Back in August, after 2.5 years as a sometimes-vegan-pescatarian, I went back to eating meat.
It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but it just felt like the right thing. I was starting culinary school, cooking lots of unusual things, and exploring new foods. I’d never missed meat per se, but I did miss the convenience and lack of thought in being an omnivore. I wanted to be open to everything, from kimchi and kale to goose liver and hamburgers.
Around that time, I also stopped blogging my meals on a regular basis, so I never talked much about the change. That was actually good for me- it took the focus off of eating to blog, and brought it back to just…eating. I think in many cases, exposing your food choices on the internet has an influence on what you eat, either for better or for worse. Over these past few months, I’ve noticed a lot of surprising changes in my diet and the way I feel…mostly for the better. Here goes.
I’m less picky.
I have never considered myself a picky eater. Even when I was mostly vegan, I’d eat anything put in front of me that fell into that category, no matter how weird. That said, when I started to eat everything again I realized how annoying it had been to constantly scrutinize menus or ask what was in something. Now, if it sounds good, smells good, looks good, or is free, I’m in. It’s made me more appreciative of good food in general, whether it’s a spicy sausage from a food truck or a raw salad from One Lucky Duck.
I feel fuller all the time.
Admittedly, I was never a perfect vegetarian/pescatarian/vegan/what-have-you. I failed at the whole bean-grain combination thing, and I ate a decent amount of fake stuff like Boca burgers, texturized vegetable protein and non-dairy milks. That said, I never realized how freaking unsatiated I was all the time until I started eating animal products and finally felt really full. Even when a meal doesn’t contain meat, I don’t get ravenous waiting for the next dining opportunity. My former diet was pretty carb-heavy, so that could have been the culprit, but it’s still an interesting thing to notice.
Meat tastes better than I remember it.
It wasn’t hard for me to stop eating animals, because at the point that I made that decision all of my meat came from Healthy Choice deli meat and dry chicken breasts. Ew. I’m still not a meathead, and I probably go about 4 days a week without eating it at all, but damn…prepared the right way, it’s delicious. Actually, I prefer red meat to poultry. Burgers all the way. (If my brother is reading this, he’s probably crying tears of pride. We ARE related, after all!!)
It’s made me let go of a lot of the “food rules” I had.
This is more of a personal thing, but I think my decision to give up meat was a borderline orthorexic behavior- I’d heard it wasn’t healthy, so I just cut it out completely, rather than learning to eat it in moderation (I had the word “moderation” in reference to food, but I’ll let it slide) or when I actually craved it. It made me obsessive, in a bad way. I’m only speaking for myself here, but cutting out entire food groups is tricky business, both psychologically and physically. Now, there’s nothing off-limits, and while I still feel better about some choices than others (helloooooooo late-night Christmas cookie feasts and nary a salad for weeks), I have a healthier mindset about eating in general. It’s all just food.
Meat isn’t intrinsically unhealthy for you.
There’s research to back up just about any claim- that meat causes heart disease, that veganism causes malnutrition, that tomatoes exacerbate arthritis, that kale gives you kidney stones. Thinking too much about it can make anyone crazy, and I don’t think that food in its whole, natural state is going to make you less “healthy” when eaten in balance with all the other food groups. If I want meat, I want meat…and I think the real stuff contains a whole lot more health benefits than a Boca burger or Tofurky. And to be honest, I feel healthier now than ever. That’s trite, but true.
The ethics are still a gray area for me.
It’s no secret that meat isn’t produced ethically in this country, and that’s not something I’m okay with, but it’s something I’ve learned to live with. In an ideal world, I’d always get my meat from a local, free-range, organic farm, but this world is far from perfect. When purchasing meat for myself, I always buy the organic, free-range stuff, but if I’m in a situation where that’s not available, it’s okay. I’m respectful of the life of what I’m eating, but I don’t need one more thing to stress myself out over.
(By the way, I know I shouldn’t have to defend myself, but I don’t want to offend anyone with these thoughts. I’m cool with people eating whatever the heck they want, whether that includes meat or not- or anything else. Be proud of the choices you make, and respectful of others’. Feel free to respectfully disagree!)
Have you ever made a big dietary change and noticed a difference in the way you felt, either mentally or physically? What’s your dietary path of choice?
