Recovered, considering going vegetarian
 

I have been recovered for a few years now. I am feeling good and am doing well, but I have made some lifestyle adjustments, mostly around avoiding impact sports/activities and doing my best to ensure I get ample rest and sleep.

For a while now I've been thinking about going vegetarian (possibly wih an exception for fish/fish oil).

Is this a wise/unwise choice? I don't want to do this if it could compromise my health (brain health especially). Can a body- and brain-healthy diet be constructed in the absence of animal meat?

The amino acids we usually get from meat are hard to get elsewhere. Do some research about amino acid sources.

What would your goal be for going vegetarian ?

I've been plant based/vegan for close to 2 years now. So I don't eat any meat, dairy, eggs, fish, etc. Nothing from an animal. I have only seen improvements from doing so. Getting enough amino acids is not an issue so long as you eat enough food, and include things like legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, etc. I get around 160 grams of protein a day from eating these things. You can watch this video for an explanation using scientific literature showing that plant foods contain all the essential amino acids: The Protein-Combining Myth | NutritionFacts.org.

You would also still be eating things like dairy and eggs, and you say possibly even fish. So long as you ate enough calories you should have no issues.

For anyone wondering why I went plant based, I did so after watching this video: Dr. Michael Greger: "How Not To Die" | Talks at Google - YouTube

you 100% now?

Keeping dairy, eggs and fish oil or even fish will be good for amino acids. Otherwise, when the body calls for a specific amino acid, it pulls it from your muscle mass by metabolizing some of your muscle mass. The need for a full complement of amino acids is more important for those with weakened nervous systems/brains.

There are many cases where a mother fed her infant child a completely vegan diet, a few including no breast milk using a substitute vegan formula, where the child either died or failed to develop properly, especially neurologically.

It suggests to me that we need to be careful to get all the proper nutrition.

A modified vegetarian diet appears to be advised by many professionals.

One thing to be aware of for people who choose a vegan/vegetarian diet is that plant foods do not contain Vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient. Vitamin B12 deficiency can have many adverse health outcomes.

There are ways around this - some plant foods have been fortified with it and it can also be taken as a supplement.

This is discussed here How prevalent is vitamin B(12) deficiency among vegetarians? - PubMed - NCBI.

I went vegetarian / mostly vegan about two months ago and I'm feeling much better. I have Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis dx 2006. I asked my doctor before doing the change and she actually encouraged it. I do take other vitamins to make sure, but many people think of you don't eat meat your not getting your proteins etc... You actually get all those thing's from plant based foods. If in doubt consult with your doctor. I highly recommend it if that's what your thinking about doing.

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

Hi rahael72

Welcome to NeuroTalk :).

I am glad that your choice to go vegan/vegetarian is helping you.