How your life will change if you give up meat

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Exactly two years ago, I decided to try to remove meat, including poultry, from the diet. The books of various athletes prompted me to think that way, telling in color about how their lives changed and the results improved after giving up meat.

First of all, these are the books Finding Ultra by Rich Roll and Eat and Run by Scott Jurek. But unlike these comrades, I did not become a vegan, because it is very difficult in our latitudes, especially in winter. And I didn't become a 100% vegetarian, because I rarely eat fish and seafood. I would not say that without meat my life has changed dramatically, but several positive changes have taken place.

A small disclaimer right away. I’m not an animal rights activist, I don’t throw paint on those who wear fur coats, and I don’t run out from the table in horror if someone orders a steak.

I do not want to impose my way of life on anyone, because all people are different and what is ideal for one may never fit into the life of another.

In 2013, I got really into running, ran my first marathon, read a lot about running and healthy eating, and tried to somehow impose it all on my life. In addition, at the end of the year I was in the United States, ate a New York steak in New York and realized that the topic of meat could be closed for me. The first plus the second led to the fact that before the New Year I decided not to eat meat for the first six months of 2014 and to see what would come of it, to conduct a kind of experiment on myself, the results of which I will share with you.

What happened to me

1. The most important change that I noticed after a couple of months is reducing fatigue during the day … If earlier in the evening I fell off my feet, even if I sat all day at the table, now for such a state I need to decently “shake” myself in training.
2. Sleep is much better … Before giving up meat, it was difficult to wake up even after eight hours of sleep, and now seven is enough. But I still try to sleep at least eight, because good sleep is important for recovery from exercise.
3. Improving digestion and general well-being … Previously, from time to time I had problems with the intestines, there was a heaviness in the stomach. Now there is none of this, since there is no meat, which in itself is heavy enough to digest. In addition, store-bought meat, including poultry, is usually not of the best quality.
4. Also during this time my athletic performance has improved markedly. I ran a marathon and two ultramarathons, but this cannot be directly related to diet, since I have been training all this time and it is not known what the results would be if I did not change anything in my diet. But it should not be ruled out that the diet had a positive effect on sports.

How to replace meat, which, as you know, is a source of protein, which is necessary for the body, especially exposed to sports stress. I did not have any particular problems here, because I am not a vegan, I did not refuse eggs, fish, dairy products, which contain a sufficient amount of animal proteins. I also "catch up" with vegetable proteins from legumes, especially lentils, nuts, mushrooms.

At first, I entered all the meals into the MyFitnessPal program, but then, when I was convinced that everything was OK with the balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, I gave up on this matter.

Tips for those looking to give up meat

And some tips for those who decide, like me, to experiment with themselves:

1. Avoid sudden changes. Before the complete rejection of meat, I already ate very little of it, so for me this did not become a problem. If you eat meat products and poultry every day, then refuse to gradually reduce their amount in the diet, and not immediately. And in general, if you are a fan of meat, then think about why you should give up what you love so much.:)
2. At first, write down what and how much you eat. This can be done, for example, in MyFitnesPal or another similar application, which will calculate the amount of consumed proteins, fats and carbohydrates, as well as their proportions. You cannot replace meat with rolls and cakes, the body needs protein.
3. Monitor your feelings constantly. If you feel a deterioration in general well-being or notice other negative changes, immediately stop the experiment and return to your usual diet.
4. You can get tested from time to timeto see if everything is normal.
5. Don't expect quick changes and don't jump to conclusions after a few days or even weeks. Changes in the body do not occur immediately, so be patient.
6. Prepare for other questions with or without reason.:)

Successful experiments on yourself!