Aversion to meat: causes, symptoms, possible diseases, consultations and recommendations of doctors

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

It is not uncommon for a person to suddenly develop an aversion to meat. The reasons for this condition may be different. In this case, we are not talking about people who deliberately chose a vegetarian type of food. We will consider only those situations where the refusal of meat food is not voluntary. If the human body does not accept such food, then this may indicate various diseases that require immediate treatment.

Why disgust arises

One day a man notices that he suddenly has an aversion to meat. What does it mean? Most often, this indicates that the body is severely weakened. Meat food refers to rather heavy types of food, animal protein is difficult to digest. The body spends a lot of energy and strength on the assimilation and processing of meat. Therefore, when a person is sick or weakened, he has a physiological rejection of animal protein.

Reasons

The following reasons for aversion to meat can be identified:

• depressed;
• stress;
• infectious diseases;
• gastrointestinal and hepatic pathologies;
• pregnancy;
• cancerous tumors;
• allergic to animal protein.

In these diseases and conditions, the body is significantly weakened. It becomes difficult for him to digest and absorb heavy proteins. As a result, a person develops an aversion to meat, up to nausea from one type of animal food.

Next, we will consider in more detail the possible diseases and conditions accompanied by such a change in taste preferences.

Depressive and stressful conditions

Meat aversion can be caused by depression and stress. During a psycho-emotional overstrain, a person loses a lot of strength. As a result, the body simply does not have the energy to process animal protein.

Very often a person during nervous tension cannot eat meat, but at the same time leans on sweets and starchy foods. In this case, the patient is said to be "stress eating". At a subconscious level, a person experiences an increased need for carbohydrate food. Thus, the body tries to compensate for the lack of protein.

However, during times of stress, it is not recommended to consume large amounts of simple carbohydrates, which are found in sweets and pastries. This will only lead to weight gain. When stressed, it is useful to eat foods rich in complex carbohydrates: vegetables, fruits, cereals, legumes, nuts. This will help restore the body's strength, and over time, the aversion to eating meat will disappear.

Infectious diseases

Often a person cannot eat animal food with infectious diseases. The reason for the aversion to meat is the intoxication of the body with the waste products of microorganisms. In this case, the patient's well-being deteriorates greatly. Infections are often accompanied by high fever, nausea, and vomiting. As a result, a person loses his appetite and feels disgust for heavy meat food.

In such cases, you should not force the patient to eat a piece of meat. With a high temperature and poor he alth, the patient can be fed only light food. It is useful to use weak broths, vegetable and fruit purees, liquid dairy products. Such food compensates for the lack of protein in the body and strengthens the immune system. Rejection of meat food passes after the improvement of the general condition or complete recovery.

Pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract and liver

The cause of aversion to meat is very often diseases of the digestive system. These pathologies always negatively affect a person's appetite. Rejection of meat food is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• nauseous;
• vomit;
• feeling of heaviness and pain in the abdomen;
• heartburn.

Manifestations of gastrointestinal pathologies usually increase after eating heavy meals, including meat. Inflamed digestive organs cannot process such food. The result is abdominal pain and nausea.

The following diseases can become the reason for aversion to meat:

• gastritis;
• ulcerative lesions of the digestive tract;
• cholecystitis;
• pancreatitis;
• cholelithiasis.

Due to pain and other unpleasant sensations, a person begins to avoid eating meat food. However, a vegetarian diet does not cure the underlying disease. In case of pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract and liver, it is necessary to undergo diagnostics and a course of therapy. After the condition improves, the patient can eat dietary meats: chicken, turkey, rabbit. Fatty beef and pork must be completely avoided.

Pregnancy

There are many folk signs associated with an aversion to meat during pregnancy. "Who will be born - a boy or a girl?" - such a question is often asked by expectant mothers who experience nausea from meat food. However, the rejection of animal protein does not indicate the gender of the unborn child. It's just a superstition.

Aversion to meat during pregnancy is usually noted in the first trimester. During this period, a woman's taste preferences change greatly. The patient may have a strong desire to consume certain types of foods (eg, pickles or sweets), and feel a physical dislike for meat. Doctors consider this a variant of the norm.

Thus, the body tells a woman what types of food she needs. Experts advisepatients during pregnancy to follow their taste preferences.

There are times when the expectant mother is sick even from the smell of a meat dish. No need to force yourself to eat food that causes rejection. However, it is important to remember that meat is a source of protein, which is necessary for the development of the fetus. You can not completely deprive your body of this beneficial substance. When giving up meat, it is necessary to compensate for the protein deficiency by eating fish, dairy products, eggs or mushrooms. These foods also contain protein.

Cancer

It is not uncommon for patients to have an aversion to meat in cancer. Why is this happening? Oncological diseases dramatically weaken the body, and it becomes difficult for the digestive system to process heavy meat food. In addition, the patient's appetite is sharply reduced. This condition is most often observed in malignant tumors in the digestive tract.

Aversion to meat in cancer is one of the early signs of pathology. At the same time, other symptoms of the initial stage of the disease are observed:

• drastic weight loss;
• weakness and high fatigue;
• sweating;
• frequent ailments.

If the aversion to meat food is accompanied by a sharp and unreasonable weight loss, then you should immediately consult an oncologist and undergo a diagnosis. This may be an early sign of cancer. It is important to remember that oncological diseases can be completely cured only in the initial stages.

Animal intolerancesquirrel

In what disease is aversion to meat observed from early childhood? This symptom is noted in people with congenital intolerance to animal protein. This pathology is one of the varieties of food allergies.

When you are allergic to meat, the human body rejects the protein albumin contained in the muscles of animals. Meat intolerance is usually hereditary. Hypersensitivity to albumin is often combined with allergies to egg white and animal hair.

After eating meat food, a person with an allergy first experiences dyspeptic symptoms: flatulence, nausea, heartburn. Then there are red spots on the skin and itching. In severe cases, angioedema and anaphylactic shock are observed.

Sick people suffer from beriberi and lack of protein in the body. Many patients are underweight.

If you have a food allergy, you need to take antihistamines. Doctors recommend limiting the consumption of foods with animal protein. However, you should not completely give up meat. To avoid an allergic reaction, it is necessary to properly prepare the product. The meat must be boiled very carefully and for a long time, draining the broth several times. This will help remove allergens.

Doctors advice

How to eat with an aversion to meat? After all, a complete rejection of this product can lead to a deficiency of proteins in the body.

If the rejection of meat food is associated with a disease, then it is necessary to cure the underlying pathology. For malignant tumors and inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, doctorsprescribed special diets with restriction of heavy food.

Meat is not the only source of protein. This product can be replaced by the following types of food:

• legumes;
• chicken or quail eggs;
• dishes of rice and buckwheat;
• mushrooms;
• nuts;
• sesame seeds.

These products contain vegetable proteins, which are no less useful than animal protein. Such food is easier to digest and absorb by the body than meat.

Dairy products also contain protein - casein. With an aversion to meat, it is recommended to use low-fat cottage cheese, yogurt, cheeses, fermented baked milk, kefir. It is also useful to include fish and eggs in the diet. This will help enrich the body with proteins.

Aversion to meat is often accompanied by a complete loss of appetite. This is observed in pregnant women with toxicosis, as well as in patients with infectious and gastric diseases. However, fasting is strictly contraindicated. Refusal to eat will only lead to an even greater weakening of the body. In case of poor appetite and nausea, it is recommended to eat light food, and then gradually introduce dietary meats into the diet in small quantities.