brimstoneSalad wrote:EmperorPalpatine wrote:Because meat contains L-Carnitine, it downregulates our body's own production of the nutrient, causing intensified cravings.
That seems very likely. Has any research been done on this? If you have a link, I'd love to read it.
It would be a good explanation for why meat is so addictive, if there's actually a substance dependency going on there.
Some people have more trouble quitting meat than smoking. But if a supplement would take care of it, that would be brilliant.
Yes, just a mere examination of an old medical review on L-Carnitine gave me all I need
"Therefore, the renal clearance of L-carnitine increases after exogenous administration, approaching GFR after high intravenous doses. Patients with primary carnitine deficiency display alterations in the renal handling of L-carnitine and/or the transport of the compound into muscle tissue. ".
The problem here is that it's not a smoking gun causation for our paleo friends who "Need some animal protein." Not only can social factors play a role in subconscious urges to consume meat, but the macronutrients composition is also a factor, I recommend watching Michael Klapper's talk "Are Vegans Failed Addicts?" Which you can find on VegSource, and Neal Bernard's slightly longer talk "Chocolate, sugar, and cheese, physically addicted?" Which you can see here :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VWi6dXCT7I
The problem here is that there are so many factors,chocolate for instance, is highly calorically dense, which already stimulates dopamine and seratonin production in the brain as a survival instinct, however, it also contains theobromine(The subtance that makes cocoa powder poisonous for dogs to consume), caffeine, and phenylethylamine, a monoamine alkaloid stimulant. The dairy component is also an issue, possibly larger than the meat and chocolate issue.
Dairy is designed for a calf, and to make sure that a young calf continues to come back to its mother for milk, along with natural psychological instinct possessed by the cow, the milk also contains Casomorphins. Casomorphins are peptides, and as you can tell by the name, they are cousins of morphine if you will. Granted, you will not get stoned from drinking 15 gallons of milk, because you'll die from hydrotoxicity first, and the compounds do not behave identically. However these chemicals are partially responsible for a calf's enjoyment of milk, although clinical dose studies have not passed an ethics board for human testing. Possibly from dairy industry interference, although I don't have my tin hat with me, so that's not a claim I plan on making.
The general reason we crave meat is conditioning, someone who has never eaten meat in their life will not crave it, likewise someone who has always eaten it will. The solution sadly isn't L-carnitine supplementation, because it's not reliable, and excess L-carnitine has been shown to have adverse cardiac effects. The general solution is to eat vegan foods when having a craving. Perhaps devise a plan to have a bowl of oatmeal every time you want a steak, or maybe a hummus wrap every time you want a piece of cheese, some grapes whenever you want some pork, etc. etc. The best way to satisfy cravings is to eat!