Could Meat be my crack?!

For you first timers, welcome to my new blog. As I stated in the last one, this current post would go over the beginning of my adventures in meat. Again, I had been seriously contemplating eating meat after reading an article a few months back. The article was talked about in the last post. At my sister's wedding on February 19th in Key West, I decided to try a piece of coconut shrimp. It tasted OK, but I did get a little bit of queasiness. Looking back I think it was due to the texture, which felt a little too much like flesh than I was used to at the time. I didn't expect the gross out factor to be an issue, but It wasn't that big a deal.

Now I wasn't expected to jump right into eating meat. I was thinking that this process would take some time,  a few months maybe. That changed after a trip to the Vitamin Shoppe last Friday. I figured if I wasn't going to eat meat for a little while, I should at least take a B supplement. I bought the VS brand B-Complex with a veggie cap. Again, I was thinking that I was would still be  a vegetarian and do more research. I actually intended to start this blog as a way to have all the sides duke it out and in the end, I would settle on a diet.

But that changed after I took the supplement. I noticed the moderate increase in energy and focus that many report when they take it. But the more shocking response was that my Achilles Tendonitis was 80% better within an hour! This was an old running injury that I got in 2006, if memory serves me correctly. It had been manageable, but I've never been able to shake it completely. I've also had bursitis in my right shoulder since 2004. I've resigned myself to that I would have minimal inflammation for the rest of my life. I never realized how deficient I was in B vitamins. Also the tightness in my lower back lessened considerable and my stomach felt much better.

After sharing my experience on Facebook and talking it out, I decided that I would just take the plunge and eat some meat, once a day for seven days. I figured that I wanted to have some natural sources of B-vitamins instead of just the supplement. The next day, I was at a friend's 30th birthday potluck and this being a mainly lefty crowd, the meat there was minimal. I did have a piece of salami and a few too many brownies with bacon bits. A late arriving guest and fellow Paki bought some Pakistani chicken kabobs and I took the plunge. They were absolutely delicious! I forgot how good my people were at cooking meat. I'm not one to be hyper-nationalist, but I did feel pride for my country's culinary expertise. I'll stack up our skill at cooking meat with any other country! I was full from overeating, but I didn't feel bad at all.

My next adventure in meat eating was some Chicken with cashews from Ollie's in the Upper West Side, near my school, Columbia Teachers College. It was good, not great and I did feel a little queasy, which I would again attribute to the texture. But  the queasiness was minimal and overshadowed by the deliciousness. Everyone and their mother, has told me I might get sick from eating even a little meat, but that has not been the case for me. I think It's more psychological.

Tuesday was groundbreaking for me. I had a couple of pieces of bacon with an egg and cheese wrap with breakfast. Later than night, I was hanging out with my cousin Saif and two friends of ours, Justin and John in Brooklyn. We were going out to celebrate their birthdays and we had to grab dinner. I shared my plan to have a meal with meat with my compatriots. As guys do, they started busting my balls about how passionate of a vegetarian I used to be and that I was surely going to get sick. I even made a $30 bet with John.

At the bar, I looked over the menu, which had few options. I thought about getting a regular burger, but everyone seemed to think that would make me most sick. So I opted for a turkey burger with cheese. It was as expected, delicious and I didn't feel bad at all. Actually the complete opposite happened, I felt great. In fact, I was practically bouncing off the goddamn wall!!! My concentration improved by leaps and bounds. Everyone seemed to moving a few paces behind me.   I had three beers in me, but I've never gotten that energized from alcohol. Usually it makes me tired. I could barely sit still and kept telling my friends how great I felt, to the point where busted my balls again.

The crazy thoughts I kept having were awesomely ridiculous. I wanted to become an Meat advocate. Maybe a lobbyist for some organic livestock farmers association. At two in the morning, I had the urge to go play basketball and if I had the opportunity I would have. It was like I was about to reach enlightenment. I felt so good, I thought I was the meaning of life! God had spoken to me and his voice was surprisingly guttural and aggressive saying "MMMMeeeaaaattttt! MMeeeeaaaaaatttt!!!" It wasn't just that I could be healthier incorporating meat, if was as if meat was my crack. Coke and crack heads seemed positively sedate next to me.

I was craving more and before we went back to Justin's house, we stopped by a Middle Eastern Deli/Grocery and I had some lamb and rice. I continued to feel energized and was able to stay up till 5am. I was unfortunately awoken at eight yesterday morning and even though I was tired my brain was buzzing. The lack of sleep didn't seem that big a deal. Throughout the day I had a couple servings of meat and continued to feel energized, clear headed, and less bloated. As others had reported, I felt less hunger and didn't crave carbs or sugar at all. This is a shock, because my sweet tooth is notorious. I once eat an entire batch of Chex Muddy Buddies by myself. I didn't really start to feel exhausted until like 9pm, when the sleep deprivation started to hit me.

I was not expecting this when I decided to eat meat again. If anything, I thought I wouldn't start feeling the benefits of increasing meat and cutting carbs and sugar in a few months. I realize that my body might be just be responding to the influx of B-vitamins that I was lacking for the last dozen years. I hope that i can feel this energized all the time, but would be grateful just to not feel as sluggish as I usually do in the morning. My plan is eat meat once a day for the next couple weeks, try to keep getting healthier, and continue to lift weights and do yoga.

So in the meantime, please keep posting articles pertaining to health on this blog, or anything you think I will enjoy. I look forward to sharing my experiences with all of you and the spirited debates I expect my change will inspire.