Every meat eater I know has health issues, type 2 , heart disease, allergies, asthma and so on. all the veggies I know , and I know loads, seem , on balance, to be healthier.

Exactly. Seems they don't live any longer anyway.

You say that, but I bet you're not truly happy without bacon.

Can't even remember what it tasted like anymore, so yes we can be

I'd certainly ask the GP what you are lacking as I'm sure you can find supplements for what ever it is. If they are uncooperative you may want to change GP, some GP's tend to stick to rigidly to the guidelines without taking in to consideration their patients needs.

If you do decide to start eating fish take it slowly as your digestive system will have got used to a vegetarian diet. So start with white fish (cod, haddock, Pollock etc) once a week, then gradually introduce other fish.

Vitamin D3 deficiency (as i mentioned earlier) is known to cause problems with eyesight. Vitamin D3 is found in oily fish. This is obviously why your GP told you to eat fish. Fish with the highest D3 are salmon and mackerel, tuna and herring do have D3 but about a third of the concentration of salmon and mackerel.

There is a tablet version avaiable i gave details in my earlier post.

thank you

Good luck shmisk, pretty sure all agree you got do what's best for you, hope you have options to make it bit easier now

my mum has macular degeneration and was advised to take lutein supplements which she says have made a difference, because its a hereditary disease i've been advised to start taking lutein as a preventative measure. It is found naturally in spinach and kale but one tablet is equivalent to two salad bowls of spinach!!

Don't know if that helps, i'd definitely have a word with your gp and ask for blood tests to see exactly what you are lacking in your diet so you can make adjustments.

Getting a good gp seems to be a lottery so you have to be pro-active good luck, try not to be too stressed as stress makes you iller!!! hope it goes well smisk

I'd imagine that if the GP has recommended to start eating fish it would be of the oily variety which has specific health benefits.

A problem not only if you are veggie but also if you don't like oily fish.

There are alternatives to get the same nutrients as those fish so I do wonder why the GP didn't take that into consideration rather than asking a veggie to start eating fish/meat or a vegan to start eating dairy/eggs etc.

hes a quite nice GP who always listens to me

I have multiple vitamin and mineral deficiencies - yes probably cause I have an eating disorder - but for ten months I have had really patchy sight. so he did specific vitamin tests and recommended I eat fish again to try to save it.

I had a neuro ophthalmology appointment but its on junior doctors strike day so won't happen.

It does seem odd the GP went straight for fish.

I suggested starting with white fish as the OP had been a vegetarian for so long, the body adapts to a certain diet you can end up quite ill if you suddenly change it. I should perhaps have said that oily fish was the ideal once their body had started to except fish again.

Oh but they do, in the right part of the country. It's surely a sight to behold:

https://youtu.be/gQiaa7XsaVc?t=1m35s