Plant-Based or Animal-Based?
Why I’m NOT Vegan/Vegetarian
I get asked often about this topic. Many often assume I am only plant-based because I promote eating plant foods so much. I was vegetarian for about nine months, and then went vegan for another six months after that. I did these diets very well as I am very disciplined in this way. You can read more about this below. This blog post is my reply to this question of “Are you vegan or do you eat meat?”.
Let’s begin with a disclaimer: This blog post is not to be negative. I am not bashing veganism or vegetarianism. I promote a whole food, plant-based form of eating, but I also promote eating a variety which includes meat. I promote keeping an open mind. I promote eating a balanced diet as much as possible and whatever that balance means for your body. I’m glad that there isn’t a cookie-cutter eating plan that’s for everyone. We’re all different, so have respect for that.
With that being said, here goes. I’m not vegan or vegetarian for several reasons. I will begin by telling you my own personal story. Most people don’t know that I have experience with eating only a plant-based diet. In short, my only daughter was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma when she was a senior in high school. I write about this in my new book, Tara’s Choice: A Mother-Daughter Cancer Journey. Being a millennial (or I should say being a rebel like her mother), she quickly went against the grain and wanted to peruse natural therapies and treatments. The biggest of these therapies, was of course, eating vegan and vegetarian. So, for a number of months, we were vegetarian together. (Whatever she did, I did as well. I figured if my child could do it, so could I.) Her cancer grew again during this time, so she thought becoming vegan would help. So, we were vegan for an even longer number of months. She was very disciplined. Let me tell you, we were good at it. It was extremely difficult, but we did it. Her health continued to decline, as well as my own health did. We found a natural clinic and functional medicine doctor who could run the proper testing for us. What it showed was that our blood levels were severely low. Our red blood cells, the oxygen carriers, were very low. Our hormones were out of sorts, and our energy levels were almost non-existent. This is where we discovered the ketogenic diet. Our levels picked up almost instantly, our health improved, our vitality came back and above all, Tara’s cancer was shrinking. For me and my daughter, our bodies needed certain nutrients that our bodies just weren’t absorbing from a completely plant-based diet.
I’ve worked with several women who thought veganism would work for them as well, and instead, their hair started falling out and their energy plummeted. Their bodies were failing them. I know that veganism and vegetarianism is all the rage, (and again, I’m not bashing your decision). I just don’t think it’s a one size fits all kind of thing. I’m all for keeping an open mind and trying new things. If it doesn’t work for you though, move to experience a different plan.
Another reason I am not vegan/vegetarian is that there are benefits to eating animal products, just as there are drawbacks. I love animals! I believe that God gave us these animals for a purpose, and one of them is being a food source. I eat grass-fed meats, and pasture-raised farm eggs. I’m looking for a good farmer in my area, so I can get raw cow’s milk, though I hear this is not allowed in my state. I am one of those who are first to say that our food system really sucks! I know that we have to rely on these companies to give us good food products.
The sad thing is that conventional meat and dairy products are all about the money. Profits over people. I know they don’t care about our own health, much less the health of the animals or the environment. I get that. From the nutritive aspect, it shows that grass-fed, happy animals that get to run and play in the fields and have a good life are healthier, as we would expect. Their meat has more enzymes and more Omega-3 fatty acids than Omega-6 fatty acids. The CAFO-raised animals that are kept in cages and never get to touch the ground are fed grain and given hormones to survive. These meats are much higher in Omega-6 fatty acids all together and have very little of the healthy enzymes. If you’re consuming CAFO meats and dairy, you’re getting the higher amounts of Omega-6’s in your body then, and our health reflects this. This is why I promote organic, grass-fed, hormone-free animal products from good farms. These products are better for us as well as beneficial to the environment.
For me and my life-style, a completely plant-based diet is very difficult. I believe that foods bring about joy, and for me, it causes me stress if I cannot eat a variety. I eat A LOT of plant-based foods, but I also eat meat. For instance, one of my very favorite things to do is to go out to eat with my husband. We pick one night a week to be our date night, and we go to a restaurant to eat a meal. Yes, I make healthy choices and I eat lots of veggie dishes. I’m a nutritionist! Also, I don’t live in a big city anymore that has lots of trendy restaurants, so it would cause me a great deal of stress finding a restaurant that serves both, plant-based and animal product meals separately.
As an avid researcher, when I began eating a whole food, plant-based diet, I remember finding conflicting “vegan” reasons that didn’t make sense to me. For example, our bodies were made to eat only plants because of our teeth and jaw angles, or the length of our intestines, or the enzymes we have in our stomachs. My favorite is that humans are the only species that drinks another animal’s milk (as I’m watching a farm dog mama laying on her side as little piglets are suckling from her). These claims are just not true. All though I know some people chew like a cow, my jaw personally does not swing side to side when I eat. (Insert chuckle here.) This is yet another reason why I am not completely vegan/vegetarian. I had read an article in the past where the doctor wrote that veganism focuses on all the foods that we shouldn’t eat, whereas a whole food plant-based diet focuses equally on all that should be included in the diet. I agree with his statement, mostly. Besides having MTHFR, muscle and aging are reasons I am adding more meats to my diet and healthy protocol. The season of life we are in also matters!
Since finding out about MTHFR, I have yet another reason to know why vegetarianism/veganism doesn’t work for everyone. No, this is not the bad word that you’re thinking of. MTHFR stands for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. This is a gene mutation that affects about half of all Americans. This common defect hinders our ability to methylate and detoxify our bodies. If you were diagnosed with MTHFR like I was, we need certain nutrients (especially) that mostly or only come from animals. This is vital for our life! Be sure to get my health coaching on my healthy MTHFR protocol!!
It is my life’s experiences, where I began my interest in nutrition knowledge and because of these experiences that I became a certified holistic nutritionist and health coach. I believe that proper food and nutrition has the power to prevent, stop and even reverse and heal our bodies. Say hello to epigenetics! I’ve seen it first-hand in myself, my family, and clients. I support others who are seeking knowledge with a “been-there, done that” attitude. This is the reason most of us become health coaches to begin with; we have an important message to share.
The answer to the question then, yes, I eat meat. I am animal-based for all the reasons above. I know people personally who are thriving as a plant-based person. There is no one single diet for everyone. The perfect diet is the one that’s right for you. If the food you are eating is not providing you with satisfaction, good health, or good energy, then I would say make the changes you need to in order to thrive and feel great! Don’t let society or anyone bully you into doing something that doesn’t work for you.
I believe that we must love ourselves first, because when it comes to food, we will make better choices out of love. I believe mindfulness, not will-power, will give you the discipline you desire in anything you do in life. Get back to basics, and if you’re confused, I can help. My job is to help facilitate discussion that will lead you to more positive changes; whatever that may look like for you. At the end of the day, we can all inspire to live healthier!
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