Why I Started Eating Red Meat Again After 20 Years

Up until a few months ago, I hadn’t eaten red meat in over 20 years: no bacon, no burgers, no gelatin, no ham. But then, in November 2024, I decided to start again—at least steak, to begin with. Why the change of heart and diet? If you’re curious about reintroducing red meat, iron levels, or ethical meat consumption, read on…

Why I gave up red meat

I was always a picky eater and used to not think too deeply about where my food came from. I dabbled in vegetarianism in high school after a traumatizing chicken sandwich incident: when I was 16, I bit into the school cafeteria sandwich and a massive, rubbery vein snapped back. That put me off meat for about three years. I lived off pasta and pizza until I left for university, but then the Big Macs and well-done steaks snuck their way back into my diet.

A few years later, I read the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, an unappetizing behind-the-scenes look at the fast food industry, and its description of the abattoirs made me feel sick. My last intentional red meat meal was at a crappy steakhouse in Virginia Beach. It wasn’t memorable or momentous (except that I remember having a discount coupon for it).

Once soon after I gave up red meat, I was sitting in traffic behind a livestock truck, pink-nosed cows staring at me, and it reaffirmed my decision. I’ve read that the average American eats 10 to 11 cows in their lifetime, so I reckoned I saved at least 4 or 5 over the years. And for the most part, the transition off red meat wasn’t too difficult. Actually, in the absence of other options, I found myself eating a more varied diet and a bigger variety of seafood (and not just filets or fried… even fish with bones it!)

Even though I never gave up fish and fowl, oddly, some folks still in Scotland still considered me ‘vegetarian’. And while the UK is a land of many sausages, vegetarians have always had a lot of options in Glasgow, with plenty of restaurants that serve strictly vegetarian food. (As an aside, one trend that drives me crazy is places that offer only red meat or vegan options, with nothing for those of us in the middle. This is especially common with the cooked breakfast, a British classic. I do not want a plate riddled with 5 different types of sausage, but I also do not want to have to eat some processed fake-meat shite or a deconstructed salad for £15. A few eggs wouldn’t go amiss.)

Why I went back to red meat again

Fast forward twenty or so years: every year, I pay to have full blood tests to catch anything unusual or any deficiencies (a luxury, but a useful one when the NHS doesn’t prioritize preventive care). Fortunately, for now such blood tests are more affordable in the UK than they are in the US—about £160 for a full blood panel. For the past three years, my tests suggested pre-anemia, despite upping my protein intake during this time. I had also been feeling inexplicably low energy at times, despite getting a consistent 8 hours of sleep a night. I wanted to rule out iron deficiency as a cause, so after much deliberation, I decided to reintroduce some high-quality steak into my diet a few times per week.

“To eat meat is to participate in one of the oldest human rituals—a choice shaped by survival, shadowed by morality, and still evolving alongside our understanding of ourselves.”

It’s fascinating to think about how long humans have eaten meat—far longer than we've farmed it. Some researchers believe that meat consumption played a pivotal role in the evolution of the human brain. According to the Expensive Tissue Hypothesis, as early humans began eating more calorie-dense foods like meat, they were able to develop smaller digestive tracts and redirect energy toward growing larger brains. To eat meat is to participate in one of the oldest human rituals—a choice shaped by survival, shadowed by morality, and still evolving alongside our understanding of ourselves.

My raw liver experiment

I’ve even tried more drastic measures. See, when I said at the beginning that I hadn’t eaten any red meat in the time since I gave it up? Well, that wasn’t completely true: I actually introduced raw liver into my diet in 2022. It sounds a bit extreme to some, and goes against every fiber of my American being—from a young age we’re bombarded with food safety warnings about eating undercooked and raw meat. The UK generally experiences fewer disease outbreaks from undercooked meat compared to countries like the US, and much of that can be attributed to stricter regulation, better traceability, and more humane animal husbandry standards.

My decision to try raw liver was partly inspired by witnessing my boyfriend Alex’s health journey. He was trying out veganism when we first met 8 years ago, but transitioned to a nearly carnivore diet for the past few years, and is in excellent health. I had a few other health-conscious friends who consumed raw liver, while at the same time I heard the virtues of liver extolled on various health podcasts. (It’s one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet—packed with iron, B vitamins, and other essentials.)

I found some of the best local, organic, grass-fed ox liver, chopped it into vitamin-sized pieces, froze it, and tried to take it a few times a week. I popped it into my mouth with a swig of water and quickly swallowed—no chewing involved. (My mom used to joke about how much I loved liver and onions as a baby, but that part of my brain is long gone.) I wasn’t consistent with it though, and didn’t see any big improvement in my blood test results. I’ve also since learned that, while liver is possibly one of the most nutritionally dense foods, it can result in consuming too much vitamin A.

A conflicted but conscious return to meat

My search for better health continues. At some point in adolescence, I developed an aversion to meat in general. I really do think that the vein in the chicken sandwich bothered me so that when I did eat meat after that, I would carefully cut and inspect every piece before biting into it. A co-worker recently mentioned that she does the same thing, to the point that her husband jokingly asks at the end of meals what are the ‘results of the dissection?’ It was a mindful decision requiring conscious effort to go back.

So basically, I gave up red meat over concerns about the meat industry and the treatment of the animals, but I’m eating it once again for health reasons. Everyone’s health journey is personal to them, and we each have to find what makes us feel best. Previously, I rationalized eating fish and fowl in that they have less-developed nervous systems than mammals; but were I ethically consistent, my resolve should’ve extended to being mindful of where my other protein sources came from, too. Sometimes it was just a case of not being able to afford more ethical choices. We humans are a complex mix of contradictions, and improving my diet has been a gradual process across my lifetime. I want to be better about it going forward.

We rich westerners are privileged to eat only the muscle meat, turning our noses up at the offal and organs. Many can’t afford to be picky about the meat they eat, but I want to avoid factory farms. It’s better for the animal, for the environment, and—frankly—for my health. I feel fortunate to be able to get my steak from small, local, organic farms—the fact is, eating healthy is just more affordable in the UK than it is in the US. The cows are grass-fed and pasture-raised for the duration of their life, and in effect, have one bad day. I still have a lot of feelings to unpick about eating red meat again, and all the ethical, environmental, and political implications compound this.

My first red meat meal in two decades: beef stew and bone broth

So, for my first red-meat meal, which I had one chilly evening in mid-November, I made a beef stew. I bought some ox bones as well, and I used every bit. I boiled them for nearly 24 hours, creating a rich and nutritious broth. (Bone broth is another one of those ‘superfoods’ we keep hearing about, and it seemed like a fitting way to start.) After making the broth, I left the remains out for the wild squirrels I feed in my back garden—gnawing on bones and antlers provides calcium and is excellent for their teeth (but never offer them chicken bones—they splinter too easily). 

Bone broth for me, bone snacks for the squirrels.

Despite laboring over the stew, I would be lying if I said I didn’t still have some hesitancy before eating it. I can’t say I really enjoyed it. My mind was awash with thoughts: I wondered if I’d ever start craving red meat again. I wondered if I’d notice an immediate improvement in my energy levels, or if it would be more gradual. I recalled a friend who was once a long-time vegetarian but had started eating fish again. He was amazed at how much better he felt after the fish, and how he hadn’t realized how much he’d needed it until he’d had it again. 

Update: 6 months of eating red meat again

It’s now June, seven months after re-introducing meat into my diet. I’ve been keeping an eye on my general health and energy levels, but won’t know the results of my blood work until a few weeks from now. I’m curious to find out if my iron and ferritin levels have improved, and will post an update here. I’ll continue to follow this up with reports on how I’m doing, and whether eating red meat again actually improves my iron levels. So far, I can say this return has been an interesting, eye-opening part of my path to better health.

Those first few weeks, I just didn’t have a taste for steak. It also took some time for my digestive system to adjust: my stomach would feel a little queasy after a steak dinner. It might’ve been psychological. But I realized that I was drinking too much with my meals, and once I focused on chewing more and didn’t drink for a half hour before or after meals, I felt much better. Digestive comfort improved, and now I occasionally crave steak—proof, perhaps, that our bodies know what they need when we actually stop to listen.

One of the surprising changes I’ve noticed is how much quicker my hair and nails seem to grow. I used to have to clip my nails about once or twice a month, but now I start to feel like Freddy Krueger after about a week if I don’t trim them.

Tracking my energy levels is trickier—it tends to fluctuate depending on the time of month and year, as well as on other factors like how often I’m getting to the gym (more exercise definitely boosts my energy) and stress levels.

It’s still been difficult to reconcile my feelings about eating cows again. I limit consumption to the steaks (no Big Macs or pasta with meat sauce), but if I’m honest, there’s still some residual guilt. I try to mitigate this by being mindful, and silently thanking the animal for giving its life to nourish me before each meal.

I’ll post a full update once I receive my blood test results—but for now, I’m staying curious, mindful, and open to what this evolving relationship with food continues to teach me.

How about you? What has your food journey included? Have you made any drastic dietary changes, and if so, how has that worked for you? Tell me about it in the comments below.