Meat grosses me out?

I love eating meat, I love the taste of the meat, but for the past few months...really, since I've moved to Oregon...I've been really grossed out by the look and texture of certain meat. I'm eating jerky right now, and I am enjoying the flavor, but I can't help but notice the look and texture of the meat. I can't help but picture the anatomy of the meat, and therefore, the animal of the meat I am eating. I picture where the meat I am eating is located on the animal and the function in which it provided, and I think about the animal that was killed as I eat it, if this makes sense. The same with fish, I picture the meat on the animal, and it grosses me out even though the taste is phenomenal. My mom recently made a corned beef dish, and it took all my effort not to gag at the site of the meat. It was honestly one of the most disgusting meats I have eaten, but the taste was phenomenal. What does this mean? I'll eat meat because it tastes good but I picture the meat on the body and it's function, and I think about the animal that has died for me to eat it, and it grosses me out. What do I do?

I would say a little less visualizing is in order if you want to continue to eat meat lol.

I only eat white chicken breast - no other meat, so I don’t think about where it came from
Too often.

hahaha I don't know what kind of eff'd up phase this is, but I do not like it!

That’s because meat is gross. And it’s murder.

I'm so sorry you're struggling, LiteraryLark I don't know what may e causing this. Have you talked to your doctor about this? Maybe that could help. Perhaps you could try to reduce the amount of meat you eat regularly. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this

There's nothing wrong with you. All this just means that you have a consciousness, so congrats!

You don't have to eat meat if you don't want to. Today there's amazing vegan alternatives to meat. Have you thought about trying it out? If you're interested this website is a great place to start; Challenge22.

Perhaps it's your body telling you for some reason it doesn't need meat right now. Like an instinct. Maybe you could try eating less meat, so you'll look forward to it.
I like chocolate but if you eat too much everyday you won't enjoy it so much anymore.
I too think it's reasonable to eat less meat for ethical reasons. I'm not a vegan or vegetarian, but I think it would be great if everyone decreased their meat consumption a little. We don't have to be extreme vegans or extreme meat eaters. Maybe this is what your body is telling you, too.

Maybe you're different, but when I eat too much meat my body gives me signals of "disgusting" too. Then I eat vegetarian meals for a week or two. After that, my body asks for meat again. It's probably natural and we're lucky we haven't lost our natural signs of satiety in this artificial lifestyle that we live.

BTW I fully respect vegans and admire them in a way. So this is not meant to be against their ethics at all. If I had a vegan friend I'd be happy to cook for them if they came to my party. I also like fruit, vegetables and nuts :-)

I think this may be the case.

Thank you everyone for your responses.

I was told once that some animals are actually bred for the purpose of eating.

like: we get bacon from pigs, for example

some pigs are bred to live life on the farm and be happy, others are bred just to be eaten.

I used to think the same way about meat until I was told this

it really helped me- I think because I could see that the animal was meeting it's purpose, and like the ones bred to live on the farms wern't being killed

There is something incongruent for me in how you say it grosses you out but the taste is phenomenal. Im kinda the same way about ham? Its like, if i havent had any in a long time, yes a small taste of it is good, but then the texture starts grossing me out. Ive been eating mostly canned food (fish and chicken), so that kinda protects me from dealing with the usual gross issues. It seems like i get super hungry if i dont get meat protein. Idk. It makes losing weight hard as i am trying to cut carbs.

It's really hard for me to put my finger on exactly the issue here.

I'm not someone who normally protests the slaughter of animals, but I do think about the animal I am eating and lately it has been bothering me. Something I've realized is this all started to happen when I was told by my grandma several months ago that one of my youngest cousins has recently switched to vegetarianism and that has been on my mind lately because how come my youngest cousin gets to be a vegetarian when I can't? Preparing meat is a tradition in my family, and my parents are against vegetarianism to the point where I've had to tell my vegetarian friends that if they want to come over for dinner they need to bring their own food. My parents are against me becoming a vegetarian so I always thought I'd make the switch when I move out and can prepare my own food (because it is disrespectful to turn down the meals they prepare for me) but I'm getting really turned off by meat, and I just don't know what's causing it. To be honest, I've thought about making the switch for several years and I just don't know how while my parents are so against vegetarianism.

why are they so against it.

surely it's your choice?

I hope this makes sense...it doesn't to me...???...

I only eat meat at dinner time, throughout the day I stick to fruits and vegetables which is a good start. I try to avoid meat because I am trying to watch my weight as well. I know the obvious choice is just to make my own dinner, but I want to be respectful of my parents because they put a lot of effort into their cooking and I'd really hate to turn down my Dad's famous BBQ...but again...he's BBQ'd several times lately and it's just not suiting me very well...There's no upset stomach or anything health-related as a result for me eating meat...it's just...grossing me out...

My family was the same way. I brought some sesame tofu salad from Whole Foods to dinner a couple of times, and they mocked me SEVERELY. It was weird. I think they think its a gay thing. Like its Republican to eat meat, its anti-American in all ways not to.

Funny here i see YOU as the younger generation changing things, and even you see the youth as having more freedom. So things ARE looking up, maybe?!

I used to be an insanely picky eater as a child so in my teens when I wanted to be a vegetarian like my best friend of the time, they told me I’d end up starving because “how else will I get my protein?” and “look at M she has to take a million vitamins to be healthy because she doesn’t eat meat”. Now I think it’s the matter of “We love our meat and we’re not going to cater to your lifestyle”

I will say veganistic foods have greatly improved over the years. I enjoy vegan dishes and will opt for it at every opportunity.

What came to my mind is... Why even give your new diet a name? You don't have to call it vegetarian. Just tell your parents you'd like to eat more vegetables for dinner. It's not disrespectful to cook your dinner. You can say hey mum, I want to learn to cook! Can I try this new recipe I found? Absolutely no need to mention veganism at all. And when your dad makes his BBQ? I guess you won't feel so bad about it because your meat consumption will be lower and your body will welcome a source of protein.
BTW not eating meat will not help you lose weight. On the contrary, too much carbs will make you hungry. I'm sorry I know this isn't the topic of this thread, just don't want you to make the same mistake I made in my younger years. Look up term "insulin swing".

You just know the reality of eating meat. If you were a hunter of the old days, you would everything about the animal that gave you food. Your making good connections.

What is being stressed most by many wellness advocates today for long term health is a plant based diet with much less protein and especially red meat than most Americans are used to eating. So hey, youre well on your way to doing that kind of diet. Who does the cooking at your house? There are some powerful videos on Netflix about eating in a healthy way for them to watch if they resist your preferences. Search Netflix under "food".

We are no longer in a place in history where we need to consume animal flesh to survive. It is as simple as that. In fact, the World Health Organization has pointed out that factory farming of animals for meat is destroying our planet due to the methane production and water usage.

On a personal level I relate. I was on a Keto diet which requires a high amount of meat. I was eating roast chicken every day. Then I started to "see" the chicken I was eating. It's as simple as that. I was buying whole chickens and seeing the anatomy of the chicken started to bother me a lot.

I was also working in the deli of a supermarket and every night I saw them throwing away dozens of roast chickens. These birds were raised, slaughtered, sent to a store, cooked, sat in a deli case, only to later be thrown out like garbage. The manager told me it would be "too costly" for the store to find a place where they could donate excess food. Animals just became garbage.

Now, LL, I just want to say it is not an easy journey so just take it slow. What I mean is the actual percentage of vegetarians in this culture is actually quite low, less than 6%. American culture does not cater to vegetarians.

A lot of people here are giving you their opinions here when you already have expressed confusion. I understand. I really do.

I am now fully vegetarian but not vegan. I do eat dairy because I am older and I don't want to become B12 deficient. But I don't eat much dairy and I buy organic when I do.

Becoming vegetarian seems romantic and lovely to some...it did me...but it takes commitment and dedication. In reality, it is kinda hard. When I was a teenager I tried to become vegetarian and my parents actually forbade it. They said I could do what I wanted after I left their house. My role model was (and still is) my brother who became vegetarian as a young adult and has been a vegetarian for 40 years!

I would not advise you one way or another. I would not profess to understand why you are feeling the way you do. All I am saying is that the reality of being vegetarian is not so romantic. I am saying this because I never got to the point where I hated meat or fish. It was more a change of heart. But making a change for that reason takes courage.

It's very personal, isn't it?

This is absolutely the truth. When I became vegetarian last year I didn't lose any weight. And lately I am hungry all the time. I finally got in touch with a dietician. She advised me to up my intake of dairy (I am vegetarian, not vegan) and for now I cut out beans and rice. I did this...and lowered my calorie intake because I really want to lose weight. However, I am hungry ALL DAY LONG. It is a real problem. For some reason I am not hungry in the evening. So yes, it is complicated. As a vegetarian it is actually prudent to count carbs as well as calories.

Well, the World Health Organization (WHO) has actually gone as far as to say red meat is carcinogenic! My doctor was very pleased when I said I had become vegetarian. However, it isn't really all that easy. Meat and fish provide a lot of protein and other nutrients. And....Americans love their meat.

You don't need a ton of vitamins, however, to be a healthy vegetarian. You do have to give some consideration to protein. But there are alternatives out there. You can't just eat a ton of vegetables. Being vegetarian really doesn't work that way. You have to eat carefully and in a well-balanced way.

I became vegetarian last year (I eat dairy) and I have to say I have noticed no real change in my level of health. It is about the same. For my age (older middle age) I have no physical problems. The one positive change is that I am now taking a lower dosage of thyroid medication. I don't know if that has anything to do with becoming vegetarian.

I'm sorry OP for hijaking your thread... but just one small off topic
I recommend looking up vegetarian keto or low-carb recipes, there are tons of them! Actually decreasing my carbs and increasing fat has been a miracle for me! You don't get fat from eating fat. It's the combination of fat AND sugar that is toxic! Having fat with vegetables will give you energy for a long time and you'll loose weight. I've been dieting since age 8 using low fat dogma and I ruined my metabolism. JUst now at the age of 30 I finally understood that fat is not the enemy, I eat lots of fat and I lost 11kg in 2018. And what's best- I enjoy my food and I'm not hungry at all!


I'm not fully keto because I think it's extreme and not practical. I also heard it's not healthy for female hormones. I keep my carbs at about 80-100g a day (some weekends up to 120g but then I decrease my fat intake) and I feel great physically. I eat full fat dairy products without any fear. Mostly plain or I add berries or cocoa powder into them. I never eat sweet full fat yogurt bought in the store (combination of fat plus sugar is bad).
I have no problem putting cream or even coconut oil in my unsweetened coffee

At first when I changed my diet I would wake up at night. I solved this problem by having a fat-protein breakfast and eating my healthy carbs for dinner.

Okay, sorry, too, OP. But are you talking here about vegetarian keto? I will do some research on this. What you are saying is very interesting. It is impossible for me to stick with low calories and no fat if I am hungry all the time, which I am. Since I was non-vegetarian keto before becoming vegetarian I understand the principles...but I haven't really considered tweaking my diet towards vegetarian keto. Thanks for this. It's kind of awesomely mind blowing!

Yes, it's something new for me, too! I've only googled/youtubed briefly and superficially, but I found some stuff. There are fb groups, too. I'm not sure if one can be fully vegetarian keto all the time, but low carb should be possible.

Okay...well...I think...it is possible...using Intermittent Fasting as well. Because mainly you are trying to get the body to burn stored fat. I understand fat doesn't make fat...but if you overeat carbs...well, the body has no reason to burn stored fat. So vegetarian or not...keto is really about burning fat. You've given me A LOT to think about. Thanks so much. PS Yeah, for weight loss don't you think Intermittent Fasting is key?