Meat is My Friend
For nearly ten years, I was a vegetarian. Okay, a pescetarian — Because honestly, how can anyone give up sushi?
It was actually an easy transition into vegetarianism. I was never a big meat-eater. At a young age, I knew that I didn’t want to eat meat.
The first time I realized this was on a trip with my dad. We were heading on one of our usual father-daughter camping trips in our old-school, Volkswagen van. He was patting the steering wheel while Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young played on the stereo. He stepped on the gas in order to pass a freight truck. As we gained speed, I noticed that this truck wasn’t filled with boxes, but with sheep. They seemed almost stacked on top of one another, as if they were just freight. This image haunted me, but I also couldn’t bare to look away. I was, and have always been, an animal lover.
Years later, I remember celebrating a Thanksgiving. The turkey was done, sitting on a cutting board in the kitchen. I felt for the bird. For a moment, I wished that I could rewind time and spare its life. Yes, it’s cliché, but I promised myself, in that moment, that I would give up meat.
At the beginning of this year, something changed. It wasn’t as if I woke up one day and thought, “That’s it. This vegetarianism thing has been fun, but I’m ready to be a carnivore again.” To be honest, I never thought I’d go back to eating meat. I was quite comfortable with my dietary choices. I never second-guessed myself. Suddenly, it became something I craved. I would watch friends devour a hamburger and my mouth watered with desire. It seemed that nothing would satisfy me like a Reuben sandwich or a cheeseburger. So I did it. 
I was wine tasting in Northern California. We stopped at a small deli and the only thing on the menu I could consider was a Reuben. Needless to say, I bit the bullet. I loved every second of it.
Last night, while enjoying a wonderful Elk Tenderloin with Garlic Mash Potatoes, Morels and Applewood Smoked Bacon, a thought occurred to me: Did my vegetarianism have anything to do with my ten-year on-again-off-again struggle with depression? Could meat be a serotonin-booster, like exercise? Could this have been part of the reason that, after leaving home and going to college, I withdrew and became the most anti-social version of myself I could imagine?
Today, I feel so far from depression. Could meat have been part of my cure?
11 responses so far
Welcome back - the Carnivores have missed you.
Now any chance you could get my girlfriend back on our team?
you are now a carnivore.
Enjoy. There’s no turning back.
Girlfriend, if that’s the case, you best pitch this story to Steerheads of America, Mighty for the Meaty and every other meat-eating society out there. You could become their voice!
For years people have asked me why I am a vegetarian. Is it for moral reason? Is it for your health? The truth is I just prefer it that way. It suits me and it suits my lifestyle. That being said I think there is room for a lot of ambiguity in diet choice, because ultimately it is what we like. No one asks you why you chose plush carpet or if it was a moral decision. That you are happy, really happy eating steak while wearing your Birkenstocks (if you own them) has as much to do with the cure for your depression as the level of serotonin in your blood. vive la difference.
I have a problem with depression, too. Meat or no meat, it’s all the same for me, but I do feel better when I eat healthier. It could be psychological. Or maybe it was a coincidence. One can only wonder. Hm…
according to an online article, you are correct to assume that eating red meat boosts serotonin levels, mainly by boosting your intake of tryptophan, an amino acid that reduces anxiety. i guess the food coma typically attributed to tryptophan might be mostly caused to eating a hell of a lot of food, much like a big brunch, since turkey has roughly the same amount of it as red meat, fish and other poultry. (thanks to the genius of wikipedia, i discovered that eating a hummus and cheese sandwich would give you pretty much the same effect). a lack of omega-3s is also found to have a big effect on depression. “Interestingly, depression is shown to be sixty times more common in New Zealand (6 per cent) than in Japan (.12 per cent), where far more fish is eaten.” in conclusion, should you ever feel guilty about eating animal flesh (as my vegan roommate calls it) but still want the anti-depressant qualities, get a tryptophan and omega-3 supplement at your local drug store and call it a day.
for further conversation, here’s a question posed by the article:
“It appears as though depression can lead to a poor diet, as depression leads to a decrease in appetite and an increase in craving sugars and alcoholic substances. However, when looked at the other way around, it also becomes evident that poor diets can be a contributing factor to depression, as explained by the side effects of deficiencies in the minerals and foods mentioned above. So, which is it, then? Does depression lead to a poor diet, or does a poor diet result in depression? Can the two be separated from one another, either way?”
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1881#2 (paragraph 2)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan
I am a pescetarian and have been since middle school. My mother is I vegan, has been forever. My father eats meat.
That’s an interesting question though I hadn’t heard that before.
If you’re healthier no matter what that could contribute to feeling better.
Come to think of it my father is quite a bit perkier than my mother — who at times can be described as laconic at best.
Huh…
I’ve been a vegetarian since November. I actually had a milder form of Seasonal Affected Disorder this year than in winters past, and I had wondered if perhaps NOT eating meat had helped me out.
Go figure.
I was depressed and super low-energy when I was a vegetarian (and then a pescetarian) for a number of years, but I was also underweight — so I’m not sure which of those was the biggest contributing factor. I went back to eating meat last year.
yes!!! you are so much happier as a meat eater! okok. lets give credit where credit is due. you are happier because YOU made positive changes in your life and took a role in your happiness. you used to direct your life from the backseat. now you drive. with stickshift.
i love you!
I was a pescatarian for many years, too. I started eating chicken again because I was craving it and because I was having a really hard time affording to be a healthy vegetarian on a student’s budget. Now I’m a full meat eater again… but I still eat a lot of vegetarian meals by choice, and am not big on steak and the like. I feel like it is a good balance for me.