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Going from vegan to non-vegan after 7 years: why?

I went fully vegan when I was about 25, I'm now 31 and a lot has changed since then.


I would say I've grown up, learnt a lot, and been through some hard stuff - there's a huge transition that happens between your 20's and 30's that you can't really anticipate.


In 2015 and onwards (1), veganism started becoming more popular. Mostly people were laughing at and ridiculing vegans (which unfortunately still happens now in 2021). My sole reason for going vegan was for the animals, I didn't consider my own health too much at that point, especially being in my 20's.


With hindsight (and only with hindsight), I feel like I had joined a sort of 'cult' or at least a group that could be very judgemental of any streams of thought that went against veganism. I was a part of facebook vegan groups where vegans would get upset with other vegans for not being vegan enough.


I felt like i was doing the 'right thing', and I honestly thought I'd spend the rest of my life being vegan.


All of this was intertwined with my skin journey, I noticed that being dairy free massively helped my skin. Along with that, I believe that cutting out so much processed meat and dairy was helpful (remember, it's all about the type of meat and dairy you're consuming. A fast food cheeseburger is very different from high quality, local, grass fed beef, as one example).


Now here comes the controversial part that people may not like: depression and other issues started to appear for me.


Was eating a plant based diet that caused depression? I don't think it's fair to say that. But I do believe it played a part. When it comes to brain health, some of the most important micronutrients are choline, B vitamins (especially B12), vitamin D, high quality omega 3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), and amino acids like taurine for example.


Other nutrients that are important are vitamin A1 (preformed vitamin A), calcium, zinc (incredibly important for skin health), and selenium.


These are some of the micronutrients that are much harder to get on a vegan diet.


And, for me, supplementing with vitamin B12 was the worst acne trigger. After speaking to 100's of you, I know that supplementing B12 also caused acne for you too. There's reason behind this (3)


I'm in my 30's now, which means my brain and fertility health is way more important to me than when I was younger.


I think if a plant based diet works well for you, then by all means, keep it up. I wanted to offer my perspective as I know there's other vegetarians and vegans out there that are wanting to bring animal foods back in to their diet, but they feel ashamed about it.


Let's talk about some of the other reasons as to why I left veganism behind:

  • The vegan dogma. The intense belief that all meat, fish and dairy are terrible for health and should be 100% avoided. The belief that everyone else is wrong. Infographics about veganism make their way around social media, and if you're a particularly suggestible person then you start to believe that all animal products are evil and so is anyone who eats them. But as always, there's so much more nuance.

  • The nastiness from some of the community. The judgement that goes on between the vegans themselves, someone eating honey for example means that they should be 'banished' or they're not a real vegan.

  • 'Veganism' is my personality trait. For a while there, I definitely felt like being vegan was a big part of me and I wanted to display that. Looking back, I can see my ego was taking over, and almost wanted to prove that I was the better person because of my diet and lifestyle choices. Even though a persons diet and lifestyle choice doesn't make anyone 'better' or 'worse', there's no hierarchy. We're all humans trying to figure life out.

  • The restrictions. Okay, this needs its own paragraph.


Restriction: the thief of spontaneity and joy! Because I'm gluten free, low sugar and mostly pretty healthy, being vegan was extra hard. Going in to a restaurant and being meat free, fish free, egg free, dairy free, gluten free, no sugar, almost left me no options sometimes other than chips/fries. Which is not healthy, let me tell you. And it can leave you feeling miserable.


Maybe some will call it selfish, but I don't want to be restricted every day. I don't want to miss out on connection with others because there's nothing I can eat. I want to feel better in my body, especially mental (brain) health wise. I want to know that if we do ever have children, that I can make sure my body has all the right nutrients to grow a baby.


At one point in my vegan journey, I stumbled upon raw veganism. They talked about how cooking foods beyond a certain temperature meant that all the nutrients were cooked away. And so, me being a person who likes to go all in, tried eating mostly fruit, salad and some cooked veggies.


That was a low point for me. I went down to 7 stone in weight, and I actually had a bit of a meltdown, but at the time I didn't realise it was because I wasn't eating enough nor eating the right foods.


Continuing on the reasons why I left veganism behind:

  • SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). As many of you know, I've talked about SIBO a number of times as it's something I've experienced as part of my acne journey. Honestly, trying to be vegan and having SIBO is no fun at all. Some of the foods that make the symptoms of SIBO worse and very uncomfortable are chickpeas, beans, and certain high FODMAP foods. Legumes are often a source of protein with the vegan diet. Vegan + SIBO = no fun at all.

  • Fake meat. Vegan spread (margarine). Vegan junk food. At one point I had convinced myself that 'if it's vegan, it's healthy or at least healthier than the real animal version'. But no, this has to be the biggest con of all. Fake meat that's made from chemicals, highly processed soy and inflammatory oils are not healthy.

  • Self trust. People can be very persuasive (online especially) and it can be relatively easy to follow what someone else is doing because they seem so sure of themselves. That's great for them, but it doesn't mean you have to make the same choices they do. Discernment is key. I include myself this this - i do not want my decision to be a reason why others give up veganism - I want you to do your own research and soul searching and make the decision that is uniquely right for your life and your body.

  • Self compassion. Knowing that your health is declining, but still continuing a vegan diet for the animals is a form of self abandonment, surely? I think that some people genuinely are vegan at heart and are meant to be that way, but I do think that an awful lot of people have joined the vegan movement without much thought or much understanding of nutrition and their body.


I think a part of why quitting being vegan is met with so much controversy, hate and attention (4) is because some people have made veganism their identity and won't accept that others haven't done the same. It can be used as a tool to feel superior to others, or a way to show how 'good' of a person you are.


Lastly, being vegan seems to work really well for some people. I often refer to Fully Raw Kristina, who is a raw vegan. She's been talking about and eating raw vegan for over 12+ years, and she does really well eating that way. But me, trying raw veganism in cold, rainy England and it not working well for me helped me learn that: just because one person lives their life successfully in one way, doesn't mean that I will have the same success and that I need to find my own way that works for me.


I respect you and however you choose to eat, which will be different for every individual.


Listening intuitively to my body, the vegan diet is not working for me anymore or at least right now.


I simply don't want to be vegan anymore. Which is enough of a reason in itself.


Finally, I give myself permission to change my mind at any point.


Love, Meg




References and further reading:




3) Supplementing vitamin B12 and its link with Acne https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26109103/


4) The Famous Vegan YouTuber Who Was Viciously Shamed For Being Caught Eating Meat Is Now Defending Herself https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tanyachen/famous-vegan-youtuber-rawvana-speaking-out-defending-herself



6) Intake and adequacy of the vegan diet. A systematic review of the evidence https://evidencebasedhealth.co.uk/diet-nutrition/common-vegan-diet-nutrient-deficiencies/


7) Don’t Give Up Meat for the Planet article by Dave Asprey https://daveasprey.com/environmental-impact-grass-fed-meat/









 
 
 

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