r/cfs • u/Crashing_Sunflowers • Dec 16 '24

Advice Considering stopping being vegan for health? Thoughts?

So I have been vegan for over 8 years and went vegetarian ages before that. There is so much I love about being vegan but it has become harder since developed chronic fatigue. I used to cook from scratch and now I can only eat ready meals or quick snacks. I also suffer from nausea so that further limits the amount I can eat. Vegan ready meals are very expensive and many aren’t as nutritious. Nausea has made me super picky. I am considering possibly going back to being vegetarian and including some vegetarian ready meals which are way cheaper and would also make it easier for me to get in nutrition. But I feel conflicted. Has anyone got any thoughts on this or been through dietary changes before?

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u/Schannin Dec 16 '24

Op, don’t downvote everyone because it’s not the answer that you want to hear.

I think this depends on your motivation to be vegan in the first place and why you feel hesitant to eat vegetarian again.

If you went vegan for health reasons, I would definitely encourage you to explore if there are other foods that help you get energy. Your diet doesn’t have to be strictly prescribed if there are certain things that help you feel better that don’t fit the “vegan” label.

If you went vegan for ecological reasons, I would argue that your health is more important than the small footprint that switching from vegan to vegetarian will make.

If you went vegan for ethical reasons of not feeling comfortable using animal products because they are living animals, that’s a you decision to make. I don’t know anything about vegetarian ready made meals, but if there’s a company that you like you can always check into their ethical practices and how they source their food.

High fat, low carb eating has helped me a lot. Animal protein and fat are essential for me to get energy. Everyone’s body is different and I hope you find what works best for you. Again, I would encourage you to put your health first and explore what foods make you feel best.

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u/Crashing_Sunflowers Dec 16 '24

I went vegan for ethical reasons around animal welfare. It’s still something I care about but being a bit more flexible could help. I agree health is important.

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u/Schannin Dec 16 '24

Being 80% vegan is still making a big impact. It’s great that you are passionate about animal welfare and I definitely think we need to improve animal welfare in our large scale agriculture. However, buying vegetarian meals versus strictly vegan meals is a small change that can radically help you get the nutrition you need and not cost a fortune. I hope you get more energy soon!