Lived experience is one thing and if it works for you go for it, but as for the studies: there are studies that will justify basically any diet decision you want to make.

If you want to rely on answers from authoritative sources your only logical option is to go with the mainstream consensus which is still that red meat is terrible for you. As soon as you branch off into less mainstream studies you're now in the territory where you could logically justify nearly any health decision based on which studies you decide to cherry pick. At that point you have to ask yourself if you're really basing your decisions on the studies or if you're picking your studies based on your decision.

Again, the science is so sketchy that just doing what works for you makes sense, but it's not a good idea to pretend that you're doing it because of the science.

I was mostly eating vegetables for years, but eventually chronically underweight. At 25 I went to the doctor for severe knee pain, and the doctor told me I just need to eat some god damn food. I went out and gorged myself on korean barbeque. After that I started adding beef, lard, and meat in general to my previously mostly lentils and fried vegetables cooking. I am now no longer underweight and dont experience strange symptoms of deficiency such as the papillae on my tongue dissapearing, and loud painful joints.

> mostly lentils and fried vegetables cooking

FWIW that's not a healthy diet. A vegan diet (assuming you were vegan) needs a lot of variety--carbs/grains, healthy fats, nuts, legumes, etc. You won't meet your daily caloric needs on lentils and vegetables.

I ate yogurt and nuts in the mornings. Breads, lots of potatos. Lots of lentils which are legumes and have about the same protien per dollar and weight as chicken. I also put walnuts, peanuts, lots of other nuts and seeds, oils etc in my cooking. I cooked in bulk in a large pot.

I also ate 5+ bowls a day a day.

I just could not reach my calorie requirements.

I did exercise everyday by going up the nearby mountain. Adding protien powder to my meals helped, but adding meat made it very easy to substantially increase my calorie intake.

> The studies showing red meat is actually good for you, kinda make me believe this

Which studies are those?

There'll be a new one tomorrow saying the opposite, anyways. Food science studies are historically... sketchy.

Often it's one industry or another paying a tame scientist to p-hack their way to a forgone conclusion; https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/13/493739074...

> less low fat vegetarian options

so... you eat less bread and feel better? surprise!