Wasn’t using it as an excuse. After 6 months I was weak, tired, and depressed, plus not sleeping well. I don’t eat processed foods, and didn’t eat any then, and my body had a very difficult time absorbing the nutrients I needed to feel good. Acceptable lowest level of vitamin D is 30…deficient at 20. I was 16. In AUGUST. I also was low in calcium and suffered a fracture. have a garden where I grow much of what we eat, and am outside all the time. After taking a prescription vitamin for a few months, I began adding in a small amount of meat and dairy into my diet. I sleep well, am alert, and my blood levels are at a normal range. I don’t see how that can be an excuse. It’s just the truth. I don’t know how I could “do it right.” It was definitely not right for me, and not worth my health to keep experimenting with different things to see if it worked. I eat about 80% plants, all whole & unprocessed, or made from scratch like breads, and about 20% animal products. A typical family dinner has 3 vegetable dishes and one meat dish. Far cry from 100 steaks and bbq.
Did you take many vitamins or supplements? Being vegan and maintaining good health can be really really hard for some people, I struggled initially because of an iron deficiency, but have since improved my diet.
I believe strongly that it is possible for anyone to be healthy on a fully plantbased diet, because when you break it down it makes sense- the vitamins and proteins are fed to the animals, the meat contains the nutrients and protein, and you eat the meat- it generally comes second hand from the animal.
But the sad reality is that a lot of people dont know what to eat, or where to get the supplements or how to prepare it, or they may not have enough access to the foods- all while still making an enjoyable meal that leaves you feeling sayisfied. But I assure you, and all the other folks on this thread, it is possible.
The first time I went vegan was for... a year, I think. I didn't eat properly during that time and had bad health. I had bad health even before going vegan- with a history of passing out and throwing up randomly.
I just went out and had some dairy-- then started eating meat again. I enjoyed it, it felt so weird at first to eat those things again- but I so enjoyed it.
And then I gave up certain things, like pig meat, because I knew how intelligent those animals are and I loved them- and felt like a hypocrite. I was a hypocrite- so I gave it up. And then gradually after another year I cut out more products. Until I decided one day to just stop, and I did.
Haven't touched meat or dairy in a year.
I don't even eat my ducks eggs because I feel they deserve to get to enjoy them themselves, and its kind of gross to me to eat anyway.
I was unhealthy for my first months back being vegan, but the last few months have been better than ever. Healthier than when I ate meat, healthier than when I was an ignorant vegan-
I feel better now, and happy that I can help the planet and animals. Meat poses a lot of risks, from high cholesterol to cancer, and 60% of people cant even properly digest dairy. I will never see that as a healthy diet despite how it is farmed.
I think a lot of people forget than veganism isn't just a diet, its a whole lifestyle, where we avoid testing products on animals, or wearing fur, etc etc.
I'm really proud to stand for that, but I don't look down on other people who dont stand for it- yet. It took me most of my life to realise being vegan mattered. I was raised on all kinds of meat, with feather filled cushions (80% of feather filled products come from china where live plucking is still practiced), and using shampoo that was tested on lab animals- and I live to regret that. I can't judge others for doing the same things I did.
Edit: sorry this turned into quite the vegan ramble
