whats better for immune system and crohn's: Meat or no meat?

Thank you guys for all the support on my last post. But there is something else that has been going on in my head.

I've been a vegetarian for around 5 years.

I gave up beef 9 years ago

I gave up pork 8 years ago

I gave up poultry 5 years ago.. I still eat eggs and fish.

Here is my problem; my gag reflex has been really really bad!!... And thing wet gives me nausea. So eggs is hard to eat right not and fish is hard to eat too. Pyschologically its HEART BREAKING to go back to meat!!! but honetly I keep picturing a turkey burger, but I have WAY TOO MUCH pride. I'd feel like an alcoholic going back to the bottle. And, when I eat meat substitutes it really hurts my stomach. I'm not sure what I should do. I have an iron deficenecy and the last blood test i had two months ago was good, but something right now is telling me as fast as i consume iron (iron pills) is as fast as it leaves me... I guess i just want to know if anyone did research on the benefits of turkey on the immune system/ crohns/ digestion. Like would it balance me out again? I guess I just need to justify these cravings... because i refuse to touch meat til I do!!...thanks for listening!!!

-Dana

I think the most important thing to know is that if you're craving something, it usually means that your body is trying to find the nutrients somewhere from food. I was a semi-vegetarian from shortly after I got diagnosed until when I started to flare again. My Crohn's hates meat, so I stopped eating it completely. Had no problems with tofu, meat substitutes or even beans, just meat.

After a while of not eating it, I used to get the most awful cravings for burgers and steaks, which I hate the taste of and my Crohn's hates too. Turned out at the time I was severely anemic and my B12 was low. So I started just eating meat whenever I started craving it, which was once a month or so.

With my most recent flare, I tried SCD, which is a lot of veggies and meat but found out my intestines can't handle the meat. So I went back to being a semi-veggie, though I eat turkey routinely. I've found it to be the easiest to digest out of most meats...though I can't stomach fish.

Anyway, I know it's heartbreaking to give up a lifestyle that you've had for so long. But there are nutrients in meat that you can't get from tofu. So it's possible to eat some meat only when your body tells you that it needs it. I'm not sure if it will "straighten you out" so to speak. But eating the odd turkey sandwich and occasional cheeseburger makes me feel better and keeps those cravings at bay.

My own personal opinion as someone who was a vegetarian for 9 years (and a vegan for 1.5 of those years) is that the human anatomy is evolved and designed to digest animal fats and proteins for optimal health.

Well, you never know until you try. I stay away from meat for the most part but find a turkey burger appealing at times as well, when I have it though, it doesn't sit well. I up my green juices (kale, spinach, etc) and that works for me. But I know alot of people have problems with veggies. We are all so different, you will only know after you try it. And if eating meat means feeling better and having more than it's definately worth it. Sometimes we need animal nutrients, just thank the animal for the nutrients it provides for you, maybe that will make you feel better about eating it:) Just a thought and good luck!

I'm not sure about the meat issue, I am a meat eater - and for sure it is a personal choice, but iron is an issue. Oral iron causes me to flare and have D - I kept trying to shovel it down because it is a chronic issue for me, but now I'm still flaring so I have stopped. I will be seeking other ways to get it for sure - I seem to handle hamburger okay, but I think it was the steak I ate on Aug 18th that led to this round of prednisone!

I am the same as jpnutritionist, I eat chicken, fish & turkey, but avoid red meat at all times.

Hmm...I too have a problem with being anemic a lot and when I do get below the "normal range" I crave red meat unbelievably - I can't take iron either - it just is unbearably painful to my stomach.

I also have a problem digesting beef - I have found that I can eat ground buffalo and ground lamb (both local, free-range, organic) with no problems and it tends to hit that craving quite well. Both lamb and buffalo are high in iron too!

My GI always tells me that when I am craving red meat (in my case lamb or buffalo) that I need to listen to my body as I am anemic and the labs always prove it to be a fact that I am anemic.

Its great to read everyone's perspective. It turns out I ate one. It brought me back to my turkey burger loving days. And, I held it down which was the great part. Everything else made me want to throw up. I don't want to eat it again because my pride issue!!!!! but I know now when I get that feeling I got to give into it. Actually, I'm really craving a tofu nugget right now. Thanks for your input everyone!!!!