Hullo. My name is Amanda, and I don’t eat meat.
You can call me a vegetarian if you like, but I’d really prefer it if you just called me Amanda. I used to hate my name when I was younger, and always wished that I had a “cooler” name (I have no idea what that even means 😯), but I’ve kinda grown to like it over the past 26 years. Amanda. That’s me.
But I digress. And I don’t eat meat.
Why?
Well, there are a number of different reasons, really. I’d love to say that my decision to avoid eating animal flesh is 100% motivated by my disgust at the inhumane practices of the meat industry, and while that’s true to a certain extent, ethics aren’t the only factor behind my choice. After all, there are plenty of farms around here which I know are cruelty free, so what keeps me from picking up some chicken or beef at the local farmer’s market?
It simply doesn’t appeal to me, [and it kind of skeeves me out].
… like zucchinis. But, again, I digress.
[Salad beast. English muffin with avocado and ricotta & jam. Carrot sticks]
I’ve never been a big meat-eater. Never really craved it. I ate meat when I was teeny tiny, but only because it’s what my mom gave me. I ate meat when I got a little older, but again, only because it’s what my family was eating, and I didn’t know enough about vegetarianism back then to drastically change my diet.
But the older I got, the less meat I ate. In the two or three years prior to my adopting a vegetarian diet, I was only eating meat about twice a week – usually at times when I sat down with my family to a meal that my mom cooked. To this day, I’ve never actually prepared a meat-based meal on my own… I was actually always afraid that I wouldn’t cook it properly and give myself food poisoning 😯
But I digress. Again.
Baking: love the process, hate the clean up…
… but the product is more than worth it…
It pains me to say this, but my decision to completely eliminate meat from my diet came around the same time that my eating disorder began to surface. However, back then I didn’t just eliminate meat… I eliminated all animal products and adopted a full vegan diet. Go big, or go home?
Something like that..
Anyways, veganism did not work for me. I ended up becoming the unhealthiest that I’ve ever been, which obviously had more to do with my eating disorder than the diet itself, but I found myself missing, and craving, a lot of my favorite foods. Yogurt. Eggs. Cheese. Honey… Foods that I genuinely wanted, but wouldn’t “allow” myself to have.
[An afternoon oatmeal snack. Oat bran, flaxmeal, Greek yogurt, wild blueberries]
Still, I clung to veganism, even during the initial stages of my recovery. It became a way for me to hang on to my eating disorder while giving the outward appearance that I was trying to recover, as it allowed me to continue restricting in a more socially “acceptable” manner.
“Sorry I can’t eat that; I’m vegan” was my excuse of choice.
But I knew that it wasn’t for me, and it was only a matter of time before I caved to my cravings. Yogurt came first. After spending countless amounts of time gazing longingly at the tempting tubs in the dairy section of my grocery store, I came home with a tub of my very own. And it. was. gooooood. I would only allow myself to have miniscule amounts of it at first, but I was definitely a fan.
[Deep Chocolate Vitamuffin. Greek yogurt. Caramel pudding]
Eggs came next. Err. Egg whites I should say. I still had an irrational fear of yolks at that point, but quickly developed a strong liking for the whites (yolks showed up later, too). Eventually, cheese started to sneak its way back in there as well. Cottage. Cream. Parm. Mozza. Feta. Any kind but blue…
I was never a fan of the “stanky feet” cheese…
[Pumpkin Hummus Tortilla Pizza]
But one thing that never seemed to find it’s way back into my diet? Meat. The cravings for it just never came. In the later stages of my recovery, I started getting a little concerned that the lack of meat in my diet was yet another tricky form of restriction, so I stopped referring to myself as a vegetarian, and told myself that if there was a time where I was really craving some meat, I would be “allowed” to have it.
So far it hasn’t happened. Will it? Who knows. I’m extremely satisfied with the way that I eat now, and never find myself feeling wanting or deprived, but that doesn’t mean that it’ll always be this way. Tomorrow I might wake up craving bacon and eggs. Who knows. But judging from the way things have been for the past few years, it’s probably safe to say that tomorrow I’ll wake up craving oatmeal… like I always do.
[Eggy bananafied steel cut oats with blueberries, vanilla pudding, and coconut butter]
As a final note, please do not take this as an attack on any specific diet/lifestyle. I have no problem with anyone’s dietary choices, as long as they’re eating what they want and what makes them happy and healthy. Meat-eaters. Plant-eaters. You could eat bugs for all I care, and I would still invite you over for dinner. I can’t promise that I’d be serving crickets, but if you’d like to bring a plate of your own, then hey, that’s perfectly okay with me. Just don’t be offended when I politely decline one.
The only time I have a problem with the way someone eats is when their choices are influenced by disordered thoughts, or when they try to push their dietary beliefs onto others. So if you’re not a Food Nazi, or in denial about a disorder, then we’ll get along juuuuust fine 😀
. – . – . – .
Do you eat meat? If not, why not? Ethics? Health? Preference? Fear?
Would you eat it if you started craving it?
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts 😀
i have been trying to eat less meat, but it doesn’t help when your family isn’t like that. So yes, if I had my choice, I wouldn’t eat meat, but I don’t really have that choice right now.
Love this! I grew up in a family of heavy meat eaters. Meat was the main part of every dinner that I can remember and that’s what I thought was “normal.” Up until about a year ago, after my divorce, when I finally had to stop and ask myself what was I craving did I realize that the “craving” wasn’t that high on my list. I don’t believe in food labels (and I applaud you for your open-mindedness and thoughts about listening to your body and staying in tune with your cravings), but I’d say that I probably include meat in my diet 1-2 times a week on average. Since living on my own, I’ve discovered just how much I LOVE fruits and veggies…especially “new” ones or the ones that make people ask, “What is THAT?!” Haha!
And I just have to say…that pic of your lunch is GORGEOUS!! Love it!!
i became a vegetarian for the wrong reasons too i think, around the time my eating disorder got more severe a few years back, but then when starting recovery i tried meat again and found i genuinely didn’t like it. i don’t even really get cravings for it, i’ve found that i enjoy meat substitutes far more than actual meat. people think i’m totally crazy but i don’t miss it at all!
Yeah I’m not vegetarian, but I most often just chose not to have meat. I love how many veggie options or other protein options there are out there, that I just don’t need meat=)
ok, first off, all your food looks ahmazing (!) as always 🙂
Now, lets talk meats…the answer has definitely changed over time. At one point (not for very long though) in my life I strictly prohibited myself from eating any meat whatsoever. Partly because of the inhumane ways animals are treated, but also partly because I just felt like I wasn’t supposed to eat it. It’s actually weird that I felt that way since I grew up in a household that grilled meats all the time. It took me a while to finally come to terms with what I could eat and what I shouldn’t, but I’ve finally decided that I should just allow myself to eat whatever I crave. I actually don’t really ever crave meats, so I never eat it, but every once in a while when I’m at parties and such and there are no other options I’ll take a bite or two. I’ve decided not to label my diet and just sort of go with the flow…
I do eat meat… but only fish. I simply do not wish to eat turkey, chicken, pork, or beef. If I was craving it, I would probably eat it, but as of now I am perfectly fine with just fish. 🙂 No labels for me either – I just eat what I wish to eat and leave it at that.
I don’t like meat and I don’t like that it comes from a being with emotions, a family, a life. I like dairy but I don’t like that it makes my insides hurt and I don’t like that its stuffed with hormones and that dairy cows are treated inhumanly. I don’t like eggs and eggs don’t like me either.
All of these foods are foods I probably wouldn’t even eat if I was craving them. Like I mentioned above, I do like dairy products, but I’m lactose and casein intolerant and I don’t like how the cows are treated. Dairy alternatives? Yes please!
I totally crave meat sometimes. There is seriously nothing better than a grass fed burger on those days 🙂
I don’t eat meat. Veganism for me coincided with the onslaught of my Eating Disorder, I’m afraid to say. It was an attempt to lose weight and be ‘healthy’. I started introducing dairy products to my diet six months later, because I’d lost sight of my arguments against factory farming.
Now I am still a vegetarian, for health reasons, ethical reasons, and honestly… meat just doesn’t particularly appeal to me. As many people have already said, I ate meat because my parents fed it to me and I didn’t think twice about it. Even before my veganism or ED, I found myself really disliking lamb, pork, and steak, and asking my dad to cook fish more often.
I admit there are days when someone is having a barbecue, or my dad is cooking salmon that I think “Wow, that smells delicious.” I actually kind of crave the meat. But I would never actually eat it. I would feel guilt ridden and, I hate to say it, “dirty.” I cannot foresee a day when I will comfortably eat meat again.
i was vegetarian for 15 yeas… since i was ten! about 3 years ago i got really sick i had almost NO iron. I was a healthy vegetarian… i’ve been eating clean for years, lots of good protein combos, brown rice and legumes etc. it was so weird and out of the blue. so i started eating meat and just couldn;t accept the fact that i was now a meat-eater… eeek. so i went back to being veggie… then i started feeling horrible again! so now i’m eating meat. much to my dismay. but i need to listen to my body. and i love animals 🙁 and hate the meat industry
I used to hate my name too!!!! Funny enough I wished it was Amanda!!! I eat meat, but not super often because it’s relatively expensive. I’ve always loved chicken, but steak not so much because it’s a chore to chew it up!
We’re so alike in so many ways thats its starting to get kinda scary. This is exactly how a feel about meat! It just holds no appeal to me… its just… meat. Even when its really good meat, its still just meat. I don’t crave it, but I don’t dislike it. I just don’t like it, if that makes sense? There’s just so much more tastier things to eat that still provide me with more than enough protein. I would much rather top my salad with some delicious feta than chopped chicken. Dairy and eggs are awesome.
There have been a handful of instances where all of a sudden I get a completely random and intense craving for plain baked chicken breast. I’ve stood in front of the fridge with an open tupperware container in one hand and shoveling pieces of chicken into my mouth with the other. But that was when I was hard-core restricting and my body was probably just desperate for food.
The only meat I really enjoy is some kinds of seafood (salmon, scallops, and shrimp) and roasted Thanksgiving Day turkey. I happily eat them when I get the chance. 🙂
I don’t eat meat mainly for ethical reasons. We raise chickens and they’re treated well, but I can’t bring myself to eat the chicken I hugged or their eggs. I don’t trust the meat industry, so I just don’t eat it. I loved it when I was little, but now I’d rather have other things instead and I feel better not eating it. If I were to get a craving I might eat fish/seafood since I still love it (ok, so I’m a cheating Vegan).
I’m definitely a meat eater, but I try to limit it for ethical reasons. I wish the meat industry would clean up their act. I try to eat organic animal products when they’re available… and when I can afford it.
First off, love your story and your openness about how it unfolded and then turned back around! I am also a vegetarian with a similar story in that I was never a big fan of meat in the first place so giving it up wasn’t hard. However, the more I find out about the mistreatment of those animals, the more I will stick to my guns for the long run! I don’t miss it except for the occasional Panda Express Orange Chicken…yes, that is what I miss. Don’t judge 🙂
I’ve tried to limit my dairy too, but I find it hard since I LOVE cheese and eggs are a good, quick and easy source of protein for us vegheads.
What a fabulous post! I think it’s wonderful to support everyone’s diet. I told myself that I was going vegetarian but I honestly didn’t have an answer as to why I was doing it…So I just didn’t. I like eating chicken, fish, and the occasional meat so why would I limit myself? Didn’t make any sense to me. It does bug me when others judge what I eat which is why I don’t judge others 🙂
I’ve never liked my name either! When I was little I would sit and think of different names I’d like better than mine and how when I grew up I’d change it 😀 Anyway I’ve never liked the taste of meat. I ate it because that’s what my mum cooked. I remember I tried picking everything else out and just leaving in the plate haha. Later I found out I had an intolerance/sensitivity to dairy, so I stopped eating that. A month or so after I decided I would go vegan because I think it fit me best :] So far I’ve never craved cheese, eggs (never liked them anyway), or anything like that. I actually started eating yogurt (soy) when I went vegan because I always thought regular one was just kind of weird. I’ve found what works best for me so far. I feel great with my choices but I definitely agree that everyone has to choose for themselves. Not everything works for everyone. I would never push my beliefs upon anybody (I know how annoying it is haha) and I’m not a fan of labels.
I think it’s a case of you “crave what you eat”, as in, you tend to favour foods that you normally eat. You know how sugar addicts no longer crave sugar when they stop eating sugary stuff? I think meat is also like that. A long time ago, I used to eat korean bbq all the time, and when I immigrated to Canada I stopped. Now, I don’t even crave beef anymore, because I haven’t eaten it in so long.
Also, I think it may have a little to do with the fact that most food bloggers around here don’t eat meat (not that it’s a bad thing whatsoever). For some reason, I always crave the foods shown in foodie blogs (maybe it’s the photography perhaps? :P) and since most don’t have any meat products, I generally just feel like eating the usual blog-type foods: cereal, oatmeal, greek yogurt, etc.
I do eat meat, but not often and I certainly don’t cook it myself. The reason I don’t eat it much is because I don’t crave it either. I was just having this convo with my mom, actually. She told me she didn’t know how I could not eat meat because she craves it and I explained that that’s exactly now I can not eat it, because I DON’T crave it!
Great post per usual, truly got me thinking! When the worst of my disordered eating was going on, I became a vegetarian out of fear… fear of meats because I was quite sure they would make me fat. It didn’t matter what kind of meat it was- even lean proteins such as chicken, fish and pork… protein= weight gain. I also used it as an excuse to eat so much differently than my family and friends while at school. I would be asked why I was not having the steak, chicken, etc, and I would respond with a simple, “oh i am a vegetarian.” Recently though, I have been introducing meat back into my life!
Fish (obviously) a bit of chicken, hopefully pork soon… but i really don’t think I will eat things like steak. I never cared for it anyway
I don’t eat meat… just because it really grosses me out to be eating something that was once as alive as I am. Especially if it looks like it!! If I were to ever eat meat or poultry again, it would definitely have to be ground… because eating a hunk of flesh that looks like a hunk of flesh? UGH. *shudder* Not happening.
I don’t call myself anything, in terms of “labels”… I have no issues with eating eggs or dairy, except that I don’t particularly like the taste of them! But if it’s in something else and I can’t taste it, I’ll eat it.
<3 <3
I do eat meat. But on a limited basis. I could go without it, easily. In fact, I did go without it for 40 days during lent. With so many good meatless alternatives, I think it makes it pretty easy!
When I went vegetarian, it was a way for me to restrict. I was in the depths of my eating disorder. A year later, I became vegan..and it actually brought me OUT of my eating disorder. I started to heal because a fellow vegan friend showed me that I needed to be feeding myself better. I strayed away from veganism when I started to crave cottage cheese about 8 months after being a strict vegan. Now, dairy upsets me and I am kinda getting back to my vegan ways. I don’t eat meat much, but will on occasion if I am craving it. I eat eggs because I LOVE them. I am like you, I don’t have a label. I am just Kate. 🙂
Awesome post! I love that you just eat what you crave instead of trying to adhere to a label. I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of going vegetarian/vegan just because it’s so popular in the blog world. But I’m a meat-eater and that’s just who I am.
I eat meat because I like the taste of it. I tried going vegetarian when I was 13 and I lasted about 2 months before I gave in haha! 😛 Usually when I’m living on my own, I only eat meat 1-2x per week because I actually prefer tofu/tempeh/beans. But I’ve been eating it a lot more now that I’m at home for the summer because my parents eat it almost every day.
i was a vegetarian for a while and now i eat lean meats (like turkey and grilled chicken)..you need to just do what’s best for you without caring what anyone else is doing 🙂 you seem to be doing great!!
Ahhh love love this post as always girly! I find myself getting quite frustrated sometimes when I see bloggers trying to be a certain ‘label’ like vegan to ‘fit in’ or just to feel like they have a label for their diet when they have no real reason to. They talk of craving chicken, eggs, cheese etc and I just feel like saying to them, ‘well for god’s sake have some then!’ because they are only making themselves miserable!
As for myself, I eat mostly vegan because I simply do not ever crave meat. As a kid I only ate chicken and actually became scared of red meat after one time my mum tried me with pork and I choked on it. From then on I refused to eat red meat and only ate chicken because I was given it. As I got older I naturally moved towards being a vegetarian but what’s funny is that when my eating disorder kicked in and I was an inpatient. I actually chose meat options when it was chicken on the menus sometimes because I was more scared of the vegetarian option which normally involved cheese which was a HUGE fear food because of the fat. I absolutely hated eating the meat but my ED was so strong that it wouldn’t let me eat what I would normally go with. Sad sad times..
Now I eat mostly vegan just because that’s the food that I crave now and meat does not even cross my mind ever, I’ve always hated eggs and I don’t particularly care for cheese anymore. Also, when I go to the market and I see all the raw meat..it totally freaks me out..However I love greek yogurt and make sure I have it everyday to boost my calcium because I have osteoporosis so I will not label myself as vegan. I eat what works for me and I like it 🙂
I have a very similar situation– I ate red meat up until 4th grade until I decided that it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I didn’t eat it at all for about a year, and then when I tried it again my body said “no bueno”
Now I do eat chicken and turkey (white meats)– but red meat is just not my thing, and I’m 100% okay with that 😀
I love you attitude, Amanda! I like that I don’t think of you as a vegetarian, like you said, because you never push your beliefs on your readers. I actually stopped reading a few blogs, because the bloggers kept promoting veganism and were trying to make readers feel guilty for consuming meat and diary.
I actually was somewhat of a vegetarian a few years back. For Lent I decided to give up meat and after the Lent ended, I didn’t go back to eating meat. Then I moved into a dorm and chose a vegetarian menu in the dorm restaurant, so for years I only ate meat for weekends when I was home (if I ate it at all). I had never been a big fan of meat and I’m a huge animal lover, so it made sense for me to eat vegetarian. However, during the past year I’ve started to really love meat. It might something to do with wanting to consume more protein, but I also crave it now. Sometimes I wonder if I should feel bad for eating meat being such a huge animal lover? I try not to think about it, to be honest. There are many types of meat that I don’t eat, though, and a lot of it is bought from people we know.
Those are exactly the reasons why veganism wouldn’t work with me: cheese, eggs, yogurt! I am not a vegetarian but do gravitate more towards vegetarian foods! On the days where I do crave meat, I roll with it- life’s too short to deprive my cravings.
Really interesting post and great to hear about your journey. I became vegetarian last November and ‘mostly’ vegan this January. I really hate labels though! I much prefer to say ‘I eat what makes me feel my best’ I may be mostly vegan right now but if the need for diary or eggs ever surfaced I would have no problem eating them again, its just that up until now I haven’t had any cravings for that stuff at all and I really love what I’m eating! I decided to go veggie for a combination of the health and ethical reasons, I was never a huge meat lover and over time I had found that veggie options appealed to me much more. Once I had read a bit about the ethical stuff that sealed the deal so to speak! I certainly don’t judge others on what they eat, I really do believe that everyone’s body is different and that people should do what’s best for them 🙂
I’m a big fan of the “eat what makes me feel best” approach 😀
Love this article!
Love the disuse of labels. I don’t like to refer to myself as a vegetarian even though I too gave up meat during my ED and have yet to reintroduce it. I usually just say ‘I don’t really eat meat; I’m just not inclined to those foods’ – I guess technically I am but (without sounding awful) I’m not going to pretend it’s for moral and ethical reasons. It’s not really. I just always prefer vegetarian/dairy proteins over chicken or beef.
If the circumstance presents itself and I am not adverse to eating it – i.e. being served a piece of turkey at Christmas dinner – I’ll have it. (And it was actually really nice but I didn’t feel the desire to introduce it regularly into my diet). Food-wise, I like no labels. I tend to not eat meat, but I don’t want to classify myself as a vegetarian. I like to eat fresh, natural produce as much as possible but I am not a raw diet convert. I love trying out vegan recipes and ideas but I would probably be eating them alongside a bowl of yogurt.
I think… follow cravings and bodily needs, not guidelines and labels.
(On this note, does anyone suffer from anemia from lack of meat? I try and get as much iron as possible from legumes and veggies but it’s still lower and lesser-absorbed than meat sources…)
I like your attitude here! I’m actually the opposite – going vegan has helped me overcome my eating disorder. But going vegan in recovery forced me to give up “safe” foods that I’d relied on in my disorder – nonfat cottege cheese, egg whites, etc.
I call myself an “ethical vegan” and I’ll eat eggs (yolk is the best part!) or dairy if I’ve literally been to the farm and seen that the animal is in good hands (I work on a farm and live near more, so this is pretty easy)… if I did crave meat, I would acquire some the same way, but I was raised vegetarian, so I don’t even know what a burger tastes like, and it’s hard to crave what you’ve never tasted. That being said, I can’t stand the holier-than-thou attitude that many vegans seem to have… I don’t think I’m “superior”, I just follow my own ethical beliefs, and if my style doesn’t work for someone else, that’s fine.
I don’t label myself either! I grew up not eating meat, and not a lot of dairy either. Honestly I ever crave meat, I don’t like the taste and never have, and have only eaten it a hand full of times growing up when that was what was served at a friends house for dinner, or something of that sort. If one day I start to crave it or want it, I would probably find an organic cruelty free source, but the thought of eating flesh or animal just grosses me out. Plus, I love animals and really don’t think I really will ever want to eat them, but if I do someday then I guess I wouldn’t deny myself of that. I have no problem if others want to eat it, but it just isn’t for me.
Beautiful thoughts Amanda, and very well said. When I switched to a plant-based diet my friends and family questioned me at first (due to my past of disordered eating) but it took a lot of education and dedication to show them that was far from the case. It’s refreshing to finally have freedom with food without restriction and still be able to feel great about myself. My vegan diet started for health reasons and progressed for ethical ones. I am glad you have an understanding and assurance in yourself, because that is the most important 🙂
I stopped eating meat because firstly, i never really liked the taste of red meat, so I mainly ate chicken, then over time, I lost the like for the taste, and the thought of eating meat all together made me feel a little sick. Same thing happened with animal products, I started learning more about animal treatment and I spose I just realised it is possible to live without animal derived products, so I decided to follow that road.
I do not and will no however, push my beliefs onto others because I believe people can eat what they want.
I haven’t ate meat for so long now. I just don’t crave it and didn’t enjoy it the last time I ate it. I finally said out loud that I don’t eat meat a few weeks ago and feel so much better. I still eat fish now and then though. Great post as always!!! 🙂
My ED, too, surfaced shortly after my bold announcement to my family that “I am now a vegetarian”. When it became ovbious that I was having eating difficulties, it was only natural to assume that my avoidance of meat was part of it. But here I am, several years later, still a vegetarian and proud of it! Occasionally I have eaten meat though, I am more relaxed about it, but I agree with you – sometimes it just doesn’t appeal.
I have been waiting for this post- thank you so much for sharing 🙂
I became vegetarian when I was 12, and thta was only because I felt sorry for the animals- no ED involved. But a couple of years later, my ED kicked in. When I was 18 I decided to go vegan. I know part of the reason was that it made it easier to restrict. But there was aslo a genuint wish to do what I feel is right.
I have been thinking a lot about going back to “only” being vegetarian, bacause I can surely miss cheese. But it just feels wrong, to ME! I dont know what the future will bring, but for now I rather work out my other food issues 🙂
I have respect for whatever people mey chose to eat! But I do wish many more would think more of where their foods comes from, and at least cut down on meat eating- simply because the earth cant handle it 🙂
I rarely crave meat, but when I do i alow myself to have it. I only ever want fish or turkey though. I never liked red meat, and havent had it in years.
I know I’m most likely never to become vegan. Most of my protein comes from dairy sources.
Everyones gotta find the right balance that works for them, and looks like you have. 🙂