We Are All Just Animals, So Don’t Let the Cult Knock You Down
By: Heather Hart
Tags: Vegan, Nutrition

Me in 2010, super vegan and way younger

In light of the hate from vegans that I’ve been seeing online recently, mainly on Instagram toward some well-known ex-vegan chefs, I thought I would share my own experience with food.

There is not only one way to eat.

I was vegan for 9 years; from 2007 to 2016, when I was in the middle of trying to get pregnant with my first child. This photo is me in my vegan heyday. I loved being vegan at first. It allowed me to clean up my food intake and lifestyle choices. I felt great. I lost weight. Veganism was good to me… at first.

After years of eating vegan, I started to feel not so great. Mind you, I was a clean-eating, plant-based vegan –– not a candy and chips vegan –– but my body started hating it anyway. I was bloated frequently and super tired. I gained weight and I started having digestive issues that were unexplainable. My skin was breaking out, and at the end I was having trouble getting pregnant. I did not feel good.

I did numerous candida and parasite cleanses, juice cleanses, and tried different herbs to see if I could figure out what was going on. I even did a super intense and long elimination diet to try and rule out certain foods.

When I started having issues getting pregnant, I dove deeper into my symptoms and realized that eating vegan wasn’t giving my body all the vitamins and minerals it needed to work properly. I was very deficient in bioavailable iron, which explained my exhaustion; and many of the B vitamins, contributing to my issues with anxiety and depression.

I did a lot of research into my symptoms and how I could come back from this. The answer for me? Starting to incorporate some eggs and non-cow dairy into my diet again. I felt almost instantly better, so I kept eating that way.

Once I became pregnant with my second baby, I started craving red meat with a fierceness. Despite my wavering feelings about eating meat again, I decided I needed to try it and see how my body felt. And oh my goodness did I feel great after starting to consume some meat again. My body needs it. I am meant to be an omnivore.

Don’t get me wrong, I love and respect animals so highly, but I have realized here that I need to come first. My body is the one I have to live with every single day, and I need to make sure that I am taken care of properly.

I believe that you can have a high respect for animals and still eat them. I choose pasture-raised grass fed and finished beef, humanely-raised poultry that eats only a diet free of corn and soy, wild and sustainably-caught fish, and all animal products with no hormones. And I don’t feel guilty about it because my body is working as it should once again.

Do I still eat vegan? YES! Some of my favorite foods are vegan. I cook vegan meals at home all the time. I often choose vegan supplements. I always check the ingredients of processed foods and steer clear of yucky animal products.

Do I eat animals every day? No. But I do most days of the week because it is what makes my body perform at it’s peak.

This is the circle of life. And when I die, the circle of life will continue. The animals can have me back.

The moral of this story: Do what YOU need to do to feel good, to be in good health, to make sure you are taken care of. Every body is different and we all have bioindividual dietary needs. Don’t let the elitists make you feel guilty about your choices. Fuck them all. Seriously.

If you are taking care of yourself and your family, then you are doing what you need to do. If your body is functioning properly because you’re feeding it the nutrients it needs, then you’re winning the game of life.

Remember… WE ARE ALL JUST ANIMALS.

Humans are not all-mighty just because we have larger brains. We need to eat to survive just like every other animal on the planet, and feeling like shit all the time to avoid a certain food is ridiculous and negligent of your soul’s home.

No animal would look at us and say, “But I’m not supposed to eat humans because I love them.” Trust me, your cat or dog would eat the hell out of you if it were starving.

Sending peace, love, and anti-bullying vibes to everyone, even the many (but not all) vegans who love to spread their hate. You are beautiful and I love you!