You may feel tired and weak if you cut meat out of your diet. That's because you're missing an important source of protein and iron, both of which give you energy. The body absorbs more iron from meat than other foods, but it's not your only choice.
If you avoid eating meat for a month, you should notice a decrease in your overall inflammatory markers. This happens due to the anti-inflammatory properties of plant-based foods that you consume instead of meat (5). They are rich in fiber and antioxidants and low in toxins and saturated fats.
Eating a diet with no or limited meat may benefit your health and the environment. Cutting back on meat and eating a predominantly plant-based diet may help with weight management, protect against heart disease and certain cancers, and support a healthy gut.
Simply reducing—or nixing meat from your diet completely—can help your weight loss efforts. “Studies show that people who stick with a vegetarian diet consume less fatty food, and are thinner than people who eat meat,” says Kalra.
Your Skin Will Start to Glow
The benefits of going meat-free can be external too. According to holistic nutritionist Susan Tucker MD, the founder of Green Beat Life, the higher amounts of minerals, antioxidants, and fiber included in plant-based diets help detoxify and lead to clearer skin.
The bottom line: Eggs are not meat, but they do have a similar level of protein.
Initial Three-Week Period. There has been some serious, mainstream research into the possibility of meat addiction but in truth people can become addicted to just about anything. In the book, Breaking the Food Seduction, Dr. Neal Barnard argues that it takes three weeks to stop craving foods like meat or cheese.
Fish is the flesh of an animal used for food, and by that definition, it's meat. However, many religions don't consider it meat. There are also several important distinctions between fish and other types of meat, especially in terms of their nutritional profiles and potential health benefits.
The research, which reviewed previous studies and was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, showed particpants who cut meat out of their diets lost around 10lbs on average without monitoring their calorie intake or increasing the amount they exercised.
Although many humans choose to eat both plants and meat, earning us the dubious title of “omnivore,” we're anatomically herbivorous. The good news is that if you want to eat like our ancestors, you still can: Nuts, vegetables, fruit, and legumes are the basis of a healthy vegan lifestyle.
Not Enough Protein
As you make the switch from eating meat to a vegetarian diet, you might forget to eat all the protein that your body requires. This is a recipe for disaster as well as potential weight gain.
If you decide to stop eating meat for one month, you might notice that your digestion is better and you have lots of energy. Or, you might feel more sluggish than usual. As Erica Ingraham, MS, RDN, a registered dietician nutritionist, tells Bustle, everyone responds to food differently.
Yet when you stop eating red meat and egg yolks (research is still teasing out whether eliminating other animal products will have the same effect), abnormal TMAO levels can return to normal in just four weeks.
Energy Loss. You may feel tired and weak if you cut meat out of your diet. That's because you're missing an important source of protein and iron, both of which give you energy. The body absorbs more iron from meat than other foods, but it's not your only choice.
Even though meats provide certain nutrients that plants don't, eating meat isn't necessary for your health or survival. With appropriate planning and supplements, plant-based diets can provide the nutrients your body needs.
Eating Plant-Based and Ditching Meat and Dairy Reduces Your risk of Heart Disease. There are so many studies to support the fact that a plant-based diet is beneficial for your heart.
Lower body mass index (BMI) Lower cholesterol levels. Reduced risk of heart disease. Lower risk of cancer overall (but a higher risk of colon cancer)
Vitamin Deficiencies
However, iodine, zinc, and vitamin B12 are hard to come by when you leave meat, seafood, and dairy products out of your meals. Without these nutrients, you can suffer from goiters, fatigue, diarrhea, loss of taste and smell, and even neurological damage.
The moral and spiritual ambiguity about eating meat is made more explicit in the ninth chapter of Genesis (Genesis 9:3-6) when God tells Noah in the covenant made with him after the Great Flood, "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
Eggs can also be a stellar way to get some of the protein and nutrients meat would provide. For just 140 calories, two large eggs give you 8 percent of the daily value for zinc, iron and B6, plus choline, vitamin D and many other nutrients.
If you're vegetarian or are planning to change your diet towards one without meat, chances are that you have thought about how they might fit into your meal plans. So can vegetarians eat eggs? Well, the short answer is yes!
Mushrooms. Mushrooms are one of the most popular vegetables to replace meat due to their savory umami flavor and meaty texture.