Being vegan (for ethical reasons of course) has helped me tremendously in recovering from my eating disorder. It gave me a new relationship with food in general and there is also a very different feeling when full. Like not yucky but just content. Also: once you get into the groove of veganism, you dont really have to think about food much except when on vacation. There's just a routine to it. :)
I thought I overcame my binge eating when I went vegan because all these rules gave me so much control and I felt great! I had to learn about nutrition and micromanaged my eating in (so I thought) healthy way. I mean cutting out unhealthy food? What can be bad about it? I met my fiancé who isn’t vegan and eats not as micromanaging healthy as I do and so I started to slack off and eat more unhealthy but still vegan food and I immediately started to binge eat again + restricting myself to not eat any animal products. I would rather starve than eat non vegan donut! Long story short: I still very much have an ED and for the first time in my life I can admit it... I still like plant based food a lot since I never liked meat, but I really have to work on not restricting myself so strictly when it comes to non vegan food. That can’t be healthy!
I'm vegan and I am conflicted on this issue. I think it comes down to the individual's mindset. If they go vegan to only eat melons and berries then that is obviously unhealthy. If they allow themselves to eat anything and everything vegan then that's great! You have to be HONEST with yourself about the intentions of going vegan.
I am vegan and I have recovered from an ED. It is the best decisionI've made in recovery. I feel so much better about eating because I know I am not harming animals. The truth is many vegan products with good nutrition such as protein are actually high in calorie. For some people I know it is probably not a good idea but for me it was a great choice. There is so many vegan fear foods out there! Haha. Just ate Oreos as a food exposure.
I am in recovery for anorexia and my sister and I have this conversation all the time. She is vegan and wants me to be vegan. I believe that I cannot be vegan and in recovery. For me I cannot restrict my diet in any way and be in recovery. Becoming a vegetarian or vegan would be a slippery slope and fast track to relapse. We have disagreements over whether or not veganism is a healthy form of restriction. I think it depends on the person but for me it is healthier to eat meat then it is to live vegan. I have been in recovery for three years and I'm constantly trying new things and expanding my diet. No matter the ethics or health benefits I am not going restrict my diet I worked so hard to recover. I do believe being a vegetarian or vegan when done right can help others but for me it is too much of a risk.
When I started my recovery I ate the standard meat-based diet and I was still heavily influenced by the ed voice. But after a year of doing that I was still really underweight and focused on food all day everyday, until I have become vegan and for the first time in years I have felt free and I ate as much as I wanted when I wanted without binging and I've gained all the weight that was needed and now (almost 3 years later) I feel healthy and strong and I eat vegan junk food all the time, everything in moderation and all of that stuff, only nobody is hurt in the process :)
Eating disorders can be managed but not completely cured. If being vegan allows a person with an eating disorder to eat as much as their body needs by feeling safer due to excluding animal products, I see no problem with that.
Meh, I have to disagree with the statement 'There's no right or wrong'. I'm not trying to be polarizing, but whether you are a vegan or a meat eater, there's no denying that cruelty is a prerequisite for animal agriculture. If the public was actually aware what was happening in slaughterhouses I highly doubt they'd be able to justify it as being moral or ethical. Vegetarians and vegans aren't some odd breed of people who have wacky morals and extreme diets, they just recognise the sentience of animals and choose not to contribute to their suffering. It's obviously a better way of living than eating meat, it's obviously better for your body, it's obviously better for the animals and the planet. Again, not trying to accuse or attack, but it's simply a fact that veganism is far more ethical.
Lexy Klein You hit the nail on the head :) What's ethical about eating animals who only knew suffering when you can easily and safely get everything you need without?
I agree. In the future I plan to become a vegetarian or pescetarian because my digestive system is sensitive and I believe cutting meat will help, but I can't do that right now because I'm still dependent on my parents and they're big meat eaters. But what if all the meat you eat, you know exactly where it is coming from? For example my dad is a hunter, there is deer overpopulation in my state. We eat a lot of venison. The deer don't suffer he makes sure it's quick. As for other meats, I don't know. Maybe to not contribute one could buy from farmers and ask about the animals? I don't know much, just thinking of ideas. I agree that the treatment of animals for food is cruelty but also acknowledging I'm contributing by eating the meat :/
I can strongly say this and confidently say this. I can say even though I suffer from an eating disorder, I have been vegan since childhood and I do it solely for ethical reasons. My entire life is a vegan lifestyle. I developed ednos way after I had already been vegan. My whole family is vegan for the planet an animals.
Been watching your videos since 2013 and I love your content. It's just this is something I work hard to show others that it's very important to know that veganism shouldn't be confused for an eating disorder. I totally know that some people do use veganism as apart of their ED and I totally understand how that can happen. I just wanted to say my part. Hope it helps anyone! :)
AnaHollywoodVideos that’s great I’ve been vegan for about 10 years I also struggled with an eating disorder but becoming vegan helped me recover and have a healthy relationship with food
You just have to be honest with yourself. Why are you ultimately doing this? I grew up with eating disorders, turned vegetarian when I was 16. I had tried to go vegan in exchange of an eating disorder so many times and failed each time. The moment I really looked at veganism for what it is, ethically, environmentally, and health wise, everything changed. I felt for the first time I was nourishing my body instead of punishing it. I do believe orthorexia is a serious thing and shouldn't be taken lightly. Veganism does change the focus of your life's purpose in a positive direction. I am now 35 and the heaviest I've ever been but I see and feel the changes within me. I knew things were different when thin was no longer the goal. And thank you for bringing up this topic because there are people who do just that. Change one obsession with another and still in the hopes of being/staying thin.
One reason why it actually can help though is that you remove the focus from yourself to somebody else. When avoiding animals based ingredients it's not because oneself does not want eat them (because it's unhealthy), but rather because one doesn't want to contribute to animal abuse. I've find that many people do get some sort of kick out of the hamster wheel, whether they eat whole plant foods or vegan junk food. It's neither about them or food anymore, it's about something so important, and it gives many people a reason.
In my ED PCP program I learned that any kind of strict food restriction is "disordered eating." I don't think that all vegans have eating disorders, but I DO think that a lot of people who choose to become vegan do so from a background of disordered eating. Different phases of my ED have included juice cleanses, the "master cleanse", gluten free, dairy free, etc. All of these decisions were motivated by my ED, not by actual "health." I can't speak for everyone, but for me these diets stemmed from an unhealthy obsession and preoccupation with eating. And a lot of times when people for whom eating is not a preoccupation begin these diets, overthinking eating can soon become a problem that may lead to an ED. Restrictive diets of all kinds make me nervous now, knowing what I've learned.
Going vegan really helped me with my bulimia. Still have it but much better now, like i dont want to binge/purge healthy foods even if i feel full, thats what its like when you eat what is meant for you. Also want to add that i think you mean 'plant based' cos vegan is an ethical stance for the animals. And 'forcing it down your throats', if vegan food was advertised the way non-vegan food is advertised, we'd say your forcing it down our throats. Also, if we do try force it down or whatever, we are just wanting to protect animals like its not a personal choice because others are involved its not like dying your hair where it only affects you.
To me, I think encouraging people to stop abusing animals and eating them is the least we can do. There is a victim behind meat, and I think it's something as a culture we need to begin addressing and moving away from. It's not a religion we are "shoving down peoples throats" Its a cry for justice for the 56 billion animals humans kill every year when we don't have to. It's not something that is going to happen over night, but it is something that is an ethical imperative. Everyone should be allowed to eat what ever they want as long as it doesn't kill or abuse or harm another being unnecessarily. I wouldn't walk into someones house, shoot their dog, and expect them to silently watch me eat it because it's "their right to eat whatever they want" No way. this is the reality we live in, except there is a middle man called the butcher.
I had an ed disorder and veganism completely changed my life I felt my body becoming week and sickly had to be rushed to the hospital!!!After going vegan ive gained all my healthy weight back feel amazing and can run 10ks !!I feel amazing and veganism has saved my life im a healthy happy person!!Ive nourished my body and really feel it has helped me overcome my disordered habits and I can eat without feeling any guilt what so ever and eat until im full and satisfied!!And im full of energy and loving LIFE!!
I had an eating disorder from 18 - 46, when I finally checked myself into the hospital. After two months inpatient and seven years outpatient, I changed my mindset. The refeeding process left me bloated and with numerous gut issues. I gave up beef, then chicken and fish. Only when I gave up dairy, did I get rid of the gut issues. Being vegan allows me to eat healthfully and as much as I want. I never feel deprived, I never have cravings and have never relapsed. I'm over it completely.
I'm lucky enough to have never been affected by an eating disorder, but over a year ago I went vegan for 100% ethical reasons. I found that, yes, I have to pay a lot closer attention to where my food comes from and what it's made of now, but this has also made me aware of the balance of foods that i'm eating, what vitamins and minerals come from where and how I can eat a varied diet whilst living up to my ethical beliefs. I've got a couple of acquaintances that are in recovery from eating disorders that say effectively the same - that knowing that their food is "cruelty-free" has helped them release the guilt that they have associated so strongly with eating, and now they are able to enjoy food a lot more. I know this is not the case for everyone but I thought I'd share a positive take on veganism as a help for recovery :)
I agree that for MOST things, there is no right or wrong way but when it comes to food, if your choices are talking away the freedom of other beings and cause harm and suffering to the planet and all its animals, including us, then yeah thats wrong.
Christina Valdes does all your clothes come from an ethical background or from a sweatshop ? and your phone ? and everything ? if it's the case, you're an awesome person, and i thank you for what you try to do. but some people can't do that. and if not you chose what mattered to you. of course it's a choice. we choose what matter to us all the time we're awake. I'm vegetarian btw.
@Anne But what about the animals that eat other animals? Since cats have to eat meat, should no one have a cat because by doing so, they're supporting killing another animal? What if there is a dangerous overpopulation of a particular species? Are there exceptions or should no one ever kill another sentient being ever unless it's in self-defense? Basically what I'm trying to ask is, where is the line drawn?
Anne well it take some strength to say 'no, i'll make my food' when one offer a food you like a lot. And some people just doesn't have that strength. Making choice and staying consistent with those is mentally hard.
fountainPoison i'm not vegan but again it's a matter of choice. The cat isnt capable of it so, why should we put our standard on him ? The over population case is funny since the population of cattle is growing exponentially. Basically i think the idea under vegan is that you shouldnt affect the animal world with your choices. You shouldnt KNOWINGLY (i put emphasis here because there is always someone to say 'hey you walked on a ant') hurt and/or kill à living being. But everyone draw that Line with their conviction. Tibetan buddhist don't dig deep fondation for their building to avoid killing worms. But some vegan don't care about worms ('they dont think'). Again it's about choice. It's not à doctrine, a dogma. Everyone have to, inconciously or not, put the Line where it feel right. The same way meat eater (for a lack of à better term) in America often dont eat horses and cat and dog, while it's not a problem in some asian culture. Everyone deal with it their way, and try to do the right thing accordung to their mind But again not vegan, and sorry for my poor english, im not native.
fountainPoison and some people think that people of other groups deserve to die. Religions extrémist, racist,.. -ist. There always some people who can't have enough empathy to understand the other, and (as à guy in the middle) i see that from both vegan who hate with all their Soul the meat eater (but it's understandable in their point of view. They're murderer.) And from meat eater who hate vegan because they feel that their way of life is threatened (and again that's understandable). As for the moral high ground... well i dont agree with them on a lot of thing. But we can't argue that they are. They have a super strong moral sense and they stand by it. You may disagree with their idea, but they have on those subject à stronger sense of morality than you and I. That being said it's not an excuse for not trying to understand the other 'side'. But sometime i can kinda understand them. When you try your best to do what's right, and not everyone does it, it sure is infuriating. I am vegetarian for ecologicals points. When everyone doesn't care about the destruction of whole écosystem I'm pissed off. But i have to remind myself that everyone have different life and not everyone can afford to care. What you have to understand is that, as all the political point of view, everyone think the world would be better if we listened to them. So of course some are tempted to be extreme. That being said I hear à lot more joke about vegan complaining and thinking their above everyone else, than i see vegan actually be like that. But again political issue, so everyone try to get his opinion up. (Not sure if that last sentence mean something haha)
I completely respect your opinion Kati, I just wish you were a bit more informed on veganism as an ethical movement, because that's what it ultimately is. It is actually about right and wrong: about what's right for the planet, the animals, social justice and individual health. I would really encourage you to look deeper into the subject, watch some documentaries such as "Cowspiracy" or some vegan CZcamsrs like Bitesizevegan or Thefriendlyactivist. I really don't want to "shove it down your throat" but I think that it would make this video more convincing if you were well informed on the subject. Lots of love from Germany xxx
Thanks for pointing that out :) Since I am a mental health professional.. this video was more focused on how a lifestyle change like veganism or vegetarianism can keep us stuck in our EDs at times. xoxo
Angelika T. It’s an ethical reason for MOST people. When i turned vegan it was for anything but that reason. It was a method for me to cut out pretty much every food group so I had an excuse to eat less. You have to see it from a different perspective. Veganism isn’t bad, but it sure as hell can be when it’s done for the wrong reasons. I lost 50 pounds in 3 months because I was terrified of anything from an animal- and it wasn’t because of ethics, but because of my eating disorder. I understand the ethics behind veganism but if I ever were to go vegan again I know that it would trigger everything to come back that i’ve tried so hard to change.
Oh I'm just waiting for Unnatural Vegan to respond to this. I believe Kati is using the term 'veganism' interchangeably with 'orthorexy' and I think that's a little bit of a stretch. Really, most vegans don't spend too much time on their food, they just have a bunch of tested brands of food that they know are vegan and they buy only from those.
No it's more about if you already suffer from an ED going vegan gives you a lot of excuses not to eat food. And it also reinforces the guilt you feel when eating certain foods you don't allow yourself to eat. My experience is, that when I was anorexic I started being vegetarian for just that - having excuses not to eat. I took me three years and overcoming a lot of guilt to start eating some meat and fish again (even if I'm still really selective about when and where it is coming from). I used to try and force myself to cut thing out (gluten, dairy (which I now know I'm intolerant to), meat, fish, salt, sugar,...) just for the sake of restricting myself and giving me a feeling of control. Right now (after years of being bulimic after my anorectic phase) I am almost a year into recovery and I eat a mostly vegan diet. But if I feel that my body literally craves fish, meat, dairy or eggs (which doesn't happen often) I will allow myself to have those. This flexibility with food is a huge part of my recovery and gives me a lot of freedom.
I have an ED and am vegetarian for the animals. If I have a craving for meat or fish or something not vegetarian i think about what my body is asking for (protein, etc.) and feed it the vegetarian alternative. This way I'm still animal conscious and taking care of my body.
My husband and I have been vegan for five years. I've been dealing with eating disorders for 18 years, but my decision to be vegan had nothing to do with that. We're both vegan because we love animals.
All I know is my personal experience, so I'll share that. For most of my time with bulimia, I ate a paleolithic diet (no grains, redined carbs, or added sugars. When I started recovery, I transitioned to eating mostly vegetarian because of the way my stomach responded to eating meat: I noticed I was able to eat more and to have less indigestion. My "rule" now is: definitely eat what your family cooks, even if it isn't vegetarian, and occasionally eat meat at restaurants. If I notice any critical thoughts coming up about my body, I usually have meat anyway.
I understand your point, but would like to add that going vegan has helped me a lot, because I finally started to provide my body with healthy nutritious food. I didn't feel guilty for eating, because I knew the food won't do any harm to my body and the environment and animals haven't been harmed as well. Today I am much more aware of my body's needs and yes I also eat "vegan junk food ".
for me, i happened to go vegan during my eating disorder recovery because it empowered me to make the connection between food and fuel, and i really got into cooking and appreciating food again which made eating a lot less scary. my family was apprehensive at first, but they got on board once they realized how much the ethical lifestyle meant to me. i think that's what separates veganism from any other type of diet- the lifestyle also comes along with choosing cruelty free products and avoiding leather, fur, etc. for me, veganism was really healing
Being vegan I watched this video with a bit of hesitation. Nonetheless, you made some good points that are not swayed one way or another. With that bring said, I'm glad you took a neutral stance and wanted to adress both aspects. Veganism is not a bad thing like many speculate and I do keep up with my doctors and nutritionist to make sure I'm healthy. Yet I do understand you're focusing on vegans with eating disorder. I love your videos, keep it up! ❤
Veganism personally makes me think less about obsessing over food. I've gained 20 pounds and am now a healthy weight (grains exist too). I feel better knowing what I'm doing is better for the environment in addition to the animals so I don't feel as guilty about eating. Gives me something positive to associate with food tbh.
Oreo cookies are vegan and are certainly not low in fat, sugar and calories. Also, a main source of nutrition, fat/calories for many vegans are tree nuts and legumes, which are not low in calories or fat. So, I think like Kati says, it just depends on what the motivations are and where they are coming from. Because you can certainly be vegan and be unhealthy in a variety of ways, not just in ED ways. I love though what you said Kati, about not shoving it down anyone's throat! So true, so annoying when that happens, etc!
My ex became vegan in part through her recovery from anorexia. At least when we were dating, it was working out as a healthy happy choice for her. She got really into vegan baking, making lots of foods with all different levels of fat content, sugar, et cetera. There was definitely an aspect of veganism as a way to restrict that fuelled it, but it helped her engage with food in a way she was comfortable with, & develop a healthier attitude towards it. & yeah, like, Oreos are technically vegan, so it's not like you're just avoiding the issue of "bad foods."
For me it helped a lot when I went being a vegan cause I knew food was good for me cause I know it was healthy and it causes no harm. I started eating more and I got totally different relationship with food cause I knew what was I eating (in a good way) and I got really good benefits from the new lifestyle. I had a lot more energy and I got to know how to get every important vitamin, protein etc from different kinds of food and I wasnt too afraid of eating anymore. Praise plant based food lol
i think some people with a ED can definitely use veganism so they can use it as an excuse for not being able to eat certain foods but for me being vegan really helped my relationship with food, i never count calories anymore, i'm excited to feed my body with yummy healthy food, i eat as much as i want and recognise the importance of feeding yourself - i know a lot of people who have felt this as well after going vegan or previously struggled with a ED. I think it's all about intention.
veganism is literally saving me from wasting away into a pile of bones. i still struggle really bad but at this point if i hadn’t gone vegan 5 years ago i’d be dead by now. it was my absolute saving grace.
My relationship with food was never very healthy until I stopped eating meat. With the change I realized I could focus on compassion and flavor so much more with every meal than I ever could before, which really shifted my view on food for the better. As a vegan now, I love food. I love nutrition-focused foods, and I love veg alternatives to those “unhealthy” items. I also really love cooking and baking, and sharing that food with others! I love proving to veg skeptics how delicious vegan food can be! Thank you for diving into this topic, it’s absolutely worth a discussion 💕
I use to have a pretty unhealthy relationship with food until I became a vegetarian (for ethical reasons) I dont find myself counting calories in my head or crying over eating something unhealthy anymore
Personally I think there is still so much focus on food and its contents that it's too triggering for someone struggling/recovering from an eating disorder. Being a vegan has its benefits for those who do it for the right reasons, but it could also turn into a downward spiral for those who end up making it about another way of control. I guess that leads to the question that how do you know or how can you recognise when the choice to become vegan is ED related?
Veganism healed me and helped me to recover from quite bad bulimia. It happened to be the only solution for me, to go on a whole food plant based diet, that saved my life. And not swapping on to vegan pizzas and pseudo nuggets, but to go with large steaming pots of lentils and beans with ton of starchy veggies, or huge salads filled with leafy greens, kinoa, chickpeas, thick creamy cashew sauces, plenty fruits any time, any day, unlimited amounts, also smoothies, amazing juices.. In the beginning I was so starved (even though overweight), I just felt how hungry my body was for all these nutrient dense, filling, living foods, and I allowed myself to eat the variety without any restriction, just loading my system with health and looking for recipes, combinations that i enjoy most. Yes, in the beginning i think i binged once or twice, even though never as bad as before. The only thing i was thinking is that its okay, my body needs more, because i starved myself for so many years, its just hungry for nutrients. And in few days already i started to feel how my body is getting satisfied, grateful, relaxed. It healed my relationship with food, transformed it into an amazing experience of cooking, feeding my family, experimenting with flavours, textures.. Now i am even growing my own herbs, salads and some veggies. I could never believe that I can be so full, so content, healthy, glowing, my energy levels are through the roof. Anyone who thinks vegan is restrictive has never did it right or never got the chance to cook vegan and eat even for a week. It is all about abundance of colours, flavours, textures, health and inspiration. And it not only heals you body, it heals you mind and your spirit. And you dont have to be perfect vegan, or full vegan or create any limitations. Its about freedom to choose the best for the body you live in and enjoy how it strives on this natural fuel. We are created to eat natural whole foods, and this is the best worlds medicine
I made a video recently about veganism and recovery, and I generally agree with what you say. Going vegan while struggling with an eating disorder can be tricky at best. I'm sure it CAN be done, but I don't like how a lot of people have been preaching about how going vegan is the way to recover. In such a deadly disease, I think it's more important to recover in the most efficient way, and since treatment programs rarely allow veganism, foregoing treatment for the sake of veganism is very dangerous. But as to whether those who go vegan are just trading out their eating disorder behaviors or are doing it for ethical/environmental reasons, it's very tricky. By just doing some basic research, it's obvious that veganism is more ethical and environmentally friendly than any other diet, so in a lot of cases people with eating disorders go vegan "for the right reasons" but their subconscious clings to the eating disorder, and it is easy for veganism to become a mask for an eating disorder.
I found that veganism helped me enjoy eating again. I had to be creative with recipes and I had to understand what my body needs to function properly. And I love the color palette on my plate, I love the original flavor that I add. Apart from the ethical reasons, eating vegan makes me happy in a healthy way! Also, adding more vitamins and minerals gave me more strength and more motivation during the day. I can also understand my body better, if I notice a mood swing, I try to refocus myself on happy eating (without the idea of super healthy: sometimes it's a vegan burger with sweet potato fries, chocolate cookies...) And the last fun part is that I don't count calories anymore even when I make generous portion. If I made too much, I feel more confident to stop when I am full because I feel that I am satisfying myself, it's not a reward anymore! I did CBT therapy and it plays a big part on loving and respecting myself again. It is also because I cook for myself, I have to think about what I want and what makes me happy. It is not always automatic but I am getting better. I am just better at listening to myself, whether I am tired/irritable because I am hungry or I am 'hungry' because I'm anxious... the whole process of choosing a recipe and cooking gives me the time to understand what I am really feeling. Today, I am thinking about becoming a chef... I always thought it would be hell to work in a kitchen with my ED but now I see many opportunities in the food industry.
I fully agree with this. Being vegan didnt help me sustain what I needed as an individual, if it works for some that's great, but for me it definitely did set me back. I am maintaining my weight on an omnivore diet vs a vegan diet. It also doesnt help me to focus on food. My eating disorder started out vegan and I tried recovering as vegan at first and it wasnt helping my weight. People badger me about not being vegan and its actually unhelpful for me even being basically recovered at this point in my life, but they dont seem to get that.
I had and am still struggling with eating disorders. I've never known I had one, because I'm pretty sure my mom suffers from one and she's been projecting it on to me my whole life. And my dad is an overeater as well. I would like to work towards being vegan. but for me that is a long long ways away. I've never know what healthy eating looks like and I'm not sure when I'll know what it is. I wanted to be a vegetarian because I wanted to lose weight. I will admit that. but going forward that's not what I want.
I'm in recovery from an ED and I went vegan because since I can't get away with not eating, I at least don't want to hurt/kill anything in the process.
I'm vegan and have an ED. But i do enjoy it, I feel gross and sick with animal products. Veganism does have amazing causes, I have both good and bad. I support PETA and animals, but I also do it to loose weight. And gain muscle mass. Every time I eat animal products I almost throw up. So I'm sticking with veganism.
Cat strain That's great! I'm also a vegetarian. However, PETA isn't really a nice organization to support. They have high kill shelters, many of their campaigns are misogynous and racist, they have been known to kill animals that they allegedly "rescued", among other things.
Hi Kati, idk if you're going to see thi, but I think that it's kind of unfair to assume that one is trading their eating disorder for veganism. Of course plants have less carbohidrates and fats, but that is why one should eat more of them than someone who is not vegan. A vegan does not just simply remove foods, they replace them, for better options. Plus, it's not that difficult to be vegan. Just reading the ingredients and seeing "contains dairy or eggs" it's not the end of the world. Like, if someone goes vegan with all the info needed, they should know that it is actually pretty easy, or at least not as difficult as some (most) people made it seem to be. Also, there are vegan junk foods, and using simple logic can't CONSUME WAY TOO MUCH BRAIN POWER... I get that everyone can have a difficulty for things, but reading a label can't be that difficult, it can be as simple as asking someone or not going shopping alone or just buying fruits, vegetables, legums, peatunts, etc. I just wanted to tell you that in your video you seem a little biased against veganism or vegeterianism, I hope you are not, but you kind of made it seem like caring for animals and the enviornment is something that we shouldn't care about, when actually, if the planet dies, we all die. So, do research, with actual facts and please then talk about food XD
I feel like it can be an excuse though, rather than researching alternatives you just cut out animal based products and eat less which is not good for you. Also about the brain power, yes having to read labels isn't hard but for someone recovering from an eating disorder having that focus on food and having to check it's an allowed food is very similar to behaviours linked with an eating disorder
Heather M there are no "alternatives" that are good for animals, planet, and people. If you do the research, it becomes clear veganism is the solution. Anyways, I do see how reading labels can be bad for someone recovering, but if you shop a a health food store, and buy lots of fresh healthy produce, it's very easy to avoid animal products :). Or, after being vegan for a few weeks, you start to know which items are vegan, and what to shop for each week or month or how ever often.
@katimorton I'm a LCSW and I love your channel. You are clinically sound and I'm so happy you have this channel available for individual who wouldn't traditionally seek support. Kudos to you on your success and thank you for representing clinicians in the best possible light 👏🏾!!!!!
You're using veganism and orthorexia interchangeably though. They aren't the same thing. If you are using your brain power to be aware of where your food is coming from, I don't see how that's a bad thing. If you take it to the extreme and are doing things unhealthily, that's when it becomes orthorexia. Orthorexia doesn't always happen to people who are solely vegan, either. I think that needs to be clarified.
I found going vegan helped me switch my attitude around food from a self absorbed (calories counting, eating too much, too little ect) to eating in a way which alines with my morals, this meant in a way I was eating for the sake of animals. Don't get me wrong, it didn't happen over night, but slowly my attitude towards food changed and became healthier and balanced :)
When I was at my worst with my eating disorder, the only thing I would eat was fruit and veggies with low calorie content, so I thought that this topic was very interesting. I think that it's very dangerous to have a set of rules of what foods you can eat when you're recovering from an eating disorder. What helped me recover in the end was to just stop putting all of my focus on food, and let other things in my life distract me from thinking too much about what I was eating; and you can still do that if you're a vegan, as long as you're very self aware, and know in what ways you're controlling and choosing your foods.
I was vegan for 6 years. It started because I needed to start gaining weight to stay on my nursing course and I couldn't let myself do that without some other way to feel in control with food. A big part of it was the ethical considerations, but I'd be lying if I said that was the whole reason. While vegan I was able to gain more weight than I ever had before and actually maintain the healthy weight. I ate all kinds of vegan foods with no guilt. Ate to appetite. No calorie counting. Now, as I contemplate starting a family and considering how I would like my children to be raised, my gut just wants them to be free with food. No second guessing, checking labels, choosing what to eat at a restaurant before arriving, avoiding travel in case particular foods aren't available. So I'm taking steps to branch out and eat non vegan foods and so far it hasn't been as scary as I thought it would be. I want to be a good role model to my children and break the cycle.
I really agree with you! It's important to know the reasons for the eating disorder and how much "brain work" you are able to invest in your daily diet. For me, as I have been watching out for the "perfect" diet for years, what caused so much stress, I am glad to have come to the point where I just listen to my body and eat what actually FEELS right and not what somebody says would be healthy or correct or healing... and also, I no longer lable my diet!
so I've been Vegan for a few years right now, and I am 100% in the opinion that moving towards a plant based diet is important to being healthy, but I LOVED this video, and specifically the focus of "WHY are you doing it?" because though moving towards a plant based diet will be healthier if done right, it is obviously not psychologically healthy do do this in a deep avoidance of calories (esp since going vegan means you need to eat MUCH more food to get your required daily intake, and this fact, plus an avoidance of calories will likely turn into malnutrition, which, whether you're vegan or not, is definitely not healthy)
I 100% agree with you Kati! I work at an ED Clinic and I have thought about this many times! I love how you said there may be controversy with this video, but it's still something we should talk about! I also think it was great timing with Thanksgivings right around the corner (such a food based and ED triggering holiday!). Thanks for sharing as always! Keep up the great videos :) :)
Personally, the first time I tried to recover I tried to go vegan at the same time. It was just a way for me to avoid fear foods, and not eat with other people. Nearly 8 months later I relapsed. To be honest I don't really think ill ever be able to go vegan- there is just way too much focus on food for me to not get triggered into a relapse.
This is a really interesting video... I'm a vegetarian diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder, but primarily restricting is my main issue, with my binge triggered primarily by hunger, but also occasionally triggered by mental health, in a form of comfort eating... I have had strong urges to become vegan since I was diagnosed with B.E.D. I have always wanted to be a vegan and tried in the past, although I felt like my urges became stronger because I wanted to have extreme control and limit my diet as much as possible, without it being seen by other people as 'abnormal' or an eating disorder, as it's just a 'life choice' to be vegan. After a while of contemplating it and really looking at why I was doing it, I realised this was the case... Sadly though, i'm still struggling a huge amount with my eating and feel stuck in a rut, because I don't want to eat, but on the other hand, I know I need to start eating a normal diet so I can hopefully lose weight and feel healthier. It's really hard. :/
I became vegan after recovering from the eating disorder but it changed my life for the better I did it for ethical and health reasons and I’ve made sure to get enough protein , iron , fiber etc I agree there were some good points in this video
well, I used to have some problems with disordered eating back in the day, I went vegetarian only for the sake of animals, but I haven't had any relapse when it comes to food ever since. I feel like it's mostly because taking care of yourself and making sure you're getting all the nutrition is so necessary when it comes to vegetarian diets and if I'm scared I'm gonna get some deficiences if I don't eat well, then how in the world could I get back to not wanting to eat at all? So after all, vegetarianism has been helpful. but I didn't do it in order to recover which I think is an important thing to point out.
I went Vegan during my eating disorder. It took me along time to even realize I had an eating disorder. I was putting my self worth into what I looked like. I thought I was huge and now I can see in pictures that I was not. I was actually under weight. I will go slowly back because of the ethics.
Well, I did that many years ago and did it for many years, too. Didn't help me, though. Then after years I miraculously "recovered" and now I'm healthy and strong. So if I've done it, i believe others may and do it for the same reason, so it's possible, indeed.
I'm 5 years clean and despite wanting to go veggie again the practice of watching what I eat in any way, shape or form reminds me too much of counting calories etc. It's not the same, but it triggers that response in me and could very easily turn into unhealthy behaviour. I've been cutting down my meat intake recently as an experiment, but it's such a slippery slope for me so I'm always having to check in with myself. thank you for this video Kati xx
Kati, thank you for another fantastic and thought provoking subject. I could say it gives you food for thought ... and I certainly mean that with no disrespect, just my silly sense of humour! As a woman with an ED, I know the pain and suffering that comes every time I think about eating, not eating and restricting. I became vegan several months ago, after being vegetarian for many years. So for me, it was not hard at all, more like a side step. I feel more comfortable, and my body responds well to this lifestyle. And you are right, it is a lifestyle, not 'just' a diet. I feel empowered that I can eat more often, larger portion sizes, and such an abundance of fruit and vegetables. With much less guilt. Love your videos! Have an awesome day!
Hi. You're one 100% right! I suffered from a severe eating disorder and it lasted for 11 years. I recovered by myself after a not successful hospitalization. at first tried to recovery by eating 100% vegetables and claiming to myself to be vegetarian, I still counted calories tho and didn't eat nearly enough to gain weight. So it didn't work for me, since it was a way to trick myself to believe I was "recovering" After some time I decided to try something else so I started taking classes with a personal trainer and he told me to eat more protein and less fat (even tho I was very underweight at the time!) and work out with few reps and high weight. (Weight lifting) It seemed odd at first, I would never have told someone in my position to eat and live as a body builder sort of. But gosh after three months I gained quite a bit actually and by 6 months I had a normal Weight plus a lot of muscles :) this made me feel proud and happy again. Cuz I finally achieved recovery One year later I found a bf and became pregnant and now I'm super huge BUT I don't care cuz I'm the happiest I've ever been and I eat what I want and spend my time and energy loving and caring for my baby ❤️ Going vegetarian didn't work for me at all.
It's important to remember to get the proper nutrients while eating vegan. Using multi-vitamins etc to supplement the nourishment our bodies get from consuming plant based products
I was genuinely struggling with this today. I did a vegan diet before and I felt that my health improved and morally I feel better. But I also worry about it being a trigger etc etc. I know that wanting to start up again is driven by wanting to lose weight but I also know that my weight gain is due to medication. Trying to remember to be kind to myself and continually ask why I want to do something. Thanks for uploading!
I went vegan and it helped me recover from my E.D. I restrict so much from being vegan that I feel like I don't need to restrict anymore food. I am healthy and getting all the calories I need. Sometimes I have to think about if my idea about food is my eating disorder voice or my choice to be vegan but thinking through a behavior is part of any recovery.
Personally I’ve struggled with anorexia and orthorexia & during my recovery I went vegan for the animals. I feel like it helped me because I could focus on caring about animals & realize I didn’t need to be so fixated about my restrictions, but instead became really passionate about animal rights. Though some days I struggle with disordered thoughts, I am doing way better and can manage my thoughts :)
Also, what I find incredibly important is that many people with an eating disorder who become inspired by ethical veganism are then able to put their passion into creating beautiful healthy meals for themselves and others and often are able to beat it, it seems , due to inspiration. Veganism ftw. Especially with the hi carb low fat movement... it really disregards "limits and restrictions" which is ultimately a huge concern when having an ed ... I believe the inspiration and lack of restrictions really helps break people out of ed
Before I spent a year traveling the world, I considered chicken, eggs, and dairy the staples of my diet. Then I spent half a year traveling throughout Southeast Asia. There I witnessed cows, dogs, pigs, fish, and chickens be slaughtered and butchered for consumption. The next half of the year I spent doing conservational work in Australia and New Zealand. There I learned just how catastrophic the impact of animal agriculture is on our environment. I also read information on how developed, meat-eating, nations buy large portions of grain yields from poverty stricken, developing countries to use as livestock feed. Literally taking food from the people who need it most. When presented with all this information, I made the switch to a vegan diet. I've been vegan for 7 months now, and I've never felt better. My gym and biking performance have both increased like never before (not noob gains, I had lifted and competed in long distance running / biking and some swimming for years). My mental clarity is better and I am less stressed. I understand my travels were quite an experience. One most people won't have. But I still believe that anyone can learn of the many downsides to animal products through internet research and make this transition and thrive! Please inform yourselves of where your food is coming from and it's impact. Thank you 🌱
totally agree with you. I have an ED and went vegetarian then vegan for ethical reasons and I was before and during fighting the ED and actually helped me cos I had to learn about nutrition and what a good/ bad diet does to my body, so that knowledge was a push.
I went vegetarian when my ED started, but it was more a coincidence that they happened at the same time than being because of each other. I'd tried going vegetarian before but didn't have any real motivation. I've now been vegetarian (and eating fish) for almost a year and I don't regret a thing! :)
Here’s a question I would have though. If someone went vegan because of an ED, and if they accidentally ate an animal based product, how would they react? I think that would be a true test if they have recovered from their ED or not.
I definitely agree that someone with an eating disorder needs to be mindful about why they are going vegan. I know someone going vegan who doesn't have an eating disorder will encounter a whole bunch of new yummy foods to incorporate into your diet, so you don't feel like your cutting anything out, but to someone with an eating disorder the ability to have a valid excuse to cut things out or avoid foods can be a slippery slope like you said. As a vegan I will always try to educate people on the animal agriculture industry and the reasons veganism is awesome but I do avoid "pushing" it onto certain people that includes - people who have eating disorders, are terminally ill, are really old, are really poor, from a country in strife or people who will experience abuse in the home if they were to try and go vegan - I think it's important to be mindful of peoples circumstances when talking about major life changes like veganism.
oh no, I am so confused my this video! I have suffered from eating disorders and going vegan helped me so much! I'm really confused about why it's bad to not eat "bad" food? I cut out animal products, gluten, oil and salt from my diet (and only eat oil and salt if I go out for a meal ever couple of weeks). I feel really healthy and eat as much as I want, but this video seems to say that this is a bad thing to do?
Sorry if you misunderstood.. I was saying that if you become vegan as a way to cut out any "bad" foods then it's just part of your ED. I didn't mean "bad" to be just animal product foods.. I meant any food that your ED deems to be "bad" does that clear that up?? I hope that makes more sense :) xoxo
I went vegetarian at 14 all for animals with no ed at all and was doing awesome for a year but at 15 I got sick and started eating fish as it is low cal and stopped eating dairy. I became very underweight and was nearly impatient but decided to put my foot down and eat to live and not eat anyone who was alive. I went vegan and recovered, I still have ups and downs but I am doing pretty well. The key is taking a non vegan fear food i.e. Butter and eating the vegan version. I ate aloottt of vegan ice cream, faux meat, bread, nut butter, liquid calories, and other fear foods but I don't regret a single bite!
Meat products were actually my safe foods in anorexia and I can see now that I'd used the paleo diet to frame my disorder which is probably the most restrictive diet out there. Going vegetarian completely challenged my disorder and, anyone who stayed on the keto for over a year would know, was completely nauseating due to insulin sensitivity. It took a really long time for my body to get used to carbs, my ultimate fear foods like pasta and rice. But the idea of 'I eat like vegetarians now' completely changed my mindset and swayed my identity from the 'girl who doesn't eat' to the other. I think the longer or the more aggressive our ED gets, the more we start to form an identity around it and at some point it also creates an identity problem. We don't 'want' to lose our identity, even if we're the only one aware of it. I think in cases where vegetarianism/veganism helps is mostly due to it offering an alternative identity which can be very powerful. But to be fair, it didn't help me. My anorexia slowly faded into alcohol and then to bulimia(almost 6 years ago now). When I cut out almost all the animal-based products(including non-food)a year ago, it stopped for a few months BUT I had also started living in a camping area and sharing food with +10 people all the time. Once I got back to my parents house for a while(which is highly stressful for me) it immediately came back and I was still a vegan there. So vegetarianism/veganism has nothing to do with my ED, it's just another part of my life. At that moment, it really didn't matter what I binged and purged, so long as I could satisfy myself, get the dose if you may. Some people's trigger systems will of course be different. What helped me was reducing my core triggers(stress) which I'm still trying to manage more and also, social eating. Growing up, we didn't have a habit of sharing a table/food, I even remember instances of my parents catching each other eating in secret and mocking. We also had a lot of rules for 'how to chew, eat, place dishes and orienting etc.' I'm not blaming, merely identifying. But yeah, I didn't know how important social eating was for my recovery, especially in an accepting circle of people. If you're reading this with an ED, I strongly advice experimenting with this idea. I don't know if this is a recovery thing because I'm still recovering on my own but I think this was an advantage for me. I had to research and self-experiment a lot because I couldn't share it. And I'm happy to say that at this moment, I understand my disorder so well that it feels like I'm looking at my demon in the eye and I'm ready to let it go. P.S. Sorry for the long post but I hope it sparks some ideas to anyone reading this with an ED on self-identifying and experimenting. I just hope it helps.
Thank you for making this video, it was very helpful! Also not to be argumentative or stir the pot, I don't want that as I'm sure you don't either, but as for my opinion on this I think if you are becoming vegan after recovering from an eating disorder it should be for the right reasons. For example my sister is on the borderline of vegetarian/vegan. She mostly doesn't eat diary because she's lactose intolerant as well as myself, but because she still sometimes eats dairy she's technically a vegetarian. She also when we were younger struggled with bulimia, but because of that she turned vegetarian and for a while vegan. It ended up being vegetarian saved her life. While being vegan she wasn't getting the nutrients she needed she became a vegetarian again, with becoming vegetarian she learned to kick bulimia and it has been over 10 years. She hasn't eaten any animal products and seafood in over 10 years either. I also get your opinion on how being vegan can correlate with eating disorders, which is a valid response and I've seen many people on social media becoming vegan for that reason of loosing weight and having that eating disorder mentality. Sorry for my long comment, thanks for listening!
Ok so i usually don’t comment but I just really had to! I struggled with binging and bulimia for quite a while and wasn’t ready to let go so my therapist suggested I should try and focus on something else food related. I made a clean cut and started to buy only healthy foods because I didn’t know how to prepare unhealthy vegan stuff, so when I started to binge I couldn’t eat things that my mind would later try to convince me where so bad for me and as I started to focus on actually getting the nutrients I needed I felt less hungry, less angry and finally had enough energy to fight my problems. As time passed I started to introduce junk food back into my diet but it’s a lot more balanced. I think that veganism is as a way of recovery still som sort of addiction substitute but if you are willing to actually work on yourself it might make your life easier.
Being vegetarian as a transition from my ED, I recently realized was still my ED. I thought I was healthy, but I wasn’t. I was eating my safe foods :/ I justified it with a handful of other things, but ultimately decided recently to switch back after realizing that it was another facet of the ED. I didn’t even realize it and that scares me.
I know this is old but I've been thinking about this alot so here I am. I personally agree with what vegans stand for. I understand it. I also know vegans who dont eat what society says is a 'healthy' diet (mostly starchy foods or whatever). However, for me as an individual, I cannot go fully vegan without compromising my recovery. I do my best to limit animal products in my home because of my feelings toward the industry but if I were to go fully vegan I would relapse. I know this from experience. I'm not there yet. Maybe one day. I know vegans who live a very happy balanced lifestyle which I strive to achieve one day. I 100% support vegans that I know by making preparations to make sure they get to enjoy a variety of foods at gatherings I'm apart of or upon choosing restaurants etc. Okay that's my little rant thing. I hope you all enjoy a life where you can listen to your body's needs!
I actually became a vegan when I was hypomanic. The weird thing is I actually still am a vegan and don't regret the decision :) It helped me deal with some of the guilt I feel when I am depressed and with creativity with food when I am hypomanic.
my comment will be long, heads up. I think this was a good point. I have an eating disorder (which I'm currently recovering from^^) and when I watch youtube ED recovery videos, seems like the majority of those people turned to veganism. I'm curious of that. I wouldn't consider veganism any form of eating disorder. would not eating fruit be an eating disorder? that's ridiculous. I think that thin vegan vloggers inspire a lot of people with EDs to recover because whole plant-based foods can be eaten in abundance without major weight gain. those with restrictive diets see the appeal. "ah, I can finally eat until I'm full and still be guilt free because I could be contributing to animal suffering but I made the conscious choice not to". eating disorders usually cause guilt. having a reason to not feel guilty is a huge relief. and the other side of it is control, a bit like kati explained with "needing to know what's in it". I dabbled in veganism when I had orthorexia and it made me feel safe when I read ingredient labels. looking through cereal to see if it contains vitamin d3. it's almost like a ritual at the grocery store. you can't simply put everything in your cart, you have to be involved. which leads me to the next point: vegans are involved in animal activism for ethical reasons. I think someone who is suffering from anorexia may get stuck in the disorder because it feels like their purpose (as bad as it sounds). it becomes part of their personal identity. then when they want recovery, they see veganism as a healthier identity. something that helps the environment and gives them something to live for. idk, that's all just theoretical but I think about it sometimes
personally I can not go vegan. I am recovering right now & I feel the same way: I don't want to think about food so much anymore. And I believe you can make multiple plant based choices without labeling yourself as "vegan". So everyone can make a positive difference by eating mostly plantbased! I DO prefer plant based milk and I rarely eat meat but I don't want to set an other rule for myself to forbid it completly. In MY personal case it would feed my eating disordered thoughts.
I started restricting calories to lose weight for my wedding, but then I became vegan and it is a lot easier for me to just enjoy food without worrying it will make me gain weight. I feel as though I'm obsessing less over food now than I was when I was counting calories. I really didn't need to lose weight but I have shed a couple pounds and I am easily maintaining that healthy weight while eating whatever I want and decreasing animal suffering in the process. So I feel like e veganism has been very positive for me.
This is exactly what I am struggling with lately because I'm vegan for not only one, but tree reasons: the animals, the environment and because of health reasons. I dont think non-vegan food is scary but sometimes I find myself using it as an excuse so I dont have to eat junkfood when someone offers me some (bc most of the times it's non-vegan ). I dont know what to do.. I really don't want to hurt the animals but at the same time I want to recover and learn to eat food that someone offers me unannounced..
I once heard someone say this as a way to find out whether veganism is really just an eating disorder wearing a different mask: "If you found out tomorrow that a vegan diet is actually really bad for health, will make you fat, and give you a body shape you do not want... would you still be vegan? And be really honest with yourself. If veganism would make you fat, would you still do it?" I honestly think a lot of vegans 'in recovery' would not still be vegan if veganism was likely to make a person fat. For many people, it really seems like a way to restrict and avoid fear foods while keeping up a façade of 'recovery'.
I struggled with eating disorders all my life and turned to veganism to see the light. I was first introduced into the vegan diet solely for health reasons. I learned so much about our bodies and what we were supposed to be consuming and what it actually meant to thrive, that I had no choice but to agree that it is the best diet for you. But I didn't stay vegan because I didn't care about myself. Then a few months down the line my sister and I watched a video about the industry and A lecture and we went vegan that day and have been since. I don't think that someone who hasn't been vegan long term is permitted to claim what has to be done on a vegan diet to be healthy. People cure their eating disorders on a vegan diet because 1) you can eat in abundance without having to worry about calories or 2) you realize that there is more to life than body image and that strict dieting on animal products is both harmful to you and the animals so you stop. That's what my sister and I did. We both have PERFECT blood work and we don't even track our nutrients. It's not hard to be vegan. If you can shop at a supermarket, you can be vegan. Coming from experience, it is much harder to stick to a workout plan than it is to be vegan. As for the "in moderation" thing. It's the most toxic kind of mentality. Eating animal products is like saying that's hey, you can cut yourself, just in moderation. You can be racist. Just in moderation. The fact is, is that no matter the case, animal products ARE bad for us, just as eating disorders are and self harm. I personally am addicted to self harm and I am recovering so I know how hard it is for people to even think about also giving up animal products. I grew up with them and I understand where the addiction to them comes from. This topic is controversial, because most people don't know what veganism is, much like you. It's a movement of justice and awareness. We force animals to die for our plates. We force them to die for our icecream. We force them to have periods everyday of the year for our eggs. I do agree that a lot of us come off angry and hostile so it seems like we're "shoving" it down your throats. But unless someone is literally at your dinner table, forcing you to eat plants, then it's just your conscience. I even sometimes feel like ending my own life because I feel the burden as a human on this earth. Sometimes I feel that it's all my fault that I wasn't able to show people the vegan light, and now millions of animals are going to die because I wasn't good enough. Do you see the bigger picture? Veganism isn't about the person who is vegan. It's not about our egos, we speak because we care for the earth. And most people haven't even researched it or understood it. It's not hard and it's not something that should be seen as equivalent to an eating disorder. It's not trading out unless the person decides to further starve themselves, in that case, it's still not veganisms fault. Thank you for trying to address this topic, but I would be nicer if you were more educated about what it means to be vegan and how because it really just seems like this video is to drive people away from it when it's a beautiful thing. I hope I wasn't being offensive, I just am very passionate and really don't want people to get the wrong idea.
I think it can be a good stepping stone in recovery. I heard a lot of people say that they went vegan when they were really sick, and it helped them to eat more food because they knew it was healthy and cruelty free and couldn't otherwise justify not eating it. I think it can be a trade off, but I think it's a good thing people are able to eat more and gain weight if needed while still having a little bit of control, and then addressing those psychological issues later after taking care of their body.
I never had anorexia or bulimia, but I think I had orthorexia when I dabbled in vegetarianism and veganism back in 2015. I was a bit obsessed with my weight since I was a child. I thought I ate plant-based for the animals and the environment, but I always say what some ed sufferers say- “something” takes over and you feel great that you can control something in your life like certain foods. The weight loss was just a bonus and I received compliments for it. People thought I was doing a good job following a restrictive diet. Society values weight loss over health. Like you said, go plant based if it’s for the right reasons. I find the orthorexic thoughts calling to me from time to time when I’m under a lot of stress. I don’t think an eating disorder leaves a victim, I think the victim just learns to live above it by trying to ignore that voice that calls for a relapse. For every vulnerable soul out there: be careful of restrictive diets.
I have a couple of video requests/ideas: - Autism/Asperger's in women. It's little-understood and ridiculously underdiagnosed. I recently met with a (highly informed) professional who informed me that although I am most definitely on the spectrum, he can't diagnose me because the DSM criteria are based off observations of young boys. I received this information only as an adult and after a mountain of research on my part, but I have been suffering in silence for years. The problem with these invisible disorders is that no one EVER validates your struggle and you have no inner standard for "normal", so you don't validate it either...and then you just hate yourself for not being able to handle situations that "normal" people can. - Being asexual/aromantic. I've never been physically attracted to anyone. In my case it's probably related to my autism, but there are lots of people who fall into these categories and receive very little support or validation in general. - I am also wondering why I hate being in a relationship. I just broke off a relationship with a great guy who tolerated and/or appreciated everything about me (including the above-mentioned conditions). It was a great friendship, but we stopped dating just because I was unhappy. I can't stand being romantically loved/needed. The idea of another human depending on me in such a way gives me constant anxiety, even though I enjoy his personality and company and he let the relationship move on my terms. I also don't want him to be unhappy in a long-term relationship with someone incapable of normal affection. Background: I also have anxiety and MDD and have had panic attacks and OCD in the past. There is no sexual abuse or trauma in my past.
Also, anyone regardless of ED or not, should really see a doctor or nutritionist prior to making any major changes in your diet. There are a lot of internet resources that give really unhealthy advice on veganism and vegetarianism. It's important to make sure that you get the trusted advice from someone that can personalize things for you.
I gained weight from being vegan because I felt I had to prove people wrong. And I wanted to prove that I won’t be that malnourished dying stereotype and convince my (Keto) mother that I could survive perfectly fine.
The way I always described my desire to go vegan vs my eating disorder as my eating disorder being about food and my want to go vegan being about the animals.
Being vegan (for ethical reasons of course) has helped me tremendously in recovering from my eating disorder. It gave me a new relationship with food in general and there is also a very different feeling when full. Like not yucky but just content.
Also: once you get into the groove of veganism, you dont really have to think about food much except when on vacation. There's just a routine to it. :)
rockabillymuffin I agree! It really simplifies things, plus it does feel different when you get full on something not greasy meat.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience!! xoxo
Reb Kro Same here
Same ☺
@@aestheticnitwit but that greasy meat may be medicine for someone losing too much weight and collagen being plant based for too long.
I can say that because I went vegan I overcame my bingeeating, my depression got better and I hallucinate much less. I can only recommend it :)
That is great! I am so glad it was helpful to you :) xoxo
I thought I overcame my binge eating when I went vegan because all these rules gave me so much control and I felt great! I had to learn about nutrition and micromanaged my eating in (so I thought) healthy way. I mean cutting out unhealthy food? What can be bad about it? I met my fiancé who isn’t vegan and eats not as micromanaging healthy as I do and so I started to slack off and eat more unhealthy but still vegan food and I immediately started to binge eat again + restricting myself to not eat any animal products. I would rather starve than eat non vegan donut! Long story short: I still very much have an ED and for the first time in my life I can admit it... I still like plant based food a lot since I never liked meat, but I really have to work on not restricting myself so strictly when it comes to non vegan food. That can’t be healthy!
I'm vegan and I am conflicted on this issue. I think it comes down to the individual's mindset. If they go vegan to only eat melons and berries then that is obviously unhealthy. If they allow themselves to eat anything and everything vegan then that's great! You have to be HONEST with yourself about the intentions of going vegan.
I am vegan and I have recovered from an ED. It is the best decisionI've made in recovery. I feel so much better about eating because I know I am not harming animals. The truth is many vegan products with good nutrition such as protein are actually high in calorie. For some people I know it is probably not a good idea but for me it was a great choice. There is so many vegan fear foods out there! Haha. Just ate Oreos as a food exposure.
Darcy same here
I am in recovery for anorexia and my sister and I have this conversation all the time. She is vegan and wants me to be vegan. I believe that I cannot be vegan and in recovery. For me I cannot restrict my diet in any way and be in recovery. Becoming a vegetarian or vegan would be a slippery slope and fast track to relapse. We have disagreements over whether or not veganism is a healthy form of restriction. I think it depends on the person but for me it is healthier to eat meat then it is to live vegan. I have been in recovery for three years and I'm constantly trying new things and expanding my diet. No matter the ethics or health benefits I am not going restrict my diet I worked so hard to recover.
I do believe being a vegetarian or vegan when done right can help others but for me it is too much of a risk.
When I started my recovery I ate the standard meat-based diet and I was still heavily influenced by the ed voice. But after a year of doing that I was still really underweight and focused on food all day everyday, until I have become vegan and for the first time in years I have felt free and I ate as much as I wanted when I wanted without binging and I've gained all the weight that was needed and now (almost 3 years later) I feel healthy and strong and I eat vegan junk food all the time, everything in moderation and all of that stuff, only nobody is hurt in the process :)
Eating disorders can be managed but not completely cured. If being vegan allows a person with an eating disorder to eat as much as their body needs by feeling safer due to excluding animal products, I see no problem with that.
violetstorn yes I agree
Meh, I have to disagree with the statement 'There's no right or wrong'. I'm not trying to be polarizing, but whether you are a vegan or a meat eater, there's no denying that cruelty is a prerequisite for animal agriculture. If the public was actually aware what was happening in slaughterhouses I highly doubt they'd be able to justify it as being moral or ethical. Vegetarians and vegans aren't some odd breed of people who have wacky morals and extreme diets, they just recognise the sentience of animals and choose not to contribute to their suffering. It's obviously a better way of living than eating meat, it's obviously better for your body, it's obviously better for the animals and the planet. Again, not trying to accuse or attack, but it's simply a fact that veganism is far more ethical.
Lexy Klein couldn't of said it any better!
Lexy Klein You hit the nail on the head :) What's ethical about eating animals who only knew suffering when you can easily and safely get everything you need without?
I agree. In the future I plan to become a vegetarian or pescetarian because my digestive system is sensitive and I believe cutting meat will help, but I can't do that right now because I'm still dependent on my parents and they're big meat eaters. But what if all the meat you eat, you know exactly where it is coming from? For example my dad is a hunter, there is deer overpopulation in my state. We eat a lot of venison. The deer don't suffer he makes sure it's quick. As for other meats, I don't know. Maybe to not contribute one could buy from farmers and ask about the animals? I don't know much, just thinking of ideas. I agree that the treatment of animals for food is cruelty but also acknowledging I'm contributing by eating the meat :/
Lexy Klein The difference being that most meat eaters are not unbearably smug about it.
Craig H257 well, yeah, because there's nothing to be smug about when eating meat.
I can strongly say this and confidently say this. I can say even though I suffer from an eating disorder, I have been vegan since childhood and I do it solely for ethical reasons. My entire life is a vegan lifestyle. I developed ednos way after I had already been vegan. My whole family is vegan for the planet an animals.
Been watching your videos since 2013 and I love your content. It's just this is something I work hard to show others that it's very important to know that veganism shouldn't be confused for an eating disorder. I totally know that some people do use veganism as apart of their ED and I totally understand how that can happen. I just wanted to say my part. Hope it helps anyone! :)
Thank you so much for sharing your experience!! xoxo
40ounce Virgin yes absolutely it does help quite a lot. My dad just finally came around.
AnaHollywoodVideos that’s great I’ve been vegan for about 10 years I also struggled with an eating disorder but becoming vegan helped me recover and have a healthy relationship with food
Thousands of animals are poisoned to protect your crops
You just have to be honest with yourself. Why are you ultimately doing this? I grew up with eating disorders, turned vegetarian when I was 16. I had tried to go vegan in exchange of an eating disorder so many times and failed each time. The moment I really looked at veganism for what it is, ethically, environmentally, and health wise, everything changed. I felt for the first time I was nourishing my body instead of punishing it. I do believe orthorexia is a serious thing and shouldn't be taken lightly. Veganism does change the focus of your life's purpose in a positive direction. I am now 35 and the heaviest I've ever been but I see and feel the changes within me. I knew things were different when thin was no longer the goal. And thank you for bringing up this topic because there are people who do just that. Change one obsession with another and still in the hopes of being/staying thin.
One reason why it actually can help though is that you remove the focus from yourself to somebody else. When avoiding animals based ingredients it's not because oneself does not want eat them (because it's unhealthy), but rather because one doesn't want to contribute to animal abuse.
I've find that many people do get some sort of kick out of the hamster wheel, whether they eat whole plant foods or vegan junk food. It's neither about them or food anymore, it's about something so important, and it gives many people a reason.
Not just another guy I LOVE THIS COMMENT SO MUCH
exactly!!
In my ED PCP program I learned that any kind of strict food restriction is "disordered eating." I don't think that all vegans have eating disorders, but I DO think that a lot of people who choose to become vegan do so from a background of disordered eating. Different phases of my ED have included juice cleanses, the "master cleanse", gluten free, dairy free, etc. All of these decisions were motivated by my ED, not by actual "health." I can't speak for everyone, but for me these diets stemmed from an unhealthy obsession and preoccupation with eating. And a lot of times when people for whom eating is not a preoccupation begin these diets, overthinking eating can soon become a problem that may lead to an ED. Restrictive diets of all kinds make me nervous now, knowing what I've learned.
Going vegan really helped me with my bulimia. Still have it but much better now, like i dont want to binge/purge healthy foods even if i feel full, thats what its like when you eat what is meant for you.
Also want to add that i think you mean 'plant based' cos vegan is an ethical stance for the animals. And 'forcing it down your throats', if vegan food was advertised the way non-vegan food is advertised, we'd say your forcing it down our throats. Also, if we do try force it down or whatever, we are just wanting to protect animals like its not a personal choice because others are involved its not like dying your hair where it only affects you.
James Fenn perfectly said!!!!!!! 👏🏻🙌🏻
To me, I think encouraging people to stop abusing animals and eating them is the least we can do. There is a victim behind meat, and I think it's something as a culture we need to begin addressing and moving away from. It's not a religion we are "shoving down peoples throats" Its a cry for justice for the 56 billion animals humans kill every year when we don't have to. It's not something that is going to happen over night, but it is something that is an ethical imperative. Everyone should be allowed to eat what ever they want as long as it doesn't kill or abuse or harm another being unnecessarily. I wouldn't walk into someones house, shoot their dog, and expect them to silently watch me eat it because it's "their right to eat whatever they want" No way. this is the reality we live in, except there is a middle man called the butcher.
I had an ed disorder and veganism completely changed my life I felt my body becoming week and sickly had to be rushed to the hospital!!!After going vegan ive gained all my healthy weight back feel amazing and can run 10ks !!I feel amazing and veganism has saved my life im a healthy happy person!!Ive nourished my body and really feel it has helped me overcome my disordered habits and I can eat without feeling any guilt what so ever and eat until im full and satisfied!!And im full of energy and loving LIFE!!
That is so amazing!! I am glad you had that sort of experience! thank you so much for sharing it :) xoxo
I had an eating disorder from 18 - 46, when I finally checked myself into the hospital. After two months inpatient and seven years outpatient, I changed my mindset. The refeeding process left me bloated and with numerous gut issues. I gave up beef, then chicken and fish. Only when I gave up dairy, did I get rid of the gut issues. Being vegan allows me to eat healthfully and as much as I want. I never feel deprived, I never have cravings and have never relapsed. I'm over it completely.
I'm lucky enough to have never been affected by an eating disorder, but over a year ago I went vegan for 100% ethical reasons. I found that, yes, I have to pay a lot closer attention to where my food comes from and what it's made of now, but this has also made me aware of the balance of foods that i'm eating, what vitamins and minerals come from where and how I can eat a varied diet whilst living up to my ethical beliefs. I've got a couple of acquaintances that are in recovery from eating disorders that say effectively the same - that knowing that their food is "cruelty-free" has helped them release the guilt that they have associated so strongly with eating, and now they are able to enjoy food a lot more.
I know this is not the case for everyone but I thought I'd share a positive take on veganism as a help for recovery :)
Thank you so much for sharing you experience and insights on this :) xoxo
I agree that for MOST things, there is no right or wrong way but when it comes to food, if your choices are talking away the freedom of other beings and cause harm and suffering to the planet and all its animals, including us, then yeah thats wrong.
Christina Valdes does all your clothes come from an ethical background or from a sweatshop ? and your phone ? and everything ? if it's the case, you're an awesome person, and i thank you for what you try to do. but some people can't do that. and if not you chose what mattered to you.
of course it's a choice. we choose what matter to us all the time we're awake.
I'm vegetarian btw.
@Anne But what about the animals that eat other animals? Since cats have to eat meat, should no one have a cat because by doing so, they're supporting killing another animal? What if there is a dangerous overpopulation of a particular species? Are there exceptions or should no one ever kill another sentient being ever unless it's in self-defense? Basically what I'm trying to ask is, where is the line drawn?
Anne well it take some strength to say 'no, i'll make my food' when one offer a food you like a lot. And some people just doesn't have that strength. Making choice and staying consistent with those is mentally hard.
fountainPoison i'm not vegan but again it's a matter of choice. The cat isnt capable of it so, why should we put our standard on him ? The over population case is funny since the population of cattle is growing exponentially.
Basically i think the idea under vegan is that you shouldnt affect the animal world with your choices. You shouldnt KNOWINGLY (i put emphasis here because there is always someone to say 'hey you walked on a ant') hurt and/or kill à living being. But everyone draw that Line with their conviction. Tibetan buddhist don't dig deep fondation for their building to avoid killing worms. But some vegan don't care about worms ('they dont think'). Again it's about choice. It's not à doctrine, a dogma. Everyone have to, inconciously or not, put the Line where it feel right. The same way meat eater (for a lack of à better term) in America often dont eat horses and cat and dog, while it's not a problem in some asian culture. Everyone deal with it their way, and try to do the right thing accordung to their mind
But again not vegan, and sorry for my poor english, im not native.
fountainPoison and some people think that people of other groups deserve to die. Religions extrémist, racist,.. -ist. There always some people who can't have enough empathy to understand the other, and (as à guy in the middle) i see that from both vegan who hate with all their Soul the meat eater (but it's understandable in their point of view. They're murderer.) And from meat eater who hate vegan because they feel that their way of life is threatened (and again that's understandable).
As for the moral high ground... well i dont agree with them on a lot of thing. But we can't argue that they are. They have a super strong moral sense and they stand by it. You may disagree with their idea, but they have on those subject à stronger sense of morality than you and I. That being said it's not an excuse for not trying to understand the other 'side'.
But sometime i can kinda understand them. When you try your best to do what's right, and not everyone does it, it sure is infuriating. I am vegetarian for ecologicals points. When everyone doesn't care about the destruction of whole écosystem I'm pissed off. But i have to remind myself that everyone have different life and not everyone can afford to care.
What you have to understand is that, as all the political point of view, everyone think the world would be better if we listened to them. So of course some are tempted to be extreme.
That being said I hear à lot more joke about vegan complaining and thinking their above everyone else, than i see vegan actually be like that. But again political issue, so everyone try to get his opinion up. (Not sure if that last sentence mean something haha)
I completely respect your opinion Kati, I just wish you were a bit more informed on veganism as an ethical movement, because that's what it ultimately is. It is actually about right and wrong: about what's right for the planet, the animals, social justice and individual health. I would really encourage you to look deeper into the subject, watch some documentaries such as "Cowspiracy" or some vegan CZcamsrs like Bitesizevegan or Thefriendlyactivist. I really don't want to "shove it down your throat" but I think that it would make this video more convincing if you were well informed on the subject. Lots of love from Germany xxx
Thanks for pointing that out :) Since I am a mental health professional.. this video was more focused on how a lifestyle change like veganism or vegetarianism can keep us stuck in our EDs at times. xoxo
Angelika T. It’s an ethical reason for MOST people. When i turned vegan it was for anything but that reason. It was a method for me to cut out pretty much every food group so I had an excuse to eat less. You have to see it from a different perspective. Veganism isn’t bad, but it sure as hell can be when it’s done for the wrong reasons. I lost 50 pounds in 3 months because I was terrified of anything from an animal- and it wasn’t because of ethics, but because of my eating disorder. I understand the ethics behind veganism but if I ever were to go vegan again I know that it would trigger everything to come back that i’ve tried so hard to change.
going vegan for me actually influenced my eating disorder a lot, which is a shame.
Oh I'm just waiting for Unnatural Vegan to respond to this. I believe Kati is using the term 'veganism' interchangeably with 'orthorexy' and I think that's a little bit of a stretch. Really, most vegans don't spend too much time on their food, they just have a bunch of tested brands of food that they know are vegan and they buy only from those.
No it's more about if you already suffer from an ED going vegan gives you a lot of excuses not to eat food. And it also reinforces the guilt you feel when eating certain foods you don't allow yourself to eat.
My experience is, that when I was anorexic I started being vegetarian for just that - having excuses not to eat. I took me three years and overcoming a lot of guilt to start eating some meat and fish again (even if I'm still really selective about when and where it is coming from). I used to try and force myself to cut thing out (gluten, dairy (which I now know I'm intolerant to), meat, fish, salt, sugar,...) just for the sake of restricting myself and giving me a feeling of control.
Right now (after years of being bulimic after my anorectic phase) I am almost a year into recovery and I eat a mostly vegan diet. But if I feel that my body literally craves fish, meat, dairy or eggs (which doesn't happen often) I will allow myself to have those. This flexibility with food is a huge part of my recovery and gives me a lot of freedom.
Exactly!! thank you so much for clearing that up for me :) xoxo
Agreed!! I am glad you knew what I was trying to say :) xoxo Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience with this :) xoxo
I have an ED and am vegetarian for the animals. If I have a craving for meat or fish or something not vegetarian i think about what my body is asking for (protein, etc.) and feed it the vegetarian alternative. This way I'm still animal conscious and taking care of my body.
My husband and I have been vegan for five years. I've been dealing with eating disorders for 18 years, but my decision to be vegan had nothing to do with that. We're both vegan because we love animals.
All I know is my personal experience, so I'll share that. For most of my time with bulimia, I ate a paleolithic diet (no grains, redined carbs, or added sugars. When I started recovery, I transitioned to eating mostly vegetarian because of the way my stomach responded to eating meat: I noticed I was able to eat more and to have less indigestion. My "rule" now is: definitely eat what your family cooks, even if it isn't vegetarian, and occasionally eat meat at restaurants. If I notice any critical thoughts coming up about my body, I usually have meat anyway.
I understand your point, but would like to add that going vegan has helped me a lot, because I finally started to provide my body with healthy nutritious food. I didn't feel guilty for eating, because I knew the food won't do any harm to my body and the environment and animals haven't been harmed as well. Today I am much more aware of my body's needs and yes I also eat "vegan junk food ".
Dana Banana go you so so happy for you 😘💕
for me, i happened to go vegan during my eating disorder recovery because it empowered me to make the connection between food and fuel, and i really got into cooking and appreciating food again which made eating a lot less scary. my family was apprehensive at first, but they got on board once they realized how much the ethical lifestyle meant to me. i think that's what separates veganism from any other type of diet- the lifestyle also comes along with choosing cruelty free products and avoiding leather, fur, etc. for me, veganism was really healing
I became a vegetarian to convince people I was recovering when really it was a way for me to hide my ed better
Being vegan I watched this video with a bit of hesitation. Nonetheless, you made some good points that are not swayed one way or another. With that bring said, I'm glad you took a neutral stance and wanted to adress both aspects. Veganism is not a bad thing like many speculate and I do keep up with my doctors and nutritionist to make sure I'm healthy. Yet I do understand you're focusing on vegans with eating disorder. I love your videos, keep it up! ❤
I am so glad you liked it!! xoxo I always do my best to be neutral with a focus on us being mentally healthy :) xoxo
Veganism personally makes me think less about obsessing over food. I've gained 20 pounds and am now a healthy weight (grains exist too). I feel better knowing what I'm doing is better for the environment in addition to the animals so I don't feel as guilty about eating. Gives me something positive to associate with food tbh.
Oreo cookies are vegan and are certainly not low in fat, sugar and calories. Also, a main source of nutrition, fat/calories for many vegans are tree nuts and legumes, which are not low in calories or fat. So, I think like Kati says, it just depends on what the motivations are and where they are coming from. Because you can certainly be vegan and be unhealthy in a variety of ways, not just in ED ways.
I love though what you said Kati, about not shoving it down anyone's throat! So true, so annoying when that happens, etc!
My ex became vegan in part through her recovery from anorexia. At least when we were dating, it was working out as a healthy happy choice for her. She got really into vegan baking, making lots of foods with all different levels of fat content, sugar, et cetera. There was definitely an aspect of veganism as a way to restrict that fuelled it, but it helped her engage with food in a way she was comfortable with, & develop a healthier attitude towards it. & yeah, like, Oreos are technically vegan, so it's not like you're just avoiding the issue of "bad foods."
For me it helped a lot when I went being a vegan cause I knew food was good for me cause I know it was healthy and it causes no harm. I started eating more and I got totally different relationship with food cause I knew what was I eating (in a good way) and I got really good benefits from the new lifestyle. I had a lot more energy and I got to know how to get every important vitamin, protein etc from different kinds of food and I wasnt too afraid of eating anymore. Praise plant based food lol
Yay! I am so glad that was helpful to you! thank you for sharing your story and insights :) xoxo
I am vegan for several reasons, but I have noticed that it has helped me a lot with healing my relationship with food.
i think some people with a ED can definitely use veganism so they can use it as an excuse for not being able to eat certain foods but for me being vegan really helped my relationship with food, i never count calories anymore, i'm excited to feed my body with yummy healthy food, i eat as much as i want and recognise the importance of feeding yourself - i know a lot of people who have felt this as well after going vegan or previously struggled with a ED. I think it's all about intention.
veganism is literally saving me from wasting away into a pile of bones. i still struggle really bad but at this point if i hadn’t gone vegan 5 years ago i’d be dead by now. it was my absolute saving grace.
My relationship with food was never very healthy until I stopped eating meat. With the change I realized I could focus on compassion and flavor so much more with every meal than I ever could before, which really shifted my view on food for the better. As a vegan now, I love food. I love nutrition-focused foods, and I love veg alternatives to those “unhealthy” items. I also really love cooking and baking, and sharing that food with others! I love proving to veg skeptics how delicious vegan food can be! Thank you for diving into this topic, it’s absolutely worth a discussion 💕
*cough* Freelee *cough*
I use to have a pretty unhealthy relationship with food until I became a vegetarian (for ethical reasons) I dont find myself counting calories in my head or crying over eating something unhealthy anymore
Personally I think there is still so much focus on food and its contents that it's too triggering for someone struggling/recovering from an eating disorder. Being a vegan has its benefits for those who do it for the right reasons, but it could also turn into a downward spiral for those who end up making it about another way of control. I guess that leads to the question that how do you know or how can you recognise when the choice to become vegan is ED related?
Veganism healed me and helped me to recover from quite bad bulimia. It happened to be the only solution for me, to go on a whole food plant based diet, that saved my life. And not swapping on to vegan pizzas and pseudo nuggets, but to go with large steaming pots of lentils and beans with ton of starchy veggies, or huge salads filled with leafy greens, kinoa, chickpeas, thick creamy cashew sauces, plenty fruits any time, any day, unlimited amounts, also smoothies, amazing juices.. In the beginning I was so starved (even though overweight), I just felt how hungry my body was for all these nutrient dense, filling, living foods, and I allowed myself to eat the variety without any restriction, just loading my system with health and looking for recipes, combinations that i enjoy most. Yes, in the beginning i think i binged once or twice, even though never as bad as before. The only thing i was thinking is that its okay, my body needs more, because i starved myself for so many years, its just hungry for nutrients. And in few days already i started to feel how my body is getting satisfied, grateful, relaxed. It healed my relationship with food, transformed it into an amazing experience of cooking, feeding my family, experimenting with flavours, textures.. Now i am even growing my own herbs, salads and some veggies. I could never believe that I can be so full, so content, healthy, glowing, my energy levels are through the roof. Anyone who thinks vegan is restrictive has never did it right or never got the chance to cook vegan and eat even for a week. It is all about abundance of colours, flavours, textures, health and inspiration. And it not only heals you body, it heals you mind and your spirit. And you dont have to be perfect vegan, or full vegan or create any limitations. Its about freedom to choose the best for the body you live in and enjoy how it strives on this natural fuel. We are created to eat natural whole foods, and this is the best worlds medicine
I made a video recently about veganism and recovery, and I generally agree with what you say. Going vegan while struggling with an eating disorder can be tricky at best. I'm sure it CAN be done, but I don't like how a lot of people have been preaching about how going vegan is the way to recover. In such a deadly disease, I think it's more important to recover in the most efficient way, and since treatment programs rarely allow veganism, foregoing treatment for the sake of veganism is very dangerous. But as to whether those who go vegan are just trading out their eating disorder behaviors or are doing it for ethical/environmental reasons, it's very tricky. By just doing some basic research, it's obvious that veganism is more ethical and environmentally friendly than any other diet, so in a lot of cases people with eating disorders go vegan "for the right reasons" but their subconscious clings to the eating disorder, and it is easy for veganism to become a mask for an eating disorder.
I am so glad you made a video as well!! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience with this :) xoxo
I found that veganism helped me enjoy eating again. I had to be creative with recipes and I had to understand what my body needs to function properly. And I love the color palette on my plate, I love the original flavor that I add. Apart from the ethical reasons, eating vegan makes me happy in a healthy way! Also, adding more vitamins and minerals gave me more strength and more motivation during the day. I can also understand my body better, if I notice a mood swing, I try to refocus myself on happy eating (without the idea of super healthy: sometimes it's a vegan burger with sweet potato fries, chocolate cookies...) And the last fun part is that I don't count calories anymore even when I make generous portion. If I made too much, I feel more confident to stop when I am full because I feel that I am satisfying myself, it's not a reward anymore!
I did CBT therapy and it plays a big part on loving and respecting myself again.
It is also because I cook for myself, I have to think about what I want and what makes me happy. It is not always automatic but I am getting better. I am just better at listening to myself, whether I am tired/irritable because I am hungry or I am 'hungry' because I'm anxious... the whole process of choosing a recipe and cooking gives me the time to understand what I am really feeling.
Today, I am thinking about becoming a chef... I always thought it would be hell to work in a kitchen with my ED but now I see many opportunities in the food industry.
I fully agree with this. Being vegan didnt help me sustain what I needed as an individual, if it works for some that's great, but for me it definitely did set me back. I am maintaining my weight on an omnivore diet vs a vegan diet. It also doesnt help me to focus on food. My eating disorder started out vegan and I tried recovering as vegan at first and it wasnt helping my weight. People badger me about not being vegan and its actually unhelpful for me even being basically recovered at this point in my life, but they dont seem to get that.
all the "what i eat in a day vegan" scream ED imo.
I had and am still struggling with eating disorders. I've never known I had one, because I'm pretty sure my mom suffers from one and she's been projecting it on to me my whole life. And my dad is an overeater as well. I would like to work towards being vegan. but for me that is a long long ways away. I've never know what healthy eating looks like and I'm not sure when I'll know what it is. I wanted to be a vegetarian because I wanted to lose weight. I will admit that. but going forward that's not what I want.
I'm in recovery from an ED and I went vegan because since I can't get away with not eating, I at least don't want to hurt/kill anything in the process.
I'm vegan and have an ED. But i do enjoy it, I feel gross and sick with animal products. Veganism does have amazing causes, I have both good and bad. I support PETA and animals, but I also do it to loose weight. And gain muscle mass. Every time I eat animal products I almost throw up. So I'm sticking with veganism.
Cat strain That's great! I'm also a vegetarian. However, PETA isn't really a nice organization to support. They have high kill shelters, many of their campaigns are misogynous and racist, they have been known to kill animals that they allegedly "rescued", among other things.
Hi Kati, idk if you're going to see thi, but I think that it's kind of unfair to assume that one is trading their eating disorder for veganism. Of course plants have less carbohidrates and fats, but that is why one should eat more of them than someone who is not vegan. A vegan does not just simply remove foods, they replace them, for better options. Plus, it's not that difficult to be vegan. Just reading the ingredients and seeing "contains dairy or eggs" it's not the end of the world. Like, if someone goes vegan with all the info needed, they should know that it is actually pretty easy, or at least not as difficult as some (most) people made it seem to be. Also, there are vegan junk foods, and using simple logic can't CONSUME WAY TOO MUCH BRAIN POWER... I get that everyone can have a difficulty for things, but reading a label can't be that difficult, it can be as simple as asking someone or not going shopping alone or just buying fruits, vegetables, legums, peatunts, etc.
I just wanted to tell you that in your video you seem a little biased against veganism or vegeterianism, I hope you are not, but you kind of made it seem like caring for animals and the enviornment is something that we shouldn't care about, when actually, if the planet dies, we all die. So, do research, with actual facts and please then talk about food XD
I feel like it can be an excuse though, rather than researching alternatives you just cut out animal based products and eat less which is not good for you. Also about the brain power, yes having to read labels isn't hard but for someone recovering from an eating disorder having that focus on food and having to check it's an allowed food is very similar to behaviours linked with an eating disorder
Heather M there are no "alternatives" that are good for animals, planet, and people. If you do the research, it becomes clear veganism is the solution. Anyways, I do see how reading labels can be bad for someone recovering, but if you shop a a health food store, and buy lots of fresh healthy produce, it's very easy to avoid animal products :). Or, after being vegan for a few weeks, you start to know which items are vegan, and what to shop for each week or month or how ever often.
🤘I applaud you for tackling this. I agree💯
No vegan wants to admit you're right.
Yay!! Thanks :) oxxo
@katimorton I'm a LCSW and I love your channel. You are clinically sound and I'm so happy you have this channel available for individual who wouldn't traditionally seek support. Kudos to you on your success and thank you for representing clinicians in the best possible light 👏🏾!!!!!
You're using veganism and orthorexia interchangeably though. They aren't the same thing. If you are using your brain power to be aware of where your food is coming from, I don't see how that's a bad thing. If you take it to the extreme and are doing things unhealthily, that's when it becomes orthorexia. Orthorexia doesn't always happen to people who are solely vegan, either. I think that needs to be clarified.
I think that's what she was trying to say but didn't have a word for it. But yeah it's all about the mindset and what you do it for.
I found going vegan helped me switch my attitude around food from a self absorbed (calories counting, eating too much, too little ect) to eating in a way which alines with my morals, this meant in a way I was eating for the sake of animals. Don't get me wrong, it didn't happen over night, but slowly my attitude towards food changed and became healthier and balanced :)
When I was at my worst with my eating disorder, the only thing I would eat was fruit and veggies with low calorie content, so I thought that this topic was very interesting. I think that it's very dangerous to have a set of rules of what foods you can eat when you're recovering from an eating disorder. What helped me recover in the end was to just stop putting all of my focus on food, and let other things in my life distract me from thinking too much about what I was eating; and you can still do that if you're a vegan, as long as you're very self aware, and know in what ways you're controlling and choosing your foods.
I was vegan for 6 years. It started because I needed to start gaining weight to stay on my nursing course and I couldn't let myself do that without some other way to feel in control with food. A big part of it was the ethical considerations, but I'd be lying if I said that was the whole reason. While vegan I was able to gain more weight than I ever had before and actually maintain the healthy weight. I ate all kinds of vegan foods with no guilt. Ate to appetite. No calorie counting. Now, as I contemplate starting a family and considering how I would like my children to be raised, my gut just wants them to be free with food. No second guessing, checking labels, choosing what to eat at a restaurant before arriving, avoiding travel in case particular foods aren't available. So I'm taking steps to branch out and eat non vegan foods and so far it hasn't been as scary as I thought it would be. I want to be a good role model to my children and break the cycle.
I really agree with you! It's important to know the reasons for the eating disorder and how much "brain work" you are able to invest in your daily diet. For me, as I have been watching out for the "perfect" diet for years, what caused so much stress, I am glad to have come to the point where I just listen to my body and eat what actually FEELS right and not what somebody says would be healthy or correct or healing... and also, I no longer lable my diet!
so I've been Vegan for a few years right now, and I am 100% in the opinion that moving towards a plant based diet is important to being healthy, but I LOVED this video, and specifically the focus of "WHY are you doing it?" because though moving towards a plant based diet will be healthier if done right, it is obviously not psychologically healthy do do this in a deep avoidance of calories (esp since going vegan means you need to eat MUCH more food to get your required daily intake, and this fact, plus an avoidance of calories will likely turn into malnutrition, which, whether you're vegan or not, is definitely not healthy)
I 100% agree with you Kati! I work at an ED Clinic and I have thought about this many times! I love how you said there may be controversy with this video, but it's still something we should talk about! I also think it was great timing with Thanksgivings right around the corner (such a food based and ED triggering holiday!). Thanks for sharing as always! Keep up the great videos :) :)
Personally, the first time I tried to recover I tried to go vegan at the same time. It was just a way for me to avoid fear foods, and not eat with other people. Nearly 8 months later I relapsed. To be honest I don't really think ill ever be able to go vegan- there is just way too much focus on food for me to not get triggered into a relapse.
This is a really interesting video... I'm a vegetarian diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder, but primarily restricting is my main issue, with my binge triggered primarily by hunger, but also occasionally triggered by mental health, in a form of comfort eating... I have had strong urges to become vegan since I was diagnosed with B.E.D. I have always wanted to be a vegan and tried in the past, although I felt like my urges became stronger because I wanted to have extreme control and limit my diet as much as possible, without it being seen by other people as 'abnormal' or an eating disorder, as it's just a 'life choice' to be vegan. After a while of contemplating it and really looking at why I was doing it, I realised this was the case... Sadly though, i'm still struggling a huge amount with my eating and feel stuck in a rut, because I don't want to eat, but on the other hand, I know I need to start eating a normal diet so I can hopefully lose weight and feel healthier. It's really hard. :/
I became vegan after recovering from the eating disorder but it changed my life for the better I did it for ethical and health reasons and I’ve made sure to get enough protein , iron , fiber etc I agree there were some good points in this video
well, I used to have some problems with disordered eating back in the day, I went vegetarian only for the sake of animals, but I haven't had any relapse when it comes to food ever since. I feel like it's mostly because taking care of yourself and making sure you're getting all the nutrition is so necessary when it comes to vegetarian diets and if I'm scared I'm gonna get some deficiences if I don't eat well, then how in the world could I get back to not wanting to eat at all? So after all, vegetarianism has been helpful. but I didn't do it in order to recover which I think is an important thing to point out.
I went Vegan during my eating disorder. It took me along time to even realize I had an eating disorder. I was putting my self worth into what I looked like. I thought I was huge and now I can see in pictures that I was not. I was actually under weight. I will go slowly back because of the ethics.
Well, I did that many years ago and did it for many years, too. Didn't help me, though. Then after years I miraculously "recovered" and now I'm healthy and strong. So if I've done it, i believe others may and do it for the same reason, so it's possible, indeed.
I'm 5 years clean and despite wanting to go veggie again the practice of watching what I eat in any way, shape or form reminds me too much of counting calories etc. It's not the same, but it triggers that response in me and could very easily turn into unhealthy behaviour. I've been cutting down my meat intake recently as an experiment, but it's such a slippery slope for me so I'm always having to check in with myself. thank you for this video Kati xx
Kati, thank you for another fantastic and thought provoking subject. I could say it gives you food for thought ... and I certainly mean that with no disrespect, just my silly sense of humour! As a woman with an ED, I know the pain and suffering that comes every time I think about eating, not eating and restricting. I became vegan several months ago, after being vegetarian for many years. So for me, it was not hard at all, more like a side step. I feel more comfortable, and my body responds well to this lifestyle. And you are right, it is a lifestyle, not 'just' a diet. I feel empowered that I can eat more often, larger portion sizes, and such an abundance of fruit and vegetables. With much less guilt. Love your videos! Have an awesome day!
Hi. You're one 100% right! I suffered from
a severe eating disorder and it lasted for 11 years. I recovered by myself after a not successful hospitalization. at first tried to recovery by eating 100% vegetables and claiming to myself to be vegetarian, I still counted calories tho and didn't eat nearly enough to gain weight. So it didn't work for me, since it was a way to trick myself to believe I was "recovering"
After some time I decided to try something else so I started taking classes with a personal trainer and he told me to eat more protein and less fat (even tho I was very underweight at the time!) and work out with few reps and high weight. (Weight lifting)
It seemed odd at first, I would never have told someone in my position to eat and live as a body builder sort of. But gosh after three months I gained quite a bit actually and by 6 months I had a normal
Weight plus a lot of muscles :) this made me feel proud and happy again. Cuz I finally achieved recovery
One year later I found a bf and became pregnant and now I'm super huge BUT I don't care cuz I'm the happiest I've ever been and I eat what I want and spend my time and energy loving and caring for my baby ❤️
Going vegetarian didn't work for me at all.
It's important to remember to get the proper nutrients while eating vegan. Using multi-vitamins etc to supplement the nourishment our bodies get from consuming plant based products
I loved this video and I completely agree with your logic here. Always listen to your body and do what is best for you and your health.
I was genuinely struggling with this today. I did a vegan diet before and I felt that my health improved and morally I feel better. But I also worry about it being a trigger etc etc. I know that wanting to start up again is driven by wanting to lose weight but I also know that my weight gain is due to medication. Trying to remember to be kind to myself and continually ask why I want to do something. Thanks for uploading!
I went vegan and it helped me recover from my E.D. I restrict so much from being vegan that I feel like I don't need to restrict anymore food. I am healthy and getting all the calories I need. Sometimes I have to think about if my idea about food is my eating disorder voice or my choice to be vegan but thinking through a behavior is part of any recovery.
Personally I’ve struggled with anorexia and orthorexia & during my recovery I went vegan for the animals. I feel like it helped me because I could focus on caring about animals & realize I didn’t need to be so fixated about my restrictions, but instead became really passionate about animal rights. Though some days I struggle with disordered thoughts, I am doing way better and can manage my thoughts :)
Also, what I find incredibly important is that many people with an eating disorder who become inspired by ethical veganism are then able to put their passion into creating beautiful healthy meals for themselves and others and often are able to beat it, it seems , due to inspiration. Veganism ftw. Especially with the hi carb low fat movement... it really disregards "limits and restrictions" which is ultimately a huge concern when having an ed ... I believe the inspiration and lack of restrictions really helps break people out of ed
Before I spent a year traveling the world, I considered chicken, eggs, and dairy the staples of my diet.
Then I spent half a year traveling throughout Southeast Asia. There I witnessed cows, dogs, pigs, fish, and chickens be slaughtered and butchered for consumption. The next half of the year I spent doing conservational work in Australia and New Zealand. There I learned just how catastrophic the impact of animal agriculture is on our environment. I also read information on how developed, meat-eating, nations buy large portions of grain yields from poverty stricken, developing countries to use as livestock feed. Literally taking food from the people who need it most.
When presented with all this information, I made the switch to a vegan diet. I've been vegan for 7 months now, and I've never felt better. My gym and biking performance have both increased like never before (not noob gains, I had lifted and competed in long distance running / biking and some swimming for years). My mental clarity is better and I am less stressed.
I understand my travels were quite an experience. One most people won't have. But I still believe that anyone can learn of the many downsides to animal products through internet research and make this transition and thrive! Please inform yourselves of where your food is coming from and it's impact.
Thank you 🌱
I love that you stand by your beliefs no matter the potential backlash
totally agree with you. I have an ED and went vegetarian then vegan for ethical reasons and I was before and during fighting the ED and actually helped me cos I had to learn about nutrition and what a good/ bad diet does to my body, so that knowledge was a push.
I went vegetarian when my ED started, but it was more a coincidence that they happened at the same time than being because of each other. I'd tried going vegetarian before but didn't have any real motivation. I've now been vegetarian (and eating fish) for almost a year and I don't regret a thing! :)
I used to have an eating disorder and went vegan for ethical and environmental reasons. I have never felt more confident and happy in my body.
Here’s a question I would have though. If someone went vegan because of an ED, and if they accidentally ate an animal based product, how would they react? I think that would be a true test if they have recovered from their ED or not.
I definitely agree that someone with an eating disorder needs to be mindful about why they are going vegan. I know someone going vegan who doesn't have an eating disorder will encounter a whole bunch of new yummy foods to incorporate into your diet, so you don't feel like your cutting anything out, but to someone with an eating disorder the ability to have a valid excuse to cut things out or avoid foods can be a slippery slope like you said. As a vegan I will always try to educate people on the animal agriculture industry and the reasons veganism is awesome but I do avoid "pushing" it onto certain people that includes - people who have eating disorders, are terminally ill, are really old, are really poor, from a country in strife or people who will experience abuse in the home if they were to try and go vegan - I think it's important to be mindful of peoples circumstances when talking about major life changes like veganism.
oh no, I am so confused my this video! I have suffered from eating disorders and going vegan helped me so much! I'm really confused about why it's bad to not eat "bad" food? I cut out animal products, gluten, oil and salt from my diet (and only eat oil and salt if I go out for a meal ever couple of weeks). I feel really healthy and eat as much as I want, but this video seems to say that this is a bad thing to do?
Sorry if you misunderstood.. I was saying that if you become vegan as a way to cut out any "bad" foods then it's just part of your ED. I didn't mean "bad" to be just animal product foods.. I meant any food that your ED deems to be "bad" does that clear that up?? I hope that makes more sense :) xoxo
Thank you so much, yes that is so much clearer now 💛💛
I went vegetarian at 14 all for animals with no ed at all and was doing awesome for a year but at 15 I got sick and started eating fish as it is low cal and stopped eating dairy. I became very underweight and was nearly impatient but decided to put my foot down and eat to live and not eat anyone who was alive. I went vegan and recovered, I still have ups and downs but I am doing pretty well. The key is taking a non vegan fear food i.e. Butter and eating the vegan version. I ate aloottt of vegan ice cream, faux meat, bread, nut butter, liquid calories, and other fear foods but I don't regret a single bite!
Meat products were actually my safe foods in anorexia and I can see now that I'd used the paleo diet to frame my disorder which is probably the most restrictive diet out there. Going vegetarian completely challenged my disorder and, anyone who stayed on the keto for over a year would know, was completely nauseating due to insulin sensitivity. It took a really long time for my body to get used to carbs, my ultimate fear foods like pasta and rice. But the idea of 'I eat like vegetarians now' completely changed my mindset and swayed my identity from the 'girl who doesn't eat' to the other. I think the longer or the more aggressive our ED gets, the more we start to form an identity around it and at some point it also creates an identity problem. We don't 'want' to lose our identity, even if we're the only one aware of it. I think in cases where vegetarianism/veganism helps is mostly due to it offering an alternative identity which can be very powerful.
But to be fair, it didn't help me. My anorexia slowly faded into alcohol and then to bulimia(almost 6 years ago now). When I cut out almost all the animal-based products(including non-food)a year ago, it stopped for a few months BUT I had also started living in a camping area and sharing food with +10 people all the time. Once I got back to my parents house for a while(which is highly stressful for me) it immediately came back and I was still a vegan there. So vegetarianism/veganism has nothing to do with my ED, it's just another part of my life. At that moment, it really didn't matter what I binged and purged, so long as I could satisfy myself, get the dose if you may. Some people's trigger systems will of course be different. What helped me was reducing my core triggers(stress) which I'm still trying to manage more and also, social eating. Growing up, we didn't have a habit of sharing a table/food, I even remember instances of my parents catching each other eating in secret and mocking. We also had a lot of rules for 'how to chew, eat, place dishes and orienting etc.' I'm not blaming, merely identifying. But yeah, I didn't know how important social eating was for my recovery, especially in an accepting circle of people. If you're reading this with an ED, I strongly advice experimenting with this idea. I don't know if this is a recovery thing because I'm still recovering on my own but I think this was an advantage for me. I had to research and self-experiment a lot because I couldn't share it. And I'm happy to say that at this moment, I understand my disorder so well that it feels like I'm looking at my demon in the eye and I'm ready to let it go.
P.S. Sorry for the long post but I hope it sparks some ideas to anyone reading this with an ED on self-identifying and experimenting. I just hope it helps.
Thank you for making this video, it was very helpful! Also not to be argumentative or stir the pot, I don't want that as I'm sure you don't either, but as for my opinion on this I think if you are becoming vegan after recovering from an eating disorder it should be for the right reasons. For example my sister is on the borderline of vegetarian/vegan. She mostly doesn't eat diary because she's lactose intolerant as well as myself, but because she still sometimes eats dairy she's technically a vegetarian. She also when we were younger struggled with bulimia, but because of that she turned vegetarian and for a while vegan. It ended up being vegetarian saved her life. While being vegan she wasn't getting the nutrients she needed she became a vegetarian again, with becoming vegetarian she learned to kick bulimia and it has been over 10 years. She hasn't eaten any animal products and seafood in over 10 years either. I also get your opinion on how being vegan can correlate with eating disorders, which is a valid response and I've seen many people on social media becoming vegan for that reason of loosing weight and having that eating disorder mentality. Sorry for my long comment, thanks for listening!
Ok so i usually don’t comment but I just really had to! I struggled with binging and bulimia for quite a while and wasn’t ready to let go so my therapist suggested I should try and focus on something else food related. I made a clean cut and started to buy only healthy foods because I didn’t know how to prepare unhealthy vegan stuff, so when I started to binge I couldn’t eat things that my mind would later try to convince me where so bad for me and as I started to focus on actually getting the nutrients I needed I felt less hungry, less angry and finally had enough energy to fight my problems. As time passed I started to introduce junk food back into my diet but it’s a lot more balanced. I think that veganism is as a way of recovery still som sort of addiction substitute but if you are willing to actually work on yourself it might make your life easier.
Being vegetarian as a transition from my ED, I recently realized was still my ED. I thought I was healthy, but I wasn’t. I was eating my safe foods :/ I justified it with a handful of other things, but ultimately decided recently to switch back after realizing that it was another facet of the ED. I didn’t even realize it and that scares me.
I know this is old but I've been thinking about this alot so here I am. I personally agree with what vegans stand for. I understand it. I also know vegans who dont eat what society says is a 'healthy' diet (mostly starchy foods or whatever). However, for me as an individual, I cannot go fully vegan without compromising my recovery. I do my best to limit animal products in my home because of my feelings toward the industry but if I were to go fully vegan I would relapse. I know this from experience. I'm not there yet. Maybe one day. I know vegans who live a very happy balanced lifestyle which I strive to achieve one day. I 100% support vegans that I know by making preparations to make sure they get to enjoy a variety of foods at gatherings I'm apart of or upon choosing restaurants etc. Okay that's my little rant thing. I hope you all enjoy a life where you can listen to your body's needs!
I actually became a vegan when I was hypomanic. The weird thing is I actually still am a vegan and don't regret the decision :) It helped me deal with some of the guilt I feel when I am depressed and with creativity with food when I am hypomanic.
my comment will be long, heads up. I think this was a good point. I have an eating disorder (which I'm currently recovering from^^) and when I watch youtube ED recovery videos, seems like the majority of those people turned to veganism. I'm curious of that.
I wouldn't consider veganism any form of eating disorder. would not eating fruit be an eating disorder? that's ridiculous.
I think that thin vegan vloggers inspire a lot of people with EDs to recover because whole plant-based foods can be eaten in abundance without major weight gain. those with restrictive diets see the appeal. "ah, I can finally eat until I'm full and still be guilt free because I could be contributing to animal suffering but I made the conscious choice not to". eating disorders usually cause guilt. having a reason to not feel guilty is a huge relief.
and the other side of it is control, a bit like kati explained with "needing to know what's in it". I dabbled in veganism when I had orthorexia and it made me feel safe when I read ingredient labels. looking through cereal to see if it contains vitamin d3. it's almost like a ritual at the grocery store. you can't simply put everything in your cart, you have to be involved.
which leads me to the next point: vegans are involved in animal activism for ethical reasons. I think someone who is suffering from anorexia may get stuck in the disorder because it feels like their purpose (as bad as it sounds). it becomes part of their personal identity. then when they want recovery, they see veganism as a healthier identity. something that helps the environment and gives them something to live for.
idk, that's all just theoretical but I think about it sometimes
personally I can not go vegan. I am recovering right now & I feel the same way: I don't want to think about food so much anymore. And I believe you can make multiple plant based choices without labeling yourself as "vegan". So everyone can make a positive difference by eating mostly plantbased! I DO prefer plant based milk and I rarely eat meat but I don't want to set an other rule for myself to forbid it completly. In MY personal case it would feed my eating disordered thoughts.
I started restricting calories to lose weight for my wedding, but then I became vegan and it is a lot easier for me to just enjoy food without worrying it will make me gain weight. I feel as though I'm obsessing less over food now than I was when I was counting calories. I really didn't need to lose weight but I have shed a couple pounds and I am easily maintaining that healthy weight while eating whatever I want and decreasing animal suffering in the process. So I feel like e veganism has been very positive for me.
This is exactly what I am struggling with lately because I'm vegan for not only one, but tree reasons: the animals, the environment and because of health reasons. I dont think non-vegan food is scary but sometimes I find myself using it as an excuse so I dont have to eat junkfood when someone offers me some (bc most of the times it's non-vegan ). I dont know what to do.. I really don't want to hurt the animals but at the same time I want to recover and learn to eat food that someone offers me unannounced..
I once heard someone say this as a way to find out whether veganism is really just an eating disorder wearing a different mask: "If you found out tomorrow that a vegan diet is actually really bad for health, will make you fat, and give you a body shape you do not want... would you still be vegan? And be really honest with yourself. If veganism would make you fat, would you still do it?"
I honestly think a lot of vegans 'in recovery' would not still be vegan if veganism was likely to make a person fat. For many people, it really seems like a way to restrict and avoid fear foods while keeping up a façade of 'recovery'.
I struggled with eating disorders all my life and turned to veganism to see the light. I was first introduced into the vegan diet solely for health reasons. I learned so much about our bodies and what we were supposed to be consuming and what it actually meant to thrive, that I had no choice but to agree that it is the best diet for you. But I didn't stay vegan because I didn't care about myself. Then a few months down the line my sister and I watched a video about the industry and A lecture and we went vegan that day and have been since. I don't think that someone who hasn't been vegan long term is permitted to claim what has to be done on a vegan diet to be healthy. People cure their eating disorders on a vegan diet because 1) you can eat in abundance without having to worry about calories or 2) you realize that there is more to life than body image and that strict dieting on animal products is both harmful to you and the animals so you stop. That's what my sister and I did. We both have PERFECT blood work and we don't even track our nutrients. It's not hard to be vegan. If you can shop at a supermarket, you can be vegan. Coming from experience, it is much harder to stick to a workout plan than it is to be vegan. As for the "in moderation" thing. It's the most toxic kind of mentality. Eating animal products is like saying that's hey, you can cut yourself, just in moderation. You can be racist. Just in moderation. The fact is, is that no matter the case, animal products ARE bad for us, just as eating disorders are and self harm. I personally am addicted to self harm and I am recovering so I know how hard it is for people to even think about also giving up animal products. I grew up with them and I understand where the addiction to them comes from. This topic is controversial, because most people don't know what veganism is, much like you. It's a movement of justice and awareness. We force animals to die for our plates. We force them to die for our icecream. We force them to have periods everyday of the year for our eggs. I do agree that a lot of us come off angry and hostile so it seems like we're "shoving" it down your throats. But unless someone is literally at your dinner table, forcing you to eat plants, then it's just your conscience. I even sometimes feel like ending my own life because I feel the burden as a human on this earth. Sometimes I feel that it's all my fault that I wasn't able to show people the vegan light, and now millions of animals are going to die because I wasn't good enough. Do you see the bigger picture? Veganism isn't about the person who is vegan. It's not about our egos, we speak because we care for the earth. And most people haven't even researched it or understood it. It's not hard and it's not something that should be seen as equivalent to an eating disorder. It's not trading out unless the person decides to further starve themselves, in that case, it's still not veganisms fault. Thank you for trying to address this topic, but I would be nicer if you were more educated about what it means to be vegan and how because it really just seems like this video is to drive people away from it when it's a beautiful thing. I hope I wasn't being offensive, I just am very passionate and really don't want people to get the wrong idea.
I think it can be a good stepping stone in recovery. I heard a lot of people say that they went vegan when they were really sick, and it helped them to eat more food because they knew it was healthy and cruelty free and couldn't otherwise justify not eating it. I think it can be a trade off, but I think it's a good thing people are able to eat more and gain weight if needed while still having a little bit of control, and then addressing those psychological issues later after taking care of their body.
I absolutely love your answer to this, Kati. Not a vegan but your answer was very unbiased.
I never had anorexia or bulimia, but I think I had orthorexia when I dabbled in vegetarianism and veganism back in 2015. I was a bit obsessed with my weight since I was a child. I thought I ate plant-based for the animals and the environment, but I always say what some ed sufferers say- “something” takes over and you feel great that you can control something in your life like certain foods.
The weight loss was just a bonus and I received compliments for it. People thought I was doing a good job following a restrictive diet. Society values weight loss over health. Like you said, go plant based if it’s for the right reasons. I find the orthorexic thoughts calling to me from time to time when I’m under a lot of stress. I don’t think an eating disorder leaves a victim, I think the victim just learns to live above it by trying to ignore that voice that calls for a relapse. For every vulnerable soul out there: be careful of restrictive diets.
I have a couple of video requests/ideas:
- Autism/Asperger's in women. It's little-understood and ridiculously underdiagnosed. I recently met with a (highly informed) professional who informed me that although I am most definitely on the spectrum, he can't diagnose me because the DSM criteria are based off observations of young boys. I received this information only as an adult and after a mountain of research on my part, but I have been suffering in silence for years. The problem with these invisible disorders is that no one EVER validates your struggle and you have no inner standard for "normal", so you don't validate it either...and then you just hate yourself for not being able to handle situations that "normal" people can.
- Being asexual/aromantic. I've never been physically attracted to anyone. In my case it's probably related to my autism, but there are lots of people who fall into these categories and receive very little support or validation in general.
- I am also wondering why I hate being in a relationship. I just broke off a relationship with a great guy who tolerated and/or appreciated everything about me (including the above-mentioned conditions). It was a great friendship, but we stopped dating just because I was unhappy. I can't stand being romantically loved/needed. The idea of another human depending on me in such a way gives me constant anxiety, even though I enjoy his personality and company and he let the relationship move on my terms. I also don't want him to be unhappy in a long-term relationship with someone incapable of normal affection.
Background: I also have anxiety and MDD and have had panic attacks and OCD in the past. There is no sexual abuse or trauma in my past.
I appreciate that this conversation is happening. Thank you Katie.
Also, anyone regardless of ED or not, should really see a doctor or nutritionist prior to making any major changes in your diet. There are a lot of internet resources that give really unhealthy advice on veganism and vegetarianism. It's important to make sure that you get the trusted advice from someone that can personalize things for you.
I gained weight from being vegan because I felt I had to prove people wrong. And I wanted to prove that I won’t be that malnourished dying stereotype and convince my (Keto) mother that I could survive perfectly fine.
The way I always described my desire to go vegan vs my eating disorder as my eating disorder being about food and my want to go vegan being about the animals.