My Path to Wellness
Explore what happened when I quit eating meat as part of a holistic lifestyle overhaul after lifelong health struggles.
It’s not a new idea: People, especially women, are unfortunately taught by external sociocultural messages that feeling good is tied to looking good physically. “We look great!,” therefore, we must be well. We are constantly bombarded by rules and unrealistic ideals of what a person should look like, and the stress to look perfect creates a huge public health problem because people start to feel worse about themselves rather than better and take shortcuts that are not healthy.
Aging is an interesting journey for many, and I am no stranger to self-imposed rules and restrictions in the pursuit of so-called wellness. Over the years, I have tried all sorts of solutions in the name of health. I always believed that carbs were the enemy and tended to try and follow low-carb, high-protein diets like the Atkins and the meat-heavy Paleo diet. Guess what? I felt like garbage on those meal plans and my body wasn’t responding. I felt bloated, fatigued, and unwell, despite all of the salads with grilled chicken I was eating. I ran marathons. I ran half marathons. I tried various treatments for various reasons. I did insane amounts of hot yoga. Nothing was helping me. I just kept feeling worse, not better.
Why I Quit Eating Meat
Over time, I’ve struggled with numerous health issues, including, but not limited to: high cholesterol, PCOS, infertility, hormonal deficiencies and imbalances, frequent urinary tract infections, nerve and muscle pain, and high blood sugar. But it wasn’t any of these issues that caused me to finally put down the meat and run away.
I first half-attempted going to a meat-free diet after reading one of vegan influencer Kris Carr’s books back in 2013. But for me personally, the vegan diet felt too restrictive.
Fast forward several years and two kids later, and the words “you might have cancer” are what finally did it for me. Numerous research studies have proven the link between meat consumption and increased cancer risk, especially red meat and processed meat. One of the top cancer centers in the nation, the MD Anderson Center at the University of Texas, confirms as much.
Medical doctors have informed me, in writing, that I have at least a 70% chance of getting certain types of cancer. I’ve had numerous cancer-related panics that cause me to plan for the end of times. My research-based genetic DNA reports confirmed I did not win the lottery when it comes to my health and disease susceptibility: I had to do something to reduce my risk and my anxiety over my health. The reality is that we are all more susceptible to age-related diseases every single day as we age.
So in mid-2022, I finally stopped eating meat; I was beyond exhausted. I do still eat very limited organic cheese and eggs, but prefer soy and almond milk. I personally find a meat-free diet to be more accessible than other stricter vegan or vegetarian diets. You only have to quit *one* thing and there’s no complicated meal plan to follow. However, I should note that I do try to avoid processed foods, limit the sugar, and eat organic when I am able to.
I used to be more fixated on following strict plans and numbers, but now I believe that balance is the most important key to a healthy life and that if you are too self-punishing, you will fail, and your mental health will suffer. Conversely, saying “yes” to everything and everyone can also have this result. At least that’s been the case for me. I become fixated on what I can’t have and resent the fact that I am exhausted from dealing with too much and allowing too much negative energy into my life.
Nobody is perfect though, and a lack of access to or even an understanding of healthy food or wellness-focused lifestyles is widespread. There is also a huge stigma when it comes to talking about your health generationally and culturally that causes many to ignore their health problems, or the health problems of others, and refuse to talk about them or get help, further driving up rates of disease and fueling generational trauma. This reluctance by so many to have open conversations about health and to address chronic problems is what has given rise to the popularity of crowdsourced wellness; folks, particularly the younger generations, are healing themselves in real time online.
Everyone is on their own personal wellness journey and I am sharing my story to help shed light on the importance of talking about your health.
What Happened When I Quit Eating Meat As Part of a Holistic Lifestyle Overhaul
I feel better. The real physical and mental results from a meat-free diet have developed over time as I’ve worked to reduce toxins and stress in my life. I didn’t quit meat as a quick fix and don’t suggest anyone do it for that reason. Anytime I’ve tried to make a major change for the wrong reason it’s backfired. You should quit meat as part of a holistic balanced healthy lifestyle strategy if you want to feel and age better and reduce your risk for certain diseases. Overall, I just FEEL so much better.
When I was younger, I had a really unhealthy relationship with my body, and completely overhauling my life, deeply researching health and wellness, and becoming more self-aware as part of a holistic commitment to reducing stress has helped with that.My skin looks so much better. It is widely known scientifically that meat, sugar, processed foods, toxins, and especially alcohol, do a number on your skin, and increase inflammation and your risk for disease, as does chronic stress. New moms are often encouraged to treat their stress with wine, which causes inflammation. Smoking causes inflammation. It’s the buildup of toxins that cause inflammation, which is at the root of every single disease and is connected to skin and other health issues (it starts in the gut!).
So, basically, people’s bodies are inflamed from toxins, and then folks are trying to treat their inflammation-related side effects and symptoms with more inflammatory toxins? It feels like an expensive and damaging band-aid that leaves people worse off over time. In the end, getting rid of meat and eating more anti-inflammatory foods like green vegetables, nuts, olive oil, and fruits, means there’s one less thing clogging up your system, which results in better-looking skin. I learned the hard way that you really are what you consume and that a balanced diet really does pay off when it comes to skin improvements.
My high cholesterol lowered. I’m at a high risk for heart disease, and definitely reduced my total cholesterol by about 35 points when I quit meat.
My frequent UTIs have reduced. Did you know there is a proven link in research between eating chicken and developing urinary infections? I didn’t either!
I am not bloated anymore. I eat a lot of vegetables and beans. People make fun of me for drinking green juice, but I am a huge fan. The benefits of a high-fiber, non-junk diet are real. I feel lighter and I’m not miserable and tired all the time.
Our grocery bills have reduced. My husband also kindly quit eating meat with me (he does eat fish), and we do feed our kids meat, but our grocery bill went way down when we stopped buying twelve pounds of ribs on the regular. My husband also reversed the high blood pressure he developed during COVID and got off blood pressure medication when he stopped eating meat!
My mental health has improved. I recognize that I have anxiety over my health and take steps to reduce it. My anxiety reduction is not from quitting meat alone, but rather from aiming to have a balanced lifestyle focused on wellness and reducing stress and from experimenting with what helps me feel better and what does not: it’s from engaging in years of obsessive biohacking, and failing a lot. It’s from recognizing that I have a natural tendency to always want to do too much and overachieve. Eating a largely plant-based diet and becoming more self-aware, vocal, and honest about my boundaries and stress tolerance has been a game changer, although it has not been easy.
The Bottom Line
While detoxing from meat has numerous benefits, I would like to note that a meat-free diet might not be right for everyone; certain individuals like children and seniors may be advised to eat meat. Everyone is different, and it’s important to make informed decisions with medical professionals and to be open and honest about your health.
I often get asked how I get enough protein. I supplement with vegan sport protein powder meant for athletes to obtain numerous amino acids and I do think this is necessary if you don’t eat meat. When I don’t supplement with protein enough, I can tell a difference. And I am not deficient in iron or any other nutrients and do take a few supplements to aid in my wellness.
In the end, based on my experience, I believe that whatever your circumstances, it’s important to do what is right for you on your wellness journey and to make informed decisions in tandem with the right medical professionals. Remember that it’s not about fixing one thing, it’s about addressing all the things combined. It’s not just about what you eat, it’s about being aware of what is causing you to feel unwell, and often times, it also has to do with repressed feelings and unresolved traumas. It has to do with genetics, DNA, and social and environmental factors as well. There is such a thing as too much stress.
Because you can be the healthiest person in the world on paper, but if you allow yourself to be consumed by stress, drama, gaslighting, and other people’s problems, or if you consistently tax and overwhelm your body and mind without enough recovery, it’s easy to get caught up in a cycle of never feeling well enough despite a seemingly healthy diet and fitness routine.
References and Resources:
How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Chicken Is Not a Healthy Choice
NutritionFacts.org, Avoiding Chicken to Avoid Urinary Tract Infections
The information contained in this article is not meant to substitute actual medical advice. Please consult your medical doctor for personalized medical advice.