Mar 29, 20227 min read

WHY I AM NOT 100% VEGAN (but do include some animal products)

Updated: Mar 30, 2022

WHY I AM NOT 100% VEGAN (but do include some animal products)

I want to open up or actually hope to not give the wrong impression, since I do post mostly vegan recipes, I am not 100% vegan myself. First of all, please don't start hating me. 🥺. I know this whole veganism is a very controversial topic and definitely worth some attention.

So let me start with my main reason:

(Gut) Health

I have been dealing with gut problems since the age of 14 and have experienced horrible IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), which is a chronic intestinal issue that is super general. Due to that, I had to remove quite some foods out of my diet as my intestines were NOT in a good position at all. During the years I had a couple of viruses as well (I almost died before turning 20 🥺on the 31st of December in Spain, luckily an ambulance came just in time to pick me up before I fainted) as my body was severely dehydrated to (by that time) 2nd big virus infection of my life. This caused massive damage to my system and to this day, I have to be extremely careful with what I eat. That is why I think it is SO EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you know, WHAT & WHY you eat the way you eat. I've been diagnosed with lactose intolerance so dairy is something I don't really eat.

Gut health is SO IMPORTANT. Like the gut affects literally EVERYTHING in your body. Have you heard of the gut brain connection? Well, it's extreme I tell you! Your gut and your brain are extremely intertwined and therefore affect each other on a massive scale (if you want me to go deeper onto this, let me know). Anyways, since I avoid almost all beans, legumes, no gluten, no union, no garlic, no cauliflower and mostly eat a low FODMAP diet, it is hard to be vegan and have a variety of foods in my diet.

The biggest problem is that supplements DO NOT WORK FOR ME😪. My body simply doesn't absorb the nutrients in any way, so to prevent hospitalisation, I have to include animal protein to keep my B12 levels, vitamin D and other essential minerals & vitamins up.

Remember: EVERY BODY IS DIFFERENT. NO DIET FITS ALL. YOU DO YOU.

I ate vegan for 3 years, which deplemented many resources in my body, and I think it is AMAZING that there are SO MANY vegan alternatives now! And I really like to encourage people to eat less animal protein, and more plantbased. BUT. A mainly plantbased diet, doesn't mean PLANT-EXCLUSIVE for me in this case.

I really suffered from extreme bloating, NO period, and couldn't sleep sometimes because my belly was so extremely painful 😪.. Furthermore I always felt from the moment that I woke up as if I had RUN A MARATHON 😔. My muscles really hurt all the time and that is why even the sports doctor told me to include animal protein to help my muscles recover. In the beginning I didn't believe them, but now I can only say that, that was the only thing that helped me to heal this. Again, YOUR SITUATION is DIFFERENT. This is just my story and of course I continue to eat about 90-95% plants but not 100%.

Maybe one day, I'll eat entirely vegan again. I don't know. But at this moment, the answer is no. So therefore, from now on, I'll also share some recipes which are not entirely vegan, but ALWAYS WITH A VEGAN OPTION.

I will for sure keep promoting a plant-based lifestyle and giving alternatives, but for me right now going completely vegan is NOT an option... 🥺❤️. I hope you can understand that.

I have made an entire video about this as well on my Youtube a year ago, so feel free to watch that (sorry bit old) video of me.

Long term consequences

On a vegan diet, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to take your supplements, otherwise you will lack so many essential nutrients. At this moment we do NOT KNOW what the long term consequences would be. Also what's natural about supplements? This is MY OPINION. But I think that supplements are EVERYTHING BUT NATURAL. Capsules cannot be made at home, and all those fillers and stuff they add to that, do you know what happens in your body with that? I don't. Does that mean that supplements are bad? No of course not! But I think that, as the name suggests, it is a SUPPLEMENT to your diet. Not a replacement. You can kill me for this, as I'm sure I will get hate for this post. But this is just my opinion and I like to stay to nature as close as possible. Since every body responds differently. What works for you might not work for me. I think that is very important to mention! As my body just doesn't absorb any supplements unless a needle is being stuck into my arm 🥺. As with everything: CHOICE IS YOURS.

2. Sustainability

Restrictive eating is another one of them. As I have a background of anorexia from I was 13-21, I think it is super important to include a wide variety of foods in my diet. Falling back into old habits and behaviours is easy, and diet culture keeps pressuring is. I think the vegan diet is just too restrictive, definitely for people recovering from an eating disorder or any diet in general. But this is my opinion.

Due to my restrictive diet (which I'm slowly expanding, but have to do it at a very slow pace), eating out is a nightmare for me. A diet that is sustainable in the long run is important as well, as friends, family and so much more holidays do revolve around food. I don't want to just to be able to eat lettuce and cucumber, which was often the case.

Balance is another one, including a good balance of nutritious but also some Oreos is very important ;) (I know they are vegan haha ;)

3. Omega-3 fats

I know I will get hate for this, but I want to mention it anyways, since Science has my back. Your body doesn't absorb the Omega-3 fatty acids from plant sources as good as animal. You have to eat a lot more walnuts to get the same benefits as from eating a piece of Salmon.

Not All Omega-3s Are Created Equal

There are two main sources of omega-3s: marine-based and plant-based. Marine sources include cold-water fatty fish (e.g., anchovies, sardines, salmon, mackerel) which provide omega-3s directly in the form of EPA and DHA.

Plant-based sources such as flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp, and walnuts, contain omega-3s in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA must be converted by the body into EPA and DHA through a complex series of metabolic reactions.

The Human Body Is Extremely Limited In Its Ability To Convert ALA To EPA And DHA

The conversion rate of ALA to EPA and DHA is extremely low—5% for EPA and 0.5% for DHA (5). A number of factors contribute to ALA’s low conversion rate:

A high intake of omega-6 fatty acids relative to omega-3s creates competition for enzymes needed to convert ALA into EPA, specifically delta-6-desaturase (D6D) (3, 6).
If an individual is deficient in vitamins and minerals that act as cofactors for D6D (such as B6 and zinc), this can also inhibit the conversion of ALA into EPA (7, 8).
In addition, approximately 25% of the population has a genetic variant that reduces the activity of D6D, which in turn reduces the synthesis of EPA and DHA (9).
On top of all of these factors, premature infants, hypertensive adults, and some diabetics are even more limited in their ability to make EPA and DHA from ALA (6).

Let’s put this into perspective, shall we? In order to obtain 1,000 mg of EPA and DHA, you would need to consume about 10 ounces (a little over half a pound!) of flax or chia seeds—a hard task to meet on a daily basis. While flax and chia seeds are healthful and provide important nutrients like fibre and magnesium, they are not efficient sources of EPA and DHA.

YOU NEED TO EAT ALMOST 250G OF FLAX OR CHIA on a DAILY BASIS! And they are not even efficient sources.

In addition, here are some more reasons WHY OMEGA 3 is so beneficial:

Fight depression and anxiety (so if you suffer from that, up your Omega-3 intake)
Can improve eye-health
Can promote brain health during pregnancy and early life
Can improve risk factors for heart disease
Fight inflammation
Fight autoimmune diseases
Improve mental disorders
Improve bone & joint health

So definitely regardless whether you are vegan or not, include THESE OMEGA-3 FATS INTO YOUR DIET! WHETHER THAT IT ON THE BASIS of supplements or real foods. The choice is up to you. Just remember that, YOU ONLY HAVE ONE BODY.

So let me know, what is your thought on veganism? Again this is NOT a promotion of eating tons tons of animal protein, this is just my experience & my reason why I do not eat 100% plant-based, but do include a few animal protein sources in my diet. Please stop judging people for these things, because every body's situation is different. I think it's important to keep yourself healthy first, otherwise your contribution to this planet will not really work... 💚