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Do you have any good sources on the bioavailability of meat vs. plant nutrients? I've tried giving up meat before and have found that I feel noticeably worse bo

Do you have any good sources on the bioavailability of meat vs. plant nutrients? I've tried giving up meat before and have found that I feel noticeably worse both physically and mentally when I don't eat it, even if I eat a lot of plant protein and take supplements. I don't know if this simply due to my own unique biochemistry or what, but it's not subtle. I have a fast metabolism, so that may have something to do with it? I know plenty of vegans and vegetarians who say they feel better after giving up meat, so I've always figured it depends on the person.

bamboozled 6y ago
I have to be honest I had the same experience (which is unfortunate). I went vegetarian and borderline vegan for 2 years and I wound up feeling depressed and run down. It could’ve been from other things too, it’s only anecdotal. I started introducing some chicken and fish into my diet again and I felt better. I now eat meat again, just conscious of how much I’m eating and try eat a bit less. One thing I noticed is that with being a vegetarian, I found to eat properly is harder. I had to cook a lot more to find the protein and calories, it seems to be something which I could probably do correctly if I had more time for it. Balanced diet is the way to go I think. One of the things I hate about eating meat is the copious amounts of plastic it comes in. With fruit and vegetables I don’t need too worry as much as I don’t put it in plastic bags, it’s a shame that meat is sold in disposable plastic.
atweiden 6y ago
> Do you have any good sources on the bioavailability of meat vs. plant nutrients? I've tried giving up meat before and have found that I feel noticeably worse both physically and mentally when I don't eat it, even if I eat a lot of plant protein and take supplements. > I don't know if this simply due to my own unique biochemistry or what, but it's not subtle. I have a fast metabolism, so that may have something to do with it? For better or worse, it's very easy to end up eating a caloric deficit on a plant-based diet. I'm very glad I use a kitchen scale and small script I wrote to calculate how much kcal/protein/carbs/fat I'm actually getting in comparison to what I should be getting. To put it mildly, plant-based diets take some getting used to. Protein is important, but beyond 1.4-1.6 grams of protein per kg body weight, your body increasingly relieves itself of any excess. Particularly if you stick to eating low-fat legumes, grains and greens per Esselstyn [1], getting enough protein isn't a concern. In fact, I have to consciously choose low protein foods like potatoes and rice just to ensure I don't get too much protein. [1]: http://www.dresselstyn.com/ http://www.dresselstyn.com/
vertbhrtn 6y ago
I'm not a vegan of any sort, but one day I realized that I hadn't eaten meat for really long time and I didn't really want to anymore. That must have something to do with fruits: there's definitely some almost material "energy" in them and eating sandwiches with meat feels like chewing paper sometimes. 10 years ago my diet was almost entirely meat.
drivebyvegtrian 6y ago
You were all probably low on iron, among other things.* B12, Calcium, Omega-3's, and a handful of trace elements are also on that list. Most of those can be solved by supplementation, but iron's more tricky. Likely why life evolved carnivorous tendencies in the first place - the iron is safely tucked away in a readily-absorbed heme complex. Iron's one of those things your body doesn't absorb easily through supplements, and competes with Calcium absorption (So, no taking it in multivitamins or consuming dairy at the same time you take it, otherwise it will inhibit absorption). It will also chelate with tannins (which are in teas, coffee, wine, and chocolate), which also inhibits absorption. And, for more fun, if you over-do it on the iron, it will horribly poison you, so, uh, basically check with a doctor re: supplements. That said, if you're good about balancing out the protein, iron, b12, calcium, and omega-3's (among others), you'll feel a lot less crappy in transitioning over to a plant-based diet. *In my semi-scientific, zero-medical-training, not-a-doctor opinion tldr: try iron next time you go vegetarian!

bamboozled 6y ago

I have to be honest I had the same experience (which is unfortunate). I went vegetarian and borderline vegan for 2 years and I wound up feeling depressed and run down. It could’ve been from other things too, it’s only anecdotal. I started introducing some chicken and fish into my diet again and I felt better. I now eat meat again, just conscious of how much I’m eating and try eat a bit less. One thing I noticed is that with being a vegetarian, I found to eat properly is harder. I had to cook a lot more to find the protein and calories, it seems to be something which I could probably do correctly if I had more time for it. Balanced diet is the way to go I think. One of the things I hate about eating meat is the copious amounts of plastic it comes in. With fruit and vegetables I don’t need too worry as much as I don’t put it in plastic bags, it’s a shame that meat is sold in disposable plastic.

atweiden 6y ago

> Do you have any good sources on the bioavailability of meat vs. plant nutrients? I've tried giving up meat before and have found that I feel noticeably worse both physically and mentally when I don't eat it, even if I eat a lot of plant protein and take supplements. > I don't know if this simply due to my own unique biochemistry or what, but it's not subtle. I have a fast metabolism, so that may have something to do with it? For better or worse, it's very easy to end up eating a caloric deficit on a plant-based diet. I'm very glad I use a kitchen scale and small script I wrote to calculate how much kcal/protein/carbs/fat I'm actually getting in comparison to what I should be getting. To put it mildly, plant-based diets take some getting used to. Protein is important, but beyond 1.4-1.6 grams of protein per kg body weight, your body increasingly relieves itself of any excess. Particularly if you stick to eating low-fat legumes, grains and greens per Esselstyn [1], getting enough protein isn't a concern. In fact, I have to consciously choose low protein foods like potatoes and rice just to ensure I don't get too much protein. [1]: http://www.dresselstyn.com/ http://www.dresselstyn.com/

vertbhrtn 6y ago

I'm not a vegan of any sort, but one day I realized that I hadn't eaten meat for really long time and I didn't really want to anymore. That must have something to do with fruits: there's definitely some almost material "energy" in them and eating sandwiches with meat feels like chewing paper sometimes. 10 years ago my diet was almost entirely meat.

drivebyvegtrian 6y ago

You were all probably low on iron, among other things.* B12, Calcium, Omega-3's, and a handful of trace elements are also on that list. Most of those can be solved by supplementation, but iron's more tricky. Likely why life evolved carnivorous tendencies in the first place - the iron is safely tucked away in a readily-absorbed heme complex. Iron's one of those things your body doesn't absorb easily through supplements, and competes with Calcium absorption (So, no taking it in multivitamins or consuming dairy at the same time you take it, otherwise it will inhibit absorption). It will also chelate with tannins (which are in teas, coffee, wine, and chocolate), which also inhibits absorption. And, for more fun, if you over-do it on the iron, it will horribly poison you, so, uh, basically check with a doctor re: supplements. That said, if you're good about balancing out the protein, iron, b12, calcium, and omega-3's (among others), you'll feel a lot less crappy in transitioning over to a plant-based diet. *In my semi-scientific, zero-medical-training, not-a-doctor opinion tldr: try iron next time you go vegetarian!