Why I’m Transitioning Away from Veganism…

Jordan, I am so thankful for your transparency and openness about this topic! I love your blog, and have recently been reading some of your posts pertaining to yoga (something I have just gotten into). I just pre-ordered your book on Amazon, and am really looking forward to reading more about your story. Please don't let hateful people and their ignorant remarks get to you.. you seem to be a wonderful person, who is only trying to better themselves (isn't that what we are all trying to do??). Thank you for all that you do for the wellness community, and for being an inspiration to a fellow 20 something blonde :) Xoxox -Emily

I've never been a vegan and eat animal products every day. I'm physically fit and almost never ill. I've never judged people for what they're eating and I do not try to convince them to copy my lifestyle. When someone navigates away from certain eating habits, I respect their arguments. I have never needed supplements, nor B12 injections. Maybe I'm just a freak of nature.

Jordan, I want to thank you for writing this piece from your heart and your own experience. I appreciate you sharing and being honest about what you went through. I noticed last year, as I was following a hard-core vegan diet and training for a marathon that my sugar cravings started to get out of control. I probably wasn't adding the healthy fats I needed, but still wonder if following this way of eating threw my whole hormonal system and body out of whack. Needless to say, I have started again down the path of eating mostly plant-based and am finding again, at times, a real craving for sugar. What I am realizing is that I need to give myself the flexibility to allow some animal products in my diet. As you mentioned, to listen to my body. (and be in prayer about how the Lord would want me to eat) Thank you again for sharing your perspective-it will help many who might be struggling with the same types of "tug-of-war" mentality. Sincerely, Wendy.

Found this on google while looking into some of my own problems I've run into after going vegan. And I honestly find this shocking. To me, it's as simple as this: We have no right to eat other animals, and as long as you do so I don't understand how you could say that you "love animals", and continue eating them. This is coming from someone who has run into a couple of issues after going vegan. I've had to spend most of the summer at home arguing with my parents who are trying to convince me to at least start eating eggs or dairy again, visiting doctors once a week and trying various supplements and medications. Someone way up there ^ somewhere said that you were weak and an idiot. I cannot make a statement about your intellect, but you do not seem stupid. However, I have to agree that you are indeed weak. If you truly believe in a cause, you will fight for it, and not simply abandon it when it becomes uncomfortable. Still, trying to eat "ethical" (quotation marks for obvious reasons) animal products is better than just stuffing your face full of McDonalds, so you've still got that. Anyway: I hope you'll see the error in your ways. Once you do, I wish you a happy, healthy and animal-friendly life.

Jordan, I'm one of many to thank you for this post, and I wish I could express how much it means to me to know that someone out there has struggled with this challenge. Sometimes the pressure to fit under "Vegan" can feel so overwhelming and can cause us to ignore what our body really wants because a diet consisting purely of fruits and vegetables seems like it should be perfect, but that isn't always the case. I could go on and on, but I just want to thank you again and let you know that I appreciate you sharing this with us. You are so strong and confident, and I can't wait to see more of your inspiration :) Love love love, Haley www.hungryhaley.com @hungryhaley

Jordan and Huntress, Your efforts, honesty, courage and authenticity are beautiful. The secrecies and shamings are components of Oppression's Accusers. I also struggled with the vegan diet. I support those who can do so in health. I also feel that blood type may have something to do with this. Some blood types do better on vegetarian diets, others are more traditionally hunter gatherers. Are lions or wolves less noble creatures than deer ? In heaven's eyes, in my view, we are all part of the cycle of life. Does a flower cry when it is dying ? I don't know but all life seeks to live. Yet death becomes us all. After struggling with Uranium poisoning, I ventured to many spiritual and nutritional actions to find healing and service to a better world. Veganism was something my heart truly adored. Being loving is beautiful. Yet this life love takes many forms. After years on a rigid vegan diet, my head pain, for which I am regularly hospitalized became far worse and my body wanted / needed to change. It was difficult to even eat the first eggs on day 5 of debilitating head pain, my body wanted to eat eggs and doing so helped the pain almost immediately. Life is complex. Nature is complex. We should all strive to do the best we can. Bullies will never be noble, no matter what is on their plate. Live, learn, be free. Love and nature are full of beautiful and terrifying scenes. Blessedly. Thank you. vsnow153

Dear Jordan, Your post really reinforces one more reason as to why I should stay on a compassion path, and always stick to it. It's people like you that reminds me again, and again as to why I will always remain whole heartedly to veganism, which is not all about a diet lifestyle. So thanks for the reminder!

Hello, I really needed to read this at this moment. I am so glad I came across your page. I have an, as you call it, "all or nothing" personality, like you. I have always been a healthy person, rarely getting colds, flus, infections, etc., and have always been moderately active in my life through sports, and exercising. In 2012, I began working out with a trainer very intensely, and focused on competing in a body building competition. I loved the control I had over the way my body looked and I loved the routine that was involved with the diet/exercise regimen. 12 weeks out of the competition, I was so exhausted and plagued with headaches. I got every cold that I was exposed to and had never-ending congestion. I don't believe anything my trainer (who was a national competing athlete) was instructing me to do was harmful or detrimental to my health - I was never under fed, most days I was eating close to 2,300 calories. My metabolism was at a super speed, but I felt horrible. At 22 years old, I developed infectious mononucleosis (mono), which is uncommon for anyone past the middle school years. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I developed hepatitis that caused me to have jaundice, crazy liver enzyme numbers, a full body rash, uncontrollable nausea, swollen hands/feet/face, EXTREME fatigue (I slept anywhere between 14-18 hrs a day, and could only stand long enough to shower and have my sister blow dry my hair), I was so "grey" that I couldn't look at myself in the mirror - I looked dead. Needless to say, I had to withdraw from the competition (I was hospitalized on and off for 7 months). I was devastated watching my muscles and strength waste away. When I was finally cleared to exercise again, I couldn't bring myself to get to the gym for months. When I finally did, I had to excuse myself from my trainer to bawl my eyes out in the bathroom. Through lots of reading and research, I realized I was actually recovering from many eating disorder tendencies that were not healthy to my mind, spirit and body. After fully recovering a few years ago, I recently decided to "go vegan". I started cold turkey. Today, after reading this I have realized that I am again restricting my body to labels that my body doesn't want. I am missing out on family/friend socialization, because it is too hard to order "vegan" at a restaurant, or tell a host that "i'll just eat the rice and veggies". One thing that I love love love eating is eggs - my body loves them as well. I think I am going to start incorporating them again, as well as fish (caught by my partner in the ocean). I realize this is an old post, please keep it up. You may have saved me from yet another plummet into depressive, obsessive eating. Thank you.

Jordan, I am so glad I read this. I have been reading so much about veganism lately and have been toying with the thought. I am on the verge of transition but definitely need to be as educated as possible. I was glad to read your 'ditch the labels' because so much of what everyone is all about is labels! Being obsessed and attached and religious about these health diets and ways of life may be great but at the end of the day, its still a brand that we want to be associated with. We are all so different, it would be so silly to promote this as the only way. But it is certainly a good option, as long as you're watching and listening to your body. Thank you for sharing this experience without bashing veganism or being pushy. I am excited to start my journey with as much body understanding as possible!

People who have been vegan for a long time (years) experience many drawbacks, like their hair starts to fall out. Mine did, until I was almost bold (almost... well, I am a girl, after all). I was vegetarian and then vegan for many years for ethical reasons. Now I allow myself fish whenever I want, or whenever I notice that my hair is falling out. The day I have fish, the next day no more hair fall out, folks. People who blame others for not being vegan, in many cases, have not been doing it for years, like some of us. I've been a vegetarian and vegan for more than 15 years, including doing the raw food diet. For some of us it takes a long time for the body to be depleted of B12 and maybe other nutrients science have not yet discovered. I agree with the blogger, than it is crucial to listen to our bodies. I find that the best staple diet for my body is some fruits in the morning and raw foods during the day, some raw and cooked veggies and sprouted green lentils. I rarely eat grains, because they blow me up, but lentils seem fine, especially the soaked and sprouted ones (cooked of course). And whenever my mind starts picturing fish, I eat it. And it is not every day. I ate one yesterday. The last time before that was 3 months ago (or maybe more, I forgot). I started adding more nuts and seeds to my diet and it feels right as well. I don't crave meat, so I don't eat it. Listen to your body, people, not to experts out there. Trust that your body knows what it needs. As long as it is whole foods, it is probably good for you. If you are craving and oreo cookie icecream, a cheeseburger or whatever, then maybe it is just and addiction. Clean and simple dishes are the best. Hope it may help others out there. Dharia.

I applaud your courage to do what you think is right and to stand up for yourself. I hold no judgment to you personally. I only hold judgement to actions I believe are wrong and offer my opinion. As I've tried to convey in the past to my son and others, "it's not you I'm displeased with it is your actions and the unfortunate consequences "someone else" has to deal with behind your actions that disappoint me" I do not believe that anyone's life is better or more worthy than any other's. I hold myself to a high standard and refuse to take part in speciesism or racism and I personally don't take pharmaceuticals, over the counter drugs or any type of medicine until they stop animal testing. I use cruelty free products and I refuse to eat flesh or anything animal based because of the cruelty and exploitation involved in the manufacturing of such products. If you "happen" to have a special need and you are miraculously and abnormally one of the few out of "Billions" who have NOT evolved past the necessity for animal protein or animal cholesterol and unlike them find it to be healthy, then I think the humane thing to do, although I believe that murder is wrong, would be to go out and get it yourself, clean it yourself, cook it and eat it. I judge the action of participating in the cruelty known as factory farming and mass production, I don't judge you for wanting to eat it. After all, it taste good, I know I used to eat it.... I say bypass the cruelty of farming and go straight to the source and get it yourself so that no one has to suffer for that flesh on your plate... Don't make someone else do it for you. If you can do what it takes to get it yourself like the animals of the wild instead of cruelly participating in the housing of the innocent for murder and enslavement then you deserve to eat it, no matter how bad it is for you. I'm nutritionist and a recipe conversion expert and I know nobody needs this in their diet. It is a mass brainwashing done from the time we can understand and it continues until we die... Read "the China Study" or anything by Dr. McDougal, watch "Spesiesism" "Earthlings" or "Cowsperacy" In my past, before veganism, I had an eating disorder also and that issue can be separated from the cruelty free path you left, they are totally separate issues. I wish nothing but the best for you and don't missunderstand me I understand your struggle, we all have to find our path. Namaste

I am sorry you have gone through an ED, I have had one myself (along with depression, anxiety disorder and borderline personality disorder) so I know it's a nightmare. However, I still hope that you can go back to veganism someday and do it for the right reasons --the ethical reasons. PS, It still bothers me though that you keep using the word "vegan" when really you just mean a "plant-based diet". You probably know the difference but it seems to be confusing other people who don't know anything about veganism and its lifestyle. Take care!! And stay strong! You are stronger than the ED!! Xxx

I highly doubt you were going to go vegan and changed your mind because you dislike some vegans. If you truly cared about the animals you wouldn't give a damn .

I appreciate the honesty and love your drive for healthy living and animal rights. For me personally, I am feeding my family a vegetarian diet with veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains and eggs from our beloved pet chickens. If I didn't raise chickens and couldn't find someone I trusted to supply them to me, I'd go without. I don't like the idea of killing or abusing animals for our benefit. But I totally understand that EVERYONE is different. I recently learned that certain blood types handle vegetarianism well (like me with an A type) and those with the O type cannot handle it as well. We all do what we can do make a positive impact on the world while supporting the needs of our body. Thanks for sharing your story.

Jordan, People should eat whatever they want to eat. I eat a vegetarian diet. Have been for more than 30 years. A vegetarian diet consists of only plant products. Vegan is not a diet. It is a life choice. A Vegan eats a vegetarian diet and does not use animal products in their life and does not intentionally harm animals in living their life. A person who eats eggs and only plant products otherwise is not a vegetarian, but is a ovo-vegetarian, a partial vegetarian. A person who eats milk products and only plant products otherwise is a lacto-vegetarian, also a partial vegetarian. Same for an ovo-lacto-vegetarian. I applaud people who advocate vegan life choices. To denigrate others who don't is misguided. Denigrating people who don't share your wisdom is not the act of a person possessing wisdom. Share your wisdom in a way that makes sense to them. Either they accept it or they don't. People make their own choices. Give them space to be and your wisdom may take seed and grow within them. Jordan, if your vegetarian diet left you with the symptoms you described, then you were not eating the right things. Read "Diet for a Small Planet." You need to balance what you eat so you get all the essential amino acids to produce protein in your body, such as beans (legumes) and grains (rice, etc.). Combined, they provide a complete set of amino acids for your body to produce the protein you need. Quinoa is a grain from South America with about 16% balanced protein by itself. If you don't balance your vegetarian diet properly, your body will fall apart and die, like yours began to. If you don't eat enough calories, you will starve yourself and loose your period and die. Of course you also need a good source of vitamin B12 and all the other vitamins, as others have mentioned. There are plant sources, as others have also mentioned. I take a vitamin supplement that contains all the necessary vitamins from unprocessed plant sources. You can find sources on the net. It took me about 8 years to become a vegetarian. I discovered the possibility from a friend. I just paid attention to how I felt when I ate beef. I noticed I didn't feel so great and the more I paid attention, the less I ate. A Burger King Wopper was the last beef I ate over 40 years ago. The rest was a gradual progression. Next to go was poultry, then fish, then eggs, and finally dairy products. Ice cream was the last to go. I'm still working on chips. That's a hard one for me. Feel better when I don't eat them, But from time to time I get the hankering for some potato chips, or corn chips, especially Rosemary potato chips. Maybe in a decade or two, I won't want to eat potato chips. Or not. I'm an advocate of gradual diet change. Don't shock you body. Give it a chance to get used to small changes. Pay attention to how you feel after you eat something. Make sure to balance the vegetarian portion of your meals. Pay attention and you might see yourself making healthier choices. For your body and for the planet. Chris P.

While I want to respect your decision, the fact remains that you placed a lot of restrictions upon yourself, and while you are the victim of that, you are also the perpetrator. I don't believe the fault remains with you refusing to eat animals and living plant based. I respect you for listening to your body, but I think you misheard it. Veganism CAN work if you truly let it. A lot of this post felt like a giant ramble. I hope you can find it in yourself again to be healthy and animal cruelty free.

I love your vulnerability in your post. Thank you. I am upset at the connection you have made between veganism and your eating disorder. While you do attempt to make it clear that a person can be a balanced vegan, your entire article makes it sound like your eating disorder had something to do with veganism. You could have been something else and still had that eating disorder. I'm disappointed that veganism gets thrown under the bus. Thanks for sharing your journey so authentically.

Amen

I respect your honesty. On my part, I honestly feel, your blog is not about veganism. For your blog is not really about why you are transitioning away from veganism. In essence, your blog is more about why you are transitioning away from a very restricted diet. They are, really, two different things. ;-) Perhaps veganism for you triggered an urge already existing within yourself to be very restrictive with food. But I don't think it is really fair towards the image of veganism to link it to that, as I think it is more a personality issue (not meaning that in a negative way!). Just like with any diet - vegan, vegetarian or meat-based - there is simply a healthy and non-healthy way of doing it. And when laying unnecessary restrictions upon yourself, possibily causing a lack of fats, carbo hydrates, vitamines etc. - your body will - in all those cases - eventually start not to feel good. And, in all those cases, it is good to listed to it. Many people, when they think of vegan, indeed think of smoothies for breakfast and roasted veggies and quinoa for dinner. You might be surprised, but I think I have had 4 smoothies in my entire life, and perhaps may have tried quinoa twice, in a restaurant. This 'odd' ;) vegan simply eats sandwiches for breakfast and lunch as well as variety of pasta's, rice, pancakes or potatoes with vegetables with all sorts of meat alternatives for dinner. And (perhaps less healty ;-)) I still treat myself on all sorts of candy, potato chips and other sancks. To be honest, I rarely eat fruit. Perhaps one a week. This, of course, is not healthy. But it is, obviously, not a restriction I can 'blame' on my veganism. Just to give an example. :)In your situation, you could have still eaten gluten, flour, sugar, sauces and dressings and so on. That you didn't, had nothing to do with veganism, but more with your own choices aside from that. So I think a title a better chosen title would have been: "Why I am transitioning away from a very restrictive diet". :) This also seems more fair to vegansim. :)

Congratulations on finding your new "brand," Jordan! You were afraid of sharing this post because you didn't know how this would impact your old brand. You clearly figured it out - Breaking Vegan! I hope you make a million bucks and get front row seats at the next TedTalk! I have great respect for vegans because they are helping move forward our collective consciousness surrounding food and where we get our food from. Yes - some are vegangelical - but that's only because they've raised their level of consciousness and can't believe we can't see and feel what is so obvious to so many. I myself am a vegetarian, but that really doesn't matter. What matters is we have many brave souls who are raising our consciousness around the suffering of animals and how we get our food. I know a vegan could say it better. Jordan, you were a VINO - Vegan In Name Only. Yes - you ate vegan - you hung out with vegans - and you blogged vegan - but you were a VINO. You are not "breaking vegan" because you truly never were a vegan. It was your brand. You have 70,000 followers. You are being interviewed to launch your next brand. You are doing more harm than good no matter what you tell yourself, no matter how you rationalize your next career steps. If you truly cared about anything or anyone more than yourself and your next career move, you would be blogging about your undiagnosed (or recently diagnosed) mental health issues. Congrats on figuring out your strange, overly restrictive diet was not balanced! Stop writing about veganism. You weren't a vegan. You were a VINO!

In all things, moderation, is how I try to live my life. I figured out many years ago, anything taken to an extreme can be very dangerous to ourselves and those around us! Your transition out of an 'extreme/restrictive' form of vegan eating is your choice and a possible path to renewed health *if* you don't fall into another extreme. What works for one in a life diet might not be the best option for another, as we're all unique. In my case, I figured out with various meal plans that a complete removal of all animal protein was a one way trip to wrecked health. Omnivore is where I live, as that keeps me healthy. Is that the way for everyone else? That would be kind of egotistical to insist upon! I keep as much as possible to free range, no HGH, low/no antibiotic, cruelty free for my personal ethics when it comes to eating. It's splitting the difference, my continued health in the face of the unfortunate reality that my physical body 'labels' me omnivorous. Talk about a tightrope that gets flack from all sides of the food debates. Ugh! So be true to yourself, your growth and evolution, and find that health, happiness, and fun joy that should be the journey and destination of each of us. Celebrate life by living!

The balanced blonde seems to not actually be leaving a balanced veganism diet, but more so abandoning an extreme unbalanced vegan diet. Similar to someone that over exercises and then blames exercise as the culprit for their difficulties. So just like with any effort we have to balance our intensity as opposed to abandoning the destination. We have to be extremely creative and resourceful on this new frontier of uncharted territory- just like climbing a new route on a mountain.

Good for you, Jordan!

"It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, it’s about how YOU feel." Good luck with that.

Hello Jordan. I found your site via Today's most popular list from last week. I hope that you're able to continue to mend your relationship with food and your relationship with yourself. It's sad that people can be so judgmental about the choices of others. You've gained a new reader.

Sounds like you were really starving yourself. I wouldn't last a week on the diet you described either; no one would. Your body simply doesn't get enough nutrients/vitamins by following such a restrictive poor diet so I am not surprized to hear that you becamse deficient in all sorts of vitamins. However, I do think that this blog post kind of comes off like an excuse to satisfy your cravings for meat, since you're blaming the vegan diet as a whole for your orthorexia and lack of knowledge in nutrition. Like I said, your diet was clearly horrible and not even a rabbit would last on it, but that doesn't mean that your body needed meat (or that "some bodies just need animal products"): it just needed foods with the types of vitamins you were lacking. You could have dropped the restrictions and try another vegan diet instead, rich in all kind of vitamins in minerals. After all, your body doesn't care wether you get your protein, iron and other vitamins from meat or vegan products: as long as it gets them. There is nothing found in meat that cannot be found in the countless of alternatives there are availible. Except maybe mercury, antibiotics, cholesterol and disease feeding content, which are only found in animal products. I'm writing this to you because I also starved myself out of ignorance back when I tried becoming a veg for the first time. I believed, very naively I admit, that my body just needed meat and that a lack of meat was the reason of me feeling weak and tired. While it was just a lack of the vitamins and minerals, which can be obtained from countless of other foods. I also don't understand why you restrict yourself to one and the same deficient vegan diet. I eat something different every day: one day I have curry with vegan chicken, the other day I have potatoes, vegetables, beans and seitan, the day after I have vegan sushi etc. You're not a rabbit: you shouldn't eat "grass" like them every day over and over again. Did you know that dairy is literally addictive? It contains casein which is, during digestion, turned into caso-morphines. This has the same addictive qualities on the brain as morphine has. So I do understand that your cravings for this product are big, since it's literally an addiction. I personally struggled a lot giving up cheese and dairy because of the addictive qualities of the product. Yet dairy is one of the unhealthiest foods there is and is one of the main reasons why many people get cancer and heart disease later in life. No wonder: it's full of cholesterol and is a food meant for the baby of a completely different mammal with four stomaches. Meat has similar destructive qualities on your body. It hasn't been placed by the World Health Organization in the same category as asbest for no reason. So yes, I'm sorry, but your blog really comes off as my first blame-it-on-veganism blog: like an excuse to satisfy your cravings to eat meat again without feeling bad about causing needless suffering upon animals, the environment and your own body. Kinda like a conscience-easing blog, especially in the parts of "ethically throat slitting", "patting animals on the head before dismembering them" and "ethical deforestation for growing crops used as cattle feed". I think you might have gotten more respect from people if you just said "I like the taste of meat, so I'm going to quit veganism" or "I'm to lazy to educate myself about a healthy vegan diet, so I'll just go back to my old habits" than by posting the psychological acrobatics you've put down in this post.

Well, as you already said, you have an eating disorder. And this is what nearly killed you. Not because you ate vegan. If a person eats paleo(or 'normal', whatever that is) the same way you ate vegan, they would be in danger the same way. Skipping meals, not eating right for days, worrying constantly over food, getting panic attacks when something they planned to eat is not available. There are many, many sentences you wrote which describe the typical mindset of someone with Othorexia nervosa(as you said yourself that is the problem), not allowing yourself to eat for 5 million reasions despite feeling like starving is just one of them. It is good that you have recognized that you need help and that you have an eating disorder, most likely also some other problems because it is a complex matter that does not only concentrate on food. The one thing I find very sad, that your post seems to blame in majority the vegan diet for your health problems and not the mental issues which developed the eating disorder. A disorder which would have been just as bad with other types of diets. Yes, you are saying that other people live well on a vegan diet, that is a good point. The problem is that a gazillion people will use your post and interpret it their way to say that the vegan diet is unhealthy and humans need to eat animals. Also if you had not developed that eating disorder, you would still be healthy, on a vegan diet. Maybe some people will also say you wanted just more publicity or you were a mole from the beginning, just trying to undermine veganism. I guess with your book about "Breaking Vegan", that would lend some truth to this being all a publicity stunt. Also revealing how veganism lead to your problems and having the book made and ready a year after your post about eating disorder. Did you get cured so fast? Or was the book already in the making, and you changed some things when you changed you lifestyle? Overall, from the description of the book which I saw on amazon, there is some tolerance and forgiveness lacking, when all the review does is blaming veganism when in reality it all came down to your eating disorder. I can perfectly understand why the vegan community is angry at you. Not because you changed your diet. In their shoes I might be a tad angry that you blame veganism, as an easy scapegoat, putting more scruntity and harmfull fuel into the whole thing when veganism is already under fire from the majority of people living an unhealty foodstyle. You promote your book on the back of those who live perfectly 'normal' with their vegan lifestyle while you talk about love and compassion. You promote your book with the help of those who grasp every straw argument to keep the status quo. You promote your book by lending a hand to the haters. Maybe you could have made it different, promoted it different. I guess you are still on your way to recovery and maybe in a few years you look back and realise what harm you have done. Not only to other people who live happy and healthy as vegans, but also to yourself by turning a blind eye and blaming something else because it was the easier way out. I hope you find what you search for. In turn I can say your article came at the right time. It seems, always when I have difficulties myself, in my life, I stumble over posts similiar to the one you made. And those made me realise that it is on me to change everything to the better. That it is on me and no one else and that blaming others or the circumstances, will only hinder myself in healing. It is my load to carry, my problems to solve because I made them so. In a strange way your post gives me strenght to work through and be better after it, than I have been before. For that I thank you. I might falter and stumble and make wrong decisions, in the end it only matters if I stand up again. Looking at your post and looking at the book you wrote, puts a mirror in front of me. I have no desire to walk the path you are walking on at the moment, to blame the scapegoat because it is easier, I have walked there long enough...the other way is harder and by the godees, have I stumbled often, but it is the one to true love and peace. So now I am going and will bite into the sour grapes and see if I can digest them, or if they are not as sour as they looked to be.

Hi, first I want to say that Jordan, I support you and your journey and I thank you for giving us a detailed explanation as to why you left veganism. I am a non-judgemental vegan and I believe that veganism is about compassion towards animals and humans. Paleo Huntress, you are definitely right in saying that a vegan diet can kill animals as well. Though I personally do believe that vegan diets do not have to kill animals. Thing is, veganism does cause the least amount of harm possible, and that is why I personally chose to become vegan. However I do know that veganism cannot stop the killing of all animals, and I never believe that bc I am vegan, that all of the animals will stop getting killed. I always try to have a realistic approach. And yes, a vegan diet can be dangerous if not done properly, and even then, people are different, as Jordan suggests. The reason why you only know a handful of very healthy vegans is bc there are many vegans who believe they can pull a fast one and then become super healthy, when it does not work like that. (Meaning ofc they ingest so much shit and then believe that as long as it's vegan, it's healthier, stupid right?) I have done a shitload of nutritional research over the last year and a half and always try hard to eat properly, bc I know that just bc something is vegan does NOT mean it is healthy. Yes, you may be a paleo huntress, but I do find your research impressive and I have done similar nutritional research and believe me, it made me reevaulate what I eat. I no longer consume processed shit like fake meats or fake this and that lol. Nor do I consume anything with lots of sugar (except for small deserts but who doesn't lol) I also stopped consuming vegetable oils, and especially soybean oil, and etc. In short, I always try to be open to new stuff and dislike ignorance with a passion. Please keep up with the great work Huntress and Jordan, keep up the great work too.

I have been a vegan for almost 11 years now and I am perfectly healthy thank you very much. I am LIVING PROOF that you DO NOT need to eat meat to be healthy.

I would say this can only be a problem of an industrial country....We have all the time to discuss what`s wrong and what`s right, whilst thousands of people in third part countries die of hunger.... I call this rich people problems... But I agree it`s still an interesting topic to discuss about only that we`ll never going to find the absolute true, because every single one of us is an individual and thusfor we are not comparable. We all have a different pool of gens, so that`s why one person can smoke 30 years and doesn`t die of cancer, whilst another non smoking person might die of lung cancer. It`s all in your genes and I think the wisest thing to do is to just listen to yourself and the signs your body is sending you. I believe it`s not the diet that makes you sick, it`s the way you execute it. I don`t believe being carnivore, vegan, vegetarian, paleo, etc. is what`s actually harming you, it`s the way you live it. I know plenty of people who think being vegan is pretty cool and trendy so they jump on the wagon without informing themselves properly about the diet, without checking their vitals before changing their nutrition. You should know your food before jumping on any of these diets.

Another question to al the vegans out there....Why do you always get so offensive and radical?? We do get your message, we understand your decicions, I for example even admire all the vegans out there for living this kind of lifestyle, seriously...But please let other people take their own decisions... I don`t get why your sort of people always gets so angry and offended by those having another opinion....How about trying to be tolerant and accepting every human being for their decision, no matter if you agree or not...I`m sorry but most of you are the biggest bunch of intolerant people I`ve ever met...Not all of you, but lot`s...

PS: Huntress you got your facts right, so true your words! It has definitely scientifically been proved, that the cholesterol intake from outside sources like eggs, milk and meat are neglectable, it`s all in your genes...Let me tell you a story my mom she`s a fitness teacher, she`s got a normal weight, doesn`t eat that much meat and cheese, practically never eats eggs and drinks milk and guess what she has high cholesterol, just because it`s in our family, or as I said it`s in our genes... Most people dying from hard diseases suffer from a metabolic syndrom, which in one word means they are too fat and don`t make engough excercise...the other part dies from heart diseases caused by smoking or stress...It is what it is, but I guess you should read a few medical and pharmaceutical journals to get all your facts right....

You were never Vegan, you went over board with your health/ body appearance obsession, had restrictions within your plant based diet that had nothing to do with veganism, you are using veganism as a way to avoid facing the real real you failed- your food phobias and mental health issues, you are throwing veganism under the bus in order to promote your book and make money even though you were never vegan and it was not veganism that made you sick, you made you sick. It is possible for any person to be healthy on a plant based diet if they do it right, if they go to a plant based nutritionist or a specialist when they come across hiccups. There is vast amount of studies and research that provide a wealth of evidence that animal products are the leading cause of preventable death and how even a single animal based meal immediately effects your body negatively. I cannot see how animal products can help you with your health at all, their is nothing you need from them that you cannot get from a plant based source and be better off for it. Michael Greger M.D. Physician, author, and speaker who scours the world's nutrition research to bring you free daily videos and articles. http://nutritionfacts.org/ find out for yourself how meat and animal products contribute towards cancer, diabetes, hormonal imbalances, heart disease, strokes, liver disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's dementia and other serious illnesses, all the studies are evidence based and peer reviewed. There is no way that eating animals and their secretions could make you healthier for your body. I am sorry that you had problems with your health but they had nothing to do with a plant based diet or being vegan. Killing animals for pleasure is immoral and that is the only reason anyone has to eat them, we would not use that logic to justify any other violent act and killing a sentient being is violent, they are not healthy for humans to eat AT ALL. If you eat cows, chickens, lambs then you may as well eat dogs, cats and guinea pigs, yet you went your whole life not feeling you have to eat those animals to be healthy. If you drink cow milk then you might as well drink giraffe milk, pig milk and every other mammals milk, no reasons to drink any of them other than 'want' and want is not the basis of what makes something right or wrong. You are an animal killer by choice not because you need to be. Just letting you know that. But I hope this publicity stunt was worth the money even at the expense of animals, the environment and the health of those that believe what you have said.

When many people consider the fact that B12 is available in vitamin form in the modern world so there is no excuse to eat animals for food nowadays, that is only one perspective. Another perspective is BECAUSE the B12 is naturally only present in animal products (yes tiny amounts on unwashed produce) that for many, this would mean that we are naturally adapted to eating animal protein and our bodies, quite possibly, will thrive best on animal foods. Guess it depends on what studies you believe. There are studies on all sides, that justify any belief. Not all of them are funded by special interest groups or the meat industry either! There are differing scientific opinions as well as far as evolution and diet and evidence to back up both sides. Problem is, nutrition is still a very inexact science. Its rare to see the exact same effect of identical diets on different people. Some individual's cholesterol is negatively affected by animal products, some individuals actually see their bloodwork improve with added meat and fish and less grain. I believe people need to research both sides, and make a choice based on their research, their personal ethics, their talks with their doctor and/or dietician, and not base it on internet posts.

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this. I have been vegan for about 5 years now and I have been feeling off balance in many ways. I've recently been having dreams about eating animal products and consuming chicken and turkey and I've been a bit shocked as to why. I've also recently been feeling unsatisfied about anything I've been eating and I feel as though I'm not getting enough protein or other nutrients. I'm beginning to wonder if my body and mind are trying to tell me something and I'm unwilling to listen out of guilt and fear. The idea of going back to animal products and animal meat scares the living hell out of me. I've become so passionate about doing what is right for animals and the Earth that I think I've forgotten about me. I'm not sure if veganism may just not be the best path or if I need a little help to get back on track. I've always been one to over stress about things and I'm always tougher on myself than others are so that could be having an affect on me as well. I've not slept well in years, I'm always cold, I have developed neck issues that cause headaches and I've become extremely irritable and angry even when there is no reason to be. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with my diet or if it has to do with being surrounded by meat eaters and feeling completely out of place or a burden in some cases. It could also be the 5 years at my retail job that kicked me down because it was extremely stressful with absurdities in between (typical retail junk). My newest situation is that I'm dating someone who's not vegan or even vegetarian and I haven't dated anyone in years even before I was vegan (workaholic), so the transition has been a bit tough just in having someone new around that I have to worry about. (Not that my boyfriend is against what I'm doing, eating, or believe in but it definitely can take a toll on you when you're still alone in the vegan world against someone who eats meat.) I firmly believe in listening to your body and doing what is right for your own body because if you're not taking care of yourself then you won't be any help to those you care about. I am proud of you for doing what you feel is right and that you are still doing your best to live as compassionatley as you can. I hope one day I can figure out the right path for myself, as well, so that I can be the best version for myself and for others. Also, thank you for being brave enough to tell your story because I know a lot of vegans and non vegans who would easily critize you and others for making a concious decision to do what is right for them. Just because you're not 100% "vegan" (there are too many variations of what that label means) doesn't mean you care any less, and I don't think things should be all or nothing anymore. Everyone and every one person's body is different. I feel sad for those who are so ready to be mean and negative because it honestly doesn't do any good for that person or people in general. Being vegan is about being compassionate and you cannot just be compassionate towards animals only. If you continutally knock humans down for trying to find their path it will perpetuate a cycle of negativity towards a lifestyle that can be beautiful. There are a lot of people who label themselves as vegans who have tainted what it means to be a vegan all because of their approach, and that's unfortuante because a lot of people will miss out on it to avoid the negativity surrounding it. I believe there is a way to have both health and happiness as well as living as compassionalty as possible. So, be happy and live your life the best way you know how. Lots of Love!

Wow, Heddy, Thank goodness you're doing your civic duty and letting us all know about the chocolate-eating-fearing downside to Paleo. Since a Paleo diet is defined only as a whole food diet that avoid or restricts grains, legumes and dairy, could you provide some more info so we can all be sure to stay safe? Which Paleo diet were you eating? Was it the low carb or high carb Paleo diet? Was it the low-fat or high-fat Paleo diet? Was it the low-protein or the high-protein Paleo diet? Was it the vegetarian Paleo diet? Was it the red-meat protein sources only Paleo diet or the fish-protein sources only Paleo diet? How many insects were you eating on that Paleo diet? Did it include or exclude fungi? Did it include or exclude sea vegetables? Was it veggies you'd find only in the US or veggies you'd find only in Africa? Or veggies you'd find only in Oz? Did it include kangaroo or squirrel? Did grain-free mean low-carb or did you eat any of the many carb-dense tubers, fruits and nuts? It's important that we understand which Paleo diet it was EXACTLY that caused your fear of chocolate-eating so that those of us with epilepsy can avoid fearing chocolate-eating too. Avoiding seizures is not worth it unless you can eat chocolate to your heart's content without worry. ;) http://epilepsytalk.com/2009/10/04/eating-well-is-the-best-revenge/

ARE VEGANS AND RAW FOODIST KILLING PLANTS BY EATING THEM? In my personal opinion "least harm done to the planet" is why people should eat a plant-based (vegan and raw foods diet) instead of an animal-based diet, well, to people who are conscious and care about what's going on ecology-wise. We can eat all the plants we want to and still will not throw off the Earth's balance; but we just can't say this with consuming animals products whose industries are doing serious harm to Mother Earth. There's clearly more harm in raising, killing, and eating animals for food than eating plants, or for the technical people, eating air (oxygen). Yes, certain people out there believe that we are killing air molecules by breathing in air. This is their anemic and lethargic defense to justify their eating of poor, innocent sentient beings called animals all because they like the texture and taste of cooked animal carcass and cadaver. There's a Law of Reciprocity in existence and this is shown via the seed that all fruits of plants (including trees) contain! What is removed is replaced in Nature. When you kill an animal, LIGHTS OUT! That's it! Animals don't contain seeds within them that allow for 100 more creatures to return in their stead. Plus, raising all these animals for food creates an eco-imbalance and it's all done for profit, not to mention causing world starvation. Consider the following statistics: 1,000 acres of non-GMO soybeans yield 1,124 pounds of usable protein. 1,000 acres of rice yield 938 pounds of usable protein. 1,000 acres of wheat yield 1,042 pounds of usable protein. Now consider the following: 1,000 acres of non-GMO soybeans, corn, rice or wheat, when fed to a steer, will yield only about 125 pounds of usable protein. These and other findings point to a disturbing conclusion: meat eating is directly related to world hunger (starvation). "Many things made me become a vegetarian, among them, the higher food yield as a solution to world hunger." - John Denver If we fed the same supply of grain and soy supply to the poor and starving people of the world that we feed to livestock, we could wipe out world starvation in no time at all. So what's more important: solving world starvation or satisfying our palate by eating what we don't have to eat? After all, think about it - we don't have to eat animals and can live without eating animals: "I do not see any reason why animals should be slaughtered to serve as human diet when there are so many substitutes. After all, man can live without meat." The Dalai Lama All diets beneath the solar-tarian (or breatharian) diet, are degenerate, being technical, but you would think people would want to evolve, rise, progress, advance, e.g. eating meat (carnivore), then eating plants/grass (herbivore), then eating fruits (frugavore), then consuming water (hydro-tarian), and then eating oxygen (oxygenarian) and solar energy, right? If we agree, being technical (as many meat-eaters like to get in defense of eating meat) that all things have life and we are harming other "living" things to sustain ourselves and to survive, then the only intelligent and compassionate point left would be "do the least amount of harm as you work your way back up to a state of originality (solar-tarian)." Life on Earth suggests ADVANCEMENT and EVOLUTION, but however we do have free will on Earth to agree to not advance and evolve as meat and dairy eaters display (you are not advancing or evolving when you consciously harm that which sustains you - The Earth, it's suicide, and there is convincing and compelling proof and evidence that show how meat and dairy production are very injurious to the Earth in addition to animals). Clearly, faux foods (mock meat and dairy products) are better than meats, eggs, and dairy because their vibration is higher because they are processed from foods with a higher vibration and their existence and production doesn't harm the planet - the Great Mother, like meat and dairy does. You see, if both cooked meats and faux foods are processed, both are not providing nutrition, so we can 86 (eliminate, terminate) the argument of nutrition; but then we have to deal with the question of ecological homeostasis and by growing and eating fruits and plants, we are not throwing off the balance of the Great Mother (Earth). But can we say this about the mass commercial production of animals and their excreta? Yes, and true, many processed vegan foods contain junk and harmful chemicals, but not to the degree of processed meats and dairy which also contain the very same harmful chemicals (e.g. MSG, citric acid, BHT, of processed soy, wheat gluten (seitan) of many processed vegan products, but in addition to SODIUM NITRATE (a known carcinogen), DDT, ARSENIC (used in cattle feed as a growth stimulant), SODIUM SULFATE (used to give meat that "fresh" red color), DES (a synthetic hormone and known carcinogen), BOVINE GROWTH HORMONE, CEMENT, SODIUM BICARBONATE, ROAD-KILL, ANTIBIOTICS, etc. Yes, antibiotics! Folks, you get your antibiotics from your doctor, not your meat! I was recently told: "If you don't want to harm any living thing at all, then no diet would be your choice. Even in breathing air we break down and destroy the structure of the air molecules." My retort to this person (a professed omnivore) was: "Okay, and um, please explain to me how this (breathing air) is doing harm to oxygen molecules, the planet, animals, humans, etc." Sometimes being too technical can make us go against reason and logic. If eating air molecules (via breathing) is harmful, then the basis of human existence itself is harmful as oxygen is the #1 fuel for the human brain and body. If breathing is so harmful, why do we need to breathe? I too am of the notion that meat-consumption impairs the mind and thus gradually impairs the ability to reason in many persons. There is no human life absent oxygen! But is there no human life absent meat consumption or dairy and egg consumption? This attempted argument is so elementary, but requires and deserves the response that comes from myself. Many pro-meat eaters, e.g. followers of the Weston A. Price Foundation/Organization, conveniently (for themselves, of course) make it a situation of "diet" (which is too radical and technical) and not one of "harm." We all have to eat something (be it air, water, plants, fruits), but it is a question of harm (least amount of harm in hopes of getting to no harm at all, if possible; but we must be aiming for progress and not stagnation or devolution and clearly eating plants and fruits is progression and evolving whereas eating meat is regression and devolution). It's a no win situation (meat-eating position of pro-meat eaters) despite the valiant efforts espoused by a few. Compassion, intelligence, and homeostasis are going to win in the long run. What leads to homeostasis of the Great Mother (Earth) is going to win in the long run. We are becoming more conscious on the Earth and the little children (Komasan, Sirian, Crystal, Rainbow, Ruby children, etc.) are showing this (higher consciousness) as little children are born rejecting animal flesh. Just check their auras with Kirlian photography and you will witness with your own eyes how pure these children are. These children are born with compassion in general and that compassion is automatically relayed and conveyed to animals. Children, especially those named above, are born pure and so they gravitate to that which is pure, including diet (plant and fruit-based diet). Yes, plants have consciousness as evidenced in many great works, e.g. The Secret Life of Plants by Michael Tierra, but we err when we equate consciousness with pain. As humans, we don't feel because we are conscious. We feel simply because we have a central nervous system and plants just don't have a nervous system so they don't feel pain. It's really a moot argument that meat eaters present pertaining to plants feeling pain when we consider the following: "...David R. Boldt, who wrote the editorial mentioned above, raised what seems to be an equally reasonable objection: 'My own excuse for eating meat is that plants, research has shown, have feelings, just like animals. Why choose between them? Before considering the fate of the steer, imagine the dread and horror that spreads across a wheat field when the thresher starts work." Boldt's challenge is misleading, if also held by many. He refers to documentation that plants have feelings - and while even the work of Jagdish Chandra Bhosh, from the nineteenth century, will attest to the fact that plants do indeed have feelings, such rudimentary sensations are clearly distinguishable from the pain of a steer going to slaughter. We all know this. Our stomachs react considerably less is we observe the threshing of a wheat field than if we observe the grisly work in a slaughterhouse. Moreover, as Keith Akers writes in The Vegetarian Sourcebook, "Finding an ethically significant line between plants and animals ... is not particularly difficult. Plants have no evolutionary need to feel pain, and completely lack a central nervous system. Nature does not create pain gratuitously, but only when it enables the organism to survive. Animals, being mobile, would benefit from having a sense of pain; plants would not. Clearly, if one does not want to become a fruitarian, waiting only for certain fruits to naturally drop from a tree, vegetarianism is a practical alternative. And even if one believes that plants have feelings much like humans and animals (despite evidence to the contrary), it still does not follow that vegetarianism is hypocritical: if plants can suffer, but we need to eat them to survive, it makes sense to eat as few as possible. In other words, if we have to eat plants, a fact upon which all biologists and nutritionists agree, we ought to destroy as few plants as possible. But by raising and eating an animal for food, many more plants are destroyed indirectly by the animal we eat than if we merely ate the plants directly. So vegetarianism causes the least amount of harm to sentient beings, and one who thinks deeply about all of the issues involved will surely see the sense of the vegetarian alternative." Steve Rosen Clearly, plants are conscious but they do not feel pain (as they are not sentient beings). Even if the argument becomes "do the least harm" why would a person not want to do the least amount of harm (to an animal) and the least amount of damage to the planet that sustains all life? It very well may be a case of unconscious (or perhaps conscious) sadism which denotes a deep-rooted and seated imbalance. If we bring it down to health, eating animals clearly cause health problems whereas eating plants and fruits do not, especially if they are untampered with. Eating plants reverse the harm of eating meat and the more we eat plants the more conscious we become and actually can begin to even think about not eating plants and becoming solar-tarian. It's a short distance from plant-eater to solar-tarian than from meat-eater to solar-tarian. The law of Earth is growth. Remove (pick) a flower and it returns. Pick an apple it returns! Kill a cow and that's it. It's dead and gone forever! If an apple contains multiple seeds within it, the question must be asked, "Why are seeds in the midst of an apple?" Can we say REPRODUCTION? Seed. seed |sēd| noun. 1 a flowering plant's unit of reproduction, capable of developing into another such plant. There is a Law of Recycling and a Law of Reproduction on planet Earth, in addition to a law of growth (denoted by the existence of seeds). From "seed" we get "germinate" and from "germinate" we get "growth" which takes us back to the Law of Growth. Germinate |ˈjərməˌnāt| verb [ intrans. ] (of a seed or spore) begin to grow and put out shoots after a period of dormancy. And if we take matters to the point of karma and reincarnation, meat-eaters lose because the animal is sentient. sentient |ˈsen ch (ē)ənt| adjective | able to perceive or feel things. "Worshippers of Kali were obliged to chant the Sanskrit word for meat (mamsa) into the goat's ear before slitting its throat. The word carries deep meaning. Etymologically, mamsa is broken down into mam ("me") and sa ("he"). According to traditional Indian philology, the implication is as follows: "As I eat him now, so will he eat me in the future." This is an example of the law of karma: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Steven Rosen And we can't forget poison! Oh no, no, no! Is it intelligent to willfully poison one's self if he or she can help it? Okay, let's see now: when an animal is slaughtered, poisons are produced and released in the soon-to-be meat (someone's dinner). Meat-eaters absorb into their own bodies the toxic wastes that would otherwise have been expelled from the animal's body as urine. When steak is boiled, waste appears as soluble extracts in the form of beef tea - which closely resembles urine when chemically analyzed. To eat meat is to consume poison which is just not an intelligent thing to do! "Just watch what happens when you eat meat: when you kill an animal what happens to the animal when he is killed" of course, nobody wants to be killed. Life wants to prolong itself; the animal is not dying willingly. If somebody kills you, you will not die willingly. If a lion jumps on you and kills you, what will happen to your mind? The same happens when you kill a lion. Agony, far, death, anguish, anxiety, anger, violence, sadness - all these things happen to the animal. All over his body violence, anguish, agony spreads. The whole body becomes full of toxins, poisons. All the body glands release poisons because the animal is dying very unwillingly. And then you eat the meat - that meat carries all the poisons that the animal has released. The whole energy is poisonous, then those poisons are carried in your body." Osho And, "Protein obtained from nuts, pulses, grains, and even dairy products is said to be relatively pure compared with beef - which has a fifty-six percent impure water content. Such impurity affects not only the heart, but the whole human organism." Steven Rosen (quoting Encyclopedia Britannica) I just can't see any logical defense in meat consumption. I just can't! It's actually 'carrion' but there is so much covering up of slaughtered animals. Dead pig is called pork. Dead cow is called beef. Dead chicken and turkey is called poultry. Now matter how you slice it, meat is dead carcass. If you don't trust me, then I'm sure you'll trust your government: "A poultry product is defined as "any poultry carcass or part thereof; or any product which is made wholly or in part from any poultry carcass part thereof." Code of Federal Regulation 2007f I find it very interesting as well that government defines meant with the term "postmortem", e.g.: "In a practical sense, meat can be defined as "the edible postmortem component originating from live animals." Ingredients in Meat Products, Chapter 7, p. 145 So, again, dead pig is called pork. Dead cow is called beef. Dead chicken and turkey is called poultry. However, an apple picked is still an apple. A picked plum is still a plum! A fruit is a fruit is a fruit! And a dead cow is a dead cow is a dead cow!!! A.C. Grayling said it best pertaining to meat: "We do not eat 'fresh' meat, we eat carrion, for the former would be stiff with rigor mortis, and meat only becomes soft enough to cook and eat once it has begun to rot. We like our game especially rotten, which is why we leave it hanging for days so that the microbes swarming in it can do their work. Microbes are the meat-eater's friend; without them there could be no tender steak, no juicy roast, no tasty chop or rib." So even when a meat eater eats their beloved meat, they are eating something unnaturally processed. If we eat an apple straight from the tree, at least we are eating that which is not processed, still alive (if you're going to eat a living thing, it's best to eat it alive rather than dead), and does not poison the body. Once you remove the argument of "killing living things" (being technical), you're left with PROGRESSION, ADVANCEMENT, REGENERATION, COMPASSION, and INTELLIGENCE! People who attempt to justify eating meat products for nutritional purposes are just so far removed from naturalness when you really assess them. Take fish oil (for Vitamin D) for example. Consider the following: "If I am to consume fish oil for purposes of vitamin D, I should be able to catch a live fish and be able to eat it raw and whole and without first having to remove its scales, cut its flesh open, and press the liver for its oil." Djehuty Ma'at-Ra So much unnaturality goes into attempting to derive things from animals. It's actually funny to me! Lastly, eating plants raises our consciousness but eating animal flesh lowers our consciousness: "And that meat which you are eating belonged to an animal body. It had a specific purpose there. A specific type of consciousness existed in the animal's body. You are on a higher plane than the animal's consciousness, and when you eat the animal's meat your body goes to the lowest plane, to the lower plane of the animal. Then there exists a gap between your consciousness and your body, and a tension arises." Osho I think it pure folly to believe man/woman need meat for survival purposes. The whole notion of meat consumption goes against the law of Human Biology: "How could God make our bodies which according to meat-eaters, allegedly need nutrients that are only found in animals (flesh), but science and biology proves to us that our bodies were not designed to eat animals (flesh)? How could we need something from a source we were not meant to eat?" Djehuty Ma'at-Ra Plainly put, killing animals for meat is unnecessary because man can live without meat in his present state: "I do not see any reason why animals should be slaughtered to serve as human diet when there are so many substitutes. After all, man can live without meat." The Dalai Lama It's amazing how a dead animal in one place is carrion and when in another, is food: "A dead cow or sheep lying in a pasture is recognized as carrion. The same sort of a carcass dressed and hung up in a butcher's stall passes as food." J.H. Kellogg Man is delusional and is ever conniving to conjure up reasons to justify eating meat: "For the sake of love of purity, the bodhisattva ("enlightened soul") should refrain from eating flesh, which is born from semen, blood, etc. For fear of causing terror to living beings let the bodhisattva, who is disciplining himself to attain compassion, refrain from eating flesh ... It is not true that meat is proper food and permissible when the animal was not killed by himself, when he did not order others to kill it, when it was specifically meant for him ... Again, there may be some people in the future who ... being under the influence of the taste for meat will string together in various ways many sophisticated arguments to defend meat-eating ... But ... meat-eating in any form, in any manner, and in any place is unconditionally and once and for all prohibited ... Meat-eating I have not permitted to anyone, I do not permit, I will not permit." - Buddha I am simply of the opinion that meat eating numbs one's wit: SIR ANDREW: "I am a great eater of beef and I believe that does harm to my wit. SIR TOBY: "No question!" From: William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act I, Scene III And further, "The root word for "vegetarian" is NOT vegetable, it is the Latin "vegetus," meaning "FULL of LIFE!" "Every man who has ever been earnest to preserve his higher or poetic faculties in the best condition, has been particularly inclined to abstain from animal food." - Henry David Thoreau When it comes down to what we eat, "what is it that should trace the insuperable line? ... The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?" Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) I concur with Buddha that a plant-based diet leads to higher consciousness, enlightenment, and peace: "To become vegetarian is to step into the stream which leads to nirvana." - Buddha In the end, and considering all the facts and circumstances of the matter (much of which was covered within this article), the verdict is in that vegans and raw foodists are not causing plants pain by eating them. This is just an anemic and lethargic excuse espoused by meat-eaters to lesson their sense of guilt from eating poor, innocent, hapless and helpless animals. Thank you for reading!

Hello Jordan ! why should anyone select vegan food? Because eating a vegan diet means that it excludes all animal products. It can be many different reasons for choosing a vegan or vegetarian diet. Here are some of the best: For your good health's sake. A vegan diet helps you to prevent type 2 diabetes and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers (such as colon cancer). A vegan diet high in fiber and antioxidants. Many vegans choose this lifestyle to promote a more humane and caring world. They know they are not perfect, but believe they have a responsibility to try to do their best, while not being judgemental of others. But I also respect others views also. Thanks for sharing such wonderful article.

Wow! With so many commenters judging you, Jordan, I am even more impressed that you chose to share your story. I applaud you for listening to what your body needs and being thoughtful enough to realize that, though it might take some time to get used to, ultimately your health and wellness is the best thing you can do for your body, whether that means eating fish sometimes or having some ice cream. What works for one person's body might not work for someone else and that is ok! Wishing you a healthy journey xx

Seriously, it is amazing how many people buy into the propaganda that humans have no right to take an animal's life because the animal experiences fear and pain, that though other predators (including our primate cousins) take other animals' lives, and cause them fear, pain and suffering, that as enlightened humans we should not do so to eat but to allow them to finally roam free and happily ever after. Seems like some have only been watching the cuddly animal shows on the Discovery Channel and not the ones that show the tough reality of survival in the wild and the food chain. I am old enough to recall the early days of PETA, when they were pretty much considered a terrorist organization. They would throw buckets of blood or paint on women who happened to be walking down the street wearing a fur coat. The fur wearing women were called assassins, murderers. That blatant and offensive strategy didn't earn them many sympathizers but since then they have worked hard and been successfully at creating a better, more sympathetic image that plays more effectively on people's emotions, and city-dwellers ignorance since many typically haven't had any experience with an actual farm or hunting. PETA's agenda has not changed, however - it is not only anti-cruelty (which is not a bad thing,) but to give animals the same rights as humans (which is extreme and IMHO, ridiculous) all in the guise of feel-good nobleness, protectors and defenders of the animal kingdom. I do think that vegans have good intentions, and that there is nothing wrong with being against abusive treatment of animals. The difference is in exactly what you consider to be abuse. PETA's position that any human use of an animal equals abuse. I know they (and probably you) couldn't care less about my opinion, nor do I care what they think of me despite how they self-righteously intimidate others. Veganism is an expression of PETA's ethical position. It is posited as the only enlightened opinion and that anyone who disagrees and continues to eat meat or use animal products is guilty, condoning the abuse of animals, closing their eyes to cruelty. In short, their spoken or unspoken view is that those who use animal products after learning the "truth" (e.g. having seen the horrifying videos of grinding up baby pigs) must be evil, ignorant people. It isn't hard to improve on the typical, terrible American diet but veganism is just not as efficient for omnivorous humans as is eating a balanced diet including meat, fish and dairy in addition to a wide variety of vegeables and fruits. Most of my vegan friends and family (and half of my family going back several generations are vegetarians if not vegans) have to supplement their diet either with processed soy products, processed nut products and vitamins. My mother and I also were vegan for years, were religious about eating the right things but she ended up with cancer and I was so anemic the doctor said I was close to having leukemia. Our doctors said we needed to consume animal sources of protein including dairy to recover quickly, and guess what - it worked. That was more than forty years ago and neither of us has had a serious illness since. My mom is now 88, and the doctor says she is sharper and more active than most 35 year olds. She has no osteoporosis, nor high blood pressure nor needs to take any prescription medications. Soy is one of the most damaging crops to the environment - my Argentinian friends tell me it has caused ruined so much soil in their country and made it unfit for any other use, so if you care about conservation, sustainability and not harming the environment, please stop consuming soy! Vitamins can be processed plant based ones, of course, yet there is always some chemical sources in there, too... and health professionals and dietitians say real food sources are better than supplements or processed meat substitutes. Not one of you really knows firsthand what you are consuming when you eat those processed items, how they were grown or processed, yet you take it on faith that it is fine? My point is: if you can't grow it yourself, find where you can get real, healthy, unprocessed food. Go to farmer's markets, check out http://www.eatwild.com/ for good sources in your area. So many accepting the health argument for veganism without question or accepting refuted studies that PETA promotes as supporting those claims. As I mentioned, more than half of my family and friends are vegan and vegetarian. Their incidence of illness, diseases, including cancers is NOT lower than that of my omnivorous friends and family. The incidence of those diseases is not less among the vegans compared to the vegetarians, either. I know some relatively healthy vegans and vegetarians but many unhealthy lifelong vegans and unhealthy lifelong vegetarians who are desperately trying to consume the necessary nutrients to be healthy. Despite endeavoring to consume sufficient legumes, grains, nuts, vegetables and fruits, many have had to battle serious deficiencies because of the difficulty of making sure they get enough complete protein, vitamins, phytonutrients and minerals. A number of those lifelong vegan friends and family have died from cancer. Being vegan doesn't guarantee you won't have or die of disease, despite all the vegan dogma to the contrary. On the other hand, the farmer who cares for and manages his animals just like they used to do since time began (before antibiotics and chemicals and factory farming got started) knows exactly what has gone into them and this sort of sustainable, ethical, environmentally friendly farming is now widely practiced on family farms across the USA and other countries. Anyone who has grown up on a farm also knows that a cow does not have to stay pregnant to produce milk... she just has to be milked daily, and no one takes her calf away either. Milking her doesn't torture her, it relieves her discomfort. (As a mother who breastfed, I sure understand!) I doesn't have to hurt her, and a cow milked in the traditional way doesn't produce milk that contains pus or blood. Here's a fun fact: Adult humans can also produce milk without ever having been pregnant. Women who adopt babies can even breast feed them if they sufficiently stimulate their breasts. Google "wet nurse." This ability is common among mammals. Granted, cow milk is for nourishing calves, northern European peoples began to consume it milennia ago and descendants of those peoples have the digesive enzymes to process it just fine and the fat in the milk helps its absorption. Those ethnic groups who tend to lack the enzyme traditionally consume fermented milk products like kefir and cheeses. Why? Because it was efficient, tastes good and promoted health. Of course it isn't necessary to consume milk or dairy products, but it isn't necessary to consume any other particular food item either so that argument is not based on sound logic. Ergo the vegan non sequitir: because factory farms are horrible or because animal abuse exists in some places, all use of animals equals cruelty thus no one should ever use animal products regardless. Poor animals being killed by bad humans! Vegans regurgitate the same half-truths and few take them on or see their faulty logic, some even fear the repercussions of speaking out (like the author of this blog did.) What is that but terrorism toward humans while wearing the costume of a savior of the animals? The vegan "ethical" (and hypocritical) nonsense spreads. Sigh. Bravo to the BalancedBlonde for doing what was right for her health. So sad that she had actually developed an eating disorder before she made the move to improve her diet and include animal sources. So sad that whatever I write here likely will do nothing to change the mind of any rabid vegan who reads this. Maybe illness will someday, though. Shame on those vegans who are slamming and dismissing this brave woman because she did what she needed to do for her health and dared to publicly speak about why she left the vegan faith.

If what she said and what I said don't make sense, it seems your mind is closed to the idea that anyone could sincerely decide veganism wasn't the best for their health. Choosing to not be vegan doesn't mean she or I or anyone else is doing it for money or publicity or because we are controlled by the media or are products of massive corporations, but have made informed decisions to improve our own health and to be honest about it to the world. It is a shame that you are so judgmental and negative toward those who don't accept the vegan propaganda anymore, saying she is a "shame for humanity" and that "karma will charge" her for it. What is sad is not that she and I improved our health by going back to being omnivores, but that you are so offended by it, are brainwashed into believing it is best for everyone, that you judge and attack others who disagree with you. Many of us omnivores have no problem with vegans or vegetarians eating as they please - that is their choice. We are tolerant, but some vegans (like you) sure aren't. I realize you probably think you are more enlightened and superior, but that is often a characteristic of fanatics.

You're right about the meat, all blood cries out for justice. And a warring mind is the meat lovers battle.

So basically, veganism didn't fuck you up, your ED did.

We take from this planet and those who live upon and then try and come up with as many excuses as we can to justify our actions. We are happy to rape and pillage and we make excuses for it. It is sick and twisted and something we would classify as psychopathic. Literally raping and enslaving someone for a glass of milk, anally and vaginally electrocuting someone for their skin, forcing someone to breath toxic chemicals all day and be locked in a tiny cage at night just to get our "whites" whiter, tying someone down and beating beating them with a sharpened hook to watch them do tricks. Sick depraved acts that we as humans take part in for our daily lives for our food, clothing., medicine, household products and entertainment. Something you might expect from a serial killer or a terrorist not from the average person. However we as average people support that and make it a big part of our lives because it is always just about our lives. You are taking someone's life away from them simply because they were born different from you. We cling to it because we want to have another excuse to use to continue doing what we love. We don't want to see the similarities because if we do that we lose our justifications for taking their lives. Most if not all of the people we would consider histories worst humans are no different than us we just do things differently . A Holocaust survivor who later moved to the U.S. saw trains full of animals going to slaughter every day from his apartment window, he remembered back to what he experienced at the Nazi death camps and saw the horrors all over again so he fought hard to shut that place down and stop the horrors going on inside. What we do to the animals is not different from what we have done to our fellow humans at different points in history, from slavery to slaughter it all still exists. We find new ways to justify it but we still allow it to exist. This "blonde" person wasn't vegan she was just doing a diet for herself and decided again for herself to do something different. She like most of the rest of the world only cares about themselves and refuse to see the world going on around them and what they are supporting and doing to ruin this world and those who live upon it. We choose to be selfish creatures and our society promotes it heavily so it can be hard to break free. Anyone can do it and everyone should do it because it may allow us to evolve as humans instead of our consistent devolving we are doing with our daily choices.

So are you going to eat a balanced diet of Dogs and Cats, and then torture and murder animals for their skin and milk, ok sounds fair and balanced. Really nice of you to model those leather purses i mean your vanity goes along way to balance yourself while an innocent Animal is killed to make that vanity bag for you. You do not look pretty at all with it, look at yourself in the mirror and repent!

Good for you.....killing animals. Obviously you weren't eating right, juice cleanses, fully raw. You can be vegan and eat cooked food, you are just making an excuse to justify wanting to go back to slaughtering animals.

In my opinion, a vegan diet is good for cleansing (for a few weeks, or months) but longer than that, its pretty risky I think... see here http://tryhealthier.com/vegan-diet-health-risks/ . Point is...I need my proteins.

I totally respect your decision and admire your candidness. I'm sure it wasn't easy to write this post or make that change. I still firmly believe that a plant-based diet is incredibly healthy but I also believe that everyone has to make the right decision for themselves and their bodies. And it should 100% their decision. Kudos to you Jordan.

This doesn't really sound like any less disordered eating. Attaching righteousness to one food source and evil to others, labeling some foods "clean" and others "unclean" like we're talking Levitical law... very religious language being ascribed to something that really holds far less power than you are ascribing to it. I hope one day food can just be food for you. Not some constant grasping for perfection or holiness.

Hi Jordan. Your post is exactly what I have been writing in my head, to be written up on our website. Like you, I too LOVED being vegan. An organic vegan by the way. Was extremely careful, researched nutrition, lived in a small community of like minded people. Wrote books, grew fruit and vegetables in a temperate climate, taught people about the benefits of being vegan. However...and you know how that big word "however" feels when you are trying to acknowledge a tweaking of foods is necessary, I became very ill eating a vegan diet over several years. And I know exactly what you mean when you talk about introducing animal foods into your diet, when your heart, mind and soul LONGS to thrive on a vegan diet. Comments from people who say unhelpful things as some have, show that they have not been through your experience. Let's hope they can remain healthy eating what they choose to. For being ill is an unpleasant experience, and challenging beliefs can be an uncomfortable and ongoing process. Criticism from strangers, often made out of context, does not help. Many people can thrive and do very well on a vegan diet. Others, despite their best efforts, with help from like minded health professionals and so forth, cannot. Some people cannot thrive when they eat animal foods. This has been my experience. We are all unique in our makeup. I guess the alternative is to remain vegan because it soothes your soul, even if you are very physically ill and cannot function in your life.

I can tell you right now, that I've basically personally tried every diet out there. I was on Paleo for 2 years, did the vegetarian/vegan thing, etc. I felt VERY sick, not good, when I was on a vegetarian/vegan diet. I experienced stomach problems (to the point of vomiting yellow bile), felt irritable, general mood swings, anxiety's a lot higher, more depressed, joint pain, tired, skin problems, etc. I never really experienced any of that on the Paleo diet, in fact all symptoms improved dramatically. I feel a lot lighter, more awake and my mood is a LOT better when following the Caveman diet. Now that I'm going back on Paleo, I'm seeing an improvement in every area already. Two major mistakes a lot of people do which you need to avoid, is eating excessive amounts of meat and fruit. This is just my personal experience, every one's different so just experiment and see what works for you.

I wish everyone on the internet had a mind like yours.

If only every person on the internet had a mind like yours.

Sounds like you were just not eating enough on a plant based diet, especially when you say you were addicted to juice cleanses. That's not food! That's not breakfast, and that's not what vegans do. I have been vegan for 2 + years, vegetarian for 4 and I am perfectly healthy and fine, in fact even healthier since my cholesterol and blood pressure have dropped to ideal levels. I eat plenty of food, beans, rice, fats like avocados and nuts, potatoes, pasta, and of course veggies and fruit. Here is my advice: 1. Eat more fruit during the day and you won't have cravings for sugar. I eat fruit for snacks during the day, like a banana here, mango there. 2. Eat the number of calories to maintain your body weight. This means you will need to eat more food in general because vegan foods are lower in caloric density, which is a bonus if you ask me. 3. Eat healthy fats like avocados, nuts, etc. This will make you feel more satisfied with your meal.

I am so sorry to see so many people miss the points of your amazing story !! Just an excuse to force being vegan or not down people's throats is what I see in the comments so sad. Everyone's an expert it seems !! Your post is beautiful congratulations on facing one of the hardest things a person can and for improving your life and listening to your body !! *The balanced blonde - not only is this perfect but so refreshing you have such a beautiful personality that beams out through this post! I hope your feeling much better and Thankyou for being so open and honest gives me hope reading this that there's more to life than 'ticking a box' or having to be labeled I hate labels they cause all sorts of mental health issues and so much damage. There's so many awful people in this world it's nice to have stumbled across your blog and to have read this. Hope your doing well sending you loads of positive and happy vibes ????

Fabulous post, Jordan -- your honesty is so refreshing. As for some of the other comments ('criticisms' would be putting it mildly), I'm disappointed by the genuine lack of compassion, but not surprised. No matter. Good on you.

Thank you for this post! Lately I've gotten into veganism and I see all these positive things but that's only one sided. So, I began looking up reasons not to be vegan, basically getting both sides. So far I've found a couple stories likewise as yours. I have cut off dairy because I see no need in it and also I hear it's not so good for the skin? But, I do have a question. Living a relatively plant based diet seems very healthy. My question is; eating meat maybe 2-3x a week where as the other days being fully plant based.. Does this sound like a good regimen for the body? It feels right to me because now paying attention to my body I only rarely find myself craving strongly for meat.

How about calling your blog "The Balanced Blonde"?

Such a great read, I was vegetarian for 6 years, tried veganism, explored raw diets but recently started eating fish, I got into vegetarianism for all the wrong reasons, and I just kept eliminating food groups and further restricting myself, I got the sugar cravings and binged on occasions because my body felt deprived of nutrients. Yes many people thrive on a plant-based diet, I can say I never thrived althought I felt ethically good, I had too much control over what I was eating and it impacted hugely on my social life and personal life. As I said, the control element ws there and this is what negatively impacted on my life not the vegetarianism itself. I too have had therapy for personal reasons and food did come up as a stress trigger, I now eat fish and am not afraid to try anything from the sea. I am happy with this choice, I do not know if I will eat animals again but fish alone has broadened my choices and I have relaxed so much more, I am not craving sugar as much nor am I crashing, my mood has improved and I am enjoying life so much more. It is not all food I am sure, maybe I am in a better place in life but I spent some dark and lonely times controlled by my own control and unable to enjoy the simplest things like a takeaway with friends or go to a friend's house for dinner, One time I brought my own soup to a friend's house for fear that her soup would be too fatty. The looks I got from her and her boyfriend. I do not look back only forward now to a more balanced and relaxed life. <3

It's not a question of what works best for you, it's a question of what is ethical and what is not ethical. It can never ever be ethical or right to exploit or kill another for our own benefit. That is the truth.

💘💘💘💘 thank you so much for the support and I'm so glad my post was helpful to you. You aren't alone! I am glad you're listening to your body and doing that's right for you. Xoxo

Hi Jordan :-) I really appreciate your honesty and bravery in writing this post, it would not have been easy to write! I feel I am going through similar things atm - I've had numerous chronic illnesses for many many years even before becoming vegan/vegetarian. I've now been some form of vegetarian or vegan for 16 years and have tried the more extreme raw vegan and also different elimination diets for food intolerances. Like you at times I have thrived on these diets and also struggled with flare ups of symptoms (stomach pains etc) leading to restricted elimination diets at one point only able to tolerate 12 different foods for 3 years and at one point rice for 6 months! Im alot better than now with a more varied healthy diet however I've become anaemic again, my other health conditions have flared up, started disordered eating, I became deficient in different in numerous vitamins etc and my health going downhill. I feel as though I am straving and craving real food including fish maybe even chicken which I haven't had in over 16 years! I had these same cravings for eggs years ago and I finally did cave I my body felt so much better for it. I know im in a similar situation now but I cant get past the idea of eating fish maybe chicken the mentality and wthics of vegetarian thinking are strong and I feel like that is at war with my common sense of eating what my body needs. If I can go to every doctor I can, try every supplement or prescription med, every alternative therapy, try all these restrictive elimination diets to try improve my health why shouldn't I try eating meat again to seeif it improves my health??? Anyway just wandering if you have any tips/ideas to help add animal products back into the diet again? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, again well done for writing and figuring out what your body needs, for accepting that, for getting help and for doing whats right for you :-) love and light xx ps I would love to talk to you more

Are all vegans as obnoxious as the ones commenting on this blog? I was really considering being a vegan to live a healthier lifestyle and doing research for both sides before committing to anything. It's sad to ridicule her because her body can not take a strictly vegan diet, like she said WE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME! That's why there are tons of diets, because what works for one person may not work for the next. So far being a vegan sounds more like an ego than a way a life. If all you have to throw in her face is that she's making excuses to slaughter animals you're pathetic. Her health or anyone's health is important. Just like animals eat other animals it's a food chain. And yes not all animals are carnivorous some have their own special diet. Sound familiar? But thanks for this blog it gave good insight keep doing what's Are all vegans as obnoxious as the ones commenting on this blog? I was really considering being a vegan to live a healthier lifestyle and doing research for both sides before committing to anything. It's sad to ridicule her because her body can not take a strictly vegan diet, like she said WE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME! That's why there are tons of diets, because what works for one person may not work for the next. So far being a vegan sounds more like an ego than a way a life. If all you have to throw in her face is that she's making excuses to slaughter animals you're pathetic. Her health or anyone's health is important. Just like animals eat other animals it's a food chain. And yes not all animals are carnivorous some have their own special diet. Sound familiar? But thanks for this blog it gave good insight keep doing what's best you are your own person and you know your body. you are your own person and you know your body.

Are all vegans as obnoxious as the ones commenting on this blog? I was really considering being a vegan to live a healthier lifestyle and doing research for both sides before committing to anything. It's sad to ridicule her because her body can not take a strictly vegan diet, like she said WE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME! That's why there are tons of diets, because what works for one person may not work for the next. So far being a vegan sounds more like an ego than a way a life. If all you have to throw in her face is that she's making excuses to slaughter animals you're pathetic. Her health or anyone's health is important. Just like animals eat other animals it's a food chain. And yes not all animals are carnivorous some have their own special diet. Sound familiar? But thanks for this blog it gave good insight keep doing what's best you are your own person and you know your body better than anyone else.

Everyone is different, maybe you should consider adding wild caught salmon to the menu. I also appreciate this honest post. Vegans can be very judgy as you can tell by these comments.

Balanced blonde, wait to go, it's really hard to be honest in such a tough crowd of vegans! I've been a vegetarian my entire life, and I tried being a vegan, but my diet was much too restrictive because of my Crohn's disease. I just recently started adding wild caught fish to my diet and my vegan and vegetarian friends didn't seem too pleased. But they are healthy and doing well, I was not. Keep honest :).

Here is what I think: Naming your book Breaking Vegan was extremely disrespectful to the animals that are suffering and to a planet that won't be sustainable for much longer. You were never an ethical vegan and your own GREED for making money from bogus juice cleanses then selling a misleading titled book were more important to you than morals. You built a whole business and identity around something you have little knowledge of. So financially you benefited but you'll never be a balanced or happy person when your selfish greed is ruling your life. Vegan's would respect you if you changed your book to Breaking Orthorexia which is what you are trying to overcome and stop saying Veganism almost killed you. It's your karma.

People like to call themselves pescatarian because they believe that fish are not sentient beings. This is totally wrong, fish can feel pain just like any other living being. It has been proven by science. They have also been shown to be more intelligent than we ever thought. As well as this it is obvious from research done that most of the fish which people eat these days are filled with toxins for eating other fish who have toxins and because the oceans are filled with poisons which have been dumped over many years. Everyone who makes the effort can become vegan, it is a question of putting ethics first and focusing on learning how to eat properly which is incredibly easy once you start and make a real commitment. I am 62 and made this commitment around 3 years ago. Although I had some cravings for certain foods I knew this was just out of habit and I have stuck to my vegan/plant based lifestyle and have excellent health which was proven when I had my blood tested and it came back better than before I changed over to this food. Eating grassfed animals is just a benefit for humans, the animals are still murdered and no one asks them if they want to die. Murder is murder, it can't be made nicer. Paleos cannot defend their diet because it means suffering and death to others, but vegans can because they do not harm anyone. They save lives.

This page is full of gutless cowards who are happy to cling to misinformation if it can somehow justify their greed and selfish behavior, meaning that they will come up with all kinds of excuses to do with their health and cravings. Try researching plant based diets and foods really well and you will find that everything your body needs is available to you. If you eat a junky plant based diet with very little variety then don't expect to be healthy. As for B12, no tablets are needed for this. There is plenty of B12 in nutritional yeast and in Kombucha which is an extremely healthy tea. Animals do not produce B12, it is synthesised from bacteria. Many meat eaters are B12 deficient, it has nothing to do with eating a plant based diet. These are all just excuses which people like to spew out because they have no real knowledge and prefer to ignore the truth.

I think your transition is great and honest. Really sounds like you are getting to really know yourself and being flexible and gentle. This is the best way for all of life's journeys---gentleness and flexibility. I am vegan and I totally honor and support your decision. I wish you the best in it and may you discover your self even more. Thanks for the post!

Dear Jordan, I hope you've expected this much hate on this post, because being a vegan for so many years, you know that vegans are very fierce in defending their thoughts and feeling superior to other people just based on their food choices. They start a "crusade" as soon as someone does not agree with their convictions and they become the most non-compassionate humans in what regards other humans. Let me tell you this: I appreciate you for your honesty, you are brave! I congratulate you for being honest and I don't think you are a bad person for choosing yourself over the animals. You don't owe anyone an apology for your choices as no-one else owes you one. I believe humans are the most important on the earth, that's why Jesus came for people's redemption not for animal's. Having this privilege we ought to help animals and love them but not count them above our own lives or above other people's lives and feelings! Continue doing what you do and keep your head up! Don't be ashamed or don't feel inferior to any vegan! You are precious the way you are no matter what you decide or choose. These does not make you less valuable! Take care, Love, Vero

I am in the same boat .....vegan 10 years very successfully ,a hysterectomy has brought on bad gut troubles with many many symptoms.....working on a new way of eating ,its hard for sure but health is everything!!! Listen to your body...you only have one dear!! Doing what it is telling you total self love ,nothing wrong with that ....respect for living creatures and giving whole hearted thanks for your humanely raised meal is no sin.....you are a strong lady for not hiding in the shadows like many others....others may follow and heal themselves as well.....dont listen to the assholes!!

Jordan ~ Honestly, thank you SO much for this post. I have been feeling.. definitely not 100% with my vegan diet. I am so happy to have found someone who feels the same as I do. do what is best for you. animal rights are still so entirely important, don't listen to the negative comments. Thank you so much again. Carissa . xo

I am vegan and I am very proud of you for what you did! The word is compassion. We're all doing the best we can with what we know. "so you are right and everyone else is wrong? This is exclusion, but aren't we about inclusion... Take resposibility for everything" If we think we're on the "right" path this can cause so much suffering! There is no right and wrong I think. The fact that many are looking into plant based diets are inspiring! This is to be celebrated. We are gaining more consciousness as humans, becoming more spiritual or wonderful... finding our own yoga or "comfortable seat.. and you what I think.. it changes... it will only change and this is natural. Me too I'm in a similar boat as you. Let's see what happens:)

I don't why it's considered the go to healthy choice, but cold smoothies are a really bad choice for breakfast. They are cooling and dampening. The exact opposite of what you need first thing. Most people should be eating cooked hot food for breakfast, preferably with some spice ( ginger, chili, cinnamon, etc). If you like cramping and bloating, a runny nose and runny stools sure, drink them everyday.

I couldn't agree with what you said in this post better. I wasn't familiar with "The Blonde Vegan," but I'm happy to find you as "The Balanced Blonde" :). Vegans are not perfect, their choices are not sustainable long term for the Earth, and we are all different- thankfully! What freedom it is to embrace that...my ex-girlfriend is a vegan. Yes, she doesn't eat animals. But she put me through such horrible abuse, the last incident ending with her torturing me for 5 hours straight and nearly murdering ME to where I have severe PTSD from this woman. But so many people hail her because she's a vegan. Well, no one gets my automatic high-fives for being a vegan, Christian, anything else that somehow is supposed to automatically make you a good person. In fact, when people tell me that they are either of those things nowadays, I watch my back much closer. No one gets my automatic respect, especially not vegans. You can't judge a person wholly based on their nutritional decisions. Let me also add that I tried being a vegan several times during that relationship and since. The most recent time, I became so starved for protein (animal protein) that I was having a hard time forming complete sentences. I also became on edge and quick to anger (not in an abusive way). I do not care to argue with anyone about whether I was "doing it right," and neither should this brave woman. She is an example to stay true to yourself, stay true to your body. This is the same "diet" that I'm following- I'm not paleo, I'm not vegetarian, I'm not vegan or any of these other ridiculous labels that stem from following the ideas of others when it comes to your own body- I just listen to my body daily, and eat what it tells me intuitively that it needs. That is all! And in response to "Anonymous" just a couple comments below mine, yes vegans can be quite judgmental and angry and that's an understatement. Like I said, I was horribly abused by my ex who is a vegan. She actually beat me up several times over "the bees" or any number of random things related to "the animals." But she's helping the Earth and the animals so much, really deserves a fucking metal while I go on disability because I'm so fucked up from almost being murdered by her. My 25 cents

Omg , what have I read ? U weren't a vegan from the beginning when you label yourself as vegan. Seems like u have no idea what is VEGAN exactly meaning 😨.

Omg , what have I read ? U weren't a vegan from the beginning when you label yourself as vegan. Seems like u have no idea what is VEGAN exactly meaning 😨. You were just focused on ONLY plant based DIET.,, NOT vegan. Why excuse yourself and spread misinformation if u don't know what exactly VEGAN means!

Dear Jordan, I wish you all the best and vibrant health. It was very brave to come out and be 100% honest with your vegan journey. I tried on two different occasions with this lifestyle (2nd time with B12 supplementation) and became extremely weak after 5 months. My biochemistry requires some animal products to function normally, for whatever reason I don't know. My mother ended up in the hospital after her attempt at veganism requiring 4 pints of blood, she was severely anemic. I have vegan friends who do extremely well on a no oil vegan regiment, I've come to the conclusion that we all have different needs. I know it was a hard decision, but you have to take care of your health.

I'm sorry but veganism isn't something you switch on or off. Once you've made a connection like that you stand by it for life. I wish you all the best with your health but ethics is entirely different. I would give my life for the animals. My health is wonderful but I would tweak a diet for the sake of veganism because it is worth it to me personally. Raw food is probably the worst entry to veganism because it is restrictive and few bodies can tolerate it. I hope that you experiment if you make the ethical connection someday.

You possibly need to do more research then. I used to wonder about it too before I did my own research and educated myself. It's a broad spectrum of people taking a stand against animal cruelty. There is a lot of research on sustainability, health and undercover videos that attest to an unimaginable depth of cruelty in our world that goes toward providing what people are eating that you need to see to believe. Bottom line though, vegans are a diverse group of people who are passionate about informing people about animal rights on behalf of the animals who can't speak up. Perhaps if you see documentaries such as Earthings or Cowspiracy this will help you to understand where some of the fervency comes from. But it's a voice for the animals plain and simple.

I've re-worded my comment because it was late when I posted so I didn't write it the way I wanted to. With due respect, I firstly wanted to say that veganism isn't something you switch on or off due to the ethical side of things. I think that's why this has caused a bit of an uproar here and become such a debate. There are definitely different ways that you can be vegan, with an abundance of different food options that there are out there that suit different bodies. I do wish you all the best with your health. Raw food is probably the worst entry to veganism because it is restrictive and few bodies can tolerate it. Mine couldn't either, I got really sick. But raw food veganism was my entry into veganism too, and after that I became informed so that it was an ethical choice. My diet as a vegan is full of nourishing food these days. I love my veggie juices and fruit smoothies, but I'm also tending towards lots of delightful cooked foods like buckwheat pancakes filled with fried banana and cacao, tempeh wraps, tempeh meatballs with rice spaghetti. So delicious! I have a balance of comfort foods and fruit and veg because it makes my body feel blissful and nourished. My digestive system works beautifully on this diet so I keep my weight healthy but low in spite of all of the yummy food. Anyway, I hope that your health improves but needed to clarify that veganism isn't a diet because it becomes a huge misunderstanding that it's about 'them' and 'their diet' when it's not dietary at all. But I hope that if you choose to be a vegan in the future you see it in a more abundant light and enjoy delicious vegan foods : )

wow! The responses from the majority of vegans here shows up that bully mentality loud and clear. Good luck with everything Jordan and thanks for sharing.

Hey Jordan, I really want to send you this message of support. I haven't read a lot of messages below me. But it would be obvious that there will be vegans that aren't agreeing with you or are very unkind. I have noticed a lot of vegans being angry at non-vegans because they are actually are angry at how the food-industry works. Which I can relate to. But after being vegan myself and doing more research that I can count. I have come to the conclusion that it is a FACT that everybody acts different at different kind of diets. A lot of people can't handle vegan diets physically and mentally actually. Some people need different foods. So if somebody tells you that you are wrong, let them talk shit and be angry. I believe that it's also a weakness of a lot of vegans; the anger. Let it be their curse, not yours. Anyway, i know it must be hard to get criticism online, the internet is a easy way for people to get their frustrations out of the way. But I hope you know you have more people loving you then you know, but they maybe won't say it. Sorry if my english is bad, I'm dutch. Lots of love

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Dear Jordan, I thank you for writing this article and I commend you on your honesty. I believe it is really important to be honest with yourself and do what is right for you. I am vegan transitioning back into vegetarianism as I will not lie my body still craves cheese and I believe you can still live a sustainable lifestyle and be kind and compassionate towards animals. I am a huge animal lover and an advocate too and I do not think you should feel ashamed of any of your choices. A lot of people will get angry and will judge you but you know what? I always just say to myself everyone has a different perspective and it's not really in anyone's place to label you for what you believe in. It's pointless trying to please others. Keep doing you :) Sending you love and light from Melbourne Australia x

Jordan, you are a brave soul. I have been a vegan for quite some time and yes, perhaps your vegan lifestyle wasn't as balanced as it should have been, but as a balanced vegan myself I have experienced similar problems of my body not agreeing with my lifestyle. I experience constant anxiety and nausea, and I am struggling to find a solution to my pain that doesn't involve reintroducing dairy. I will be honest, I could never eat meat again but we can only do so much. You have tried, and that is all someone can ask. Your heart is in the right place and you're making decisions that will help your health. The guilt is not worth enduring, nor should you have to experience it. A love of animals never fades, and so don't forget all the good you have done by being an ethical eater.

I'm sorry that you were abusing your body in such a way. You were barely eating anything. Did you get your blood tested to see if you were deficient in anything? Maybe you can give a plant-based diet a shot and do it healthfully this time. Take care <3

Obviously, you were never vegan for the animals and it was only a selfish and faddish decision you made and probably one you made ignorantly thinking veganism is a diet. Veganism is a change in diet based on saving animal lives but is definitely not a diet. The only reason we focus so much on food is we (real vegans) are so worried about stopping the abuse of animals and the industry that promotes the abuse! You mention nothing about animals in this article? Did you just forget the cause that easily? Your article is so self-centered and has absolutely nothing to do with saving the animals and exactly why people need to be acutely aware that veganism is not a diet! This is why vegans are angered by your post? You completely misunderstood what you were doing as a vegan and why. You gave up on helping animals so you could socialize better with friends and family? I guess your social definitely takes presidency over that of all the social lives of the animals you choose to hurt now? Makes sense to me...not? Sorry...but by my book you were never vegan.

Obviously, you were never vegan for the animals and it was only a selfish and faddish decision you made and probably one you made ignorantly thinking veganism is a diet. Veganism is a change in diet based on saving animal lives but is definitely not a diet. The only reason we focus so much on food is we (real vegans) are so worried about stopping the abuse of animals and the industry that promotes the abuse! You mention nothing about animals in this article? Did you just forget the cause that easily? Your article is so self-centered and has absolutely nothing to do with saving the animals and exactly why people need to be acutely aware that veganism is not a diet! This is why vegans are angered by your post? You completely misunderstood what you were doing as a vegan and why. You gave up on helping animals so you could socialize better with friends and family? I guess your social life definitely takes presidence over that of all the social lives of animals you choose to hurt again now? Makes sense to me...not? Sorry...but by my book you were never vegan.

Jordan, Not that I really think you read any of these comments, but if you do, I'd like to say a few things. We live in a world that is being ravaged by consumerism and misinformation that is spread like the plague by corporations that seek absolutely nothing but profit. In this world of smoke and mirrors, it's nearly impossible for the unaware to traverse the deception and find some legitimate truth. Now, I wouldn't dare get preachy and claim that veganism is the end all be all for everybody, because in some cases it is not. However, in your case, I would say that veganism was certainly not the issue and that there were many factors involved in your deteriorating mental/physical health. It's evident by your own interpretation of what transpired that you are very aware of what lead to your lifestyle's demise and those reasons were not due to conventional veganism. I think you are doing your followers and whoever finds themselves reading this a great disservice by blaming your mental health on your dietary choices. Veganism gets a bad rap as it is and while I'm not saying it's for everyone, it can be very beneficial for the fast majority of those who are willing to give it a try. Currently, America is crippled by health issues revolving around our poor diets and sedentary lifestyles. Beyond that, we live in a world that is crippled by the over consumption generated by these lifestyles. Veganism offers a solution (not an end all be all) to both of these issues. Being someone that once hailed themselves as the "Vegan Blonde" how could you spout such untruth? You were suffering from an eating disorder, and I am very sympathetic towards your plight. However, dragging veganism through the mud was totally unnecessary and out of line. Please consider removing this article and addressing the same issues with the future memoir.

...there are people in here whose personal disdain for vegans makes any argument they have invalid...stop painting an entire diverse spectrum of people with the same brush and discuss vegan-ism instead...your so-called arguments appear petty and ridiculous...

Well as i am someone who almost died from the vegan lifestyle i was commited to, i fully support your decision in being a carnivore.

So i havent had a reply from Jordan or anyone else but im getting hate responses from others saying im a traitor and sicko from my other post 7 months ago :( Reach out for understanding and help but all i get is hate, really sucks cant even get understanding on a post like this :( seriously guys spread love not hate!

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Kudos to you for sharing your journey. I've been Vegetarian for over 25 years and was once Vegan. I understand it's not for everyone as not everyone's body responds to it well. I have several friends who had physical issues that kept them from maintaining a Vegan diet. At the end of the day you have to do what's best for your body.

You were not a vegan. You were eating a plant-based diet.

I know it was a few years ago but I am so sad that people can be so cruel to one another. I just decided to read all the comments today and they made me really upset. No one should have to go through this. Much love💕

Being Vegan is NOT healthy! It's easy to think that it is, but many Vegans I have met are actually conflating their radical belief in animal rights along with their religious zealot like belief in global cooling/global warming/climate change with a healthy lifestyle (and NO, climate change is NOT settled science. The often quoted 97 percent figure is actually based on the responses of 77 scientists and within those there are scientists who are unsure, but went with the affirmative while hedging). The body needs a well balanced diet and depending on many factors we need more or less carbs, more or less fat, more or less protein (including meat based). One day, they will claim that plants feel pain and if we listen to them we will all be popping synthetic capsules to "save the planet"

800 Calories a day sounds like an eating disorder, period. That has nothing to do with veganism and anybody trying to live on that little food (of any kind) is going to get sick. Self inflicted injury.

I think that you've found an easy way to justify killing. If you felt better eating a human, would that give you the right to do so? No hate here, just disgust.

Why did you go all the way to where you went eating animals instead of first trying to transition to a normal ovo-lacto vegetarian diet? That's the part I don't get.

Now of course...you can always drink in moderation and make sure to not go over your calorie budget for the day. But what fun is there in that? I'd rather cheat the system with the kind metabolic mischief I've layed out above... how long does heroin stay in system

I think it is ridiculous that anyone judge another human who actually tries to be balanced and compassionate. Yes it is about the animals and their plight, but we also don't all run the same. Case in point I went vegan and after 5 months my body stopped running correctly. I ended up almost dying because my hemoglobin was so low, my iron and hematocrit were critically low and b12. I was taking daily iron supplement. Plant iron wasn't binding the same and my body was in shutdown. I ended up on IVs 2x a week for transfusion and I have a wheat allergy and nut allergy so my Nutritionist, and my Dietitian and Drs said I will shut down if I stay on the diet. Before I went Vegan I had PCOS and Hypertension. I was on 2 medications. Now I take 5 pills per day for hypothyroidism, anemia and other things. Veganism did not cause the illness but my body stopped being able to take care of itself while I was vegan. I've spent thousands and thousands of dollars on Peta and organizations to help protect animals. But the point is we have not yet developed good sources of Omega-3 or B12 on a plant-based diet we simply have to rely on supplements and when our body doesn't actually absorb them for some random reason we don't have a choice. I'm not going to let my entire life be gone over a chicken even if I love the chicken and I understand the chicken as a being and respect it I don't think that I should die so that a chicken could live. I actually don't eat chicken but my experience with veganism was that it did not work for me my body rejected it and it did not function and as soon as I introduced small animal products and went back to vegetarianism using only eggs from local sources that I could go walk on their Farm my body normalized but it took a few months. I only just two weeks ago got told I don't need infusions anymore. I believe we get so much conviction about the compassion for animals that sometimes we forget to care about the humans too and the fact that slaughterhouses and mass meat production is a horrible atrocity on Humanity but we still do have to survive and if our bodies aren't surviving on only plants we have to do something about it we have a choice though where we get our meat from or our eggs Etc. I believe many people should be vegan and they can be vegan but for some of us our bodies just don't respond the same and it's not a cop-out I have lab work and posts about how bad I was doing and people around me who saw what it did to me and I was eating a balanced vegan diet with all the little tricks they tell you to do for protein and everything but even flax seeds and chia seeds there a ratio is so bad that the Omega threes aren't really that beneficial. It just didn't work for my body maybe if I didn't have a wheat and nut allergy it would have been different but I don't think B12 is in either of those so I would have ended up anemic either way. I have found the best health from being mostly vegan and only eating egg whites from a local farm that I know the owner and oysters which I actually hate I am literally only eating them for the iron I'm healthy again. I can do a lot more good for animals and other people in this world if I'm alive. People need to show as much or more consideration to other humans as they do the animals. Being overly full of conviction towards others doesn't make you any more Pure or any more vegan than anyone else who is the vegan. It is no different than religious zealousy.

think it is ridiculous that anyone judge another human who actually tries to be balanced and compassionate. Yes it is about the animals and their plight, but we also don't all run the same. Case in point I went vegan and after 5 months my body stopped running correctly. I ended up almost dying because my hemoglobin was so low, my iron and hematocrit were critically low and b12. I was taking daily iron supplement. Plant iron wasn't binding the same and my body was in shutdown. I ended up on IVs 2x a week for transfusion and I have a wheat allergy and nut allergy so my Nutritionist, and my Dietitian and Drs said I will shut down if I stay on the diet. Before I went Vegan I had PCOS and Hypertension. I was on 2 medications. Now I take 5 pills per day for hypothyroidism, anemia and other things. Veganism did not cause the illness but my body stopped being able to take care of itself while I was vegan. I've spent thousands and thousands of dollars on Peta and organizations to help protect animals. But the point is we have not yet developed good sources of Omega-3 or B12 on a plant-based diet we simply have to rely on supplements and when our body doesn't actually absorb them for some random reason we don't have a choice. I'm not going to let my entire life be gone over a chicken even if I love the chicken and I understand the chicken as a being and respect it I don't think that I should die so that a chicken could live. I actually don't eat chicken but my experience with veganism was that it did not work for me my body rejected it and it did not function and as soon as I introduced small animal products and went back to vegetarianism using only eggs from local sources that I could go walk on their Farm my body normalized but it took a few months. I only just two weeks ago got told I don't need infusions anymore. I believe we get so much conviction about the compassion for animals that sometimes we forget to care about the humans too and the fact that slaughterhouses and mass meat production is a horrible atrocity on Humanity but we still do have to survive and if our bodies aren't surviving on only plants we have to do something about it we have a choice though where we get our meat from or our eggs Etc. I believe many people should be vegan and they can be vegan but for some of us our bodies just don't respond the same and it's not a cop-out I have lab work and posts about how bad I was doing and people around me who saw what it did to me and I was eating a balanced vegan diet with all the little tricks they tell you to do for protein and everything but even flax seeds and chia seeds there a ratio is so bad that the Omega threes aren't really that beneficial. It just didn't work for my body maybe if I didn't have a wheat and nut allergy it would have been different but I don't think B12 is in either of those so I would have ended up anemic either way. I have found the best health from being mostly vegan and only eating egg whites from a local farm that I know the owner and oysters which I actually hate I am literally only eating them for the iron I'm healthy again. I can do a lot more good for animals and other people in this world if I'm alive. People need to show as much or more consideration to other humans as they do the animals. Being overly full of conviction towards others doesn't make you any more Pure or any more vegan than anyone else who is the vegan. It is no different than religious zealousy.

Even the Dahlai llahma found it was not right for him to be a vegetarian ( let alone a vegan, or a 'plant based vegan'. Read his autobiography. You most certainly do need to listen to your body. Anyone who denies you this right is similar to a fanatical religious type who won't let anyone else think or believe differently than them. Any 'hate' directed at you says far more about the person doing that, than about you. Self righteousness is always ugly.

Dear loved one, Wow. The amount of hate on the comments is just... sad. I'm very proud of you for being brave and strong enough to talk about your transition story. I wish you the nest in your life and ignore all the negative energy being said to you and focus on the positive ones. Peace be upon you. Love. Mariam.

ya... veganism didn't almost kill you. not knowing how to eat right is what killed you. having an eating disorder is what almost killed you.... not veganism. There are more accounts of people being able to overcome their eating disorders with veganism than ur lame excuse to bash on veganism, bye.

I'm vegetarian and it's caused health problems. I've never gone vegan because I think it's a cult. And I made the decision to go veg based on emotion rather than science. I'm adding fish back into my diet this summer and going from there. I have zero problem being judged/called names/insulted, etc. because I don't have to live according to the consciences of cultists. I answer to a higher power than that.

Hi, I think it's brave of you to share your story. However I was curious if you believe you could ever be vegan again and not have the unhealthy restrictions you set on yourself? I'm the kind of vegan that eats mostly whole foods but I love Gardein nuggets or fish sticks whenever I damn well want them. I don't even drink green smoothies because I rarely have a sweet tooth. I know we are all different, no doubt about it but if you're doing it to be compassionate towards living beings than I think it's okay to have a vegan donut from time to time. I might be vegan but life is too short to not have French fries and donuts from time to time. I don't want to beat you up about this in anyway, I truly am just curious.

I find that sometimes people who care about the humane treatment of animals are very militant; it is hard to not be aggressive and sometimes political and eventually (and unfortunately) angry and polarizing. Anti-abortionists are the closest example I can think of. It is hard to unsee and unlearn what you have learned about how animals are prepared for their life as you food. I think your issue was definitely your eating disorder rather than veganism. I am very late to this blog and your journey, but be safe and be happy.

Hi All. I have read many of the posts below and would like to chip in. We recently switched our lives to being vegan. My wife is currently sick in bed due to stomache pains. The same ones she's been dealing with most of her life. I did hope that the change in diet would have stopped it all together but has been going on for so long I recon that was wishfull thinking. Myself, my wife and all our children have deeply routed love for animals of all kind. Being vegan has much less to do with your diet and your own well being and that is why I believe there are so many vegans who aggresively defend this way of life. The idea to me is simple. Imagine yourself taking any animal and using your hands and teath to tear it apart and eating it.... Now in my mind and I pray to God in most, that idea in itself should send a very realistic chill down your spine, and if it doesn't........ So we will fight our bodily illness head on, never ever using another animal to try and solve such issues. We have been placed on this earth of 'ours' to live in harmony with each and every living thing, to love and enjoy every aspect. The only way we will ever find true peace in this life.... Is by not killing... Love each other. PS All fruits and edible plants were designed by nature to be consumed!

I would agree with you that you had developed a eating disorder but I do feel you have thrown the baby out with the bath water, my health has gone from strength to strength on a WFPB diet but I have no restrictions - hardly anyone is gluten intolerant and I love my grains and my legumes etc etc I do understand your move back to vegetarianism but isn't it just another eating disorder? I did t read the full blog but If I was you I would aim to deal with the restrictions as a priority but at the end of the day it's your health so good luck!

We are all different, we all think differently and across a wide spectrum. There shouldn't have to be a restrictive you have to go the whole way or not. I am trying to live my life as compassionately as I can. I don't agree with the way that animals are reared or 'farmed' for our benefit today. It is cruel, greedy and destroying our planet. I buy well-sourced, organic meat about once a month from the farm and perhaps fortnightly some farm eggs and sheeps cheese. This is the right balance for me at the moment. I think it's really brave that you have opened up about this and it is totally not worth an eating disorder for! xx

Thank you for this post! I have been eating plant based for 3 years...and if my body was able to feel good eating vegan, I would love nothing more than to keep that diet. However, I have had chronic digestive problems with a plant based diet. I have tried everything, raw, cooked, low fiber and I am still having issues. Besides ethical reasons, documentaries and literature also present so much convincing evidence that plant based is the healthiest for your body, which is why I have such a hard time reverting to a non-vegan diet. But when you can't stand the feeling of being in your own body and you are not thriving-you begin to question what you're doing. I sure wish it were easier. Thanks for sharing your experience, it will definitely help guide me! Would love to hear how you're doing since this original post.

I am going through a similar journey. After breaking my vegan diet after 2 years, I am left feeling disconexted and guilty. So much of my work has been tied to my vegan journey. It's about finding balance I think - but that takes time to fully appreciate again. I appreciate your article very much. It speaks to my own transition and finding where again I want to be, who I want to be.

I'm so sorry to hear about the struggles with your eating disorder. However, I'm curious to know, why is returning to salmon and other animal products going to rectify your current mental disorder? It sounds as though things were going were very well for you, and then became more of a struggle as you became more and more restrictive. It must be very difficult to leave that mindset, but was it not possible to just cut out the other restrictions you had and continue to eat vegan? By the sounds of things, you are still applying restrictions to your life anyway right, by focusing on "ethical" foods? I'm just curious why you felt that you specifically needed to add animals back into the mix. As a side note, I hate those "You were never a vegan" comments, but I do wonder about your motivations for veganism if you still think that "ethical meat" exists?

Pretty brainy post imo. All story and no compassion or commitment to conscious evolution ... why not "evolve" away from stone-age carnism, cruelty and animal abuse? All very self-important. Rather than "listening to your body" (warning: big pile of BS) why not listen to your "heart" instead? Justifying flesh eating in modern society is a bit backwards imo. Humans do not need to be un-vegan anymore. This is the 21st century, we can meet all our nutritional and taste "needs" via plant foods. Period. Moral evolution is the key factor in this now. Just quit believing that humans need animal derived foods in order to live healthy. It's just not true. And if you don't believe me, consider this: veganism is also just a transitional step as far as nutrition is concerned: there are people able to meet all their body's nutritional needs without any food stuffs or drink (not even water, some of them) - at all. Just watch this doco ... trailer & film here: http://lightdocumentary.com/

This vegan doctor who specialises in nutrition and transitioning people to a vegan diet  may be able to help. I was looking at his website recently  and I see he offers consultations by telephone and internet(Skype?) but as medicine is his livelihood he will have to charge. I think I once read that he also offered to answer medical enquiries by email for US$25 but did not see any mention of this on his current website.  https://youtu.be/xUm6S1P02IY

Seems pretty extreme... I don't think anxiety and "juice cleanses" has anything to do with being vegan (and thus, 'transitioning' away)... But then again, I'm loosely vegetarian, listen to my body, and avoid diets and extremes...

I agree. I could have written this post myself. Sharing a video I made about this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEkZCVLl52M

Here's something that I found via craigslist in their rants and raves that I found humorous: 'Just did some searches using 'ex vegetarians' and this is the funniest share on the topic found so far. Enjoy! Ex-Vegetarians: What made you re-enter the meat world? - AskReddit https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1gacdl/exvegetarians_what_made_you_reenter_the_meat_world/ _vargas_•4y I was a vegetarian for six months. I got hammered one night with my roommate. He ordered chicken wings. They were slathered with hot buffalo sauce. The aroma woke something deep inside me. Suddenly, I had a powerful lust for meat. I swear I was practically drooling. My mouth was wetter than a 14 year old girl's underpants at a Bieber concert. My roommate was nice enough to share. I probably ate a dozen wings before passing out. It was the most beautiful sleep I had experienced in months. When I awoke, instead of feeling shitty and hungover I instead felt born-again. I got up and just farted like crazy. It smelled like a squirrel had climbed up my asshole and gave birth to a bunch of baby squirrels. They all died and had sat rotting inside me for a couple weeks, building up methane gas in my colon all the while. The odor that I then detected was that gas that I had finally pushed out. I mean, as a vegetarian my shit literally did not stink. It was eerie. After those chicken wings, the fumes from my ass stung my eyes so much that I actually had to open a window. I went out to the kitchen. My roommate was making breakfast. Bacon was cooking. At that point, I knew I was done. I loaded up with bacon and eggs. Eggs had actually been the hardest thing for me too give up when I went vegetarian. I think I had three eggs that morning, yolk and all. Coupled with the half pound of bacon, it was the most satisfying breakfast of my life. But it was nothing compared to how satisfying the ensuing shit was... I had napped after breakfast but was arroused by a rumbling in the depths of my digestive tract. You know that "butterflies" feeling you get when you're excited or nervous about something? I had that in my asshole. My anus was giddier than a Trekkie about to meet Wil Wheaton and trembling twice as much. I got out of bed and something heavy "shifted" inside me like an unsecured load on a banking cargo plane. I tried to work some peristalsis to kind of shimmy the massive ball of digested chicken meat and buffalo sauce back up north, but it was quicky evident that it had passed the event horizon from which no turd can escape. I felt like a woman who had been pregnant for thirteen months. I knew that my poo baby was ready to be baptized, whether I was ready or not. Imagine that your ankles have handcuffs around them. The chain is no more than six inches. Imagine you have to walk around like this. That's what it was like when I made the pilgrimage from my bedroom to the bathroom. If I opened my legs anymore, my undies would have been immediately filled with pudding. I got to the bathroom and inched my pants down. In one smooth motion, I was on the toilet. Crap shot out of my ass. Upon splashdown, my cheeks were soaked in shit-water. I didn't care. I felt like I had just expelled an angry demon from my body. A fire demon. Oh, the burn. That buffalo sauce had singed my brown eye. But the relief was such that I didn't really care. I sat there, crying, for about twenty minutes after I was done. "This is what people must feel when they are told that they've been cured of cancer," I thought. I wiped just once. Upon inspection of the initial "fact finding expedition," I made the decision to abandon the use of toilet paper. There were only two and a half rolls left. Clearly, that wouldn't have been nearly enough. A shower was the only sensible course of action. A brilliant choice followed by a horrible choice. I decided to glance at the offspring I had birthed. Looking into the cesspool I witnessed a brownish, orangish, reddish mound of feces with splatter patterns around the inside of the bowl. It looked like the dried period blood of a thousand tampons mixed with Hormel Chili. I almost fainted. Even now, I can still see it. Despite the furious dump, I felt amazing. I felt like a crisp apple. I felt like a fresh towel. I felt like a fully-charged Dust Buster. I wasn't the only one who was feeling lively. My dick. Would not. Stop being hard. I jerked off but, instead of resting and basking in the post-fap afterglow, I was compelled to keep stroking away. My erection never faded. There was almost no post-orgasm sensitivity. I kept going until I came again a minute and a half later. I cleaned up and watched TV for about twenty minutes before noticing that my dick was rock hard and ready for another go. Again, I beat it harder than a pinata at a Mexican little League party. A few hours later, again. Before bed, again. It wasn't like I did it just to say I did (I did brag a little to my parents). I had to because I was horny as shit. I was probably 24 and hadn't experienced anything remotely close to this in a decade. Examining this phenomenon, I quickly concluded that I had the protein from all the meat to thank. As a vegetarian, I thought that I had been successfully combining foods to create complete proteins. I didn't realize how wrong I was until that fateful day. I had kind of noticed my sex drive not being all that strong. I chalked it up to getting older. With girls, I couldn't remember the last time I had went even twice in one night. From there, my full return to meat-eating was inevitable. I never looked back. 429 TheAriaWithin•4y Holy. Crap. That was gross, but amazing. 66 _vargas_•4y Now you know how I felt after taking that massive shit. 32 [deleted]•4y David? 1 your_ex_girlfriend-•4y I just had to read this aloud to my extended family because I was laughing so hard. Gramma was not amused. I regret nothing. 50 _vargas_•4y Tell grandma she needs to lighten up or she'll never find a good husband. 18 WurdSmyth•4y That story should be published in the PETA handbook for new recruits. 2 ZwayHiual•4y The passion. 16 Dreddy•4y Jesus christ that was a magical telling. I kind of want to go vegetarian for 6 months and then eat buffalo wings now.... 14 FuckAllOfYouFagets•4y And the Metaphor Award of the Year goes to... 11 [deleted]•4y Vargas is always really good at metaphors. Take a look back through his history, he has some really good stuff in there. 1 [deleted]•4y Did this help you land Scarlett Johansson? Ninja Edit: it's from his comment in another thread 8 ImActuallyLieing•4y (Psst. You don't have to give up eggs to be vegetarian, that's a vegan.) 8 neoKushan•4y Came here to say this. 1 Mantups24•4y That is the greatest story I've heard on reddit, amazing word choice 18 blazincaveman•4y I especially loved the endless supply of one liners he had: wetter than a 14 year old girl's panties at a bieber concert; whacked it harder than a pinata at a mexican little league game. this stuff was great and worth sharing 15 TheEducatedOwl•4y That was the most disgusting and wonderful piece of poetry I've read in awhile.... hilariously magnificant 5 Confused_Hippy•4y Hilarious, I'd give you gold if I could afford it. 17 _vargas_•4y Its the thought that counts. 21 toothless_tiger•4y This is fucking brilliant. 7 agreatperhapswaits•4y You tell good stories. 3 99_44_100percentpure•4y This actually made me cry from laughter. Thank you. 3 njp999•4y Oh. Oh my. Thank you. This is in my top five favorite things I've seen on reddit. I lost it at "fully charged dust buster" 3 chknstrp•4y That was beautiful, enjoy the reddit gold! 3 drasche•4y Loved the cured of cancer thing. I'll use that. 3 UltimateCrouton•4y I feel really weird for upvoting this, but at the same time I feel like its information people need to know. 6 [deleted]• 4y Hash43•4y Very we written. 2 BowlcutGandhi•4y That brought a tear to my eye... So inspirational 2 jaketessem•4y One of the best stories I have ever seen on reddit. Thank you. You changed my life. 2 dmurdah•4y You sir, are a true artist... 2 viperex•4y That's some vivid imagery 2 lesterlen•4y This is the greatest thing I've ever read 2 Brothelcreeper_2000•4y Remember the CASE OF THE MISSING TURDS? /r/AskReddit/comments/1g2wjx/police_officers_of_reddit_what_is_the_funniest/cagds7v The Turdburglar is reading this as we speak. Pondering his next devious and sickening trap to abscond with harvest of fresh, steaming turds. Beware, my friend. You have alerted the one fiend who seeks your person but your product... 2 fairleader•4y That was beautiful. 2 [deleted]•4y Those motherfucking similes. Glorious. 2 seniorplatypus•4y That was beautiful. It was like reading about the rebirth of a pheonix. Rebirth through fire. 2 Spartan2470•4y This is Pulitzer Prize worthy. I regret that I have but one upvote to give. This makes StoryTellerBob look like a hack. And I love StoryTellerBob 2 _vargas_•4y Ha! Thanks a lot. 1 PickleInDaButt•4y You, sir, you get it, sir. 2 spurning•4y God damnit, vargas! 2 Ashley_2287•4y epic. 2 Anderfail•4y That was beautiful, it brings a tear to my eye. 2 [deleted]•4y As a vegetarian, I thought that I had been successfully combining foods to create complete proteins See, it's not about getting the proteins, it's about how you get them. Meat has a very magical way of injecting protein straight into your awesome glands. Legumes just can't cut it man. 2 billybluewaffle•4y Thank you for this. but I couldn't help myself noticing that there is no picture of the dog? 2 courtoftheair•4y Why would you give up eggs as a vegetarian? Vegan, yes, but vegetarian? Nope. No meat in eggs. Just delicious chicken period. 2 eugenesbluegenes•4y Interesting. I had the same experience as far as my shit and gas starting to smell way worse. But I didn't experience any changes in libido, in fact if anything, I feel more sluggish and less healthy than when I was vegetarian. But it is way easier to eat meat. 3 crazygoodquote•4y Holy shit the similes and metaphors in this made me laugh super hard. 2 Azarthes•4y You're a giant douchebag. Right now I have you tagged as 'My nutsack doesn't just lick itself' and now I want to tag you as 'wetter than a 14 year old girl's underpants at a Bieber concert'. stop 2 Cmepwnurmom•4y 5/5 1 [deleted]•4y I've been waiting for a long time for something this good 5/5 1

I am a vegan and I do not suffer physically, from being a vegan. If being a vegan almost killed you obviously you were not eating right, don't blame veganism for your lack of knowing how to eat. Where are the death threats? It is hard to believe people threatened your life because you do not want to be vegan. There are loads of people in this world that are not vegan, are their lives being threatened by vegans?

I think it's great that you have learned a lot about yourself and your body. I think that when we fight what our bodies are telling us, our bodies fight back, and always win. I also think that an experience like this can make you a more open minded person, which will make you an inspiration for other people. It seems to me that you are very passionate about what you stand for, and that even though your quest to be a lifelong vegan did not go your way, you are taking a very thoughtful step in growing from the experience and in turn, as a life coach, helping others learn about themselves. I would like to think that it could be easy for everybody to live a plant based life style. But with all of the allergies and sensitivities out there to grains, wheat, soy, nuts and beans, I'm not sure that's a realistic opinion to have. You keep on being the health-conscious, introspective version of you, and keep on maneuvering around the obstacles in your effort to make things better for others. Don't worry about the angry vegans....they're just really hungry. :)

You were never vegan to begin with obviously... and you’re only poisoning yourself and the planet (thanks) and supporting animal cruelty and weakening your immune system by eating animal Products. Now you’re essentially spreading misinformation and using your platform to tell people a plant based diet is wrong?! Have you done ANY research?! Shame on you

I switched to a vegetarian diet 25 yrs ago based on my views about animals, the earth, and health like many others. After a few years I decided to go Vegan. About 3 months into the Vegan diet I began feeling poorly..no energy, tingling and pain in my legs, Raynauds in my hands and fingers and I kept losing weight rapidly and could not maintain no matter how many calories I consumed. I went to a Holistic physician who also had degrees in pharmacy and nutrition. She did all sorts of testing on me and all my vitamin and nutrient blood levels came back severely depleted. I started taking prescribed protein drinks and giving myself compounded methyl based Vitamin B12 injections 3 times a week. My levels did improve somewhat and was feeling better but not 100%. Then I moved. I had to find a new Dr that would prescribe the B12 injections. This new Dr prescribed the coboxy based B12 and soon I was back to feeling horrible again. My new insurance was not covering the compounded methyl based B12's so I had to purchase OOP and this got very spendy. My Dr suggested I return to a Ova-Lactose supplemented diet and I started eating organic eggs and raw milk. Wow, the energy returned and symptoms improved. I also found out via DNA testing I had the MTHFR gene variances and was Compound Heterozygous along with many of the variant Methylation genes. My body needed Vitamin B but I could not process unless they were the correct forms and the supplemented one I had taken as a vegan would have never worked for me. Now, after a couple years with proper supplementation and food I am feeling on par. I get my raw milk from a responsible family farm that has names for all their cows and treated like pets. Same with my eggs which are from a friend that has names for her chickens. They are allowed to roam cage free all year. (I live in an area that is temperate and we rarely get snow). Not every one is meant for the vegan lifestyle and we must listen to our bodies. In my case, and they are many like me, we need more nutrients than a vegan diet can supply.

Balanced Blonde, I can understand where you're coming from. I have had bad stomach problems too, but I can assure you eating animal products will only make it worse. There's science behind how detrimental animal products are. Plus, is it more ethical to place your wants above the animals' daily suffering? Being vegan is easy, just don't be restrictive and change it up. Have different meals each week or each day, I can assure you your stomach won't get sick of it.

Reading the comments section, I'm super excited for my plans tonight. I'm going to have a 24oz sirloin steak, smothered in eggs, with bbq rip tips on the side, and I'm going to wash it all down with a large glass of rattlesnake blood!!! Then I'm going to get out my assault rifle and shoot some baby cows because I want homemade veal tomorrow!!! Man was put on this planet to rule the planet, animals were put here to be eaten by man. Don't like it? TOO BAD! You judgmental asshat vegans enjoy your gluten free cardboard tasting garbage, we normal people are going to keep on hunting and fishing and enjoying REAL food, baby!!!

To each his own, but how do yours explain and rationalize God making animals eating animals in his design? Or aren't you aware of the wisdom of the Bible? You don't have to be a believer to get information from it. ( For instance, Mana will be what everything eats and the "lamb shall lay down with the Lion", in Heaven. Obviously, no one would consider our present Earth and the evil in it, Heaven! Just "food for thought". As a start, there's to much more for here. ) You know Benjamin Franklin said "all things in moderation" and he lived a long productive and prosperous life.

Dear Jordan, I am very touched about your post, because I feel very much like you since few weeks. I am vegan since 10 years now, but I cannot digest all the typical and important vegan proteins, so I start to have some health issues, because of vitamines and aminoacids carences. I am eating since few weeks organic eggs from a farm near my place, but I don’t feel much better. I am reconsidering my choices, while there is a huge ethical problem inside me concerning the animal’s life. I would be glad if we could exchange our experience in private.

Have you thought that maybe the types of foods that you were eating as opposed to the lack of animal protien might have been what the issue was? For example, not everyone can eat a smoothie for breakfast whether they are vegan or not and feel full, some feel hungry still, some feel bloated and some do not. I think you should consider whether it is the forms in which you have your food that may be at fault as opposed to lacking meat or dairy. Dairy has very minimale nutrition compared to what you can eat from a range of fruits and vegetables, and grains, pasta and other forms of protien come in so many forms that there is always an alternate way to feel satisfied and comfortable.

nothing can stop veganism ..not even a bunch of angry cheese bacon lovers ....veganism is growing and growing and growing and growing and growing and even more growinnnnnnnggggggggggggg..sorry to bust your bubble

I do not know you, but I am so, so proud of you coming "clean" about changing up your diet and listening to your body.

Absolutely beautiful. Thank you for having the courage to share this. I landed on this blog (synchronistically). I'm going thru a similar process. I can very much relate to the all-or-nothing personality/thinking/way of being. Many in the vegan community struggle with that and have yet to come to terms with it. I consider it a "balancing act", and realizing the importance of moderation, adaptation, flexibility and the liberation of self from unhealthy restrictions. I wholeheartedly agree with this: "I’m saying goodbye to the labels". It is so very liberating, grounding and simply healthy. I applaud you for recognizing this and connecting with yourself on a deeper level. Bravo to you. I wish you well and support you in this! ♥

If you feel like you are lacking anything being vegan, you arent doing it right and you dont eat enough or the right things. Putting your comfort ahead of others lives is wrong. Simply educate yourself on what does your body need and find the food that does not cause other's death and suffering (animals and humans) and our planet to be destroyed. Please stop saying these things because you werent able to do it the right way, we are trying to make a positive change here.

You are so smart for listening to your body! Veganism is for fools, which you clearly are not. Good for you.

If a vegan diet "can absolutely work" or whatever you said, why haven't you made it work then? From what you wrote in your post, you were not eating enough on your "vegan" diet. Green juice for breakfast and quinoa and roasted vegetables for dinner? Of course it wasn't satisfying. Please, don't butcher Nietzsche when you can't even spell his name. My thoughts are you are unbelievably selfish and narcissistic. Your eating disorder is not an excuse to start abusing animals again.

It sounds like your problem isn't with veganism but with a HIGHLY restricted disordered diet. What you describe reads like an eating disorder, full stop. Every time I see one of these stories, the one thing they have in common is that the person has serious issues with food and have a highly restricted diet because of it, but when they come out with their story, it's always, 'I'm leaving veganism' as if veganism = a highly restricted diet and or an eating disorder. Anyone who is trying to live on an obssessively restricted diet of any kind is going to have health problems. What you presented was an all or nothing, black and white false dichotomy: what you've labeled as veganism which goes way, way beyond it, or being not vegan, and that's just not intellectually honest. It does everyone a disservice to paint this as veganism was bad for me, I'm listening to my body, I can't be vegan when in fact you were hurting your body with a highly restrictive diet. It's just like Jaden Smith and a bunch of other celebrities, bloggers, vloggers and social media influencers with the exact same narrative. It's really not fair to mask a highly restrictive diet behind "veganism". Your issue is with your mindset around food, not the food itself. Oh, and a book tops it all. Come now. Be honest with yourself and the public. This was never about veganism, which by the way isn't a health trend, but an ethical lifestyle.

Good morning Jordan, So happy to have stumbled upon your post. I have chronic Lymes disease and recently, (3 months ago), started eating vegan. My joints stopped throbbing overnight. I felt lighter and had much improved digestion. I couldn’t stop blathering to everyone about the benefits of “clean” eating. I started to notice that the neuropathy in my feet was increasing dramatically, my vision was worsening as well. I was sleeping more, and my cognition, (already compromised by Lymes and a sub arachnoid aneurysm), was tanking. I broke 3 bones in my foot on three separate occasions and the blood vessels in my eyes and extremities constantly burst. Like you, I was trying to ignore my symptoms, especially since I had been tooting the horn about Veganism. I finally decided to reintroduce animal protein back into my diet. I haven’t been back on the animal protein long enough to say definitively that all those issues were related to Veganism however, some symptoms have improved. My joint pain is back too. (Gout due to the purines?) All these distractions aside, I wanted to thank you for your bravery, and to point to the greater issue,- Self-Love. No one can take care of us like we can. We must be able to turn off the inner critic which has been nourished on the Fatty Acids of Public Opinion, the Salt of Social Media & a dash of Pseudo Science selling the latest trends of Snake oils. We are all so different but for this; Self-Love & Self- acceptance, this will heal us, one and all. Thank you for the reminder- Love, Bettie

Jordan, Please stop making excuses for why you stopped being a vegan. Vegans move to eliminating animal products from our diets because we believe we should not harm non-humans in any way. Veganism is NOT a lifestyle, but an ethical commitment to eliminating non-human suffering in any way we can. Yes of course, we need to keep our bodies in good order, but be honest here: the reason you are giving up a vegan diet is because you believe (subconsciously maybe) your desire for the taste of 'meat' or fish or other non-human animal product outweighs the suffering of another living being. No one HAS to eat 'animal' products in order to stay healthy. Please stop kidding yourself. A further thought is the environmental damage being done by human obsession with non-human animal products. If we don't curtail our appetites for these, and develop some respect for other life forms we will not have a habitable planet on which to live at all. And for goodness' sake, stop listening to all these old wives' tales about 'paleo' and other silly food fads which are all designed to make money and nothing else. Please sit down and honestly examine your thinking about all this, and stop looking for guidance from all these psuedo-scientists and nutrionists! Best wishes, Mary