Have you eaten meat after being vegetarian for years?

thats very judgmental . I’ve been vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian and omnivore. I very much care what I put into my body, except when it’s a rare bacon butty.

I’d say I’m healthier now than I was when I was vegetarian and certainly when I was vegan.

I still do the vegan thing a few times a year (Greek orthodox) which is also no olive oil but can eat olives 😂 (go figure!). And it definitely affects my energy levels. And I know how to do the vegan thing properly as it’s inbred in me since young.

I also fast every Monday to reboot myself after excesses of a weekend.

Your last sentence is highly inaccurate.

Don't you get out much?

Yes it is anecdotal, I haven't carried out a national audit granted. Just ime meat eaters are overweight and unhealthy. Vegetarians care more about what they consume.

'My acupuncturist says he’s yet to meet a healthy vegetarian '

Hmm I've never met a meat eater with a healthy bmi, good skin and high energy levels. I doubt an acupuncturist comes across a wide variety of people tbh. They're probs all a bit frail needing that kind of 'treatment'.

That's a bit of a sweeping statement.
Vegans can be healthy or unhealthy.
Vegetarians can be healthy or unhealthy.
Omnivores can be healthy or unhealthy.
Anyone can have gut issues or be 'smelly'.
Diet is personal choice.

Yes, I returned to meat after several years as a vegetarian. I don't eat a lot of meat though, so it wasn't a massive overall change. Diet is a personal thing - do what works for you.

'Yes, I think there are a few liars on this thread, out to prove that vegans and vegetarians are all unhealthy frail things that need a bacon sandwich'

Exactly. It'll be the meat eaters with their bad breath, gut issues and bloating wondering why they're overweight with all those burgers and bacon butties .

Yes. I was vegetarian for about 15 years. Stared eating meat for health reasons. Had no issues at all digestion wise. My DS was raised vegetarian and starting eating meat at the same time and again had no issues. This is despite the fact that I have had IBS my entire life (until recently - I did the FODMAP diet and know what my triggers are) and my DS is lactose intolerant and is autistic and gets general gut issues which seems to be associated with autism. But neither of us had any issues introducing meat.

Pepperoni can be quite greasy. There are lots of other meats that aren’t, but if it makes you feel guilty why are you eating it?

I did also start only eating organic meat as we had a local organic butcher at the time. but we moved and it’s also become too costly but I try to buy free range as much as possible. I am very comfortable with my decision.

I was veggie for 15 years from about 12 years old. Still eat loads of vegetables but meat too. I feel it’s a more balanced diet for me. I’m not great with dairy or gluten and I can balance my diet better this way.

Yes, I think there are a few liars on this thread, out to prove that vegans and vegetarians are all unhealthy frail things that need a bacon sandwich. 🤣 Same old, these threads always have a few people like that. I find it’s best not to engage too much.

Any diet can be unhealthy. I’ve been vegan for many years and vegetarian before than since I was a teen. I’ve never had low iron, even in pregnancy. I’m fit and healthy, run a lot, play sport and have lots of energy. Some people don’t eat well, others have issues absorbing stuff. A friend of mine eats a well balanced diet including meat and is often anaemic. Her doctor says some people just don’t absorb as well as others unfortunately.

I had couple friends who reintroduced meat after being veggie for 20 years. She was pg and like others, was craving it. She was fine but when he started eating it he kept have really bad digestive issues. The GP said that its not uncommon for vegetarians to have these problems when they start eating meat as their system has forgotten how to deal with meat so deals with it in the same way as a poison. Apparently can be more common in lifelong veggies rather than those who had previously eaten it and then stopped.

It did settle down eventually but took a while. His wife said he should just stay veggie but he said he had never wanted to be a veggie in the first place, he only did it to impress her in their early days of dating! He was most put out that he, as the reluctant veggie, was the one who suffered most when they started eating meat again!

No - because I love animals and the thought of eating their flesh is abhorrent!

Yes. After craving chicken during a pregnancy where my Hb was 4.2 at 17 weeks and subsequently being raged at for years by the future ex for daring to think (I didn't even eat it) that 'it's OK to cram dead flesh in your mouth', I was absolutely broke and my new boyfriend's Mum offered me Sunday lunch when she realised I was hiding that I hadn't eaten in days. He told her as she was dishing it up that I didn't eat meat, so she put chicken on a separate plate in case I wanted to have some.

Tell you what, that Sunday Dinner was absolutely lovely. Despite all the iron tablets doing little to fix my severe anaemia - they only got me up to 6.8 before I gave birth (and obviously lost enough blood to be offered a transfusion, which the future ex also pressured me into refusing because 'it's like eating meat' - he really was an absolute prick, looking back), just 4 months of eating normally twice a week at the new boyfriend's parents got my Hb up to normal.

I wouldn't have chosen a pizza as a first taste, though, just because they are normally intrinsically quite high in oil. Something more animal than oil might have been better.

Same happened to me. The smell of the cheese aisle actually makes me gag now but loved cheese in my veggie days.

Yeah for a year, after about 20 years. I felt dreadful, ended up with terrible digestive problems, felt bloated all the time. I stopped in the end and it was so much better. Been veggie since and vegan for about 5 years, haven’t looked back.

'one random man who is in no way trained to assess overall health says he has never met a healthy vegetarian'...

My experience was similar - a long term veggie, hadn’t eaten mean when pregnant with my son but with my daughter for the first three months the only thing I could eat and keep down was bacons sandwiches and pork pies. As soon as that first trimester sickness was over it was like a switch had been flipped and I went straight back to finding the idea disgusting. My daughter is ten and has been a vegetarian since the age of 6 at her own decision (my husband and son eat meat) ever since she found out it’s made of dead animals!

I was vegetarian for about twenty years. However, I became very anaemic and started to crave fish (and I had always hated fish!) I decided it was my body trying to tell me something. ( I must admit I was a badly organised vegetarian and probably didn’t balance my diet properly.)
I now eat small portions of chicken and mince but the thought of beef as a steak or a roast makes me feel sick. (Similarly pork and lamb.). I can occasionally face white fish or salmon but they can’t be too ‘fishy’.

Yes, accidentally because someone well meaning who didn't really know what was what gave me it thinking it was vegetarian. 20 plus years back and I think i was the only veggie she knew. I noticed a couple of mouthfuls in. Been veggie around 9 years. I felt really upset and miserable but not ill. Then woke in the middle of the night suddenly vomiting. Couldn't even make it to the bathroom it was really odd.

Since then like a PP I had a spring roll mishap but luckily noticed before swallowing. Take away was not as apologetic as they should have been.

I quit eating meat over 30 years ago, as a teenager. I became vegetarian because the taste, texture and knowledge of what meat is repulsed me.

DH is a big meat lover and was convinced that I didn’t like meat because we had cheap processed meat growing up. I tried monkfish and goose when he had them during a meal out. The goose was vile, but the monkfish was OK- maybe I could acquire a taste for mild fish. I wasn’t persuaded to eat meat though and I’ve continued being vegetarian. I have no desire to eat meat and the smell of bacon does nothing for me. My primary motivation for being vegetarian was taste preference though rather than ethical reasons.

I eat eggs and dairy but I find pungent cheeses too animalistic and so many vegetarian dishes have goats cheese in them.

So you're a pescatarian.

My SIL eats this way. I have to say, it does make life easier when she visits as I just cook fish dishes so everyone is happy.

Yes. I was vegetarian from16 to 30 and vegan and from 30-34 (ish - many years in total, anyway).

My life just became so different. I was in the midst of teacher training and literally dragging myself through life - just so stressed and busy. Whereas before it had been a political statement, now it had become another task and I just didn't need more things to think about. This was decades ago when all there was available was a couple of flavours of Beanfeast and some powdered nut roast from the local health food shops for vegies. Nothing convenient.

One day I was so hungry and didn't have time to cook and I just bought a ham sandwich and ate it. It gave me a bit of upset stomach but I felt fine and found I wanted to eat other things after that.

I've carried on eating meat since but I don't eat a lot of it and prefer the veg options of most dishes (pasta, curries etc).

I buy good quality meat from a local butcher and am happy. If ever I'm not, I'll go veggie again. I really don't think I'd miss meat much.

Accidentally once or twice over the years. I could tell and it was quite gross! Took longer when it happened after COVID as I couldn't taste it immediately and it was in dumplings. Felt really unpleasant. Greasy and gelatinous (nothing to do with the quality of the cooking).

I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't eat meat, although i do eat a lot of fish.
I have no cravings at all, but can imagine there would be an energy boost if one started eating meat again ( as well as an upset stomach)!