The first week without meat in the diet. Did anything change?
Probably everyone has heard their grandma / mom / aunt (delete as appropriate) say, “Eat your meat. You can leave the potatoes.” For some reason our society believes that a meal with no meat is not a meal at all. However, vegetarian meals and a completely meatless diet are gaining popularity. So I thought I’d like to challenge myself – 4 weeks without meat.
How did my meatless diet go?
At first, as a fan of meat, soups made by boiling meat, and all kinds of animal fat based food, I was quite skeptical about this. Still, the variety of meat substitutes persuaded me – from soy chops to bean or chickpea pâté – I decided not to give up right in the beginning.
The first days went smoothly despite the constant feeling of cold. I knew that my body was demanding meat because it was used to it. This is why I resisted the temptation. Unfortunately, I made a mistake while changing my diet and I was starting to feel the consequences.
On the fifth day I had headaches and became moody. I craved dairy – I knew I needed protein that I used to get from meat. I also knew I had to be careful with how much dairy I eat.
My body wasn’t used to the lack of meat and large amounts of yoghurt, cottage cheese, and milk.
The consequences were evident body weakness and increased sleepiness. My body rebelled against the change. After a quick consultation with the doctor, I took the risk and carried on with the experiment. I introduced more legumes to my diet and added pumpkin and sunflower seeds to my breakfast.
I’m writing this at the start of day eight and I’m feeling much better.
Wish me luck!
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