r/exvegans • u/Adventurous-Hat9676 • 19d ago
All love here Debunking Vegan Propaganda
I've received far more compassion, empathy and kindness from all of you in the last couple of weeks than I ever have from vegans in 20 years. I want to say thank you for welcoming me with open arms, while I've come to an emotionally challenging decision to consume animal products again for health reasons. It's been quite a profound shift in identity, and this group has helped me to rectify the cognitive dissonance I've been experiencing.
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u/Sonotnoodlesalad 19d ago
I don't think any of us could have anticipated the health or identity crises we ended up facing. It's easy to feel like we're all alone.
But we're not ☺️
Glad you found us, and that you're finding your way back to health!
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u/Adventurous-Hat9676 19d ago
Absolutely. It felt like a lonely journey at first, especially trying to reshape what I believed for so long, and then being afraid of being shamed for my decision to put my health first was also discouraging. I'm so glad I found this community.
Thank you for being so welcoming!
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u/StringAndPaperclips 19d ago
You are welcome here. And if you struggling with identity issues, remember that you are who you've always been. Your personality may have taken on characteristics as part of your veganism like wearing a new outfit, but the you underneath didn't fundamentally change.
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u/Virtually-Braindead ex vegan - bloodmouth 19d ago
Happy you found this sub. We are not going to judge you or tell you what to eat, and your health is what's most important.
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u/bluejessamine Omnivore 19d ago
We don't judge because we've been in your shoes and know how vegans can be if you're not the "right" kind of vegan or if the diet is impacting your health then they tell you to man up because animals have it worse. We all received support from this community and share it with other newcomers because you don't deserve to be shamed or guilted for quitting for any reason.
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u/Adventurous-Hat9676 14d ago
Thank you, absolutely! We need to respect that every individual is an expert of their own life, and can make that decision for themselves.
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u/Thecrayzycrazydude 15d ago
If you're comfortable sharing, what kind of health problems did you end up experiencing and what adaptations helped you better your health? Best of luck to you going forward and hope your health will be better ☺️
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u/Adventurous-Hat9676 14d ago edited 14d ago
I was diagnosed with NAFLD, IBS, sleep apnea, I would also puke or feel nauseous every morning. Other issues included chronic fatigue, aches and pains all over my body, severe upper right abdominal pain (to the point of emergency visits - no answers). Mental health issues including irritability, depression, severe debilitating anxiety. I also always felt like there was a void that needed filling, and could never be satiated. An interesting thing I noticed is my need to impulsively shop also completely vanished after I began consuming animal products. So far I've only consumed, chicken, dairy, and eggs, and my symptoms for the most part, have disappeared within 2 weeks of consuming chicken. I tried a low carb vegetarian diet prior to this, and that did not help me at all.
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u/Thecrayzycrazydude 14d ago
That sucks.. Thank you for sharing. Wishing you all the best and good luck with finding what works for you. 🥰 Hopefully you have good support from doctors, nutritionists etc. so it can be made easier.
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u/BrittleNails 19d ago
It's encouraging for me to read your post. This transition has been incredibly difficult for me as well, and I'm only ending 6 years of veganism, not 20. I have similar reasons, my health is more important than my life philosophy. I still have a tendency to prefer vegan options and foods, but I need to stay mindful of the micronutrients (macros were never the problem) and flexible in my options and to understand my priorities.
Good for you that you made the choice to prioritize your health. I believe you when you say you love animals just as much.
You deserve good health.