By Sachié Alessio Heath
The subject of vegetarianism is a heated topic in the yoga community. Many people believe it’s a requirement to being a “real” yogi, stating ahimsa (one of the yamas) as proof.
The yamas also talk about celibacy, but I digress… Frankly, I’ve had it with people pontificating on their virtual soapboxes while hiding behind the anonymity of the internet. Does it not strike you as completely hypocritical to caustically berate someone about animal cruelty? A strong tongue lashing is just as harmful, if not more so, than a physical blow. There have been quite a few incidents of suicide linked to verbal violence, but hey, as long as you’re looking after animals, I guess it’s all good.
Ahimsa has to start with ourselves.
The thing is, violence happens in the smallest ways — from harmful thoughts toward ourselves and each other, to injuring ourselves trying to get into a yoga pose, to refraining from eating meat when that’s not what our body needs. Yes, it’s true. Vegetarianism isn’t for everyone, and those of us who happen to have highly acidic constitutions need meat to function properly. Avoiding meat in our diets can lead to debilitated immune systems, fatigue, weight gain, and make us susceptible to injury and other things. I happen to know from experience.
Taking care of our bodies is a way of honoring ourselves. We cannot expect to function at our fullest potential when our physical self falls short of that. ‘Tis why, in an emergency on a plane, we’re supposed to put on our own oxygen masks before helping anyone else.
Last year, after years of battling severe fatigue, I went to Dr. Clara Charny, a naturopath a dear friend recommended to me. One of the first things she asked me to do was keep a food diary. I thought I ate healthfully, but there’s something about putting things on paper that makes me second guess myself sometimes. I was right to worry, as on my next visit, she made a few adjustments: no corn, no soy, no gluten, no dairy, switch to decaf, and buy organic. Woah. And, my “food pairing” was all off. I thought I was doing well, eating a ton of vegetables, but apparently that’s no good if you’re not combining it with a protein. I already ate eggs, some chicken, and fish (pasture-raised and wild, respectively), so I started introducing a version of these proteins into every meal. Dr. Charny also recommended eating red meat, something I constantly craved, but very rarely ate. She stressed the importance of grass-fed, pasture-raised animals, but I felt weird about eating large and gentle animals, so I stuck to avoiding them.
And, though my diet was not the main cause of my fatigue, the changes did in fact greatly improve my energy levels — so much so that I was able to start running after a few short months. But when I got up to three miles, I hit a major wall. I was exhausted and cranky all over again. I took a week off from running, but my energy levels didn’t improve. I was frustrated, to say the least. My naturopath encouraged me, again, to eat red meat — specifically lamb. She reminded me that we all have different constitutions, and some of us need the high levels of iron only red meat provide. She also explained why vegetarians tend to be such sugar fiends — carbs break down as sugar in the body, and when you’re not pairing them with a protein, your body’s sugar levels spike and then dip, causing you to crave more sugar.
Still, I was reluctant.
I decided to get a second opinion from an acupuncturist friend. To my surprise, she confirmed that I should be eating red meat, and recommended that I read about the Blood Type Diet. (I’m an O.) I have to admit, I have a natural aversion to any fad diets, so I wasn’t exactly thrilled to read it, but I was at my wit’s end.
I felt fine about being a pescetarian, but eating land animals made me uneasy, especially after watching Food Inc. I am absolutely against the horrific way animals are treated in slaughterhouses. I did not want to support that. However, when Dr. Charny informed me about a local butcher shop, owned by two former vegetarians, that buy only locally pasture-raised animals, and are all about treating them with the utmost respect, I relented. I was getting tired of being tired.
I started eating beef. I felt better INSTANTLY. I couldn’t believe it – was that really all I was missing?? If so, how do some people seem to thrive on vegetarianism? Dr. Peter D’Adamo (inventer of the Blood Type Diet) believes A blood types are the ones who really thrive on vegetarianism. My naturopath tells me it’s a bit more complicated, and that every body needs different things for different reasons. Regardless, it’s interesting to me that many modalities recommend I eat lamb. I learned that lamb has more iron than beef or buffalo. Perhaps that is why it was so highly regarded in the Bible? I guess it all depends on your belief system. I personally do believe that animals are God’s gift of nutrition. They do nourish other animals in the wild, so maybe they’re meant for human consumption as well.
I asked my acupuncturist, Sharon Skok, to tell me more, from her perspective. She said:
“It has been seen in research studies that a diet primarily consisting of whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds (qualifying as a primarily vegan diet) shows a great reduction in cancer rates and prevention of many other health issues. Yet, when we look at food as medicine with energetic properties, there are many instances when meat consumption may be beneficial to one’s health (when eaten in small or moderate amounts) to balance a system. Animal products are a building (or strengthening) food – we would say that they are high in Qi and Blood to nourish the system. For an individual who has a lot of weakness and deficiency of Qi and Blood (one example: anemia), meat can be beneficial to build up their system to improve health.
Within the system of TCM, a practitioner would look at the different energetic properties of each type of meat when suggesting certain meats for an individual. For example, lamb is considered a warm natured food and therefore would be recommended for certain conditions of weakness that have symptoms that are cold in nature. However, the warming nature of lamb wouldn’t be recommended for someone experiencing night sweats or hot flashes. Pork, a cooler energetic food, would be a better recommendation. In terms of how much meat is enough – a small amount can energetically go a long way – 3 ounces (the size of a deck of cards) is the recommended amount in a meal. In health (and life) we are seeking balance – you just need enough to build and balance; too much and its benefits can be outweighed.”
Hmm. Interesting stuff. I also asked Ayurvedic practitioner James Bailey for his opinion on vegetarianism. He told me about his personal experience:
“After 11 years as a vegan yogi (1986-1997) my body started falling apart. I lost too much weight. I was tired all the time. I couldn’t nap enough, and I was beginning to injure easily in my asana practice. I changed that in 1997 when I started eating eggs. I immediately started feeling better. As a Pitta Vata type, it made sense to change. I am now a light meat-eating organic omnivore following the principles of Ayurveda, and find it balancing. I buy the majority of my food straight from the farmer and feel better than ever.
I have a thriving Ayurveda practice in Pacific Palisades, CA and would like to say that Ayurveda has NO traditional opinion about vegetarianism. Each person is dramatically unique and needs to eat according to their constitutional nature (prakriti). Vata types do better with warm cooked high protein and carb diets, while Kapha types do better with less of these and more light foods. There’s nothing wrong with being veg if it works for you. It’s an individual thing. There are no bad foods in Ayurveda, only appropriate and inappropriate foods for our constitutional nature. Nature is the ultimate and final reality, nothing else.
The system of life here on earth is not of our design or choosing. Life feeds on life. We have two choices in the matter: deny this fact, thus denying the sacrifice of other living beings (whether a living broccoli or halibut) for us to live; or, we honor it, thus honoring the sacrifices of the plants and animals that we feed upon. Our ancestors ate what they could to survive. They were meant to. Thank God they did, or we would not be here to have the luxury of a debate on meat eating.”
I’ll leave you with a few words from the Dalai Lama, certainly an authority on compassion if there ever was one:
“Love, kindness, compassion and tolerance are qualities common to all the great religions, and whether or not we follow any particular religious tradition, the benefits of love and kindness are obvious to anyone.”
The more I get to know my body, the more compassion I have toward myself when making food choices. And, the less judgment I have toward others.
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About Sachie Alessio Heath
Sachie Alessio Heath is a yoga teacher, actress, foodie, and action hero. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Josh, and their two adorable pit bulls, Sasha and Bruiser. She loves learning and sharing knowledge, and also happens to have a preternatural talent for impersonations. Follow her on Twitter and check out her website.
