Ethical question?!
Ethical question?
i eat healthy.
wholewheat grains. organic. vege.
i know what im eating and nutritional needs.
i train and have extra organic hemp protein shakes for that.
on paper its all good....but here the thing. it just isnt. im ofter really tired and low energy despite everything. and after months of considering it , i ate a organic chicken fillet today. (first time eating meat in 10 years). and i actually feel ok about it and have felt a noticable improvment in energy levels.
on paper i should be great wthout meat, but in practice this isnt happining.
anyone been in this situation?
(before militant vegetarians get angry at me too much...i would only eat organic ethical farmed meat...not mcdonalds etc....)
3 weeks ago
to the person who accused me of imposing my beliefs on others....whats wrong with you? my question is about me, and is coming and relating to my stance as a vegetarian.....oh and its posted in thre vegtarian section....far from imposing anything...this is infact directly going to where the larger number of vegetarans would be.
3 weeks ago
thanks , i apprecitae the answers so far. but i wouldnt write something if i didnt know it.
i know i eat well and balanced....no fads or lacking anything, vitamin supplements (i can go into detail, be really i just do....that isnt my problem at all) i exercise a lot.
soy is something i avoid, i think its very bad for you....just another processed food, no better than processed cheese etc...and the whole eastrogen thing too.
im not saying that 'you' cant feel energized all the time etc on this or a stricter vegan diet. but for 'me ' it doesnt seem to be the case. I agree that feeling more enery may be physcological after eating meat....but then so what, icant do anything about that.
ive recently also had a medical for immigration visa, so its not a blood virus etc.......
thanks...this is getting to be a long question.
Answers:
3 weeks ago
to the person who accused me of imposing my beliefs on others....whats wrong with you? my question is about me, and is coming and relating to my stance as a vegetarian.....oh and its posted in thre vegtarian section....far from imposing anything...this is infact directly going to where the larger number of vegetarans would be.
3 weeks ago
thanks , i apprecitae the answers so far. but i wouldnt write something if i didnt know it.
i know i eat well and balanced....no fads or lacking anything, vitamin supplements (i can go into detail, be really i just do....that isnt my problem at all) i exercise a lot.
soy is something i avoid, i think its very bad for you....just another processed food, no better than processed cheese etc...and the whole eastrogen thing too.
im not saying that 'you' cant feel energized all the time etc on this or a stricter vegan diet. but for 'me ' it doesnt seem to be the case. I agree that feeling more enery may be physcological after eating meat....but then so what, icant do anything about that.
ive recently also had a medical for immigration visa, so its not a blood virus etc.......
thanks...this is getting to be a long question.
If you do anything athletic and find you have issues then you may need to adjust your intake (times and types of food). This is what I was reading that Carl Lewis talked about. He had to adjust his times and types of food, since different foods digest differently. Brendan Brazier has some good articles on his site about eating for athletic activity.
http://www.brendanbrazier.com/
How about the boca soy products. do those help at all? maybe take a multi vitamin. If you are still sticking to your organic principles, I really don't see a bad thing. If the animals are still treated fairly, it is still natural.
sorry, i don't have an answer to your question. but by calling this an "ethical question," it sounds as though you're imposing your belief on others that eating meat is unethical, although most people (even very moral people) have no such "ethical" dilemma. i commend your decision and lifestyle, but do not share your perspective on it. maybe that means i should've ignored this, but i couldn't resist.
I'm vegan, but I think different people have different nutritional needs. I also think nutrition isn't the whole picture.
Are you sleeping enough? Do you like your job? Are you going through a breakup or a death in the family? How about the climate? (I moved from a rainy climate to a sunny one, and within two years I'd dropped 25 pounds and am beginning to train for a triathlon - freakish for a lifelong non-athlete!)
Whatever you choose to do, it's important not to see this as an on-off, yes-no situation. You don't have to go back to eating the Standard Diet over what you might see as a single lapse. Try some other things - a new cookbook, indulging in greasy salty treats, a different workout maybe. Energy levels can be pretty subjective.
Oh, and of course, it doesn't hurt to go in and get a basic blood workup from your doctor - we're all aging and some stuff is genetic. I just had my liver, kidney, and thyroid functions tested, along with my cholesterol, and was relieved to find all was well. My doctor said, "Whatever you're doing, keep on doing it!"
The truth is, humans, like many other primates, are omnivores. Our bodies were designed and meant to consume meat. Unlike cows and deer, we have teeth that are specifically designed to tear flesh. The problem is that modern humans also have consciences. Bunnies are cute, cows have eyes with long lashes, and we define pigs as having, at least, minimal intelligence. We're not cavemen! Thou shalt not kill! How could we dare kill, and consume, another living creature!
Of course, vegetable are alive too. They have EMBRYOTIC stages, GROW, take nourishment from the earth like all life forms, many have daily resting periods (much like animals sleep), and die when we CUT them off from the environments that support their lives. Of course, we have to ignore those facts because we've got to eat something. Plants are dumb, so it's OK to eat them.
Here's something else to consider. The most healthy elderly people (meaning those who live well into their 80s and 90s and maintain both mental and physical well-being) are not vegetarians. They tend to be people who've lived a lifetime of eating ALL foods, in moderation. They usually do not, or never have smoked, never abused alcohol or drugs, have ALWAYS lead active lives (without a single visit to the gym, or daily 5 mile runs), and have never endured long periods of being overweight. Personally speaking, I trust a group of healthy 90 year olds over the preaching of a 50 year old vegetarian.
You've conducted the experiment yourself. Sometimes we need to trust the obvious.
I agree with v1tag0 and GalD. Get a blood profile to insure that you really are healthy and DITCH those protein shakes as they just aren't healthy.
You just aren't going to be able to provide enough details on your diet here in YA for us to give a really decent diagnosis on what (if anything) your diet is lacking in. That said here's two guesses.
First off is what kind of fats are you consuming and in what quantities? I used to maintain a low fat diet and had similar problems. I stopped being fat-phobic after learning how bad a low fat diet was for my HDL/LDL levels! After adding extra virgin coconut oil, olive oil and avocado to my diet my energy levels went up and my circulation improved. BTW; I went from fat being 5% of total calories to fat being 25% of my total calories.
Energy levels are also related to carbohydrate consumption. Are you really sure you were getting enough carbs including simple carbs? How 'bout total calories? If your carb levels are low (esp. simple carbs) your body is going to be burning fat and protein for energy and that would also result in lethargy.
All that assumes your problem is being caused by diet and not something else like a low grade infection.
Go see a doctor and get tested!
Actually, your low enerygy is completely understandable, especially if you eat vegan. It's difficult, though not impossible, to get all the nutrients you need from a vegan diet. Try taking B-vitamins, because they boost your energy. If you don't eat any animal products, you can get pernicious anemia (vitamin B-12 deficiancy) which, like other B-vitamin deficiancies, can cause low energy.
Also, make sure you are getting enough electrolytes (sodium, potassium, etc.) and complete protein (mix whole grains with bean or legumes). If you can eat fish, I'd do that, because it's usually very healthy.