Tried veganism, felt dreadful—anyone else?

[stopgap]

So I was vegetarian for eight years (age 12-20) and vegan for a year (age 29). I’m now 42, and with the climate crisis raging, I’m wondering if I should try again.

BUT

I felt so hopelessly ill as a vegetarian and even more so as a vegan, with constant colds, hair loss etc. I struggle with iron and B12 absorption, and my current regimen of eating meat twice a week plus supplementation does zilch for increasing my ferritin levels, as my periods are extremely heavy, and I’m also autoimmune. Since my brief vegan phase I’ve also been diagnosed celiac, making a vegan diet even trickier.

Anyone conquered similar issues to become a healthy vegan? Or are some people just not suited to eating this way?

I think some people are definitely not suited for organism and I've known many. My own daughter was a vegetarian for 4 years, and after a lot of issues, she went back to eating meat occasionally and feels 100% better.

You need to eat what's right for YOU. You don't need to justify what you eat to anyone.

Organism?! Haha! Sorry!

VEGANISM

Sounds like the strategy of “everything in moderation” is a better fit. Cut down on meat but no need to eliminate it entirely. Buy small amounts of better quality animal products that are ethically and sustainably produced.

I’m vegetarian coeliac. Veganism can be incredibly healthy if done properly but it’s difficult as you need to include lots of beans and pulses etc I personally don’t have the time or energy to plan meals that well.

I do that already @ElleDubloo, only eating beef I buy either from our local farmers’ market or butcher, both of which sell only local and grass-fed produce. I guess I’ll keep doing as I do, and maybe seeing how I go eating red meat only once a week as opposed to twice.

To add, I’m an ex-pat in the US, and have to say, I’m really impressed by all the vegan food on offer in UK supermarkets. It’s here, too, but I’d say that the niche diets are still more along the keto and Paleo lines.

Don't forget about eggs. They are basically a perfect food and so versatile. I have my own gorgeous backyard flock and my family eats some kind of egg dish every day.

I'd say try to do your best.

I eat veggie and my ferritin levels are super healthy even though I used to get anaemic as an omnivore. But I'm too lazy to become a healthy vegan.

Have you considered seeing a professional registered dietician?

I’m thriving as a vegan after 6 years (it actually cured my autoimmune disease within a few months). If you balance your diet and eat a variety of food of all colours you can’t go far wrong. A plant-based nutritionist should be able to suggest things to assist with absorption if it’s something you struggle with. Also remembering you may need to eat more than most people as plant-based foods tend to be lower in calories.

It seems like your health needs are too complex to be trying a food restriction diet tbh

I'm also thriving as a vegan - no deficiencies here. A balanced vegan diet has all the nutrition you need. Quite frankly anyone who manages to end up ill on a vegan diet is definitely not doing it right - just like you can get ill eating a shit meat-based diet. No such thing as not being suited to it, just your willingness to persevere and adapt is required! Depends heavily on why you're vegan I suppose. Anyway, I hope you can continue with it (despite the inevitable onslaught of ignorant meat eater comments that will end up on this thread).

Different ways of eating suit different people. If you felt terrible, then it wasn't for you. Don't feel you "should" - your health comes first.

I think you’re already doing a bit for the environment by not contributing to factory farming. If it’s really going to cause you problems, I would just keep doing what you’re doing and look at other ways to lessen your personal impact on climate change. I’ve been vegan for four years, primarily for health and as I learned more about the environmental impact of meat, it’s helped me stick to it. But honestly, if I had the side effects you’ve described I’d look more towards the diet you’ve described.

It seems like your health needs are too complex to be trying a food restriction diet tbh
Utter rubbish. Like OP I also have an autoimmune condition and yet somehow I'm managing to be in great health, unlike all these other sickly vegans that crop up in convenient anecdotes in threads like these!

Bear in mind that extensive systems - that is, pasture feeding of livestock - are actually doing a pretty good job of locking up carbon in grass and hedges. A lot of land in the UK is not suited to crops (too cold, steep, wet, rocky, infertile etc) and if we're going to use it for food, it's sheep, cattle or game.

Utter rubbish. Like OP I also have an autoimmune condition and yet somehow I'm managing to be in great health

Are you also coeliac? Because I think this is what a previous poster was referring to. Vegan and coeliac is incredibly restrictive.

I agree not everyone is suited to it.

I couldn't even manage being a pescetarian...no periods for the entire time I did it (and I ate healthily)
In pregnancy I always get low iron/low platelets so I'm guessing I'm not very good at absorbing iron?

Right now I've got hyperemisis and can keep 0 fruit down, a few veg if cooked, and only chickpeas from the pulses family. Soy has never agreed with me. So I think I'd make an especially rubbish vegan!

Hmm, I wonder how much of your difficulty before was due to undiagnosed coeliac. How long have you been diagnosed for? I'm coeliac, and was considering going vegetarian just before I was diagnosed, but didn't feel able to manage restricting my diet that much all at once. I'm definitely so much healthier now, and am considering veganism now (5 years later). Are your absorption issues with iron and B12 totally unrelated to coeliac?

I don't think veganism suits everyone. I have autism, and with that comes a lot of sensitivities and aversions to certain foods, I very rarely try new things. I would definitely end up with some sort of deficiency on such a restricted diet and the list of food I will eat isn't particularly long to begin with!

And I have been told that's a 'lame excuse' by vegans, that I'm contributing to climate change, I'm an animal abuser, that anyone can go vegan and be healthy, and that humans are herbivores. Unfortunately my only experiences with vegans have been with awful misanthrope ones!

I tried veganism and got very sick and weak. I carefully researched it, didn't eat processed junk and really sourced my food carefully to ensure I was getting enough iron etc from other foods. However, I felt horrible. I had no energy. ALL i could think about was steak and I don't even like steak - before that I only ate chicken! My body was just craving meat. As soon as I gave in and re-added meat into my diet I felt so much better and stronger and healthier and I looked better too. This is true of a lot of people I know who have gone vegan - most of them feel and certainly look less healthy than before they started. Weirdly the two people I know who have kept it up have got really bloated and don't look well at all, but I'm not sure why.

I don't like the taste of meat, and have been a vegetarian the majority of my life. Having started eating three small portions on meat every week I've never felt better or had more energy. My aim is to have high enough iron levels to come off my prescription of iron (I'm anemic).
Won't be going back to a meat-free diet any time soon.

@stopgap, you are obviously doing it all wrong! I have been a vegan for a few years now. I recently had to have a full health screen and was terrified. Not just because I'm a vegan, but I also probably drink too much vegan wine and eat a bit too much vegan chocolate.

Anyway, I needn't have worried as my test results for everything were absolutely perfect: cholesterol, triglycerides, B6, B12, iron... everything was spot on. Even my liver was in perfect health and the doctor said it was probably because I don't eat animal fat, so therefore don't have a fatty liver.

It's definitely healthy being vegan and so easy to incorporate into a gluten-free diet. Keep going, OP! It will be worth it. Not just for the animals, but for your health, too.

Some people are unable to absorb non haem iron or B12. While eating a vegetarian/vegan diet would be ideal it should be at the expense of their health.

This explains the difference.

It shouldn't be at the expense of their health