No matter how often it happens it’s always big news when a vegan celebrity starts eating meat. I’m not sure I even knew that Lizzo was eating a vegan diet until she stopped eating a vegan diet. She says she needed to add more protein to her diet and that adding animal foods cured her brain fog. (This is according to People magazine, so take it for what it’s worth.)
I don’t know Lizzo’s situation– maybe she really did need more protein than she was consuming. Or maybe, she suffers from disordered eating. Or maybe, like scores of vegans, she just suffers from too much online misinformation about diet and health.
Whatever the reason, there are lessons here for us animal activists.
- Don’t hold up celebrities as models of anything. They are just people. They are susceptible to the same questionable beliefs about diet as anyone else.
- Don’t promote veganism as some cure-all diet. It may get people to stop eating animal foods for a while, but it can also lead to disappointment or ever more severe restrictions.
- Don’t promote extreme versions of veganism. Lizzo hasn’t exactly given up on veganism; she says she next wants to try a “raw alkaline vegan diet.” To me, this spells more trouble. There’s a thin line between a raw foods diet and disordered eating.
- Don’t insist that vegans never need to think about protein. Some people might in fact feel better with a higher protein intake on their vegan diet. Vegans eating low-calorie diets may need to work a little harder at getting adequate protein. Instead of denying this, let’s support their efforts and help them figure out how to eat a protein-rich vegan diet. Because just eating a variety of whole plant foods isn’t necessarily enough.
There is this theory that most people who go vegan end up abandoning veganism. I’m not convinced this is true. I think the high numbers of so-called ex-vegans are driven by people who are dabbling in different eating patterns in pursuit of perfect health or a smaller body. In a Facebook post about Lizzo’s abandonment of her vegan diet, activist Marla Rose of Vegan Street said this: “Dipping out is not an option when justice and compassion are your guiding principles.”
That’s the truth. It’s easy to abandon a diet and most people have done so any number of times over the course of their lives. It’s not so easy to abandon your principles. Unless, of course, you’ve become convinced that a vegan diet can’t support your health. That’s why an evidence-based approach to veganism is crucial. And it’s why vegan advocacy should always focus on the stickiest of all reasons to embrace a vegan lifestyle, which is justice and compassion for animals.
Maybe stop promoting vegan “diets” as if they’re all the same? Not eating things from animals doesn’t say what or how you eat. When people suffer health problems eating an omnivore diet they’re directed to better ways of eating and the same should hold true for those who eat plants only.
It’s been so well researched that plant proteins from whole plant foods are healthier, maybe look at whether you may be limiting some essential amino acids? Your health will suffer if you only eat burgers and fries, whether the burgers are from meat or from beans or even gluten and soy!
Another thing that should stop is comparing foods that may have similar uses, but different nutrition. Non dairy milks are not similar to dairy. Dairy products are more like dark leafy greens in terms of things like calcium
Including some more processed foods in vegan diets, like veggie meats and calcium-fortified plant milks, can help some people meet nutrient needs more easily and feel more satisfied. So, while eating plenty of whole plant foods is a good idea, I like to be careful that we aren’t saying a vegan diet should include only whole plant foods. There are lots of options for eating healthfully on a vegan diet!
As a committed whole foods vegan of 18 years, I’d like to share something about brain fog. I never had it until I went vegan in 2007. And it’s taken me until the last six months to nail down the problem: histamine. When I switched to a vegan diet, I started eating a greater variety of fruits and vegetables than I ever had before. Unfortunately, I’m one of those people with MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome), a diagnosis only recently recognized, and estimated to affect 17-20% of the population. When I cut out foods high histamine foods (tomatoes, eggplant, avocado, chocolate, soy, coffee…. it’s a long list), not only did my brain fog disappear, but I no longer had migraines, crash fatigue, random intense itchiness, and many other ailments that had plagued me for almost two decades. I’m so grateful to the gastroenterologist who made the MCAS diagnosis.
So yes: there is definitely something to brain fog being triggered by wonderful healthy vegan foods. But ditching histamines and staying vegan can absolutely be done. I do it every day.