Formerly vegetarian, on day 8, need meat help!

[megbeveridge]

Hi all! I'm new here, but a week into my Whole30 program. So far I'm not too tempted by "illicit" foods and I feel satiated. I've even seen a bit of improvement in my rock climbing since beginning! Today has been a low for me. I've been plagued with a headache since yesterday afternoon and I can't figure out the source. I've tried having more sugar, having less sugar, and caffeine. Nothing is working. All I can do is move forward and hope that tomorrow I feel better!

My biggest struggle has actually been my transition to eating animal proteins again. I've been a vegetarian for almost five years, with only the occasional fish or seafood in that time. The first week was filled with digestive distress as I adjusted to eating chicken and more hearty fish. I think I'm out of the woods, but eating chicken is still freaking me out! At first I disguised it in a burger form, which is normal for me because I ate a lot of veggie burgers and even the Beyond burger. It was well seasoned, juicy, and delicious! Since then I've graduated to boneless skinless thighs, which I chose because it's more tender. When I see it though, all I can think of is "dead animal." It's awful! Does anyone have advice?

[pags98]

What if you try canned items (canned tuna, canned salmon, canned chicken).  Maybe that would help?  Honestly Chicken thighs gross out my wife and she's a carnivore.  

Obviously just make sure they're "good" kinds without any of the non-compliant fillers some of the cheaper brands will have. 

[ladyshanny]

2 hours ago, megbeveridge said:

Hi all! I'm new here, but a week into my Whole30 program. So far I'm not too tempted by "illicit" foods and I feel satiated. I've even seen a bit of improvement in my rock climbing since beginning! Today has been a low for me. I've been plagued with a headache since yesterday afternoon and I can't figure out the source. I've tried having more sugar, having less sugar, and caffeine. Nothing is working. All I can do is move forward and hope that tomorrow I feel better!

My biggest struggle has actually been my transition to eating animal proteins again. I've been a vegetarian for almost five years, with only the occasional fish or seafood in that time. The first week was filled with digestive distress as I adjusted to eating chicken and more hearty fish. I think I'm out of the woods, but eating chicken is still freaking me out! At first I disguised it in a burger form, which is normal for me because I ate a lot of veggie burgers and even the Beyond burger. It was well seasoned, juicy, and delicious! Since then I've graduated to boneless skinless thighs, which I chose because it's more tender. When I see it though, all I can think of is "dead animal." It's awful! Does anyone have advice?

Can you have someone cook it for you so that you can just be "served"?

As for the headache, I assume you weren't eating actual sugar being on Whole30 for your headache? Headaches are preeeeetty common in the beginning, especially if you are coming off a more carb-focussed diet. Drink a lot of water and try to go to sleep early!

[pearlgirl2017]

After watching Michael Pollan's video Food Inc. I decided to commit to buying only locally raised meats.  I knew I would never be fully vegetarian, but I could make more informed decisions about where my food comes from and how it was raised.  And my seafood must say it was wild caught.  I'm lucky to live in a good sized city that is surrounded by farms. I buy 1/4 cow from a neighbor and I have a local "natural" food store that carries locally grown pork and chicken.

@megbeveridge, I will have to go back and read my book again.  But, off the top of my head, I don't remember anything that says you have to eat EVERY type of animal protein.  A variety of animal protein contributes to our vitamin and mineral health.  Other than that...?  I personally prefer pork over chicken, and shrimp or salmon to steak.  I do use ground beef in a lot of dishes like spaghetti (over spaghetti squash or zoodles) or this one https://boysahoy.com/whole30-slow-cooker-sweet-potato-chili-recipe/

Good luck to you.

[BookJockey]

*raises hand* Gal who leaned heavily vegetarian during college and grad school because meat can be expensive and she didn't have a proper kitchen to cook it in anyway here!

I can't eat meat off the bone. Never ever ever. I just. Can't. Do it. It wigs me out in the same way you're describing. I know there are a lot of health and flavor benefits to cooking with cuts of meat that include the bone, but I don't see myself trying to make them anytime soon because, yeah. I also tend to have a hard time cutting raw chicken (even if it's just the boneless, skinless breasts I use) because it reminds me of the horrors of my food services days (a bit of raw chicken went down my bra one day and I couldn't eat chicken for months and months after). So I utilize a lot of frozen chicken. I find that when chicken is still semi frozen, I can stomach cutting it way better because it cuts like a hearty veggie - like a firm sweet potato, rather than a fleshy, gelatinous, blerghy thing (that is the technical term, I swear). I also honestly do a lot where I just throw frozen breasts directly into the crockpot with a few things. Then it breaks down a lot and becomes super easy to shred and to me, resembles more of the stews and hashes I generally live on, as opposed to, ya know...

Aside from that, I generally just utilize a lot of ground meat. Again, then that way I can just throw it into a chili or stew to become a meal, as opposed to an intimidating looking hunk of meat.

But yeah, as others have said, there's nothing that insists you must. Eat. ALL THE ANIMAL PROTEIN EVAR. You do your Whole30 the way that makes sense for you.

[megbeveridge]

21 hours ago, ladyshanny said:

Can you have someone cook it for you so that you can just be "served"?

As for the headache, I assume you weren't eating actual sugar being on Whole30 for your headache? Headaches are preeeeetty common in the beginning, especially if you are coming off a more carb-focussed diet. Drink a lot of water and try to go to sleep early!

Yes, for clarification it was sugar in fruit form! I've been drinking about 4 20oz water bottles a day. I take my Hydro Flask everywhere!

4 hours ago, pearlgirl2017 said:

After watching Michael Pollan's video Food Inc. I decided to commit to buying only locally raised meats.  I knew I would never be fully vegetarian, but I could make more informed decisions about where my food comes from and how it was raised.  And my seafood must say it was wild caught.  I'm lucky to live in a good sized city that is surrounded by farms. I buy 1/4 cow from a neighbor and I have a local "natural" food store that carries locally grown pork and chicken.

@megbeveridge, I will have to go back and read my book again.  But, off the top of my head, I don't remember anything that says you have to eat EVERY type of animal protein.  A variety of animal protein contributes to our vitamin and mineral health.  Other than that...?  I personally prefer pork over chicken, and shrimp or salmon to steak.  I do use ground beef in a lot of dishes like spaghetti (over spaghetti squash or zoodles) or this one https://boysahoy.com/whole30-slow-cooker-sweet-potato-chili-recipe/

Good luck to you.

I'm really only going for fish and chicken. Maybe turkey if I feel particularly motivated. The only reason I added chicken was because if I tried to subsist on fish and eggs for protein, I'd probably never eat either ever again. I've also seen Food Inc. and it was traumatic! I was already vegetarian and it still got to me. I have a limited budget and the farmers markets are all closed so buying local is hard. I've started buying organic when I can afford it. What can a lowly millennial do? 

 

31 minutes ago, BookJockey said:

*raises hand* Gal who leaned heavily vegetarian during college and grad school because meat can be expensive and she didn't have a proper kitchen to cook it in anyway here!

I can't eat meat off the bone. Never ever ever. I just. Can't. Do it. It wigs me out in the same way you're describing. I know there are a lot of health and flavor benefits to cooking with cuts of meat that include the bone, but I don't see myself trying to make them anytime soon because, yeah. I also tend to have a hard time cutting raw chicken (even if it's just the boneless, skinless breasts I use) because it reminds me of the horrors of my food services days (a bit of raw chicken went down my bra one day and I couldn't eat chicken for months and months after). So I utilize a lot of frozen chicken. I find that when chicken is still semi frozen, I can stomach cutting it way better because it cuts like a hearty veggie - like a firm sweet potato, rather than a fleshy, gelatinous, blerghy thing (that is the technical term, I swear). I also honestly do a lot where I just throw frozen breasts directly into the crockpot with a few things. Then it breaks down a lot and becomes super easy to shred and to me, resembles more of the stews and hashes I generally live on, as opposed to, ya know...

Aside from that, I generally just utilize a lot of ground meat. Again, then that way I can just throw it into a chili or stew to become a meal, as opposed to an intimidating looking hunk of meat.

But yeah, as others have said, there's nothing that insists you must. Eat. ALL THE ANIMAL PROTEIN EVAR. You do your Whole30 the way that makes sense for you.

Thank you for the commiseration! I find the white meat in chicken to be sort of.. squeaky? I know it's a weird description, but it kind of squeaks in your teeth! That's the only reason I'm doing thighs - fat, veins, and all 

I definitely need to grab some frozen chicken! Fish I'm totally okay with cooking and cutting, it's the land animals that give me the heebie jeebies and Vegetarian Guilt.

 

Thanks everyone for the advice!