Dear Ex-Vegans: Stop acting like your're smarter than the rest of us

If you’ve been vegan for any amount of time you’ve probably met a few ex-vegans, and you’ve heard all their explanations for going back to their previous lifestyles. Bloggers a plenty  have talked about become ex-vegans. They all sound frustratingly intelligent and  thoughtful. They say "I used to be like you" or... "you remind me of me when I was younger",  implying that your ethical lifestyle is a result of youthful idealism and will pass once you grow up and grow out of it. 

They tell you things like “if you do the research, it is abundantly clear that it is NOT POSSIBLE for most humans to get the nutrition they need on a strict vegan diet” (See article here) and talk about how they didn't like the person they became when they went vegan, saying stuff like: “I became aware of how enraged and difficult I was. Over the past few years, I didn't have much compassion toward fellow humans, and I blamed them for factory farming and their lack of consciousness. I demanded that my friends and family go to vegan restaurants and questioned them for their eating habits constantly” (article here). I respect these people because they made a choice to alter they way they lived their lives, however briefly, and in the long run, they still had a very positive impact on the world. But at the same time, I get so sad because  they do not present you with  facts, but their anecdotal experiences, based on unhealthy choices, and Google searches. I have to say that I am a bit tired of hearing ex-vegans talk like they are so much smarter than us vegans because they've been through vegan healthy hell and came out the other side happily munching on meat and feeling morally validated. 

My responses to these two writers (from the above cited articles) are as follows:

First, my own anecdotal evidence. I have been vegetarian for 9 years now and vegan for three. I feel healthy, strong and happy. I struggle with mild skin problems, but aside from this I am happy with my body and my appearance. I have excellent blood pressure, healthy digestion, and excellent levels of iron. My DHA and EPA levels are perfect, but if I ever see a dip I can take a supplement made from laboratory produced microalgae. I do not take B12 but have in the past and I do not see this as a particularly vegan problem. My eldest non-vegan sister is in her thirties and has dismally low B12 stores so she has to take a B12 supplement every day. The fact that I am energetic and healthy without one,  but take one now and then when I get spooked searching the internet is a good sign, I think.

Some not so anecdotal evidence: Vegetarians have lower levels of many cancers ranging from pancreatic, to bowel, to multiple myeloma (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24898235). Vegans, if eating a well-balanced diet and visiting the doctor regularly for blood tests and physicals, see an increase in energy and maintain healthy body weights easier than non-vegans. So many amazing sources on the internet exist to show you how to deal with basic problems some people face when transitioning away from eating animal products. Many of  the problems people face come from not  eating a balanced diet full of good, unprocessed sugars, healthy fats and high protein foods like whole grains, nuts,  leafy greens, and beans. Here’s a great  one: http://www.vegkitchen.com/nutrition/vegan-athlete/

Second,  I am not a dick. If you become a dick when you go vegan, its  probably just that you were already a dick, and being calorie deficient due to poor food choices, and therefore pissy made your dickiness shine through. If you don't eat enough, you're bound to get a bit hangry. 

Despite stereotypes to the contrary, some of the most fun, whacky, loving, peaceful and all around wonderful people I have ever met are vegans; I and most other vegans do not hate humanity; I and most other vegans do not try to change my/their family and friends – except when I know it will make them feel better to eat a damn carrot once in a while – and in general  I would say that I am a god-damn delight to be around. I am not preachy. I would say I have two non-vegan best friends and neither of them hate being around me nor do they feel pressured by my lifestyle. In fact, they have done their own research and know that the way I am living my life is a healthy, happy one that is good for the planet. They don’t need me to tell them that! Even my grandmother, who has eaten meat her whole life came to a vegan restaurant with VOMD and I and told me afterward that she really liked it and is glad that I am living healthily. VOMD’s grandma and his great aunt,  both over 60,  have admitted that they have often thought of being vegetarian because they don’t really like meat anyway, and when they eat meat they face problems like colitis and body aches.

Admittedly, there are some of us that don’t go vegan the healthy way. We eat chips and Oreos and any vegan junk food we can get our hands on. But there are plenty of non-vegans who eat just as shitty as   bad-health vegans; the difference is, the vegans are trying to save the world, not just themselves.

There are also some vegans who are dicks. But the ratio to vegan buttfaces to non-vegan buttfaces is probably about equal. You don't become nice just because you stop eating animals - though the choice to not eat animals is sure a nice one!

Most of us go vegan because we love animals. Like a mother that risks her life for her child, many vegans happily submit to poor health so long as they are not hurting animals.  If tomorrow I was faced with the choice between eating a steak and dying of some kind of crazy vegan-only disease… I have to admit that I would gladly take death. But given that I am not in that position… I guess we’ll never really know if I’m all talk, or if I actually am that much of a raging vegan.

I love the planet. I love animals. I love my fellow human beings. And I am happy to say that being vegan has made all of those loves stronger.  

Happy Monday everyone!

-J