To consider eating meat after 20 years as a vegetarian? Low energy!

[MeltingSnowflake]

Anyone else gone back to eating meat after being veggie? Did it help your energy levels?

I've been vegetarian for over 20 years, since I was about 11. Ever since I can remember I've been extremely low in energy - but despite repeated blood tests to check my thyroid, hormones, etc. nothing shows up as an obvious cause.

I eat a healthy diet of fresh food and I exercise a fair bit although not nearly enough to exhaust me, and I eat plenty of calories. Occasionally my yearly physical shows up slightly low iron, B12 or Vitamin D but nothing major - and mostly they are all normal. Even after taking supplements and adjusting my diet to correct the levels, my energy levels don't improve.

I started eating fish a couple of years ago to see if that would help, but it hasn't. Plus I still find it quite hard to eat.

I'm getting so fed up that I'm considering trying meat to see if that would make a difference. Although I'm just not sure I could bring myself to eat it (again ethical reasons, and also after having not eaten it for so long, I think the texture, etc. would freak me out). But I'm getting desperate.

Any advice would be VERY gratefully received - thank you in advance!

Are you actually eating enough food ?
The recommendations are that every day we eat:
6-8 carbs or more if we do to of exercise
2-3 protein eg beans eggs lentils nuts soya
2-3 dairy eg cows or soya milk not flavoured water that is almond 'milk'
5-8 fruit and veg
And in the winter months a multi Vit to provide Vitamin D

Check out Food standards agency or a proper site authored by a qualified nutrition professional for details on portions

I was a veggie for 10+ years and started to eat meat after my second pregnancy. No difference to my energy levels whatsoever, I just craved the stuff and it was more convenient. I found that simply taking multivitamins in the winter makes a difference. I’m now a pescaterian, again for convenience only.
Maybe your lifestyle has changed. Do you feel the same in the summer when the sun’s out?

If your diet and supplementation is as you describe, and you’re eating enough calories, then this doesn’t sound like an issue with your diet. Go back to the doctor and talk to them.

Are you eating enough calories? If you’re getting enough b12, protein and iron, then meat will make no difference. Vegan 8 years here and my energy levels are higher most of the time than before. I’d recommend myfitnesspal or chronometer to see what you’re getting macronutrient wise (micronutrients too with the latter) and also make sure you’re doing some exercise you enjoy as I find being sedentary leads to lethargy.

I'm vegetarian and was suffering from exreme tiredness and pins and needles that lasted for weeks at a time. I now need b12 injections every 8 weeks as my levels were so low. I wouldn't consider eating meat or fish but we do have our own chickens for eggs. I think posting a couple of examples of your daily meals is a good idea

Hi OP, my friend and her family had this problem, they made educated adjustments with supplements etc, included loads of helpful things in their diet, but were still all struggling with being really run down and frequently off ill. She reluctantly reintroduced meat. It has made a big difference. Just do what is right for you, whatever you decide.

I did exactly this, I did not eat fish either. It made no difference to my energy levels and I also put on two stone (could be unrelated, I also got a desk job at about the same time...)

Are your levels of vitamin d, iron and b12 at the high end of the lab range? They should be. Mid or low range if you are tired, ie symptomatic of deficiency, is just not sufficient.

B12 injections?

I don't think it will make a difference. If your levels are good and you're still low energy, I would look into other causes, like your quality of sleep, the amount of rest you get, how fit you are, what your blood pressure is doing etc. etc.

The only reason for trying it would be if your B12 and iron are consistently at the low end of normal, as that might be low for you, but then I'd try supplementing at a higher level first instead of meat.

If you eat fish, you're not a vegetarian.

Eating meat isn't going to increase your energy. I was a vegetarian for over twenty years and then started eating meat again: if anything, it made me feel more lethargic and slow.

The best way I've found to increase my energy is to take Vitamin D and B12 supplements, and to exercise more. Which is odd, because I'd been diagnosed with CFS and had been told I had to pace myself and rest a lot. That was actually the worst thing I did.

Once I started exercising more, I began to feel so much better.

Exercise is like magic. It helps so many things. If you haven't already tried it, start doing twenty minutes a day, and keep it up for six weeks, and see how you feel then.

(I like the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred DVDs, because they are easy for a beginner and are graded to increase easily, and they're not too strenuous. She can be irritating, but after a while you can turn the sound off and play your own music and just follow along.)

I'm veggie and I think you should eat meat if you
1 Want to.
2 think it will help.

But I highly doubt it will help, and you don't seem to want to. I think you need to talk to a GP. A lot of things can cause low energy levels, and it's a subjective judgement ( why do you think your energy levels are lower than most other people?). It could be a sleep issue, or any number of other issues unrelated to diet.

So, give meat a go just to test your theory. If it works, great! But honestly I think a trip to the GP is important.

All the best!! I hope you feel better.

I have started eating meat again after 30 years. I was exhausted and getting very strong cravings for the first time. It made a huge difference to my energy levels and B12 injections are no longer needed. I don't enjoy it, but usually do a slow cooker free range beef stew or soup once a week. Can't face processed meat and still struggle with the texture. But the health difference from a small amount of meat is huge (for me). Might be worth a try OP.

I was a vegetarian for a lot of years and then after thyroid issues, went back to eating meat. That first piece of meat tasting was scary. Although, I had a low b12 once, I never had an iron issues. Yet, after returning to meat, I became anemic. My GP asked what I ate and I said mostly chicken and fish. He told me all the iron was in red meat. And I would only eat red meat if it was a burger, or a well done t bone steak ( which I could never be bothered to cook). I really failed as a meat eater as just too fussy. DH is a vegetarian, so after meeting him I went back to being a vegetarian, I did go back to eating meat once again while trying to get pregnant. Now back to being a vegetarian.

The only time I notice energy drops is if I have not had much sleep, I have got really stressed or my chronic fatigue acts up. When I go overboard on eating junk or too many high carbs, I feel so sluggish. The most energetic I feel is when I’m on a low carb diet!

Have you been tested for diabetes?

True, catlady, the iron is all in red meat. Chicken made no difference to my energy levels, only red meat. That must be why.

I found Spatone in a glass of orange juice has made a huge difference to my energy levels.

Spatone is naturally rich iron water, from a spa in Wales or something.

Thank you - lots of interesting advice!

And yes, I know I'm a pescatarian and not a vegetarian - I was veggie for so long I suppose I just still think of myself that way. I agree there's little difference re: the ethical standpoint, that's why I still find it hard to eat fish.

I do a fair amount of exercise, although I could probably do more. I walk the dog three or four times a day (we live in a flat) and I do a fairly strenuous hike once or twice a week, as well as some (very!) light resistance training. I definitely eat enough though, I sit behind a desk all day, so I put weight on easily if I'm not careful.

I sleep a lot - I sleep a full 7 hours during the week and I can easily sleep 9 to 10 hours on the weekend (I don't have children, clearly :) so I don't think it's that.

I've been to my GP repeatedly for tests and we haven't found anything so far (I live in the US, so they're v keen to run all the tests possible so they can charge $$$ for them!) - although he did say a low-level mood disorder could be a possibility.

An average day of food is (this was ystdy, anyway):

• Breakfast: Overnight steelcut oats w/ raw honey, cinnamon & almonds
• Snack: piece of cheese and some almonds or crackers
• Lunch: Large salad w/ avo, vegetables, whole wheat pita bread
• Snack: 3 small chocolate biscuits, some avo on a brown rice cake
• Dinner: Super greens & fennel salad w/ tilapia fillet + pumpkin, sunflower & flaxseeds
• Dessert: 6 slices of frozen chocolate-covered banana

I don't drink any coffee (hate it) and I have two cups of tea a day- the rest of my hot drinks are either hot water of herbal tea.

I've noted what everyone's saying about B12, so as of this morning I've started taking an extra B12 supplement again to see if that will make a difference - and perhaps a dietician would be a good idea...

Thanks so much for everyone's help I really want to get to the bottom of this

Oh and yes, tested for diabetes and definitely not that.

Also I have naturally low blood pressure, although not dangerously low -
my whole family is the same.

You are having a protein free breakfast and lunch, so adding in a proper portion of protein might help.
Can you add eggs to your lunch time salad ?

You don't have any pulses either, beans, lentils and chick peas should be a huge part of a veggie diet

Taking a b12 supplement won't help if you can't utilise the vitamin. It needs 'intrinsic factor' in your gut to be able to be absorbed from supplements or diet,. Ask your go for a blood test. You may have pernicious anaemia.if so, you will need methylcobalmin injections.

Do you like spinach OP?

I think going back to your GP for another blood test and general discussion/examination would be good.

I was veggie from 13 to 24 and have been a meat eater for 5 years but I am considering going back to being a vegetarian. I don't think that I feel healthier eating meat (I originally started eating meat again on the off chance that it might help my anxiety) and even now after years I don't really enjoy eating meat.