For a very few people, the dietary aspect of veganism is not right for them but sensationalist headlines from the gutter press claiming “veganism ruined my health” can be found all over the web. It’s pretty desperate to be honest but something we should address as there’s usually a large dose of insincerity in these articles.
“Veganism Ruined My Health” – Are You Sure?
Before we get started you should know there is now a huge body of evidence to confirm the many health benefits of a vegan diet. When done properly, veganism does not ruin your health (existing medical conditions notwithstanding). We need to take these sensationalist claims with a pinch of salt because there’s usually a hidden agenda going on.
Watch: Mic The Vegan unpacks a unique “ex-vegan” health claim
The popularity of veganism has exploded over the last 10 years. Maybe you’re considering moving over to a vegan lifestyle? Maybe you’re already there or, quite possibly, you’re in the transition from meat-eater to plant-based.
Whatever stage you’re at, you’ve probably heard it said that a vegan diet is more healthy than one rich in animal fats – So why is there a small, but vocal group of people claiming their vegan diet ruined their health?
It’s All About The Benjamins Baby
As veganism has risen meteorically in the last decade or so it has caught the attention of marketing types. These days we have the evolution of the “influencer” and big business have been keen to capitalise on the phenomenon.
So there is the inevitable attrition as people quit veganism and go back to eating dead animals. Often, a deterioration in health is cited as the reason – well unless they have a rare medical condition, they were simply doing it wrong.
Then there are other wholly disingenuous individuals who give it up as part of a ‘marketing tactic’. Really?
Yep. Someone even wrote a step by step guide on how to exploit the vegan community in order to further their social marketing ‘career’. Pretty desperate … but it works!
In essence, you proudly claim you’ve gone vegan and the community welcomes you with open arms. You spend a year or so creating tons of vegan content then suddenly you announce you’re quitting because veganism “ruined” your health.
These types were always chasing the money and were probably eating meat all along! In the immortal words of Puff Daddy, “It’s all about the Benjamins baby” 🙂
Why don’t we look at veganism and health in a more measured manner … ?
Turning Back The Clock – Vegan Weaklings!
In the dark ages when vegans were burned at the stake on sight, we were perceived as frail and lacking in life’s nutrients, always portrayed in the media as pale individuals with no get up and go. The reality couldn’t be further removed from this perception and these days most experts agree a balanced vegan diet is healthier than one focused on animal fats.
If you are of a certain age it would’ve been drummed into you how important it was to consume plenty of milk, cheese, eggs and various meats in your diet. The tentacles of the meat and dairy industry reach far and wide. You were told without these dietary elements, you would not be getting enough protein, calcium, vitamins etc etc.
It was believed your bone mass would deteriorate, your muscles would wither and you would generally be a sub-optimal human being, physically and mentally. This portrayal suited the big agricultural lobbyists in the meat and dairy industry and they capitalised on the imagery.
Fast-forward to the future and the situation has been completely reversed. These days, most people I talk to are of the opinion that a vegan diet is more healthy than a more traditional one in which animal products figure highly; and most of the evidence corroborates. But why is a vegan diet healthy? Let’s investigate …
The Vegan Diet Can be Healthy – But Not Always
The subject is huge and way beyond the scope of a single article but we will try to summarise as best as possible. Looking into the topic at the very top-level, it has been shown in numerous studies that a vegan diet tends to be more healthy than what we refer to as the ‘Western diet’. Having said that, it is important to pay attention to the nutrients and vitamins you may miss out on when cutting out animal products.
Most authorities now agree a diet rich in fresh vegetables and fruits, including berries and nuts, is a healthy diet and many studies have confirmed this. In fact, one study from Finland carried out over five years, involving over 2500 men between age 42 to 60 and followed up, on average, 13 years later concluded the risk of death from all causes in those individuals who consumed a high proportion of fresh fruit and veg was over a third less than those at the other end of the scale.
Since a vegan diet is more likely to include greater amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables, it could be claimed with some confidence, that a vegan diet is a healthy one. However, this is not always the case by any means and it’s easy to become quite unhealthy when following a vegan lifestyle. It is essential to educate yourself on the needs of the human body and there are some critical vitamins and nutrients which you can easily miss in a vegan diet.
Junk Food is Junk Food – Vegan or Not
Seems like an obvious statement, I know, but since the food industry have cottoned on to the popularity of veganism, the marketing machines have kicked in and we’re now presented with a dazzling array of choice in the supermarket aisles. Ten years ago you’d be lucky to find a single vegan friendly product in the superstores (fresh fruit and veg notwithstanding). Now, it seems like every other product has the vegan friendly logo on there.
This is where you need to be very careful. Following a plant-based diet doesn’t mean you can simply replace the non-vegan products you used to eat with a plant-based alternative. Many of these alternatives contain high levels of saturated fat, sodium and similar calorie content compared to their meat-based counterparts.
A good rule of thumb is to be aware that just because a product is plant-based it doesn’t automatically follow that it is healthier. If you replace the animal-based products you’ve left behind with the ‘vegan version’ and don’t pay extra attention to the fresh elements of your diet you could end up dangerously deficient in some essential nutrients.
How to Ensure Your Vegan Diet is a Healthy One
It’s easy to find examples of vegan diets which are unhealthy. Often, communities in less well-off parts of the world are compelled to consume very small amounts of animal protein simply because it’s almost impossible to source it. These communities routinely lack access to a wide range of foods like we have in the affluent West.
It follows that these communities could easily be found deficient in many nutrients deemed essential to maintaining a healthy diet. So it is not being ‘vegan’ which makes them unhealthy, it is just their situation. Nevertheless, marketing types will latch on to this and cite it as evidence of a vegan diet being intrinsically unhealthy, which is not the case of course!
That being said there are some specific dietary elements you should be fully aware of if you want to be a healthy vegan …
- Protein – the most common question you will likely hear is “where do vegans get their protein?” and this is a bit of a running joke in the vegan community! Peas, beans, lentils, tofu, chickpeas, peanuts, almonds, potatoes, hemp seeds and many leafy green vegetables are all high in protein. Consuming a good mix of all of these foods will ensure you get enough of all the different amino acids you need for a healthy life. The myth that vegans are low in protein has been comprehensively debunked!
- Calcium – another myth pushed heavily by the dairy industry claims vegans don’t get enough calcium. Again, this is utter nonsense. It’s those green, leafy vegetables which are once more your friends. Broccoli, cabbage, kale and spring greens,to name but a few, are high in calcium and vitamin K. Not to mention most plant-based milks are fortified with calcium. There is actually a strong body of evidence linking diets high in dairy foods to increased bone degeneration and risk of fracture! It’s due to the acidifying nature of animal protein in the body.
- Vitamin B12 – essential for maintaining a healthy nervous system and efficient cell growth, vitamin B12 is not found in plants so this is a problem. However, there is a symbiosis between plants and micro-organisms such as propionibacterium which results in the production of vitamin B12. So, as long as you don’t wash your veg to within an inch of its life you will be ingesting B12 without even knowing it. If all else fails, there are always supplements 🙂
- Essential Fatty Acids – I’ve explored Omega 3s extensively in a couple of other articles on my website, here and here. Along with Omega 6 and 9, these nutrients are essential for human health but don’t worry, it’s easy to include these dietary requirements into your daily life.
Other elements of a healthy vegan diet include, but are not limited to, vitamin D, zinc, iodine and iron. Vitamin D is probably the most difficult to get enough of especially in cloudy, temperate climates. A little bit of sunshine on the face goes a long way!
It is widely believed many people are lacking vitamin D, vegan or not. In fact, it is now officially recommended in many countries to supplement your diet with vitamin D as a deficiency has been linked to a whole host of conditions including depression, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, among many others.
Make The Right Choices – Live Fresh & Healthy!
In conclusion, if veganism ruined your health then you probably weren’t doing it right. And if you were desperately using veganism as a vehicle to make you a few extra bucks, I hope your conscience catches up with you.
There’s supremely healthy vegans and others who are less so.
It’s not simply a case of black and white. As with many things in life, there are endless shades of grey and there is no one size fits all. Not least, because everybody is different. We all have slightly different needs – although there are certain dietary components we all need to pay attention to.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and knowledge on the subject. I’m continuously researching and learning more about veganism every day and your input is hugely valuable. My goal is to educate and help my fellow humans live a happy vegan life. 26 years a vegetarian and 6 of those are now vegan; I’m not going back!
Please comment and share below and I will do my very best to respond in a timely manner 🙂
Thanks for reading and have a compassionate day.
Rohan.
This post was originally published on May 16, 2021 at 09:52 and was updated with fresh content and images on August 18, 2022 at 07:06.
Here’s the thing. Veganism isn’t for everybody especially those who are diabetics, suffering from IBS, IBD, and “leaky gut” (or all of the aforementioned).
Most of these people have issues with consuming fibrous foods especially produce, grains, nuts, and legumes. If they consume a keto diet these issues won’t be a major problem and by and large will all but disappear. However, they’ll have high cholesterol unless they eat a lot of fibre.
So yeah, veganism did ruin some people’s gut health. As far as YT and influencers in general go, their primary drive is making money and appearing as sincere as possible especially to the naive and gullible.
Thanks for your comment Nina. Having published this article mainly in response to the Daily Fail piece you probably saw on the first page of Google, I have mellowed my opinion a little after reading some of the responses I received, especially from SJ.
You’re right, 100% plant-based is not for everyone but I do believe those who’re genuinely unable to follow the diet are in a very small minority. There are many others who’ve convinced themselves they cannot tolerate it but in reality, there is nothing stopping them.
IBS, for example … fried foods, dairy, fatty foods and red meat are the top 4 culprits when it comes to dietary causes. It’s no coincidence IBS is much more common in the ‘Western world’.
… and just to be clear, making money is certainly not the primary driver for me in running this website. I don’t cover my costs! I honestly believe a plant based lifestyle is a big part of the future of the human race and I publish with that in mind.
I don’t know why anyone would take anything seriously or as credible from this site considering all the intrusive ads, cookies, and sensationalistic shenanigans. Even if they claimed water is wet I’d be skeptical of anything they wrote. However, I have to give them some credit since they’re allowing comments.
Thank you for your comment. All are welcome … even the negatives. I want to encourage discourse and that means taking all of your opinions on board. I don’t consider the ads overly intrusive – I don’t even cover my hosting costs atm. Many other news websites have much more intrusive ads yet they are considered credible, for the most part.
What’s sensationalist, in my opinion, is having the gutter press reaching millions of people, claiming “Veganism ruined my health” when we all know people who really have a problem, health wise, with veganism are in a vanishingly small minority.
But, yeah … I respect your opinion.
(Author’s note: this comment is in response to my comment of Jan 8th below)
Hi again, I just wanted to try to answer your questions and thank you for all your consideration and patience and responses as well.
I didn’t, and don’t, have any underlying health conditions. I was not officially diagnosed with leaky gut, as you know. But I showed all the symptoms of it and my functional medicine practitioner suspected it. I didn’t have any parasites. The GI specialist diagnosed me with IBS and prescribed anti spasmodics and peppermint pills. It was worthless, of course.
So between me and my functional medicine provider and tcm provider, leaky gut and a legume intolerance was determined. I did elimination diet and was subsisting on mostly rice and conger. It was miserable. My blood work showed several deficiencies including vit d, iron, protein, and my inflammation was thru the roof.
My body was attacking itself, my immune system completely effed due to the destruction of my gut microbiome. It was starting to recognize more and more things as pathogenic. I was able to eat less and less. I had to do a reset and heal using nutrient dense food like broths and animal fats.
I have been eating this way for 7 months now and I barely ever even have gas! Like it is amazing. I’m hoping that as my gut heals, along with the rest of my body, perhaps some of the intolerances will subside. I mean I LOVE tofu, but my body hates it.
I learned a lot going vegan as well so I appreciate that. But I was also fed biased statistics, because all sides have them. Even the moncrops being grown for animals is not the whole truth, and I said it countless times myself.
I’d recommend reading Deep Nutrition. She talks about ancestral diets and the new things in our diets that are actually creating disease. It’s great.
I’d also look into the Sustainable Dish pages, some interesting info with studies and such you may like.
Obviously I am not telling you what to do, just sharing information that has helped me navigate this new life. Because veganism was a huge part of my life.
One last thing I will say is that I’m always surprised by the vegan sustainability assertions because they are almost always from a very human centric perspective. Like what’s going to sustain US? NO mention of other animals, insects, biodiversity, etc. I do not think switching to large scale plant monocropping is what is best for the planet at large. Or the animals on it.
Thanks again. I appreciate you.
My thanks to you for again coming back with an in-depth response. I really appreciate your honesty and it’s so valuable for my readers to know it’s not always plain sailing when going vegan.
I think my takeaway from this is to pay attention to our gut health when moving to a plant based diet. Cutting out the dairy can reduce the good bacteria in the gut. Maybe this in combination with your legume intolerance was enough to set you on the path which ultimately led you to quitting your vegan journey.
I’m glad you’re feeling better now. We all have to do what’s right for ourselves, as an individual.
Veganism is an honourable cause, for sure, but if it’s making you sick then you cannot put animal welfare above your own health. That would be utter madness.
Any self-righteous vegans who attack you for the place you found yourself in are not really embracing the true spirit of veganism – ie: compassion towards all living beings.
The concept of non-violence has to extend into how we interact with others. We have to come from a place of understanding.
Thank you so much for the reading recommendations. I’m always absorbing new information in a bid to realise a fully rounded view of where the human race is and is heading.
Not quite there yet!
I’m not sure what the answer is to long-term sustainability of our species and all other life on this wonderful planet of ours but I do know I want a nice big garden one day where I can while away the hours, producing lots of lovely veg 🙂
I wish you all the best for a healthy future and my sincere thanks to you for your valuable insights.
Rohan.
There’s no such thing as leaky gut, that’s why you will never be diagnosed as having it. However, maybe in the future it will be an actual medical diagnosis.
Your liquid diet is unsustainable. You need proper intervention.
I’d like to know what I wasn’t doing right:
I was vegan for the animals. I dedicated 15 years to it. I was an activist, teacher, and educated in health science. I took many nutrition courses, and even completed the certification program thru Cornell, the Plant Based Nutrition with all the usual suspects as my teachers- Campbell, Essylsten, Ornish, McGregor, etc.
I grow a huge garden, cook every day a wide variety of foods, and am an Herbalist, so use plants medicinally daily.
In hindsight I had health issues creeping in. The list includes but is not limited to:
Major anxiety
Difficult taking a deep breath
Tooth/gum loss
Brain fog
Irritability
Gas
Bloating
Never feeling full
Food intolerances
Malabsorption (basically Food going right thru me)
Food intolerances (soy is the devil and most legumes as well)
I took vitamins as well.
So tell me, what did I do wrong? I LOATHE vegans telling folks that became ill that they weren’t doing it right. I did it right. I didn’t want to come off a pbd. Two years of being really ill I finally came to terms with trying it. And I can’t remember feeling this good.
Hi there,
Thank you for your comment and please accept my apologies if the piece offended you. I will look at rewording it a little.
With your background in nutrition, I must admit I’m a little surprised you experienced such problems. But there are always exceptions that prove the rule and I have included a couple of caveats in the article citing other health conditions as a reason why some people can’t stay healthy on a PBD.
The huge body of evidence out there supporting plant-based is irrefutable. So I can only assume you have some underlying condition which didn’t agree with your choice to go vegan. Because 99% of people feel better on whole food, plant based diets.
May I ask if you established what was causing your ailments? Being a nutritionist, I’m assuming you got to the bottom of it?
What was your health like before you went vegan?
It does sound a bit like you have an allergy to legumes, looking at some of those symptoms. If that is the case and you were avoiding legumes (which I assume you were) then maybe your protein intake was not sufficient?
Whatever the reason was for your negative experience, my article was not aimed at you. But I can understand if you were upset by it.
I accept that not everyone can follow a PBD and you are proof of that.
I’d be really interested to know if you pinpointed the issue.
Thank you again for your input,
Rohan.
I’m proof too. I’ll likely succumb to cancer or a heart attack/stroke.
There are more of us than you think especially over 40 years old. Test subjects tend to be fed “chef” prepared meals and are privileged in support of veganism. Genetics also come into play.
Then again some vegans or lacto-vegetarians can survive on a very high carbohydrate diet well into their 80s and not suffer from diabetes. Some smokers can live to be in their 80s too.
There are studies that support water is not wet, covid isn’t airborne, and that the earth is flat. More people are becoming cognizant that studies are far from being unbias. The term “peer reviewed” has lost its meaning. We have all sorts of “facts” which include alternative facts that are referenced to substantiate a particular narrative.
One thing is for certain. Despite the trend and movement away from vegetarian, to vegan, to Keto, people aren’t living any longer. In fact, evidence is emerging we’re dying earlier and becoming less intelligent. We don’t have to look far especially how easily we’re seduced by influencers and the dangerous Tiktok.
Hi Nina … I’m not sure what you mean by ‘test subjects’ and veganism is not borne of privilege although I accept we are privileged to be able to follow the way of life we choose. But surely that is just evolution and progress of the human race? The fact we can choose this path and negate our demand for animal products which drives the slaughter of tens of billions of sentient beings annually has to be a positive development.
If we were all thrown back into the dark ages (not beyond the realms of possibility) then all vegans would likely have to stop being vegan and take up hunting to survive. Either that or starve.
I like to think we’ve moved on from that though!
Your point about high carbs and smokers is confirmation there are always those who will be the exeption that proves the rule. In general a consistently high carb diet will always increase your risk of diabetes and smoking 20 B&H a day will always increase your risk of getting lung cancer. The smoking argument in particular is disingenuous.
As for those who cite alternative facts to support their claims I think most people with a functioning cerebral cortex can see through that. I mean, water is definitely wet and the earth is definitely not flat, right?
People are not living longer compared to, maybe 50 years ago (the post WW2 generation were possibly the healthiest cohort and they ate a lot of seasonal vegetables), but we are living longer compared to 150 years ago. Live expectancy has fallen with the SAD diet becoming more prevalent. Vegetarians and vegans especially, do live longer than those on a SAD diet … generally!
I do agree with you about how easily we’re seduced by Tiktokers and the like though … that is a bit worrying and just amplifies the alternative facts (also known as lies).
Hi Rohan,
Yes, my health was okay before going vegan. I mean I was young and wasn’t health conscious, not until my first son was born when I was 22. I had been veg and vegan on and off for a few years.
When I first committed to veganism I felt great. I looked like it, too.
However, in hindsight, about halfway thru (year 7ish), maybe sooner, I started to have symptoms. Which I ignored and even defended as normal.
In the end I destroyed my gut, leading to leaky gut, a soy (and a few other legumes) intolerance, and wasn’t absorbing any nutrients. I was deficient in probably everything. My inflammation levels were thru the roof.
I felt so terrible and my mental health was in the toilet. How could this be happening to me when I ate the healthiest diet there is? I used to feel so good, why is this happening?
I believe plant based diets are great for detoxing, but only for a short time. I do not think they are sustainable long term, or certainly very rarely. A lot of vegans “cheat”. I never did.
I was basically desperate and joining a vegan recovery group led me to folks who had had my symptoms and a lot worse. They did things “right”, too. I felt lied to. I felt fooled. I’m still dealing with recovery from what feels like now, a cult. I had left many vegan groups already because of ego. The judgments, the nastiness, even amongst each other.
I considered still calling myself a vegan because I still very much care about animals and the planet. I feel it is a necessity for me to eat the way I do now, which would still fall into the “as far as is possible and practicable” arena. But I decided against that inevitable fight.
You can eat animals and still care about them. You can eat animals and still be sustainable. It isn’t an all or nothing, it’s not so black and white. Vegansim doesn’t always mean less cruelty. Monocropping is extremely cruel. Someone like me who eats a few Servings of local grass fed beef or lamb a week, and eggs from my friends chickens, along with my garden and other local produce is still going to be causing less animal death than some junk food vegan.
Anyway, I implore you to understand that the vegan world and plant based nutrition folks have propaganda too. Their information isn’t clear of bias or special interests. Again, it just isn’t so black and white.
I thought I’d never be saying these things. Ever. But here I am, feeling better than I have in a LONG time.
Be well.
Hey, thank you so much for coming back to me with such a detailed response. I really do appreciate you taking the time to explain and I have to take your comments at face value.
It’s interesting because my family are 8 years into our vegan journey now and since I started writing this blog, doing endless hours of research on nutrition, I have no hesitation in admitting there have been moments where I seriously questioned our decision.
I had been veggie for 20 years, or thereabouts, before going vegan. Never had any concerns about health in relation to my diet whatsoever. Never even questioned it because I felt no need to really do so.
But doing lots of reading, as I do, hearing stories like yours I’d be mad not to entertain the idea that veganism isn’t for everyone.
Currently, everything seems fine though, for us. No worrying symptoms.
I’ve not really researched this leaky gut issue but have seen the term used on various forums. Looking into this a bit more it seems the condition is not recognised by the medical establishment although ‘increased intestinal permeability’ (IIP) is definitely a thing.
Apparently there are some studies coming through which show a link between the standard American diet and IIP. But all the literature I’ve seen so far points towards WFPB diets as one way to mitigate the condition.
I’d be interested to know if you were actually diagnosed with leaky gut? Was is established that your plant-based diet caused the condition? Because that would seem to be at odds with current medical thinking.
… and I know the doctors don’t always get it right but we can only work with the current medical studies we have. None of the studies I’ve seen back up this hypothesis.
Leaky gut or IIP is recognised as a potential symptom of several diseases affecting the digestive system, but not as the cause.
As far as long-term health on a vegan diet goes, for the overwhelming majority of people positive outcomes are experienced as long as nutritional needs are observed.
One thing going vegan has done for me is to make me much more engaged in what my body needs nutritionally. I have educated myself so much in this regard … and no, I don’t cheat.
It’s sad to hear how you were treated by some vegan groups. That doesn’t help anyone. The fact you came away feeling like you were breaking free of a cult is a sad indictment of the state of the vegan discourse in many circles.
You probably made the right decision in not going down the route of still calling yourself vegan, based on the “as far as is possible” principle. You’d certainly be utterly roasted on social media. It must be very difficult to want to do the best you can for the animals but be ostracised from the vegan world because of your health issues.
I think for the vegan movement to progress we have to acknowledge that, for whatever reason, not everyone can be vegan and we cannot attack those who have genuinely tried but it has not been right for them. People like you.
I agree with you when you say it’s not so black and white. There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to nutrition. It’s such a complex and interwoven subject, ultimately we have to do what feels right for ourselves – backed up with sensible attention to medical science.
Addressing the monocropping comment, I do feel this is slightly disingenuous when you consider 80% of monocropped product is used to feed the animals we eat. But that’s another discussion.
It does sound like you’re pretty low impact though and for people like you who simply cannot follow a vegan diet then you have to do the next best thing, which you are doing. Keeping it local and minimising your consumption.
Regrettably, that is not scalable to the entire population of out planet. Even a few servings of grass-fed beef a week is unsustainable when scaled up to any meaningful level.
Anyway, this is turning into a book so I will stop there. I sincerely hope you stay healthy and happy and thank you once again for taking the time to engage and contribute 🙂 It is greatly appreciated.
Interesting topic about Veganism and the diet related to it.
I for one knew very little about vegans. I always associated it with vegetarians. However after reading this article, I can see how I was clearly mistaken.
One thing I find personally, is the sources of Protein that is available in many different varieties. The fact you can get the right amount of protein from chick peas, beans, lentils, almonds and potatoes is astonishing! I find as a “meat-eater” I might be making moderate switches to these healthier alternatives.
Thank you.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment Jeremy.
Protein is a hot topic in vegan circles but there is a lot of nonsense spouted about complete protein sources. It’s easy for vegans to get enough protein and the right types. Just have to vary the diet and embrace the soy 🙂