vegan for 10 years, then quit now back to full vegan

[MysticalShaman]

I was vegan for 10+ years. like turbo vegan.
like shopped in thrift stores and made my own mascara from spirulina and lived a raw vegan lifestyle vegan.

Veg for 2 more before that.

then i moved country, couch surfed ( beggars can't be choosers ) so i started eating whatever i was given. Started eating animal products through them as they food shared.

then got myself set up, have a home, a good job. getting here i just ate the free food i was given at work. then i got an office job and had ate what my partners family ate - as we lived together and they are full carnivores and think veganism is stupid.

during all this time, i stopped all my eco-habits. i didn't recycle. i didn't talk about veganism at all hardly. i just started to life life and enjoy life and all the experiences. and that was cool...

i felt so guilty. and yet i couldn't stop. and my hair was growing for the first time in my life despite taking hair vitamins all my life. ( and someone else told my, hair growth is a sign of spiritual alignment and being on the right path ... when obviously animal protein is obvs playing a big part too )

then after 2 years. one day i came home and my partner had watched those documentaries sea/cowspiracy and he - a person who rejected veganism - and proclaimed he was going to go full vegan.

so i was happy with that. I'd gained weight eating animal products, even though we ate pretty healthily, but my skin was bad. and my tummy and digestion was ****ed even though i drank so much water and ate healthy.

now back full vegan, my skin is clearing up so much nicer.
i do feel a lot better, but i am worried about getting proper nutrition and building muscle tone.
and i also feel "more me".

but i can't help but feel so guilt for all the animal products i used and ate over the last 2 years.

[Guillaume]

I'm not vegan but I stopped eating meat a year ago now. I just feel great!

Eating meat has become useless, I have absolutely no craving at all. My muscle mass decreased a bit, but my strength hasn't, I would even say the opposite.

Most people judge "if you're big, you're strong". Well that's wrong, especially with plant-based diets.

Replace meat with a mix of beans / nuts / cabbage / greens and spices with oil, it will be more tasty, and so much better for the body.

Do it for the planet. Avoid beef above all, it's really bad.

I have one rule to determine if a food is good or not by the way: if you can eat it everyday and not be sick, then it's good. Meat, and red meat especially, is not good ;)

[Guillaume]

Ah, I forgot.

Do sprouted beans / chickpeas, this is excellent, especially in winter when there is no fresh vegetables.

My favorite use these days: fry them in a pan with oil, turmeric and chilly. On top of a green salad with whatever ingredient you like (nuts, paprika, tomatoes, cucumber ...), this is delicious!

[GlitterRose]

Nothing perfect under the sun.

The hair doesn't do well without meat, the skin doesn't do well with it.

I guess you just find what works best for you.

I actually admire people who have the discipline to go full vegan, but I know I don't. I just love cheese too much.

I wouldn't mind not having the meat, but the cheese...I would cave and have cheese. There's no way.

[Native spirit]

I have one son Who wants meat every meal i have another son who is Vegetarian i rarely eat meat and neither do my daughters.
I could go without meat easily ,



Namaste

[Altair]

Yes, find out what works best for you. But overall, animal products are good for our brain, organs, bones, skin etc. It is much harder to get your requirements from plant products. The protein in animal food is easier to get (no need for combining heavy carb meals to also get protein). Then there is of course B12, D, zinc, calcium, cholesterol and iron. Vegan kids are known to break their bones with greater ease ((lack of calcium)). Young women can lose period when going vegan for years. It's not a rare phenomenon. Depression is also commonly cited among ex-vegans ((lack of cholesterol?)). Cholesterol is necessary for the brain, and iron from meat is superior to iron from plants. B12 is also essential, whilst calcium keeps the bones strong.

The initial ''joy'' people are describing is something that returns in every new diet (or indeed, every new thing people do, that they feel strong about). This is mental euphoria, you feel the same when you go on a new (spiritual) path. You feel your ego is in control. That feeling fades away again after a while, but over time (years, sometimes decades) the body will respond to the lack of something and then it might be too late. Not here to scaremonger, but if you don't eat any animal food than it's worthwhile to be careful and indeed over-examine every little meal you buy or prepare. ''I can continue to live, as a vegan.'' =/= ''I can thrive, as a vegan.''

[Guillaume]

I do a lot of sports, so I see easily and fast if some food are good for my body, just with the energy / pains / recovery time.
And eating no meat is absolutely safe (I still eat a bit of fish and eggs).
It took me time to find the right replacements, I stopped then went back, then stopped again, that's not straightforward.

That doesn't mean everyone should do it. But if people eat meat arguing that's necessary for them, then they are wrong.
If it's for pleasure, okay. But maybe eating less of it would be good both for their body and the planet.

Vegan steaks already exist, I don't know how they taste and if they fully replace meat yet, but I'm quite sure that it's the near future.

[Altair]

Originally Posted by Guillaume

But if people eat meat arguing that's necessary for them, then they are wrong.

Everyone can figure it out for themselves. What is known is that humans evolved as meat eaters. We weren't cow herders and grain eaters from day one, go back a few thousand years and such is only done in specific places and is not the norm. It's no surprise allergies to dairy and grains are the most heard of allergies. Hardly anyone is allergic to meat, fish, eggs, or berries. Diets that don't include meat or fish are very young on the time scale of human history.

It's about what is necessary for good health. Sure, everyone could live as a vegan but it would be far from optimal.

By the way, if you eat fish and eggs than you're hardly in a place to make a case for veganism being optimal for health. You still speak from a place of eating animal foods and getting the benefit of B12 and D vitamins and cholesterol. Let me tell you one thing I learned: having sympathy for vegans whilst not being one yourself means you are still their enemy.

[GlitterRose]

I think the best thing is listening to what your body is telling you is best for it, and then trying to practice moderation.

[Guillaume]

Originally Posted by Altair

Let me tell you one thing I learned: having sympathy for vegans whilst not being one yourself means you are still their enemy.

Hey, have you meditated yesterday?!
This is a typical thought that has no meaning (I have those sometimes).
Most vegans were meat eaters before, probably most of them tried the diet, switched to another one, went back to it etc etc

Basically you crafted an enemy (or duality) in your mind that doesn't exist in reality!