the heaviest I have ever been, the unhealthiest I have ever been, and the saddest I have felt around food since I was a teenager. I have been an avid gym-goer for the last 16 years or so of my life, especially weight lifting and swimming, but I just fell out of love with it recently, perhaps in part due to my problems with food, and want to get back into feeling healthy and strong again.
So now I have got that off my chest (which was really therapeutic actually), I am here because I am starting afresh and learning to trust myself with food choices. This week I have found I love chicken and have eaten lots of things like chicken, rice and veggies, chicken salad. I even started eating yoghurt and fruit instead of bingeing on bread for breakfast. I wondered if anyone had any good tips for eating meat/seafood on a budget, or nice healthy recipes that include meat? What are your go to dinners, breakfasts and lunches? Simple dishes would be great too. I am looking to lose about 50 pounds, gain back some muscle and feel healthier in general. I am looking forward to a new approach to food!
Thank you for reading.
[link] [comments]
source https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/f88usb/former_vegetarian_going_back_to_eating_meat_my/
No comments:
Post a Comment