Any Vegetarians (Or Former Vegetarians) Who Have Tried to Eat Meat Again?

I went vegetarian to help my eczema but decided to eat meat while I was pregnant to help the baby while she was growing. I started with organic meat at Whole Foods and went with chicken first. I only ate once a week and worked my way up to a few times a week and integrated other meats, pork, etc. I still don't eat beef.

Also, the way the meat is prepared makes a big difference. I couldn't do anything greasy, creamy, cheesy, etc. at first. We baked, poached and grilled. Still do actually.

Good luck!

Have you tried drinking kombucha with the meat, or taking probiotics to help with digestion? It might help.

While not a true vegetarian, as we ate poultry and seafood in limited quantities, I did not eat beef but once or twice a year with family and zero pork for years. 9 months ago when I began purchasing the bulk of my groceries through Angel Food I found myself faced with beef. Luckily they have a diverse menu and include lots of poultry and the occasional fish.

I find if I carefully cook it and render it very well to reduce the amount of fat in it, I can tolerate it. I have always been careful about the amount and type of fats we consume which contributed to the re-introduction process. I discovered that I must eat extra vegetables - I think to offset the heaviness of the meat.

It could be all in the preparation. I believe that our bodies will adjust - my son (15ish) has done just fine and prefers the additions to our menu. I still skip the meat for many meals. I can't wait until my budget improves and I can return to my more expensive 4-legged free diet.

God Bless

It's just that your body stopped making the enzymes that digest meat. It'll start making them again if you eat meat regularly for awhile (or any animal based protein), and then you can back off to once a week or so, or less often. Just make sure you occasionally have animal based proteins (and they're all quite different from each other... it's one reason why american's get so sick eating goat... the proteins are different than chicken, cow, pig that most are used to). ANY kind of digestive enzyme (specific to animal proteins) will help with the others (a meat eater eating goat doesn't get as sick as a long time vegetarian eating goat or mcdonalds).

Actually... that's a good idea. Fast food is *almost* predigested for you. It's incredibly good for sick people (and often the first "this is going to suck" meal that former vegetarians have). Same token, eating meat that has been "tenderized" with enzymes will also ease you back in.

To keep up your enzymes without actually having to *eat* meat, try bouillon. Boil carrots in chicken stock... or add to mashed potatoes instead of butter. Add some beef stock to a soup. Miso soup is a smoked fish based soup. While, yes, in order to have animal proteins they are all animal based... it's an easy way to keep up your enzymes without actually having to eat lumpia or a steak.

Yogurt also helps. It adds back into your body bacteria that can help break down the meat. I don't know how much it will help since you've been off meat so long, I usually do a meat fast for the 40 days prior to Easter and once I eat meat again it usually takes a week or two for my tummy issues to subside and I'm usually eating meat every day. Good luck!

Meat is terrible for you. Your body is totally mad at you right now. I havent experienced it because i dont want to feel bad. If you want digestion problems, and an elevated risk of heart disease and so many other things, by all means, convince your body to tolerate meat again. My advice would be .........dont......get out while your ahead!

this is common. I was veggie for 2yrs andstarted eating meat again when I was pregnant with my son. The first couple times made me throw up because animal protiens are so hard to digest.

I didnt eat any meat for 6 or so years. When I did, my gut could not take it. It hurt, bad gas, bloating & a whole bunch of not so fun stuff. I took digestive enzymes & that helped. Still, I could not and can not even today, eat beef or red meat. Ive been eating chicken and fish for almost 4 years, that I can take, but no large quantities, at least of chicken. Pork is ok, in small portions, but maybe 1x a week max. Go to a health food/ supplement store & look for the enzymes. (your body, from what I understand, stops making the enzymes you need to digest, after you stop eating meat 6 months or so)

Two tablespoons of vinegar will do the trick.

From my experience, you do have to get your 'stomach' back if you want to eat meat regularly. It has to do with the enzymes your stomach produces.

I have been veg for years and a couple years ago went to a potluck which, apparently, featured meat. In everything. So, I tried to suck it up and tried some of the dishes. Had quite the upset stomach that night. Never felt interested in it enough after that to try any quantity of it, other than a tiny bite. (I have some friends who prepare meat beautifully, and it's more of a curiousity bite, to appreciate it.)

You are likely missing the enzymes needed to break the meat down. Meat is the most difficult food group to digest. I had to answer though, because my husband was so irritated at me today over this very issue. I cook vegetarian most days. Today he splurged on a burger, then burped the meat up all afternoon! He gripped if I cooked more meat, he wouldn't be burping up hamburger all day! I don't know how often you have to eat it to keep from feeling blaaah!

First, I'd consider not eating that food and staying a vegetarian. Your body is telling you something.

Secondly, it could very likely be the grease in the meat and the oils that the food is cooked in too. Other posters have made good points about the meat quality too. Anyway your system is used to a much more gentle digestion cycle. If you for some reason decide you have to keep eating your mom's food, I'd suggest taking a daily probiotic supplement or adding probiotic yogurt to your diet.

I was a vegetarian for 12 years, then ate meat during both of my pregnancies. But before I became pregnant, if ever I had a soup or sauce that had beef stock in it (which only happened once or twice - I was really careful about ingredients), my stomach would be a WRECK for at least a day. It's likely the same thing that you're going through now.

Maybe its reintroducing the meat back into your diet that gives you the bad reaction, but I think it maybe the fact that its Filipino food you're trying to reintroduce from the get go. Its like going from crawling to jumping. Filipino food, as yummy as it is (I'm Filipino too), is more often than heavy and greasy. How about introducing lighter fare like tinola (chicken soup) or shrimp sinigang....slowly? I'd also suggest munggo (mung bean soup) without the pork -- lots of good protein and fiber, and I always add shrimp to my munggo. Of course, there's always fish, which can always be steamed. I hate to think that Filipino food is giving anyone indigestion! Good luck!

I've been a vegetarian for two years. We do Sunday dinner at my in-laws every week. They always make sure there is something there for me to eat, which is super nice of them! However, last weekend I was drooling over the steak they grilled, so I had a few bites. I was sooo sick that night and the next morning! My stomach was not thrilled with me at all!

I had a hard time with meat. Still can't eat hamburger. Pretty much any processed meats, or fast food meat is out. What your getting is not just the meat. Your getting the fat, the oils that it's cooked in and the chemicals they put on it. To avoid salmonella they are soaking the meat in bleach and other chemicals before wrapping it up. Makes sense, and cheaper than cleaning their places up. You could be having a reaction to that and not necessarily the meat. Try organic and see if that helps.

Hi,

I was a strict vegetarian/and then turned vegan for 10 years. Then I had major surgery and got the most incredible craving for meat. I started to eat meat a teeny bit at a time here and there. I too get issues with my stomach and digestion. I now eat meat once in awhile but can not tolerate more than 2 days in a row at a time. Otherwise, its too much and i get sick and want to stop eating it all together. Plus I really like the health benefits with having a vegetarian diet. Meat makes me feel tired and sluggish. My suggestion would be to eat no more than 2oz of meat at any one time. Give your body a few weeks to adjust to this amount and see how you do. Good luck!

M

What is the source of your meat? Grain-fed animals from confinement operations are very different chemically from truly free-range critters. Try finding some truly free-range meat and see if that makes a difference. For beef, this would be marked "100% grass fed" or "grass finished". For chicken, you would probably need to go to a farmer's market and ask around for folks who have chickens running around eating bugs. A lot of the "free range" chickens available in the grocery store are not very free range at all.

I've been a vegetarian for 8 years and then when I got pregnant (in August - May 3rd) I ate chicken and turkey. For whatever reason I actually craved it. Something you know as a vegetarian you don't often crave meat. At least I never did. So, I just allowed myself to try it and see.
I never got sick or anything. I did just fine!

I'm back to my regular vegetarian diet again. And, still feel fine.

I would suggest you look into the source of your meat as well. Is it hormone/antibiotic free? How was it raised and has it been processed at all? All of these things wreak havoc on a digestive system anyways let alone one not used to breaking down the enzymes in meat to begin with. If you really want to be able to tolerate meat again take it in small portions once a week then maybe twice a week or however often you want. If you don't eat it at least once a week you may always have stomach upset from it. Try lean fish and chicken, eat it slightly bland at first.

Also, why are you wanting to eat meat again? For convenience? Why did you give it up to begin with? If you continue to be intollerant of it, you may just stick with your original diet since it has worked well for you in the past.

I'm vegan. A couple of years ago I had a bit too much to drink before accepting a salad at a restaurant. Of course, I asked for no bacon on my salad, but realized almost all the way through it that I had eaten LOADS of bacon.
I had REALLY bad stomach problems for days and days. Oh lord, I'll never forget it. awful.
I still won't eat anything new if I've had more than a glass of wine. Never can be too careful.

Are you sure it's the meat, and not the spices and the Filipino food you're eating? I was vegetarian for a long time and personally never had problems with introducing meat back in. I agree with yogurt, and you could take probiotics.