From vegan to meat eater: Why many people resume eating meat

Health declines without animal protein

The media's heavy emphasis on removing meat and dairy from the diet for ethical and health reasons has succeeded in convincing many people to stop eating animal protein. A plethora of plant-based meat substitutes has made it easier for people to eliminate meat from their diets by giving them a sense of having alternatives to the foods they used to enjoy. However, many people on vegan and vegetarian diets ultimately resume eating meat, often after experiencing significant health declines.

Why meat is important

Author Liam McAuliffe, writing for fertility specialist and meat-based nutrition advocate Dr. Kiltz, suggests that people try eating what he calls "only meat" (though eggs and fish are included) for a month.[1] He explains that meat provides an abundance of nutrients in the most bioavailable format and that certain nutrients associated with plant foods are only sufficient when eating meat.

On an animal-based diet, vital nutrients like zinc, heme iron, B vitamins, vitamin A, and the elusive “activator X” vitamin K2, are supplied in abundance, in the most useable “bioavailable” formats, and in near-perfect proportions for your physiological needs. Even nutrients associated with plant foods like potassium and vitamin C are sufficient when eating only fresh meat. 

McAuliffe included the image below, showing the nutritional value of a one-pound steak, as provided by the USDA.

What the research shows

McAuliffe reported on a Harvard study of 2,029 people who had been eating a meat-only diet for at least six months. According to researchers, people surveyed said that their health improved significantly with few adverse events.

Based on the data, researchers concluded that “Contrary to common expectations, adults consuming a carnivore diet experienced few adverse effects and instead reported health benefits and high satisfaction.”

The study revealed the following results:

     ▪ 93% improved or resolved obesity and excess weight
     ▪ 93% improved hypertension
     ▪ 98% improved conditions related to diabetes
     ▪ 97% improved gastrointestinal symptoms
     ▪ 96% improved psychiatric symptoms

McAullife also reported on another study of people eating only meat. This one, conducted by Revero, carnivore diet advocate Dr. Shawn Baker's company, surveyed 12,000 people who ate exclusively meat for at least three months. They also reported the resolution of many conditions:

     ▪ 96% of participants experienced full or significant improvement in all diseases
     ▪ 95% improved gastrointestinal conditions
     ▪ 96% improved skin allergies and disorders
     ▪ 79% eliminated or reduced medications after 3 months
     ▪ 93% improved mental health and mood disorders
     ▪ 91% lost weight and reduced body fat

The carnivore diet works, he says, because "​​animal fats, muscle, and micronutrients provide the foundation of healthy cell structures and hormonal regulation." (Emphasis added.)

Assumed she'd never touch meat again

A woman named Jennifer Barton reported that she had “been some combination of flexitarian, vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan or dairy-free for many of [her] 41 years on this planet.” In her article featured in Women’s Health Magazine, Barton wrote that she initially decided to quit eating animal foods for animal welfare and environmental reasons.

. . . I launched myself into vegetarianism with gusto. (If you’re wondering how to go cold turkey from… well, turkey, I’d suggest reading Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals.) After inhaling the book, I assumed I’d never touch meat again, for animal welfare as well as environmental reasons. Especially since, according to a 2021 study, global greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based foods are twice those of plant-based foods.

However, after eliminating meat from her diet, her hair started falling out, her skin became sallow, and she developed dark circles under her eyes. Reintroducing meat into her diet, she said, gave her more energy, motivation, and focus, and her productivity increased.

But, a few months ago, I began reintroducing meat into my diet and I started to feel a thousand times more energetic, productive, focused and motivated as a result.

. . . 

[T]he longer I went without meat in my diet, the less I resembled the glowy Goop advert I hoped I’d turn into. In fact, I looked pretty awful: sallow skin, hair falling out, dark circles under my eyes.

Barton describes the change she experienced once she reintroduced meat into her diet, including greater satiety so she no longer needed to snack all the time, and greater stamina than she ever had before.

The change in my mind and body has been almost instantaneous: colour (and collagen!) in my cheeks, springing out of bed in the mornings and less of a need to snack copiously in between meals. Most excitingly, I’ve started lifting weights several times a week (using the Peloton app). I never had the stamina for weight training in the past, but that may have been linked to insufficient protein consumption. . . .

Barton is much happier. Her brain fog also went away and she has a greater sense of calm.

. . .  my mind is a happier place. The brain fog I used to drag around like the Sadness character from Inside Out has faded, and even when my hormones are going haywire at certain points in the month, the prevailing feeling in my head is a sense of calm.

Barton quotes Dr. Sarah Ball who explains that eating meat helps the body better digest carbohydrates and fats,

'Meat has a high bioavailability of nutrients which are more difficult to obtain from plant-based foods alone,’ explains Dr[.] Sarah Ball, GP and menopause doctor at Health in Menopause. ‘Meat is protein-dense and can help to promote advantageous metabolic processes, enabling better processing of carbohydrates and fats.’

Had a "V" for vegan tattooed in her ear

Kai-Lee Worsley became a die-hard vegan who was so sure that she would never eat meat again that she had a "V" tattooed on her ear. She resumed eating meat when she thought she would die otherwise, as she explained in the video below. 

Do you guys remember when I was a die-hard vegan and I had a "V" tattooed in my ear and I thought that I was going to be vegan forever? I actually eat steaks like twice a week now because I almost died.

Body not cut out for vegetarianism

Project Nightfall explained, in the video below, why he reverted to eating fish and meat after giving up meat for three years and not eating fish, either, for the last year. He thought what he was doing was ethical and environmentally sound. He was extremely conscious about his diet and "really supplemented" himself. But a year after he had eliminated fish from his diet, his knees started bothering him.

. . . I started having health problems. It began with my knees; I couldn't really go for longer runs because my knees would have this feeling like something was missing. I think that's the best way to say it. Mind you, I was really supplementing myself and was very conscious about my diet.

No longer able to run, he started lifting weights, but he then started having pain in his wrists.

Then I said to myself, “Okay, I have to push stronger and push more at the gym. If I can't do cardio, if I can't run, let me lift heavier weights.” I would do exercises, and from my knees, I would start feeling pain in my wrists. It was very irritating because at that point, I wanted to exceed my own personal expectations in most areas of my life. I was very ambitious about things and goals, and here I was—a healthy, way-above-average man who really took this vegetarian lifestyle as a serious objective—starting to have health issues.

After a few more months, he went for blood work and was disappointed that the results showed "eight things" were not normal.

A few more months passed, and I went to have some tests. When I got these blood tests, my heart dropped because health is a very important aspect to me. I want to have a high-quality, happy life, and there I was, reading that I had eight things out of norm. Not massively out of norm, but they were out of norm for a healthy guy having health problems. How could this be?

At that point, he considered the possibility that vegetarianism was not right for him. He first went back to eating fish and the problems with his knees and wrists resolved.

It was back then when the thought came to my mind: maybe my body is not cut out for this. Maybe I am not supposed to be vegetarian. So, at first, I came back to fish. . . . I pushed through, and a few months later, I stopped having any problems with my knees and wrists. My health got better than it was in the middle of my vegetarianism.

He also resumed eating meat and now believes that his body needs meat.

Ever since then, I also came back to meat, realizing that my body needs it.

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The information contained in this article is for educational and information purposes only and is not intended as health, medical, financial, or legal advice. Always consult a physician, lawyer, or other qualified professional regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition, health objectives, or legal or financial issues.