Ellen Pompeo, 48, revealed in a recent interview with People that she went vegan, and had her whole family go vegan, after a doctor told her it could prevent breast cancer. She said that it hasn’t been that hard and that they find it fun to prepare meals together. Her kids are 8, 3, and 1 year old. Her eight year-old daughter say she misses bacon and that the substitute is just “ok.” They’ve only been doing it two weeks though.
“I just went for my yearly appointment a couple of weeks ago and [Dr. Kristi Funk] told me about her book,” Pompeo told PEOPLE at the launch party for Dr. Funk’s book Breasts: The Owner’s Manual in Hollywood. “Since then my whole family has gone completely vegan.”
Dr. Funk is the founder of Pink Lotus Breast Center in Beverly Hills and has notably treated patients like Sheryl Crow and Angelina Jolie. In the book, she recommends a vegan diet — backed up by studies — as one way to help prevent breast cancer.
“[Dr. Funk] told me she turned her three kids completely vegan and I came home from my appointment with her where she basically gave me [the information] … and I said, ‘That’s it, we’re all vegan,’ ” Pompeo shared…
“It’s super fun,” she shared. Her husband, Chris Ivery, and children Stella Luna, 8, Sienna May, 3, and Eli Christopher, 1, are adjusting well to veganism. “I don’t think it’s tricky at all — it’s actually easier because meat you have to cook it before it goes bad. Grains and lentils and rice and beans, everything’s in the pantry already. You just have to get vegetables, but vegetables stay good for a week — and I think we all feel better.”
While Pompeo’s kids are on board with the family’s new vegan lifestyle, they still crave some of their old favorite foods. Stella, who accompanied her mom to the event, was “missing bacon” and said she “tried fake bacon today.” When asked how she liked it, Stella said “It’s okay,” optimistically.
“I think we’re at a critical point for our planet and in the United States this health issue is out of control, the obesity, the diabetes everything … Sickness is a huge business, I know that really, really well. The message of veganism is not one that they want to get out but not only will it help us, it helps the planet.”
She’s right that a lot of people are sick and that diet can be the deciding factor in getting well. I have a friend who made a similar radical diet change on a doctor’s advice. She gave up gluten and dairy years ago. It sounded quacky to me and I’ve read the studies that say it’s unnecessary for people without celiac disease or lactose intolerance. However she since developed ulcerative colitis and has found that a strict diet controls her symptoms, so maybe in her case it was necessary and helpful.
While I understand the environmental reasons for going vegan it sounds extreme to me. Wouldn’t adding more vegetables, whole grains and whole foods be just as beneficial without giving up the occasional treat? I’m not talking about meat necessarily, but I believe in letting kids have desserts and letting them eat at parties. You can feed them healthy food at home and they don’t feel like they’re missing out. However I imagine things are much different in California, specifically in LA where Pompeo lives. A lot of people are on specialized diets and it must be more convenient to be vegan there. It certainly sounds healthy and nutritious, just limiting.
photos credit: WENN and Getty
I make a delicious rice paper “bacon” ( I swear its delicious!, not the exact same as meat bacon but it hits all the right notes for smokiness, chewiness, saltiness) my omni hubby craves it now on weekends. Delicious and no piggies were harmed 🙂
I’m only ovo vegetarian (no meat or dairy) and it wasnt a difficult transition when I made my mind up about it. The key for me was finding good recipes for dairy alternatives.
Would you mind posting a link or the recipe? I would love to try it please!
I also make rice paper bacon. It’s pretty good. Here’s the recipe that I use:
https://littleblueplates.com/2016/10/13/perfect-rice-paper-bacon/
I make “bacon”out of shiitake mushrooms but will have to try this
and any physician who says that being vegan can prevent breast cancer is one who is derelict in their duties. Vegans can and do get breast cancer (just ask Linda McCartney – oh wait), other cancers and other diseases. People are not necessarily healthier by default just because they are vegan or vegetarian
Yes, that was my concern too. It might reduce the percentages of risk, but it doesn’t eliminate risk.
I know a few vegans who’ve occasionally fallen off the wagon with bacon. Meat free is better for the environment and our health. Not to mention the horror of factory farming. Cheap meat comes at a high cost.
So do cheap vegetables and fruit. The human cruelty involved in cheap produce and grains is often overlooked by people praising veganism (I’m not saying by you, per se). But real people in less developed countries suffer so we can have cheap, year-round food.
Her daughter is a doll.
I’m about to get my Doctor of Naturopathy degree and I’m writing my dissertation on longevity. A vegan diet is absolutely the best way to good health. And by vegan, I don’t mean eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with chips and a soda.
A whole food, plant-based diet is best: oatmeal with fruit in the mornings, a berry smoothie with kale thrown in for lunch with some carrots and hummus and a hearty dinner with beans, vegetables and whole grains.
“And by vegan, I don’t mean eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with chips and a soda.”
Thank you, it bugs the crap out of me when people say “Oreos are vegan!” A diet full of Oreos isn’t healthy.
Your description of meals is pretty much exactly how I eat. It’s not a chore for me, for whatever reason it’s he type of diet I have always been drawn to. Convincing my kids to completely give up meat is a battle I don’t have the energy to fight, though. Hopefully they will come around to less meat on their own.
I never tried to convince mine, just stubbornly gave them what we ate + grilled meat of fish. Two of them ended up choosing to eat vegan and the other two eat meat and fish but quite healthy. They need to have a choice, I agree.
Edit: We also need “junk food” once in a while! When we’re watching a film together we go to the Fish and Chips shop and get a portion of fries for each of us with lots of sauces… The guy looks ate us funny but they’re the best fries in town! Indulging is good but not with total crap. Just half crap 😉
@Slowsnow
Just wondering do Vegans find it OK to eat fries that were cooked in the same oil as fish? My aunt won’t eat fish and chips because the chips are made in the same oil as the fish.
@me – I am a very relaxed vegan 😉 who would probably piss off someone like your aunt who would not consider me one of the tribe. And maybe I should say I have a vegan diet as I don’t have the energy to go leather free etc.
there are so many “chip & dip” vegans that just don’t get it; there are also a lot of obese vegans (just check the WW boards) because some people think “vegan” = healthy and that’s not the full story
Thank you!! Vegan is not automatically healthy it has to be linked with healthy eating and avoiding highly processed food.
Doctor of Naturopathy, so pushing a lot of things that are not backed by science. You just described meals that are carb heavy with little protein. Which is exactly the opposite of what our diabetes type 2 prone society needs.
I don’t “push” anything. I educate and there’s plenty of scientific evidence to back up what I teach.
BTW – There’s more than enough protein in that hummus at lunch and the beans at dinner. Read “How Not To Die” and also “Blue Zones.”
In a study on longevity (Adventist Health Study (AHS – 2), scientists actually found that those who eat a whole food plant based diet and occasionally ate fish like wild salmon lived the longest. Cut out sugar, meat and dairy, eat whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water every day and your body will thank you!
Why are you so against Naturopathy @Merritt? A lot of our medicine comes from herbal or any other organic source anyway. This separation drives me crazy. Another good thing about homeopathy is that it comprises the nervous system and the “kind” of body you have. I am not a scientist but one of the grave mistakes of science that even a non-scientist can grasp is the absence of differentiation of the female and the male body for instance (which science is catching up on, don’t get nervous, it’s backed up). So sometimes ancient cultures were onto something that has to be corrected by modern discoveries of course, but let’s not discard everything that is not backed up by a graph or a lab test, as long as it’s not invasive or dangerous. No one has ever died from acupuncture applied by a trained specialist so I wouldn’t worry.
Good sense is important and balancing out information too.
@Sherry
Right. “How not to die” the title alone is fear mongering. Everyone dies at some point. That is a fact, it is the life cycle. And just reading the description shows others myths. Diabetes for example is not just due to lifestyle choices. Genetics plays a huge role.
You cannot fully cut out sugar from your diet. It is necessary for life. You just proved my point. Also you can’t claim to be science based if you are using one study instead of looking at several.
I moonlighted in the whole-foods plant based diet world for a few months and the for love Dr. Greger and How Not to Die is strong in the community. I felt it was a bit extreme – for example, not being able to cook vegetables in oil was a bridge too far for me. I was also just shocked how much *time* everything took. I think the diet is popular with a lot of retirees who are concerned with their health and maybe have 2-3 hours of time a day to dedicate to food prep and cooking, but I don’t think it works for your average working person. Just way too time consuming.
I imagine for Pompeo, who is in LA and likely has a personal chef, WFPB is easy.
@Merritt
Lol, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Natural sugar from fruits, veggies, whole foods are good for you while processed and refined sugars aren’t. Not to worry, Sherry said to eat a wide variety of fruits so the good kinds of sugar your body needs are covered! Cutting out processed food and sugars is beneficial to your health.
@coco
Sugar is still sugar regardless of whether it comes from fruit or not. And it can still spike blood sugar.
@slowsnow
For some reason all the links I post about deaths caused by naturopaths keep getting deleted. No patient should ever be given anything that is not science based and backed by extensive research.
@Merritt
You’re completely missing the point of Sherry’s post. She said to eat a wide variety of vegetables, whole foods, and fruit. She said to cut out sugar, which I took as her meaning processed or refined sugar. The extra, additive sugars. White sugar. Brown sugar. Honey. Agave. The million names for processed and chemically enhanced sugars out there. Eating fruit is the only kind of sugar our bodies need to function. All the other kinds are just filler. Not sure if you’re trolling or being willfully ignorant of what Sherry was trying to say to prove your mean point about naturopaths?
Also, I LOOOOOOVE sugar. There is not anything sweet out there I won’t eat. But sugar doesn’t love me back because it wreaks havoc on my body and mood. I stick to fruit in moderation and avoid processed sugars and feel tons better. It’s what works for me. I’m also studying sugar in Chemistry right now (science!) and processed sugars are tough on our body to break down, as well as other processed foods in general.
It’s rare you can post links on this site, they usually get deleted regardless what you’re linking.
I’m not missing her point. I see her and what she is doing. The diet she listed is heavily reliant on carbs. And despite her claims, a serving of hummus and a serving of beans, even if we go with the highest protein beans, would still leave a person sort on protein. Nuts might help fill in the gaps, but many people have a nut allergy so that is not an option for them.
Also I have to wonder where you are studying chemistry, because that is not accurate.
@Merritt
I see I wasn’t clear on my previous post. The body doesn’t know what to do with many artificial sweeteners. Our bodies cannot break them down. Refined sugars are broken down too quickly so the body doesn’t register you’re full and causes blood sugar to skyrocket. Plus, refined sugars don’t come with all the beneficial nutrients and fiber natural sugars do. It’s really just empty calories and filler. You can get all the glucose and fructose your body needs from vegetables, whole grains, and fruit. Whole grains and certain vegetables are also wonderful sources of protein and iron so not sure what your problem is with her meal plan. If it’s not for you, don’t eat it.
@Merritt-But some of us need carbs. I eat a very high-carb diet because I run 50-60 miles a week. I have tried protein-based diets before and I felt terrible all the time-sluggish and I actually GAINED weight.
FWIW, I rarely if ever eat meat and get enough protein from greek yogurt, whole grains, and leafy veggies. I refer to my diet as plant-based because I eat mainly vegetables. Lately I’ve been making my own pickled veggies. So easy and so yum. Wish I could have C/B friends try them 🙂
@Sherry-Congrats on your degree!
Kitten, I’d love to hear more about your pickled veggies. I tried to brine my own olives once, and it didn’t work out so well. 🙂
I looooove this pickled lemon spread that a restaurant I go to serves. I’m also really into pickled carrots and radishes like on a bahn mi. Oh, and italian giardiniera!
@coco
You clearly don’t know the difference between artificial sweetener and refined sugar. They are not the same, so why are you pretending they are. Also it is clear that whatever class you took was not a good one because the pancreas doesn’t treat different types of sugar differently in the way you are suggesting. To be clear I am not suggesting that eating an apple is somehow the same as eating a cupcake they are obviously different. But not because of the type of sugar. They are different because the apple offers nutrients that the cupcake does not. My problem with her meal plan is that it is full of anti-science nonsense and she should not be giving anyone advice.
@kitten
But that is not what I’m talking about. Also I never suggested that people needed to eliminate carbs, because that would be virtually impossible and it would be stupid.
@ Merritt thank you. I didn’t know they handed out doctorates in charlatany.
And yeah, as said above, a vegan diet doesn’t save you from breast cancer, that’s simply not true. Why are people in such prestigious positions allowed to spread this?
@ Merritt
I guess at this point we’re talking about two different things. You went after Sherry because she suggested a diet of varied vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and fruits while cutting out meat, dairy, sugar, etc. Personally, not my cup of tea in regards to meat and dairy but others who have specific health problems respond well to a plant based diet. You said that the body cannot sustain by cutting out sugar. All I’ve been trying to say is that the body gets the sugar it needs with fruit, veggies, and whole grains. Which Sherry talked about several times in her posts. So how is that cutting out sugar? How did humans survive before refined sugars? I’ve been talking about BOTH artificial sugars and refined sugars and that it’s tough on the body breaking them down properly. The body doesn’t know how to respond or break down most artificial sugars (I personally find artificial sweeteners fascinating, hence the mentions, but they don’t matter as much as refined sugars in what we’re talking about). With refined sugars, the body breaks them down too fast so we end up eating way too much of it before our body recognizes we’re full. Yes, you’re completely right that once sugars get to the pancreas it cannot tell the difference but if you’re overeating refined sugars then that’s tough on the body, right? If you’re getting your sugar from an apple then your body is getting other nutrients and signals will be sent to the brain that you’re satiated.
What exactly is your problem with Sherry’s diet suggestions? You aren’t cutting out sugar because you get that from the grains, fruits, and veggies. You’re getting protein from beans, nuts, and whole grains. I’m seriously confused why you went off on Sherry and on some tangent about cutting out sugar and then protein when her meal plan contained the necessary sugars and proteins?
And maybe I’m not being as clear as I think I am. I’m still in school, studying, and chasing after my toddler while trying to get these thoughts down clearly on my phone. It didn’t seem like you were reading Sherry’s posts where she definitively stated a diet that contained sugar in it. Do you just have a problem with naturopaths in general?
@coco
That is not true about how the body processes sugar. If you are constantly overeating any type of sugar, your body is not going to like it. It doesn’t matter if you are eating an entire fruit basket or eating an entire cake. I did not “go after her”. I quite honestly pointed out that naturopathy is a dangerous and kills people. And the diet she is pushing is simply not nutrient rich enough particularly when it comes to protein and very high in carbs.
Except you’re probably not going to overeat (much) on fruit (again because those nutrients signal to your brain you are full) but it’s very easy to overeat on refined sugars. That’s my point. Refined sugars are tough on your body because we tend to overeat them, sometimes without even realizing how much is in our processed foods. We end up stressing the pancreas. The carbs she’s suggesting are complex and nutrient rich. They aren’t white flour or processed. That’s a big difference. Everyone’s body is different due to genetics and environment and we respond to foods differently too. What works for best for you doesn’t work best for me. Some bodies do better on a purely plant based diet while others do not.
There are good and bad doctors across the board, in every speciality. Westernized medicine kills people too, unfortunately. I’ve always thought that a combo of Westernized medicine and naturopathy, with a healthy dose of common sense is the way to go. And guess what, you don’t ever have to go to a naturopath! But others do find benefit from utilizing their care. Research, read reviews, make sure you aren’t taking something that might harm your body in excess, whether it’s a Western doctor or a naturopath.
@coco
You’ve missed the point. Overeating is overeating. And a person very easily can overeat fruit. There are even Youtube vegans whose very brand is promoting the overeating of fruit. Also that is not how the pancreas works. You have a decided lack of biological knowledge in your statements.
Also naturopathy is a fraud. It offers nothing to a person other than a way to lose money and get nothing but placebo effect at best. You cannot compare that to evidenced-based medicine.
I’m a medical doctor (and research junkie) with degree in biochemistry (summa cum laude) and formal nutrition coursework. Sherry is right. Eating complex carbs from legumes, vegetables, and whole grains — instead of eating processed carbs and sugars — prevents diabetes and other chronic conditions. For most people carbs are not the enemy. I have type 1 diabetics who do very well on WFPB and type 2 diabetic patients who reverse their diabetes through WFPB. I don’t anticipate convincing Merritt, but I consider it my ethical duty to share WFPB eating strategies with my patients to prevent and often reverse their chronic diseases.
@ Merritt, I agree. genetics do play a huge role. My grandmother is 90 and showing no signs of slowing down. She insisted on three glasses of milk every day, her coffee and she has never been vegan but she does eat plenty of vegetables. Obviously, that’s anecdotal, but I do believe genetics affect the length of our life more than what we eat or don’t eat, barring people who really do live off of Oreos. Amazingly, she has some older siblings who are still alive. I’m not a doctor, but I’d be hard-pressed to believe that’s not genetic.
YES! All of this!
I refer to my “diet” as Whole Food, Plant Based, not vegan.
Sherry, congratulations on your wonderful achievement!
Congrats on your degree, Sherry!
While your info is good, a high fruit diet isn’t so healthy and can be just as dangerous as a high processed sugar intake diet. Of course fruits are OK but think a too high intake can spike blood glucose as much as processed sugar. Fruit is full of sugars and up until recently wasn’t even in most peoples diets. It was seasonal and specific to regions. Sugar, yes even fruit & a few veggie sugars, is the true cause of heart disease and many food related. Not as we have been falsely educated solely as animal fat or even saturated fat…. but sugars & processed carbs. I’m a medical professional so not talking out of my ear completely, many of my patients who have gone on a low fat diet, yes even high veggie & fruits, still suffer from high cholesterol & heart problems, even obesity. Sugar is the real “devil” in foods and that does unfortunately includes some veggies & fruits. Not all fruits or veggies are “safe” for those needing to lower or control their sugar intake. It isn’t as simple as jsut saying eat your fruits and Veggies. Diet is a lot more complicated than that general basic idea.
@ Isabelle
I completely agree that sugar is the culprit for many health problems and that we need to keep tabs on our intake, including fruits and certain veggies. It kills me we were sold a bunch of bunk that a low fat diet was good for us. We need healthy fats! What type of diet do you suggest to your patients? While the diet Sherry is suggesting isn’t right for me as I need meat in moderation, it does sound much healthier than a typical American diet. If someone is truly eating a plant based diet (not processed low-fat, high carbs foods), watching their fruit intake, and diligent about getting enough fat, protein, and diverse nutrients would that work?
This is kind of what my SIL does. The kids are growing and healthy, but they’re what I call potato chip vegetarians. They’ve really only been introduced to the elements of a meal, like chickpeas and various veggies. That was fine when they were little and ate finger foods and didn’t really know the difference, but they’re older now, and they’re down to like 3 foods that they like. What happens when they get sick of those?
And then she complains that they just want carbs. Well, yeah, if you haven’t actually COOKED anything for them that fosters a love of food with variety, then… She’s a good cook, too, and has more recipe books than I have pairs of underwear, and I get that cooking can be time-consuming. But those recipes aren’t cooking for one. If you make a batch of something, you have leftovers!
For me, a life without bacon is not a life worth living.
Me too. One of my friends tried to talk me into being a vegan and told me it would make me live longer. I told her I would honestly rather die. Those extra few years aren’t that great anyways. They’re certainly not worth 60 years of being fussy about food.
I am not being snarky or anything but that’s what people usually say about alcohol or cigarettes.
It’s actually a bit dangerous to state that “vegans live longer” because there is also genetics and environment. I live in a very polluted city and I told my daughter who is also vegan that she should not expect never to fall ill or be a sort of health superhero. Of course, there is a tendency for vegans to extend their life expectancy but everyone has that uncle who smokes and drinks and lives up to be 100 years old…
I don’t think you should put kids on a vegan diet. Put them on a clean diet, sure, but not vegan. Let them decide to be vegan when they are ready.
I totally agree. Every time my friend’s toddler gets a rash she cuts out another food group. Some kids have allergies! Work with a specialist to identify and remove those foods, just don’t raise a child as gluten free because they did a runny poo after a sandwich once.
Yes, small amounts of high quality meat can be good for growing children. Organic dairy is also healthful. Just don’t buy the cheap meat or cheap dairy, and restrict portions.
Clean eating is not a thing. Kids need to be a balanced and nutrient rich diet that suits their developing bodies.
I hate the term clean eating as well, but I also agree with Miss Gloss’ (and your) larger point–that kids need a well-balanced and varied diet. I eat a plant-based diet, but my son is an omnivore. He loves bacon, cheese, and chocolate milk, but he also gets plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. He can decide when he’s older what foods he wants to include in and exclude from his diet.
I am skeptical of “clean eating,” as the science behind it seems quite…ungrounded. As an ethical vegan though, I don’t see anything wrong with raising my daughter vegan. When she is old enough, she can certainly make her own moral decisions; however, much like kids who are raised in kosher or halal households, it seems natural and reasonable to include her in our ethical practice.
I am truly curious, as an “ethical vegan,” do you grow your own produce and grains or purchase them from local family farms? Because anything else relies heavily on slave-condition labor and environmentally destructive transportation and processing.
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Being Vegan is about reducing harm, wherever that is possible.
I buy local. Grow my own vegetables. And yes-I don’t eat meat or dairy because the suffering those animals endure is not worth a moments enjoyment on my palate.
If slaughterhouses had glass walls, I think many more would be Vegan. Also, if you are truly worried about migrant and undocumented workers, slaughterhouses are incredibly dangerous, physically and mentally. Seems like Vegan is a good choice 😉
Thanks K but I wasn’t looking for a fight. Like I said, I was curious about Lucy’s comment. I think if you lived in the middle of an LDC plantation, more would eat and grow local. So veganism solves one problem but exacerbates another, and that’s just fact.
Physician here. I wish my parents had fed me a whole food plant-based vegan diet as a kid. I ate a lot of junk. I didn’t know any better.
And it’s not always better for you to eat that way. There are plenty of vegans who go back to eating meat. Americans consume too much meat in their diets, so scaling back is definitely good. You don’t have to eat meat in every meal. Portions should be smaller too. Also, there is a lot of meat we shouldn’t eat but do. But, a little animal protein is actually good for us. But, you still have to worry about it being grass fed, organic, humanely killed, the environment in which it lives, etc. Shellfish and pork and definitely not great for us to consume. If you eat mostly plants with a little clean, organic meat…that is a good way to go.
Yes, I was vegetarian for years and ultimately found I felt a LOT better physically eating a small amount of meat. These days I generally only eat meat at dinner a few times a week and the portion size is generally 3 oz or less. We definitely try to buy “better” (organic, grass fed, humanely raised) as much as possible and doing that will kind of automatically force you to cut back on the portion size because if you buy good meat and eat in typical american portions you’ll spend $1000+ on groceries each month.
Cate, this is exactly my experience, and what I now do as well.
I was vegetarian for a while and went back to eating meat. I’m now what I guess you’d call pegan, or paleo vegan. I don’t eat completely paleo but I’m not 100% vegan either. I just eat a lot of veg, fruit, and meat and fish, and haven’t had gluten or dairy for almost 10 years. If I absolutely have to have something that contains either, then I do and just deal with the fallout.
@Cate – Mr. Jaded was a vegetarian for 30 years because his ex-wife insisted. However neither of them knew the first thing about food or cooking so their diets had to be supplemented with a ton of vitamins. When we got together in 2015 I was appalled at how awful his meals were – bagged salads, instant potatoes, tons of cheese, tons of soy-based products liked sliced meat substitute…he now eats fish and occasionally some organic chicken and turkey. No more bagged salads, fresh locally grown produce and someone who knows her way around a kitchen. He looks better, feels better and has actually lost weight. His favourite meal is portobello mushroom bourgignon, I like it better than beef as a matter of fact. Here’s a link to the recipe:
https://www.cearaskitchen.com/vegan-beef-bourguignon/
My body breaks down if I eat too much soy. It wrecks me.
My husband and I tried a vegan diet for 2 weeks after watching a documentary and we have never gone back since.
However we are not fanatics: we eat cheese if there is no other way or for Christmas (we always had raclette). But we have never gone back to eating animals.
It’s good for the planet and we feel that it’s good for us. I love cooking so it is also really interesting to see how you can change your meals.
There are few types of meat compared to the incredible number of veggies at our disposal…
It was not difficult for us at all and now two of our kids are vegan too.
I will cook meat for our two other kids who like it but they tend to be much more careful with what they eat now. Also, they sometimes go for the vegan option just because they like it (oat milk, vegan mac’n cheese, vegan lasagne etc).
Slowsnow, was it “What the Health?” My daughter and her boyfriend turned vegan on the spot after seeing that a year ago and never wavered. My husband and I went vegan for two weeks then added some fish back in. I occasionally eat something that has an egg in it. We had an amazing vegan Thanksgiving. First time ever I didn’t feel sick after that meal. There are tons of new vegan food items available now. However you need to be careful to think “plant based” rather than vegan because many vegan foods are loaded with fat to improve taste.
No… I can’t remember which one it was but my daughter highly recommends watching “what the health”.
Thanks for pointing out what actually improved after I turned vegan and it is so normal that I don’t even remember it anymore: not feeling sick after festive / fast food / restaurant meals.
My teenage daughter went vegan a year ago after watching one of those shows. For the most part it is easy for me to accommodate her vegan choices while the rest of the family eats dairy and meat. The hardest thing for me is how many non-meat products have egg or milk. For instance, while Morningstar veggie burgers or hot dogs are meat free they do have egg in them so they aren’t vegan. It’s surprising how many things have egg as an ingredient! I’m learning to look at the nutrition label of every food I buy for her.
Don’t you find it interesting to read labels though?! I thought it was one of the things that actually made me learn a lot more about food. And yes, egg is a bummer. It’s everywhere. You gotta be careful.
Try making your own veggie burgers and add some arrowroot powder whisked into a bit of water as a binder to replace the egg. There are loads of recipes that used mashed beans, veggies of choice and oats and they are delicious and freeze well, too. It is awesome you are supporting your daughter. Mine is also vegan but I am vegetarian since I do eat dairy on occasion. Just make sure she takes B-12.
We do use a lot of arrowroot. Apple sauce is a good binder as well. I bought a vegan Passover cookbook and hosted a fantastic Seder that everyone loved. I put a plastic Easter egg on the Seder plate in place of a real egg, which everyone thought was hilarious (and clever!)
Following a vegan diet really is not hard, I’ve been doing for 15 years, since long before a billion and one substitutes were on the market. For the sake of the planet, world wide hunger, the animals and our health it’s the way to go.
My son said it was bacon and pizza commercials that helped him decide to not be vegan anymore. LOL
I’ve been a vegan for over 30 years now and it’s certainly one of the best decisions I have ever made for myself.
I feel great, I haven’t had any health problems to date and I have so much energy.
I’m nearly 50 years old and the oldest my age was ever guessed at is 34 years old.
I have to show people my drivers licence, because they don’t believe my age.
Food was very easy for me to figure out and make-up also.
I wear a tiny amount of smudged light brown eye pencil on my upper eyelids and sometimes black mascara and a no color lip balm.
My skin is very nearly flawless, I never used any cover up not even concealer.
The hardest thing was to find shoes and that one is still not easy.
I don’t think that it’s necessary for everybody to be vegan to improve their own health and the health of the planet, but eating and using less animal products is doable and doesn’t require huge sacrifice.
I think being more mindful is a very good idea for all of us.
I have some friends and colleagues that are eating animal products only 2-3 a week.
That might be easier for some people than going 100% vegan like I did.
I still get ridiculed by some people for being vegan, but it’s not my problem.
I know what has worked for me over the years and how it made me feel.
I’m not telling anybody how to live their lives, but I have no problem explaining my experience living a vegan lifestyle.
I’ve been struggling to find vegan shoes that aren’t $$$ and are also decent quality since my old leather shoes kicked the bucket and I refuse to buy leather now. any suggestions?
Have you been to the Moo Shoes website or store? It’s not super cheap, but their shoes, unlike other cheaper alternatives, last forever. I am still wearing a pair of their vegan boots from 7 or 8 years ago. If you can get things on sale there, it can be sort of reasonable. (It’s definitely better than buying a new pair of vegan Toms every season. Sigh.)
When I met my husband he was eating meat for every meal. Sometimes 2-3 servings at a time on his Paleo diet! He was training for his second IronMan then but it was so much (unnecessary) meat! Over the years we’ve talked a lot about meat and the environment, humanly treated animals, and health. We’ve tapered him down to meat once a day at the most and very little dairy. We have eggs a couple times a week, chicken, and once a year we buy a quarter grass-fed steer from a local rancher so we know how the animal has been treated. Plus it’s cheaper for us with more of the profit going to the rancher. Once a week we are completely vegan. This seems like a very manageable place for us because we love meat but know there are consequences to our planet and our health when it’s in excess.
I don’t understand the mocking vegans thing. I mean yeah, they can be a little self-righteous, but don’t they have that right? They’re not supporting terrible industries that are really harmful to the environment and insanely cruel to the animals.
I’m not anywhere close to vegan or vegetarian, but I admire the hell out of you guys. It’s an honorable commitment, not something to be ridiculed.
@Bailie do you think genes could have something to do with it, or just luck? Like Gabrielle Union and Stacey Dash looked like their teens in their 20s or 30s, and Union still looks teenagerish despite being in her 40s.
My mom looked real young until she hit 65 and then she suddenly looked 65. Still beautiful just older. So I think luck (and height) has a huge role in things like how old you look and diet not so much because my mom ate a lot of fast food when she was poor.
It is great for y’all to be vegan, but when people say one diet is the end all be all just because the blue zone p
Or some book, I mean I read that study and it shows people can eat a lot of different diets and still be ok and live long. Some eat meat, some eat fish, and some eat bread others rice, but they also live in places where people respect elders and old people have LOTS of SEX. Lol.
Have good skin, people believe I’m a lot younger than I am (someone other than servers trying to get good tips), including twenty something year old guys asking me out (nearing 45),…….and eat meat. Tried Veganism and my skin reacted horrible under it and breakout city (think it was the soy). It bloated me like no other on top of it and my cholesterol levels even jumped. It didn’t agree with me at all, it may work great for you but some of us didn’t have such a great experience going Vegan.
I don’t eat a lot of meat, but when I crave a big burger once a month during my cycle I get it. I have no real reason for it I just suddenly found meat disgusting, especially meat on a bone, my god it grosses me out, but to each their own. I don’t understand pushing or shaming others about what they eat, that’s odd to me. We’re animals too, and animals feed off each off each other, literally. We just need to find environmentally safer ways to do so, and more humane ways of killing, because it’s the right thing to do.
If your child is saying they miss bacon, that means they WANT to eat it. You shouldn’t restrict a child’s diet for no reason. Let the child decide if they want to be vegan or not. I became a vegetarian at around 15 years of age. It was my choice.
Do kids really need more bacon? Kids want to eat fish sticks and chicken nuggets too. None of that is necessary or good for their health or growth. Why encourage teaching them bad eating habits that they’ll have to unlearn later in life? No judgment to working moms that don’t have the time to prep really healthy meals, but no judgment to the vegan moms who do either.
I’m not saying kids need more bacon. But if your child is saying they miss eating meat, you might want to re-think forcing your eating habits on them. They have the right to eat meat if they want to…just as I have the right not to eat it.
No one said they need bacon. The kids want bacon. Parents who restrict their kids diet too much are creating future problems. No one is suggesting that they eat bacon everyday. Moderation is important. But if people cut out the things they want from their diet, they will either be unhappy or find a way to sneak in those foods.
You’re right about that, Merritt. We never had sweets in the house when I was a kid and it’s still a struggle for me to not just gorge myself when I’m around sweets and desserts today.
Merritt and KBB I agree with that. My mom never bought things like sugared cereals and Hostess snacks. I now seriously have an issue with those things (among other food issues like eating for entertainment). I cannot have a box of Cocoa Pebbles or Ho Hos in my house. And Oreos? Forget it. I will consume these things all in one go. My friends who had that junk in their house growing up don’t have issues with it. We weren’t deprived while growing up, but I do have a serious love for sugar cereals.
This. I want my kid to eat nutrient-rich, healthy meals, but I’m not going to force my worldview or tastes on him. Bacon is fine in moderation, if that’s what he wants to eat.
Yeah but kids also say they want candy, donuts, soda, etc. You have to decide what’s best for them and balance it with what they need and want.
My nephew is vegan and he made that choice at age 4, he was horrified when he found out bacon is from pig and hasn’t looked back since. I think if we told them the truth about where found comes from more kids wouldn’t eat meat.
We can’t compare meat to donuts. Your nephew made the CHOICE to be vegan, it wasn’t made for him right? I made a choice to be vegetarian…it wasn’t forced on me. I just think if your child is expressing the fact they want to eat meat, you should let them eat it. It’s not the same as candy or pop.
I agree with you that it should be the choice of your child, but don’t think her saying she misses bacon necessarily means they should give it to her. It’s tough for me because my daughter and husband love meat, I feel sick preparing most of it so I don’t do it very often! They want it they can cook it, lol.
@ Jess
LOL that’s a good compromise !
I hardly eat any meat, and I’m from Argentina, but I’m not vegetarian or vegan. Just now I’ve been told my by nutritionist to begin including some meat in my diet in order to help build up muscle for my training, so I’m about to have meat as part of dinner 2 times a week. I loathe eggs so I can’t use that as a protein source nor other types of beans because I’m insulin resistant and my body shuts down if I ingest those.
Nutrition can really change your life and body, but I sometimes feel like people go for extremes: either TOO CLEAN or too much processed, junk food.
I’m surprised they encouraged you to eat more meat rather than fish
I tend to trust doctors’ opinions, and in my specific case, with my specific illness, it is more likely I’ll tolerate grass fed meat rather than fish.
Of course. I wasn’t suggesting you not take their advice, I’m just always hearing doctors push fish. It’s a struggle for me because I don’t like fish.
My husband is on a vegan plan with his trainer and he gets protein. That’s what people tell you because that’s how they learn how to get their protein. But you can do it in many other ways. Venus Williams actually said that there is an exaggeration with protein in sports anyway and there is a lot of people making money from it.
I have zero muscle tone, that’s why. I need to burn some fat and try to build up muscle tissue.
I really don’t like her. That is all.
A vegan diet for children is too restrictive.
She shouldn’t put her children on a vegan diet. It’s dangerous especially for the toddler. I know many vegans don’t want to hear it, but there are essential amino acids and fatty acids that you’ll only find in meat. Adults don’t need them, children do for their brain development among other things.
It’s great to be vegan and to eat less meat, but children shouldn’t cut it out completely.
Agree.
On many nutrient tables the meat and dairy products are at the top because they contain the most of certain nutrients per ounce. Iron, for example.
I agree. Children really shouldn’t be on a vegan diet.
A child died in Belgium because of malnutrition and dehydration. His parents were convicted for his death. They treated him like he was lactose/gluten intolerant and gave him an alternative diet. They never took him to a real doctor until he was dead. It’s just so sad.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/baby-dies-diet-parents-convicted-lucas-dendermonde-belgium-malnutrition-dehydration-a7790916.html
Kids needs meat and dairy.
Please do not use this kind of argument of sick parents who abused their child.
It’s like if I said that kids shouldn’t eat meat because of the extreme cases of morbid obesity.
I think all you need to take is a B12 supplement? I have a vegan friend with 4 kids under 6 and they are perfectly healthy. But it’s about balancing your food groups. Protein isn’t only in meat. And honestly, I’ve babysat several toddlers that won’t eat more than two bites of food and stick to one food group–generally cheese. If a parent is not willing to expose their kids to different foods, then it doesn’t matter what their overall diet is i.e. omnivore or vegan or vegetarian…..they are going to have a crappy diet anyway. I am not vegan at all (I love meat and probably would not give it up completely), but I find it funny when people always act so concerned about kids’ diets when the parents “only” feed them vegetables. It says a lot about them and how limited they are in the sides that they eat.
*One of my cousins fed his kids a vegetarian diet because his body couldn’t process meat. It’s some kind of disorder. Well….his kids eat sandwiches with bell peppers, asparagras, eggplant, tomatoes, etc.
I’m not vegan, but can’t you get omega-3s from flax, hemp, and chia seeds?
ETA: I googled it and this link lists where to get each of the essential amino acids on a vegan diet
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/need-protein-amino-acids-found-abundantly-in-plants/
It looks like a lot of work, but not at all impossible to get all the necessary fatty acids and amino acids on a vegan diet.
Yes, you mainly get omega-3s from seeds. The problem are the omega-6 acids. Beside two or so they aren’t essential for adults, but semi-essential for children, because they need huge amounts during development. They are only found in meat, egg or milk products. As mentioned before iron and B12 are other points where a vegan diet is not impossible, but very difficult for children if you don’t want to use supplements.
@Anatha A.
I find this very odd an agree with what another post says about children being very picky eaters anyway. What should I tell my Indian friends whose families have been traditionally vegetarian for generations? Actually almost vegan as there was no tradition of eating a lot of dairy. Human nutrition has evolved along the years and this myth that we have always been programmed to eat lots of meat is crap. In most countries in Europe there were regions where cheese and bread and veggies was the main nutrition and meat or fish was seldom eaten. We evolve and progress. The cases of vegan / vegetarian parents who malnourish their children are like the cases of parents who overfeed their kids with meaty fast food and make them obese. They are extremes of more balanced behaviour.
“Human nutrition has evolved over time”
This made me think of that newspaper clipping from the fifties that has been going around Twitter. It was about how a serving of pasta provides a whopping 60 g of healthy, low fat carbohydrates. It suggested you add potatoes for an even healthier, carb packed dinner! lol
LOL!
Good that it works for her. For some people eating restrictions do work, but for other don’t. For example, one of my friends has been diagnosed with MS in her twenties and her doctor told her, she only should try out the recommend eating restrictions, if she was feeling good about it. Otherwise the restrictions would have led to higher constant stress levels which would outdo the benefits and cause more damage on the longterm.
Forcing your kids to something like that is going to backfire, plus she really has the money to organise it differently, so more minuspoints from me.
All federal stat health departments of western countries do recommend that you don’t put a child on a vegan diet.
I wonder if that’s because of actual deficiencies in a vegan diet or the risk/likelihood that parents wouldn’t do the work to figure out how to get their child all of the amino acids and protein that is necessary and plentiful in meat.
There seems to be so much misinformation about vegan diets, but it looks very possible to get everything necessary. It would take a lot of education, calculation, and preparation to get your child everything they need, maybe governments realize it’s just safer for them to recommend against it.
There are some instances of babies dying or becoming very ill because they were put on strict vegan diet. Babies and young children have specific nutritional needs vegan diets don’t always meet–I’m sure they can, but would need to be extra mindful of possible dietary deficiencies.
I think this is wrong. It’s just as bad as forcing religion onto a child.
Come at me vegans, but humans are and ALWAYS have been omnivores. Our organs and teeth prove that. You go on being vegan and attempt to throw your “vegan logic” at me, but it won’t sway me. So you go on being vegan and I’ll go on being an omnivore like I’m supposed to be.
@ Christina S.
Wow, how open minded you are. I’m not vegan, but I eat meat only 2 a week for nearly 15 years and I feel much better. You must be one of those progressive thinking people. I’m pretty sure that the quality of the meat today is much worse from our “cave” times. Nobody needs to eat meat every single day of their life. Americans are one of the sickest people in the world not to mention overweight. Thinking out of the box a bit wouldn’t hurt us.
@Christina S.
A word for you: appendix.
We evolve. There is no reason for you to use a body feature to have an excuse to eat animals. Unless you live in a cave and decorate it with horses with sticks.
Shheeesh.
@Slowsnow Not to say I agree with Christina, and it doesn’t matter if I do or don’t really, BUT the appendix actually might still serve a purpose -of storing bacteria for when you get sick and the natural balance is thrown off (flushed out), so maybe not the best example of “A word for you” that’s all..
@gemcat
You say *still* serves a purpose so evidently not the same purpose it used to. So it proves my point of the evolution of the body, and the eating habits of humans. I can’t see why it’s not a good example.
Cavemen died before their 30th birthday. Teeth rotted, they had all sorts of diseases; today we’re living much longer due to an understanding of what nutrients we need to live long, healthy lives. Stuffing yourself full of meat on a paleo diet is one of the worst things you can do to your health long term. Sure you lose weight but your body goes into ketosis which can lead to constipation, kidney stones, calcium loss and an increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Best to have a well-rounded diet including complex carbs.
I’m always intrigued by vegan and gluten free diets. My diet is, by default, both of those things because of my cultural background, although it can be fairly heavy on the carbs. I can’t bring myself to stay away from dairy, even though I was going through some issues a while back, I feel like my intake right now is fairly okay and not causing any issues. Fingers crossed though!!!!!!
I Love Love Love the name Stella Luna!
Well, I suppose it’s better than the days when she was known for ordering “a plate full of air” at a restaurant. I’m not comfortable with the idea of kids on a vegan diet, however. They’re growing. Give them all the foods.