Any other prior vegans who converted to TF's?

[imbarefoot]

I'm going from a primarily vegan and fully vegetarian lifestyle, to eating a Traditional Foods diet! This is such a big change, but I feel good already. Mentally and physically. I haven't really "come out" to everyone close to me, mainly because I hate conflict and dread explaining myself. I was hoping I'll have some sort of testimony after some time of eating TF's, from being vegan, and then I'll share.

However, I'll share a bit here.

After becoming veg', I gained weight and was never able to lose it. I've been 15-20lbs heavier than my usual body weight.

Although I ate what I thought was very little processed veg' foods, I realized I was still eating things like Earth Balance, Vegenaise, and some soy "meat".

I have O blood and my ND thinks I should be eating a much higher amount of protein than other blood types and I really wasn't getting in enough, or close to. I mainly ate lots of raw foods and carbs. Even would I would go on protein binges, trying to eat more, I would get tired of the quinoa and beans really quickly.

So with that and other reasons, I decided to try to eat red meat once a week and go from there. I'm also in the process of trying to get some raw cheeses, make my own yogurt, make my own ghee, and even get some raw milk for the kiddos. I started this change off by eating eggs, so it's been over a month of eating the eggs and I'm really happy about it.

[imbarefoot]

Oh and I wanted to ad that I still believe raw foods are supremely nutritous, so we still eat a lot of them. I love raw nuts to snack on, to make raw desserts with, etc. And we eat lots of salad with raw dressings I make and of course tons of fruits. I'm mainly trying to eliminate all the processed veg foods I was eating and add some meat and raw dairy.

[Chicky2]

Not me, but I have a friend who was "naturally vegetarian", and just would never eat meat. About a year and a half or so ago she converted and hasn't looked back. I can't believe how much her diet has changed since I met her!

[rhianna813]

I was not vegan, but was vegetarian (no meat, fish, eggs rarely and yes dairy) for about 18 years. But at age 35 I just could not eat such a high carb diet anymore. I gained a lot of weight over the years doing so. I started eating eggs and tuna when pregnant - my body was screaming for it.

I went full on "carnivore" over a year ago and have had no problems. I eat and enjoy all types of meat just fine. I eat better fat now too and do not eat soy, except tempeh ocassonally. I can not imagine going back to cereal or fruit for breakfast. My blood sugar would be bonking out by 10:30 am. Now I eat eggs, bacon, cottage cheese or sausage for breakfast, along with green veggies.

I am also an O blood type.

Rhianna

[ILoveMyBabyBird]

i'm kind of doing something similiar although i ate mostly vegetarian/vegan i didn't completely eliminate poultry and dairy products. But I am suspecting candida overload for me and all the carbs have been doing a number on my system for months. I am still uneasy about eating certain things like red meat/pork and seafood, but i have upped my eggs and poultry and have ate tuna a couple times. I have realized that vegan was never really an option for me. My health has suffered a lot eventhough i have lost 25 pounds going on a mainly vegan diet, my mental clarity and overall energy level has plummetted, I am still unsure if it was directly related to my diet, but I just started a modified candida diet yesterday, I am working up to eating more meat, but basically it is gluten free, no refined carbs, little fruits, and big on animal products, (except dairy), veggies, nuts and good fats. It is a shock to even myself to be starting out 2 mornings in a row with 2-3 eggs, but i am going to stick it out for a couple weeks and if my symptoms improve will not be going back to the dr. for more tests to try to see what is wrong with me. I have B+, not sure if that matters, but i am also wondering if ethnic background may play a part too. I am caucasian, 1/8 danish and 1/8 lithuanian and irish and a lot other things. I think the way our ancestors may have ate, may clue us to what maybe we should eat and what we are more likely to thrive on? It's just a thought...

[Anna06]

imbarefoot
I haven't really "come out" to everyone close to me, mainly because I hate conflict and dread explaining myself. I was hoping I'll have some sort of testimony after some time of eating TF's, from being vegan, and then I'll share.

I think about this alot........... and then I wonder/worry about everything everyone else in my life will say.

But I am very interested how this works out for all of you. So pls keep us posted. Good luck.

subbing

[CherryBomb]

I was only vegan very briefly (like a couple of months) but I was vegetarian for a few years. I gained a bunch of weight and felt like crap. Dh and I both just got tired of it, really. It's only been recently I've gotten interested in TF, though I've practiced some TF principles for years without realizing it (especially making bone broths, I've always done that!

[laohaire]

I have never been vegan but I was vegetarian for 10 consecutive years, plus about 2 other years during my adolescence.

I, too, worried about "coming out" about switching to TF but I think I had it fairly easy. I never had the stance that veg*nism was inherently healthier. (Nor did I think meat-eating was inherently healthier either). My position was entirely anti factory farming, and it always has been. I was never against "meat" per se, just the appalling way that animals live and die for us, without us having to spare a single thought to it.

Most of the people in our life (mom, MIL) have been supportive of our vegetarianism, and we've been lucky enough to avoid most comments and criticism. So our switch to pastured meat has been met with zero snide comments, just a couple of genuinely sincere questions (of the "hmm, I might want to do that too" sort).

Even if this wasn't truly your stance, you might consider softening any chest-beating meat eaters by saying something along those lines. "My main (or sole) objection to meat was factory farming conditions. Now that I've discovered an alternative I'm very happy." You decide whether that's actually true for you, or if it's true enough to just get people to shut up.

I don't eat that much meat still, but that's mainly a function of the budget. I'm ok paying more money for meat because I think the cheapness of factory meat is the crux of the whole problem. We expect cheap meat, animals must be abused to be cheaply "made," and our sense of entitlement over the cost of food leads us astray. Some people say they could never afford to switch to pastured meat, but I think for many of them, it's a mindset, or matter of priority. (I would agree that very low income people could not realistically afford it either, but i'm talking about people in financial circumstances similar to ours). Meat is a precious resource, it's rich, full of nutrients and so on. No, it's not cheap. And many people feel healthy having just a little. (Others, yes, feel best with a LOT of meat). With TF, you can stretch your dollar a lot further. Instead of just chicken breasts and leaving the dark meat for the cat, you can eat the entire chicken including the liver, and then you don't even throw away the carcass until you've made some broth from it. You can get some pretty good mileage from a piece of meat if you know what you're doing.

[sapphire_chan]

If it's any help, my dh was very supportive when I mentioned wanting to add meat to my diet to support my grain and sugar free eating.

Did you like meat before? If you didn't like the texture, you'll probably be best off starting with something ground.

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

I was vegetarian for around 10 years and vegan for a couple of those years. I remember the first time I ate an egg after being vegan felt like the first time I had been sated in years!

I've been eating TF (or trying to) for about 2 years and feel great. I started out with chicken stock as my first "meat" food. It was easier just because I could add it to all the things I was already so used to (like rice and beans) and not think about the meat aspect of it (although dismembering that first chicken was a little rough). I think health-wise it was important too as it helped heal my gut. By the time I turned to TF I was experiencing persistent weight gain, fatigue (I could NOT stay awake for more than 6 hours at a stretch!), depression, acne...I hadn't been able to digest lactose for about 8 years at that point. I feel so much better now! My weight is much more stable (even though I still eat way too much sugar), my mood and sleep pattern is much more stable, my skin is much much clearer (I never had acne in puberty, only in my late teens-20's after going veg) and I can drink all the milk I want with no adverse effects (raw or low-temp pasteurized/non-homogenized).

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by kaleidoscopeeyes

even though I still eat way too much sugar

I found it really hard to just cut out sugar, it was a lot easier to cut both grains and sugar. Even still eating fruit, I don't have the sugar cravings and they went away after only a day without grains/sugar.

[FairyRae]

I'm cutting/pasting an old post b/c I've got some links there (from MDC) you may find helpful. Some of it may not be applicable, but it shares a bit a/b my transition from veg*n to TF.

Originally Posted by FairyRae

Here are some old threads you may find helpful.


ex-veg*ns: how did you know it was time to switch to TF?
Vegetarian considering bone broth--is it worth it?
arrrrrrrr...so confused!!!!! opinions please
Converts to TF/organic/Vegan/Vegetarian...how?
To those of you who were vegetarian before choosing TF...

After 12 years as a vegetarian, I found TF when wanting to heal digestive issues and food sensitivities in my ds (and myself). Becoming a veg*n in my teens after a childhood of never helping out in the kitchen (wasn't allowed, and we mostly ate fast food/take out anyway ) the first time I ever *touched* raw meat was when I was 27/28 and learning about TF. So it was a really big transition--I totally empathize w/ where you're coming from!

As far as meat goes I started w/ chicken (breasts), then beef (steak), then fish (canned salmon). At first, I either pan-seared everything (frying in a skillet in some ghee/butter) then baked in the oven, or grilled it. The salmon I'd make into salmon cakes mixing w/ brown rice 'breadcrumbs' or mashed potatoes and spices--I like to do them w/ Italian seasonings and top them w/ sauce (cheese would be great too.) Next I added in ground meats like ground turkey and beef, making burgers or meatballs (yum!). Honestly, once I 100% believed meat was necessary for my ds's and my health, it was not that hard of a transition, b/c it is sooooo tasty! I would recommend going really slowly--sounds like you've already made some impressive changes. Not long after adding in ground meat we started doing bone broths--I would instead buy a whole chicken, rub it w/ salt, pepper and olive oil, and roast it in the oven. Eat the meat/take it off the carcass, then use those bones to make bone broth. (Um, and once you start buying whole chickens or chicken legs etc., you will fall in LOVE w/ chicken skin--soooo darn tasty when it's nice and crisp!) Making broth was probably the weirdest thing for me--handling a whole chicken body. Then I started making it w/ feet as well...Crazy stuff. But it made me feel more connected to my food--in the weirdest way--more than I had ever felt connected as a vegetarian. (My veg*n days were not full of farmer's markets and gardens etc.--they were full of pre-packaged soy foods and take out--so NOT healthy, so disconnected from the food sources. I'm certain many veg*ns are very connected to their food--I was just not one of them!) Anyway, I now like to boil down my bone broth until it's really concentrated, freeze it into ice cubes and add them to things like soup, sauces, bbq sauce, etc--I am not a huge broth lover, (couldn't imagine drinking it) but this method really works for me...

For liver, to start, you could always take dr. ron's liver pills. Once you are ready to tackle it, my favorite way to have it is to sneak it into stuff. So I puree fresh liver in a blender, then pour it into an ice cube tray, freeze the cubes and keep them all in a baggie in the freezer. Whenever we are eating ground meat (esp. for taco meat or pasta sauce etc) I throw in a couple of cubes. It has a pretty strong flavor, and I've not yet made pate or some other liver-centered dish, sneaking it is ok w/ us for now.

Hope this is helpful! And good for you! It's a huge change, but an amazing one, and I now wonder how I ever survived w/out meat! (I was not in the greatest of health that's for sure!) Good luck!

Also check here for more threads on TF and vegetarianism...

HTH!

And, just to add one more thought, adding meat back *into* my diet is probably the most effective, impacting change I've made for my health. I certainly can *feel* the difference!!

Also, as far as weight goes, I find eating more meat/fat and less grains/starches/carbs (although I eat tons of fruits and veggies) keeps me slimmer than I've ever been, almost effortlessly. Also, dropping foods that my ds (and most likely I) was sensitive to, I also lost 50 lbs almost instantly. (Those foods were gluten, dairy, corn, soy, and eggs, although we got eggs back not too long after.) Just some thoughts as you mentioned weightloss being a goal.

Good luck w/ all this!

[Anna06]

Wow, FairyRae thanks for all the links!!!!!

[greenmamapagan]

Raising my hand. Although I was only fully vegan for one year but was veg for over a decade on and off before TF.

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

I found it really hard to just cut out sugar, it was a lot easier to cut both grains and sugar. Even still eating fruit, I don't have the sugar cravings and they went away after only a day without grains/sugar.

I think I would be fine to cut both if I didn't work in a coffee shop (yep, THAT coffee shop). My will power just can not withstand the 4am craving for a vanilla earl grey and a bagel when it is right in front of me and free

[imbarefoot]

Originally Posted by ILoveMyBabyBird

i'm kind of doing something similiar although i ate mostly vegetarian/vegan i didn't completely eliminate poultry and dairy products. But I am suspecting candida overload for me and all the carbs have been doing a number on my system for months. I am still uneasy about eating certain things like red meat/pork and seafood, but i have upped my eggs and poultry and have ate tuna a couple times. I have realized that vegan was never really an option for me. My health has suffered a lot eventhough i have lost 25 pounds going on a mainly vegan diet, my mental clarity and overall energy level has plummetted, I am still unsure if it was directly related to my diet, but I just started a modified candida diet yesterday, I am working up to eating more meat, but basically it is gluten free, no refined carbs, little fruits, and big on animal products, (except dairy), veggies, nuts and good fats. It is a shock to even myself to be starting out 2 mornings in a row with 2-3 eggs, but i am going to stick it out for a couple weeks and if my symptoms improve will not be going back to the dr. for more tests to try to see what is wrong with me. I have B+, not sure if that matters, but i am also wondering if ethnic background may play a part too. I am caucasian, 1/8 danish and 1/8 lithuanian and irish and a lot other things. I think the way our ancestors may have ate, may clue us to what maybe we should eat and what we are more likely to thrive on? It's just a thought...

My ND told me that Irish have more issues with Candida. I too am dealing with a candida overload in my gut and I'm pregnant, so I'm trying to ease into a less carbs-less sugar diet as well.

[imbarefoot]

Thanks for the responses! I've ate meat 1-2x a week so far and it's going well. I'm really enjoying it and it tastes great! Ha! I still have a carb/sugar addiction and a candida issue so that's the next battle to fight. I'm honestly waiting until Sep to attack that, when I have some more time and clarity to focus my energy on that.

I'll check out some of those links, thank you to who posted them!

As far as the pastured meat, goodness, I want to eat pastured meat only. At first, I was. But we are very low-income and food stamps already isn't enough to cover what we eat. So we are eating meats from Costco/Walmart that aren't overly processed, no nitrates/nitrites, added hormones/antibiotics. For now, we can barely afford those. And I feel like my body needs it. But once my hubs is out of school and has a job, we will most definitely be attempting to eat pastured meat only. Right now, we are looking into buying a cow with our midwife and that would provide us with pastured meat that we can afford, however we would have to pay for it with cash. Hoping that works out..

[Chicky2]

imbarefoot, have you tried goat meat? Or domestic rabbit? Reason I ask is because obtaining it can be MUCH cheaper than beef. You can easily find goat and probably rabbit, too. Look on the various goat and rabbit association websites to find breeders near you. FWIW, goat is alot like beef, w/the main difference being the way the fat is between the layers of meat, unlike beef, where it is marbled in w/the meat. We eat it alot and love it. It is also higher in iron than beef. Domestic rabbit is all white meat from head to tail. It is higher in protein and lower in fat and calories per ounce than chicken breast. We much prefer it to chicken breast anyway. Also look into bartering w/people who own small farms. You might be surprised what you could get a deal on if you are willing to roll up your sleeves a bit. And if your dh is willing to butcher himself, man does that open up a whole other world of obtaining good quality meats on the cheap. Teaches alot of respect for food, too.

[CherryBomb]

Check and see if there are any health food stores in your area that take FS. Dh was unemployed for 6 months and had to take a low paying job when his UI ran out, so we're on food stamps, and lucky there's a hfs about 45 minutes away that takes FS!

[imbarefoot]

Wow, never heard of either of those meats! I will look into it, thank you!