I'm trying to go vegetarian, but when I stop eating meat I feel weird?!


Question: I'm trying to go vegetarian, but when I stop eating meat I feel weird?
I really, really want to go vegetarian for health and other reasons, but when I stop eating meat, I feel very weak and tired, like I'm in a fog. My eyes feel sunken in also, and I just kind of have a jittery and anxious feeling. Is there some kind of vitamin or other nutrient I'm depriving myself of that I could possibly supplement? I really want to stop eating meat, I'm dedicated to it and I definitely will if someone can help me out here.

Answers:

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

You need to be sure you are getting your essential amino acids.



If you stop eating meat, you have to make sure you get the same amount of vitamins and mineral and protein that your body needs. One of the vitamins you may miss out on is B12, which you can get from yeast extract products in a jar; you need to ensure you are getting your iron quantities right too, and not end up with anemia. Arm yourself with a good veggie cookbook, or scan some veggie web sites, to get proper advice. You will see lists of foods in the vegetarian scheme of things, which will ensure you have a properly balanced diet. Unless you are going to consider being a vegan, you can still eat eggs and cheese (there are vegetarian cheeses that don't use rennet to curdle the cheese - rennet is obtained from the lining of a calf's stomach).

There are so many misleading ideas about vegetarianism. We don't just live on lettuce leaves and carrot juice.



PROTEIN is probably what you're missing.
Obviously you're NOT doing the veg thing right, or you wouldn't have a problem.
Meat's the best complete protein you can get. All veggie combo's just come close. They don't have all the bio-available chemicals that meat has.
Even vitamin chemicals are not biologically available (this means available in the right chemical way to be absorbed) the same as meat proteins.
Not politically correct but true.

Chemistry



It's probably lack of Iron and Protein. I have the same problem because I'm a vegetarian. I take Iron supplement pills. One source of Iron you can get from Spinach. It's difficult to keep your Iron levels up with just foods with Iron in them. I take Iron supplement pills. You should be fine but don't let your level of Iron fall too far. That would be very bad. Make sure to keep up with it! :]

Experience.



Probably a lack of nutrients that your supposed to be getting from meat. It's all fine and dandy if you want to stop eating meat, but you have to substitute something in for it - a source where you can still get the things your body needs. Specifically protein.

Peanut butter has a lot of protein in it. Nuts in general (peanuts, almonds, walnuts, etc) are good for protein. Eggs are as well.



Hello

Do it gradually instead of instantly, maybe that would help you.



This is a normal reaction when you change from a healthy diet to an unhealthy one. Your body is designed to ingest meat and requires it to function at its best.




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