Vegan reintroducing animal products to their body?

Discussion in 'Vegetarian' started by Sarah_Again, Nov 11, 2009.

  1. Sarah_Again

    Sarah_Again Inspires Irrelevancy

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    I walk talking to a vegan friend of mine who recently became somewhat homeless. After a few months of wandering and living off of what little food she could find that was still vegan, she found an old friend and their family who took her in. In order to not seem un-thankful, she wasn't so picky about what she would eat. She told me that when she was served a meal with a bit of butter mixed in, she became ill and threw it up.

    So my question is how do vegans start eating animal products again?
    She has been vegan for over three years.
    My vegan brother has also had a similar problem.
    It just got me curious, sorry if this has been asked before.

    Thanks in advance.
     
  2. Dragonvine

    Dragonvine I do Glass

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    I have only eaten small amounts of dairy or egg, and I recently went vegan for like.. 2 weeks. I went back to only eating small amounts of dairy and egg, and the day after that I had lots of cheese. I had horrid cramps for a few hours and the next day. Yesterday I went to pizza hut, and I had the same cramps again.

    I think its a matter of re-introducing it slowly, so that the bacteria that digest the dairy/eggs have time to re-populate. Maybe have like a very small amount every week, then build it up.

    Its really good that their friend's family took her in, but such a shame that she is struggling with the food :( I hope she is well soon
     
  3. inbloom

    inbloom as the crow flies...

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    I was vegan for 5 years, and when then about 2 years ago, I went back to vegetarian. I just started eating cheese and things here and there, reintroducing it back into my body (not slowly, per se, but I didn't pig out) and I never had any problems. It probably depends on your body, most likely. I even tried fish again, just a couple months ago, and that never had any phsycial effect on me, either. I guess it depends on the person.
     
  4. shutterfly

    shutterfly Member

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    Why did you go back to eating dairy?

     
  5. inbloom

    inbloom as the crow flies...

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    Sorry for the late reply, shutterfly, I'm not on here nearly as much as I used to be.

    I started getting back into dairy simply because of a trip I was on. I was spending a lot of time hitch-hiking and travelling, and it was getting harder and harder and more expensive to live the way I used to as a vegan, so I made what was supposed to be a temporary compromise. After the trip was over, I found I had no immediate desire to go back to veganism, and just never did.

    And when I tried fish, a couple months back, it was because I had a hit a point where I was so absolutely sick to death of the fake vegan meat products that are out there, as I had been eating them a lot at that time, and one night at a restaraunt, a friend suggested I try a little of their fish. I did, and I actually enjoyed it, and have had it an occasion or two, here and there.

    Lately, however, I've been feeling a desire to go back to a vegan, or at least MOSTLY vegan diet. I miss how pure my food used to taste, and how clean and healthy my body used to feel. I'm going through some changes all over, and so I think I may try getting back at it! :)
     
  6. makihiko

    makihiko Official hippie since 2005

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    animal products make the body sick... you simply don't notice how sick you are when you eat meat all the time
     
  7. dreadlocksftw

    dreadlocksftw Visitor

    After a few weeks of not eating animal products, your digestive system stops producing the enzyme that dissolves animal protein. One should slowly re-introduce themself to animal products after eating vegetarian or vegan for a few weeks, or else they'll become ill.

    My step-father learned this after being vegetarian for half a year (not by choice...He just didn't feel the urge to eat meat) and decided to have several (AMAZING TASTING) sausages. He was in the bathroom for at least an hour and a half...
     
  8. inbloom

    inbloom as the crow flies...

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    Just thought I'd throw another couple of cents into this conversation.

    I had wrote earlier that going back to vegetarian gave me no negative consequences, physically. Well, that isn't entirely true. I wasn't really listening to my body and when I did, began to find out how much it was hurting me. In fact, through research and talking with friends who suffer from it, I think I may be Lactose intolerant. All they symptoms match up, like severe stomach pains and cramps, bloating, severe heartburn, gastrol intestinal pains (and all the fun stuff that comes with that, yay), etc.

    So I'm happy to report that, as of last week, I made the switch back to vegan! I can already tell how much of an improvement it's made, all around, and I feel so healthy and happy. I hadn't really realized what dairy was doing to me, and the way I jumped into everything so suddenly definitely took a toll. I think all the years away from it definitely contributed to the intolerance.
     
  9. Charlottes Vegetarian Web

    Charlottes Vegetarian Web Member

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    I don't know if I fully agree with Makihiko. Animal foods are actually quite good for the body depending on what blood and body type you are. I am a vegetarian but I think we need to be fair in that animals were a big part of our diet for thousands of years.

    I agree with Dreadlocksftw in that the enzymes to stop to work, so when you do re-introduce those foods it becomes a shock to the body which then doesn't know what to do with it. I would take it slowly, piece-by-piece and let the body start to develop the enzymes and the bacteria again.
     

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