From Vegan to Paleo…Someone Like Me!

If you’ve read Paleoista already, you already know that I used to be vegan.  For two full years I avoided eating anything remotely having to do with animals.  Sure, I ate tons of leafy green veggies and fresh fruits, but I also ate God knows how much soy, tempeh, texturized vegetable protein (aka gluten infusion), and lentils and… you get the idea.   No wonder my stomach issues went from bad to worse back then!

Every once in a while I’ll hear from someone who is also thinking about making this significant change.  It’s not something that happens over night, particularly if one, like me, is / was vegan for ethical reasons.

Not too long ago, a blog reader contacted me to mention that they’d been mulling it over and wanted to know a little more about making the change. I shared a bit and then recently heard from the reader again.  Here’s what was shared:

Hi Nell, 
I just wanted to give you a quick update and say thanks again. I made the switch from being vegan to full on Paleo as of last Saturday, and I can’t even tell you how GOOD I feel! I was eating all whole foods anyway and I had been experimenting for a while with minimal fueling during my training, so the transition was relatively easy. The biggest thing I have noticed is my energy level stays constant throughout the day now. Before I found myself literally falling asleep in the afternoons. I did a 2 hour ride today with a 40 minute transition run and felt more powerful than I have ever felt. Thanks again for your guidance and support. I am so happy that I discovered the Paleo lifestyle. 

It’s not a case of suddenly not caring about eating animals.  Far from it.  I continue to love animals and am extremely careful to make sure I eat animals from reliable, humane sources.

This approach feels not only more ethical than buying cheap meat that came from a food lot, it’s also more conducive of supporting the natural manner in which we are meant to be eating, as well as treating the planet properly.

There are bound to be readers who disagree, and that’s fine.  

Or, you might agree and feel a desperate urge to try to convince a friend or loved one who’s vegan and suffering poor health to ‘go Paleo’.    

All you can do is lead by example.   Being too pushy about it can easily push someone in the wrong direction, as with anything someone tries to convince another person to do.

Do your Paleo thing and see if that person close to you doesn’t end up asking for some info in the not too distant future.