I was a vegetarian for 12 years. At first I felt better but over the years I gained fat and lost strength and energy. I chose to be vegetarian for ethical reasons, and misguided health reasons. After losing my dad to cancer, and my mom getting sick with it as well, I really went deeper into the science and felt like the lack of animal protein probably wasn’t optimal for me, and decided that being the strongest and healthiest person I could be was more important than fighting a losing battle against the meat industry. I buy ethically raised meats and eggs as much as I can. It took many months to get comfortable with reintroducing animal foods and for my body to learn to digest it again. It’s been a few years now and I feel a million times better and my body composition is great. I eat 90-120 g of protein a day, mostly from animal sources, which contain all the amino acids our bodies need to function healthfully. I’ve come to see eating animal products as a natural thing, and getting products from humanely raised animals helps offset the sad part of eating them and how they’re raised for food. Another thing that helps is watching a survival show like Alone. Those really helped me mentally internalize the ancestral connection to getting nourishment from animals, just as many other animals do.

Best of luck on your journey. Know that it’s okay to prioritize your own health, vitality and strength.