Paul - the best way to stave off the meat cravings is to eat plenty of beans and other iron rich stuff - hummus, spinach and dried apricots are great for this. When you're craving meat, it's likely the iron your body wants.
I was listening to a dietitian a couple of days ago who strongly opposes the vegetarian diet for most people because of how heavily North American vegetarians tend to depend on soy as a source of protein while we're already getting more than we need even in foods that aren't particularly vegetarian in nature. Because it's become an additive in so many foods, she was saying we're eating way more soy than the body is meant to ingest. She noted that even in cultures where soy is traditionally part of the diet, they eat much less soy than North Americans do - and she was talking non-vegetarians here. She went on to talk about how too much soy can drastically throw your endocrine system out of whack.
I know this story well since I have hypothyroidism which constantly fluctuates and is very difficult to controle even with constant medical supervision. When I became a vegetarian I was depending on soy based foods as my main source of protein and I became sicker than I've ever been in my life. I was very confused because I was eating in a way I thought was very healthful - eating lots of veggies, very little fat, etc. I was vegetarian for almost a year, growing sicker and sicker and having no idea why. I started talking about the specifics of my diet with medical practitioners, and finally realized that my problem is dietary. I learned that soy in large amounts not only throws off regular hormone productions like testosterone, estrogen, sex hormones, etc, but it also prevents the absorption of the synthetic hormones I need to take to stay alive (as well as the absorption of several other medications and even some vitamins), so my hormones crashed, and I became so ill that I felt like I was dying - I was in crisis where I couldn't stay awake for more than 4 hours. My thyroid hormone levels were the lowest they'd ever been while I was on the highest dose of the synthetic hormones I've ever been on. My adrenaline was almost nonexistent, so even walking short distances exhausted me to the point where I'd have to sit down. After I stopped eating vegetarian and started avoiding soy (as much as possible any way - that shit is in everything!) my hormones began to level out. So though it wouldn't be impossible for me to be a vegetarian, it would take more work than I'm inclined to.
So take serious care of what you're eating Paul. Good vegetarianism isn't just about avoiding meat but about intaking a conscious balance of the right amounts of nutrients. If nothing else- take a vegetarian vitamin supplement at least.
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Topic: New Year's Resolutions. (Read 14709 times)