Hi again ,I was just thinking after I put up my last post,which is also my first, post:is animal protein better to help metal detox. that this could be a forum full of vegetarians or vegans?There are so many people in this forum,there must be some who also eat meat?
I was vegatarian for years,but as my body became so depleted and run down,I was advised to start eating meat which I have been doing in moderation for 2/3 years now.It definitely helped replenish me.Maybe it's silly to worry if I've offended anyone as I'm sure all of you are a hardy bunch dealing with mercury and the like...
Thanks

Hi sunflower, welcome to the forum <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
I dont think u would have offended anyone - it is true that a vegetarian diet is not conducive to mercury detox sadly.
I was vegetarian for about 18 years before i learned about amalgam illness, but started eating chicken / turkey soon after.
My body definitely 'needs' it.
I am cautiously trying bacon and a little beef mince too.
It can be difficult psychologically to go back to / start eating meat but its not really optional in terms of damage limitation - certainly not in the first stages of detox.

Try to buy organic where u can - always preferrable, if expensive. And ideally, prepare your own as pre-cooked stuff can contain all sorts; preservatives, herbs and spices etc which may cause their own problems.

Keep reading + learning

Virago

Don't be so insecure, vegetarians everywhere are used to seeing people eat meat indiscriminately.
Besides the nature of the post was to give a tip for others suffering from mercury poisoning, not to change anyone's point of view

I have read that vegans and vegetarians have a higher rate of adrenal problems than people that eat animal proteins regularly

I see nothing wrong with the choice to be a vegetarian, however, with the following caveat.

Vegetarians (and vegans among them) who tout that their diet is somehow more superior or that meat-eaters are unwholesome people or otherwise just plain "wrong" need to take a good long look at biology. Humans are, scientifically speaking, omnivores. Yes, we have teeth designed for the consumption of plant matter - but don't let that blind you by overlooking that we also possess canines and other teeth designed for tearing apart animal flesh. We're not herbivores. We're not carnivores. We are omnivores. You cannot contest against this. You cannot say this isn't true. To do so would be tantamount to denying gravity or that the Earth revolves around the Sun.

Humans can, and many do, subsist off meat-free diets, but not all humans have the same metabolism. One man's cure is another man's poison. While eating vegetarian may work OK for you, it could be disastrous in other people. Moreover, humans would never have evolved into the great thinkers we are today had they not included meat into their diet at some point throughout the millenia. Indeed, it wasn't until man (or pre-man we might say) began consuming meat that they spread out across the globe. As strange as it may sound, we are the creatures we've become today because of meat consumption.

So if you choose not to eat meat, excellent. I do sincerely applaud you for your taking a stand against factory-bred anmals - because it really is a disgusting state of affairs how animals are treated in the world of slaughterhouses and factories, etc. But be very wary of what arguments you throw out at meat-eaters, because most of them are just plain wrong.

Hi Pwcca,
Thanks for reply,
I used to vegetarian for years like I said but now I really need the meat,I shop here at a local organic butchers and know where my food comes from &how the animals are treated.I am very aware of all of these issues.
You are right about the meat issue,I got to do whatevers right to get myself well,and right now I need to eat meat.Yes, we have those canine teeth for a good reason.
I also read an interesting book on bloodtypes &diet.I am o positive,"a hunter" a meat eater according to this book,and that aside,it just makes me feel strong.
Thanks for reply,
The quote that you posted is very beautiful,
Sunflower

Hi Virago,
Thanks for reply
Yes,it was tough too for me to eat the meat at first.I remember thinking that my body would have forgotten how to deal with it,but I started slowly,with tiny amounts of chicken &built up,now I feel it helps so much for energy &strenght.
I only ate the chicken or turkey untill the dentist suggested some good organic red meat to help recovery from mercury.
I was eating a bit of fish but that's out now too...shame cos I love some fish.
I don't do the bacon though.I have heard that it takes up to 48 hours to digest !
Sunflower

Certain fish such as sardines, salmon, or herring that are low in mercury and high in omega 3 fats are good to eat one or two meals a week. Avoid tuna, swordfish, and other fish high in mercury.

http://www.gotmercury.org/

Beef is an excellent sorce of iron which is well absorbed. Eating lean beef one or two meals a week might be a good idea.

Hi JK98,
Thanks for that gr8 link,yes I have no intention of avoiding fish forever,but was advised not to at the moment during the metal detox.I have been willing to try most things to recover from this.
It's funny,I never actually ate any of the "high mercury "
fish,I don't like them! it's true you have to listen to to your body!
I'll go back to it at some stage in moderation,
Thanks again for reply.
Sunflower

Hi again
Yes it is a pity about seafood being effectively out of bounds for mercury patients. It is probably not worth the risk, being an identified potential source of mercury. What a tragic irony that such a nutritious foodstuff can contain the very poison we are trying to combat. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />
Reminds me of a cartoon i saw the other day... !
http://www.newstarget.com/cartoons/seafood-mercury-warning_600.jpg

Brilliant.

If you check the numbers on the got mercury website you will see that sardines or salmon has around 1/20 th the mercury of tuna, while herring has around 1/10 th the amount. Eating sardines or salmon in moderation will not give you significant mercury exposure.

Besides myself, I don't think there are many vegetarians on this forum. One of the hardest things for me about being mercury toxic, is the lack of support for vegetarians. I don't think anyone can say for sure that vegetarians can't get better, I think there are a lot of factors.

Meat, in many ways, is an "easy" protein. It contains a high amount of protein and can be easily prepared i.e. slices of turkey bought at the supermarket with a salad. It's much harder to get the same nutrients as a vegetarian without more effort i.e. cook lentils, beans, rice. Some products made especially for vegetarians have spices and onions etc, or are wheat protein. Cheese is high protein, but may increase absortion of mercury etc.

All I know is that being a vegetarian with mercury poisoning is incredibly difficult -not just practically, but the lack of support. Most days I know I don't get enough protein - something that I need to correct and not be such a lazy cook. It certainly is possible to get enough protein i.e. omlette for breakfast, lentil soup for lunch, rice and beans for dinner. But it definitely is more effort than if one was to buy and eat meat. Even harder to be vegan. I would love to be vegan, but I had to give it up and eat some dairy because I can't eat fruit, have to watch my nut consumption, and am on a low-gluten diet.

I wasn't a vegetarian when I first got sick from fillings and I have had improvement in the years since (and I've been a vegetarian for over 16 years) so I would like there to be more research into the role of protein etc to help everyone, especially vegetarians who, like me, want to remain vegetarians.

Hi Demi,
When I was a vegetarian,I was not aware of eating good sources of protein.It's great that you are aware of this.Since I have become ill, I have learned so much about optimum nutrition and if I am ever to be vegetarian in the future I will be a great one! Have you heard of a grain called Quinoa?
It's a wonderful food,available in grain,flours,breads,flakes, it is a cereal but a complete protein &high in many minerals.
Nutritionally it is said to be the closest food to perfect.
I have this on days when I have not been up to going to the shops.Also like you said mixing beans &rice is good,
but not beans from a can,(which will leach the aluminium!)
If you soak dried beans in water overnight they take much less time to cook.You most likely know all this already...
and having vit c rich foods withmeals to help iron absorption.
Although you prob.know all this,I didn't before and wish someone had told me!So hope I'm not annoying you!
I think that people have to do what feels right for them,eating meat makes me feel strong,it was tough to do at first,but I know it has helped me.But everyone's unique,it may suit you to be a vegetarian.I wouldn't be put off by anyone saying that vegetarians cannot recover from the mercury.Maybe it takes a little longer??Anyone have the facts?
If you need to be vegetarian & believe you can recover,that is more powerful than anything.
If you have not yet tried quinoa,you should,it's a super food.
Sunflower
ps.you were saying how you thought it was easier to buy&
prepare meat! I think it's the same either way.I only eat organic food,at least 95%.So it does involve going to specific shops and not the local convenience store where you would surely find those spices etc.that you mentioned.
It does take effort & preparation but it's really worth it.

Hi Sunflower,

You certainly haven't annoyed me <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I wasn't aware of nutrition issues for a long time, no doubt with a negative impact on my health, but have taken it more seriously in recent years.

It is very important to have nourishment when ill. Plain meat (i.e. not spiced) and veg is probably the best diet for mercury recovery, or at least a very good one, but of course a persons diet choice is influenced by a lot of things.

Thanks for the tip on quinoa. I eat it now and then but not enough. I try to avoid cans/tins as much as possible aswell, and aspartame and MSG. I buy as much organic food as I can afford and drink only bottled water. I don't smoke and don't drink alcohol.

I definitely need to improve my diet though, and am constantly trying to work out one that is healthy, economical, and emotionally satisfying - no easy task. It can get so discouraging when one can't eat so many things! Now I compromise, a little or this or a little of that, because I think we can worry too much about what we are eating - and that itself isn't good, or could lead to an eating disorder.

Thanks for taking the time to reply <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

PWCCA, just for a balance, some of the greatest thinkers in history have been vegetarian including:

Albert Einstein
Isaac Newton
Leonardo da Vinci
Charles Darwin
Thomas Edison
Ben Franklin
Pythagoras
Socrates
Plutarch
Martin Luther
Mark Twain
Charlotte Bronte
John Wesley
Louisa May Allcott
John Milton
Albert Schweitzer
George Barnard Shaw
Mary Shelley
Percey Shelley
William Blake
William Wordsworth
Plato
Isaac Singer
Vincent Van Gogh
HG Wells
Leo Tolstoy
Ralph Waldo Emersen
Hans Christian Anderson

PS I agree with you about the treatment of animals. However, I don't think being vegetarian is enough, because dairy animals are exploited too. I take some dairy and eggs at the moment because I am struggling so much for things to eat, but my eventual goal is veganism. I do have a sense of guilt in consuming dairy, but as it is not a sin (and neither is meat eating) I do eat some mostly for fat, but I would rather not.

PPS I don't want to discourage anyone from eating meat, espcially if they need it for their health - have just been sharing my own experiences.