Disclosure: publishing of this story is made possible in part by Canada Beef, but the story, opinions and information are 100% my own.
After three years of following a vegan diet, my family and I have made the decision to incorporate meat back into our meals as part of a balanced diet. This was not an easy decision to make, but it was one that we felt was necessary. In this post, I share my personal journey from veganism back to eating meat, and the reasons why.
Why I went Vegan
I first went vegan in my late twenties and did it for all the wrong reasons. Basically I just wanted to lose weight and mask it as being health conscious. It seemed like every influencer and celebrity became vegan overnight. And I was #influenced. I realize that my motivations were inauthentic and that I wasn’t fully committed to the principles of veganism. I was committed to finding a diet that worked for me.
At first, I felt good – it was like having a new hobby. I was introduced to new vegan friends, got some great new recipes, and a whole new social media subculture appeared before my eyes. Veganism, I realized, was not just about the diet. It was an entire personality.
The Struggles of Being Vegan
My biggest struggle was that I was projecting my experimental diet/new persona onto my children. Veganism felt very binary to me; we were either 100% vegan in all facets of life or we were not truly vegan. There was no in between. With my children, just 1 and 3 years old at the time, it was a simple lifestyle to switch to. Until it wasn’t. What are the rules at birthday parties? Christmas dinners? Am I to say ‘no’ to ice cream dates with their grandparents in the name of being vegan?
My other biggest struggle was the lack of satiety. This, I came to discover later, was not actual hunger. It was an imbalance of proper nutrition. I know many vegans who thrive and are perfectly balanced with a plant-based diet. I was not one of them.
The Shift
Three years into my vegan diet, I got pregnant with my third child. As week 7 approached, I experienced the strongest craving I have ever felt to date. It was meat. Beef and broccoli to be exact. I felt immediate guilt and tried to stave these cravings off with imitation meat and meditation. Three weeks later, and heading into my second trimester, I surrendered. I called our nearest butcher and asked for their best cut of meat to be put aside. That night, my family and I sat down to the first pot roast meal we’d had in a long time. We were all delighted.
I decided to work alongside a naturopath to make sure I was incorporating meat in an intentional way. This gave me the reassurance I didn’t know I was looking for, because my blood tests results were improving – increased B12 and iron in particular.
The Outcome
As we began to eat more meat, I realized how much I had been controlling my kids’ way of eating. Controlling out of fear of failing a diet simply wasn’t fair to them and it’s something I still carry a lot of guilt for. I want my children to feel comfortable making their own decisions about what feels right for their bodies and have a healthy relationship with food that is not solely based on their Mom’s way of eating.
Since incorporating meat back into my diet, I have noticed a number of positive changes. My hormones and adrenals have stabilized, I am consuming more whole foods, my cravings are minimal and I feel in tune with my body’s needs. I am also more satiated without feeling weighed down, as smaller portions of meat provide a greater amount of protein and nutrients than the abundance of processed foods I had been eating before.
From Beans to Beef
If you’re someone who is looking to incorporate meat back into your diet, I would encourage you to do so in an intentional way and to consider choosing beef as a part of your balanced diet.
Here’s why we love Canadian Beef:
- Essential Nutrients. Iron, zinc, vitamin B, selenium are just a few of the nutritional benefits that come with beef.
- Supporting local. Choosing beef supports local farmers and ranchers, and the Canadian economy.
- High-quality protein. And you don’t need a large portion to feel satiated because the amount of protein in each portion is incredibly high!
- Versatility. Can be cooked in a variety of ways – grilling, roasting, slow-cooking, stir fry, sandwiches, etc.
Thank you for being a part of our journey. If anything, let this post be a reminder that it’s 100% okay to change your mind.
Love, peace, and balance