5 years on a vegan diet, this woman tells how she feels to eat meat again

Jakarta –

A woman in Montreal, Canada, shared her experience of following a vegan diet. 47-year-old Tauja returned to eating meat after five years of being a vegan.

“I feel much better now than when I went vegan, which was the opposite of what I expected,” explained Tauja, reported from News week.

Initially, Tauja became a vegan in 2018. This was done after experiencing symptoms such as nausea and bloating when eating meat.

His diet was changed to eating green vegetables, fruits, and increasing his intake of whole grains. He replaces meat with pasta, potatoes and other foods such as cassava.

In the beginning, Tauja felt that his body was healthy and he managed to lose 9-13 kg in weight over three years. However, eventually his health changed dramatically.

During this process, he discovered that potatoes caused skin problems, leading to eczema, itching, and hives. He also had a vitamin deficiency that caused anemia.

In addition, he realized that wheat was having a negative effect on his mental health.

“Because I’m a vegan, I didn’t blame the diet. We didn’t even think about the food that was causing it,” said Tauja.

“After tests, I was deficient in vitamins B, D and K. I had to take magnesium, omega and iron supplements,” he continued.

According to one systematic review, conducted from research published between 2000 and January 2020, evaluating nutrient intake in plant-based diets (vegetarian and vegan) compared to meat-based diets.

The results showed that although plant-based diets are rich in fiber, folate, vitamins C, E, and magnesium, they show a lower intake of key nutrients such as vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron , zinc, iodine, and calcium, especially among vegans.

Until July 2024, Tauja began to follow a diet suitable for his blood type O. He eats high protein from meat, vegetables, fish, fruit, and reduces sugar.

“I started eating meat again in August and within a month, I saw my body change. Since I started eating red meat and fish, my anemia has improved, as has my prediabetes ,” Tauja said.

“I don’t get too many night sweats anymore, and my mood and behavior have improved a lot,” he continued.

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