Comments on: “When Vegans Get Sick” — [Excerpts From My Talk At Vida Vegan Con 2015]

By: April

April — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 03:24:00 +0000

Thank you so incredibly much for this amazing post! There are so many points in your blog that I resonate with..mostly because even as a “healthy” vegan, I still found myself getting diagnosed with Lyme D
isease 2 years ago. While being a vegan has helped my health tremendously, there was nothing that I could do to stop the tiny little tick that bit me. And I hated the comments from people, “but you’re so healthy!” I am so glad that you shared this because so many people can relate to this. On a side note, I am dying to know how you were able to add more cholesterol and protein in with a vegan diet. While I am vegan for the love of animals, and will never go back, I often worry about malnourishment. Thank you so much!!!

By: Emma Woods Ⓥ

Emma Woods Ⓥ — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 13:45:00 +0000

Such an important post and talk Sayward, probably more so now than ever before. With so many people joining the movement, education is key, yet we seem to be moving away from it, if anything! Thank you once again for sharing.

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 17:05:00 +0000

On March 25, 2016, I stopped being a vegan. I threw 5 vegan years out the window. I became a vegan for the animals, not for health or diet.
For an entire year (2015) I suffered (in silence) with extreme lethargy, fatigue, and intense sugar cravings. I also suffered night sweats – intense night sweats. I suffered while I tried to manage it with elimination diets, smoothies etc…
Early March 2016, I finally dragged myself to the doctor – a holistic doctor — based on a referral. Not only were my hormones out of whack, but I was borderline Type 2 diabetes (and here I thought I was a “healthy” vegan). It was suggested I start eating eggs and fish. To say I was devastated by the news would be an understatement. When I left the doctor’s office, I was angry and wanted to drive my car into a wall. I would lie in wake at night listening to the voice in my head calling me a fraud and a loser. What about the animals I kept asking myself? What about the fact you are leaving your entire estate to the Farm Sanctuary in NY? What about all of the people you’ve influenced with your vegan diet? The non-vegans you’ve convinced to give up dairy? Was it all for not?
Flash forward to March 25, 2016. March 25 was the day I started eating fish again (clams/oysters) and I felt such extreme guilt. In fact, every day, when I eat a piece of fish, I feel guilty. I feel like a fraud. And I feel like I am no longer part of a belief system that meant so much to me.
I also took quite a tongue lashing from a vegan friend and now he barely speaks to me.
Everyday I have to count carbs and monitor my glucose. I hate it. But you know what? I feel better. I hate to say it, but I do. I haven’t felt this good since I first became a vegan.
Will I ever go back to eating beef/pork/poultry/dairy? NO WAY! I was a vegetarian prior to becoming a vegan so all I had to do was give up dairy.
My goal is to figure out a way to manage my glucose on a vegan diet, but for now, I am going to continue eating fish.
Anyway. I really appreciate this post. I wish I had seen it when I broke the news to my vegan friend that I am no longer a vegan.

By: Taylor

Taylor — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 04:29:00 +0000

OMG! This article is so good….I am a sick vegan. Sadly, you explain my old thought process!! I think vegans became so extremely dogmatic and its making everyone run away from their own intuition. I kept looking outwardly for answers doing what I ‘should’ be doing for my health, and for so long I ignored my own body’s cry for help because of that. I was basically low fat vegan, and low fat raw vegan for a while. I have thyroid/adrenal issues that are seriously tough to figure out. Thank you so much for your posts! They have been so helpful for me and I resonate with you so much!!!! I wish I had you as my personal coach!!! :)

By: Julia

Julia — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 02:45:00 +0000

This is SUCH an important blog post! Thank you for sharing your wisdom and experience with the vegan community. An inspiration.

By: mm1970

mm1970 — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 15:39:00 +0000

Wow, this was totally amazing. Found the link from Carrie on Living. I’ve read enough blog posts from former vegans (and the awful comments about how “you’re doing it wrong” (including from Ginny Messina, by the way), that it completely turned me off!

I have a couple of personal friends who are ex-vegan or ex-vegetarian due to health issues. Major struggles, a few years of doctor’s visits and tests and experiments, etc. Some people are able to remain vegan and some cannot, no matter what they try (one of my friends – even injections could not cure her vitamin deficiencies). The other friend (the ex-vegan) has her education in nutrition from Columbia. She doesn’t lack knowledge!

For both, the point at which they got sick was around the age of 40, and after a couple of decades. It makes me wonder if aging changes the body’s needs. I mean, I’m sure it does (you need just as many nutrients but fewer calories, for one thing). Pretty fascinating all around, and it’s nice that someone is outright saying “be kind”.

By: Living Plant-Strong Paleo

Living Plant-Strong Paleo — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 12:16:10 +0000

[...] worth it to me to experiment and keep digging to feel better. I’d also like to point you to an excellent blog post, possibly my favorite one that I’ve read all year, from Sayward Rebhal … As always, please remember that I’m not a health professional and you need to work with your [...]

By: There’s no such thing as a vegan | The Vegan Files

There’s no such thing as a vegan | The Vegan Files — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 05:50:11 +0000

[...] take care of my health. Sayward over at Bonzai Aphrodite recently delivered a talk on the topic of vegans who get sick, addressing the stigmas associated with being a sick vegan, and acknowledging that there is no [...]

By: Soren Impey

Soren Impey — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 23:02:00 +0000

“It tells you what NOT to eat – animals and their secretions – but aside from that, it doesn’t give you any direction.”

The vegan society definition emphasizes exclusion of cruelty and exploitation, as far as is possible and practicable. Perhaps in addition to discouraging judgement of sick vegans, we should also discourage judging veganish folk who draw the line of exclusion differently from “ethical vegans”.

By: Saturday Shares 7.25.2015 - Vegan Gretchen

Saturday Shares 7.25.2015 - Vegan Gretchen — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 20:46:19 +0000

[...] other article was written by a popular vegan blogger, Sayward Rebhal. Titled When Vegans Get Sick this article highlights the challenges vegans face when they don’t experience the perfect [...]