why are vegans quitting? (A former vegan explains why she’s no longer vegan)

written by Nina Shantel, blog: RealDietHelp.com, published December 27, 2022

I wanted to understand why vegans stop being vegan. Why do most vegans quit?

To gain more understanding, I spoke to two people on this topic, a yogi, animal advocate, vegan of 39 years, and published author, Victoria Moran; and Caroline, a mom with two young children who was vegan for two years.

Victoria Moran and I came up with some possible reasons why previous vegans are drinking animals’ milk and eating animals:

1. It’s easier to be a follower and less stressful to do what everyone else does, than a be leader. It’s harder to be different, criticized, questioned and in the minority (ex: vegan).

2. Money and fame. People in the media get more attention, likes, views, and are welcomed back with open arms to the meat-eating pack, if they announce they were vegan and no longer are.

3. Some individuals are “people pleasers,” and would rather harm themselves by eating unhealthy foods, than hurt other people’s feelings because they value friendship and family over their own wellbeing.

4. Change is hard. Sometimes it takes several times to get accustomed to a new diet, especially a vegan diet because only a small percentage of people avoid animal products completely.

One of my favorite vegan meals: Roasted tofu, potatoes and veggies

Those above reasons for not being vegan are ​​hypotheticals, so I wanted to talk to someone who was vegan and find out his or her reasons for eating animals again. I was introduced to Caroline, a former vegan, who said she would be happy to record our conversation and share her journey in and out of a vegan lifestyle.

Caroline said she was 100% vegan for over two years but was concerned her daughter would develop an eating disorder because her daughter was continuously asking questions to find out if a food was safe to eat. Since someone else she knew who went away to college didn’t have very many meal options at the school cafeteria, ended up underweight and possibly anorexic, her concern was that her daughter might become underweight, deficient in nutrients, and ill too.

She also said there is so much information available, she doesn’t know who to believe.

She said it’s easier for her and her family to eat what other friends and family serve so she doesn’t have to bring vegan food with her. Peer pressure, wanting to follow traditions, simplicity, and worry, have all played a part in her decision to resume eating animals.

Caroline admitted that she doesn’t consume gluten and dairy because her skin conditions cleared up and her children feel better when dairy and gluten is avoided.

I reminded Caroline than an animal had to die for her to eat that meal, which didn’t appear to be compelling based on her expression and what she said after I made that statement. She believes that the animals she eats lived wonderful free lives because they are free range, organic, or she knows the farm they came from. I don’t know if it would have made a difference if I went into details about animal suffering.

She said that her son visits the next-door neighbor to eat two eggs. I was shocked to hear that eggs would be a food choice of a child instead of cookies or soda. Sometimes “forbidden fruit” makes people want that item they wouldn’t normally crave; it’s a form of rebellion. As parents, we need to set ground rules based on what we feel is right. If I had my say when I lived with my parents, I would never have eaten green vegetables, cussed nonstop, and had candy with lunch and dinner.

I told Caroline that eggs are high in cholesterol, but that didn’t seem to matter to her, and her justification for allowing her son to eat this fatty food, is that he “only” eats the two eggs once a week.

Many people are under the false impression that people who are young can eat whatever they want without any repercussions. Maybe I should have told her that heart disease can show up as early as age two.

I explained to Caroline that animal products trigger autoimmune conditions like cancer, but because her and her family aren’t visibly sick, she didn’t see why she needs to avoid consuming animals.

As a vegan myself, I have found that, oftentimes, I cannot convince someone to change their diet no matter what I say.

Two people can read the same books and watch the same movies and come up with different decisions as to what is healthy for them. One person will completely revamp their diet or make small changes over time so that in the not-too-distant future, they will be 100% vegan, whereas the other person, will eat the same way they have always eaten. Same information was presented, yet there are two different results.

I have also found it to be true if a person doesn’t make climate change and/or animal welfare a high value and a priority, they are unlikely to change their diet unless they are a lot of pain and believe changing their diet will get rid of their pain.

I repeatedly hear that people say they are healthy, because they are not in pain all the time, even if they are on medication due to the high protein, high fat foods they eat regularly. If they feel well, they probably won’t change their eating habits.

How am I, who is not her doctor, to convince her that eating animals is harmful, if after watching “The Game Changers” and Dr. Brooke Goldner’s videos of how she reversed Lupus and thousands of patients of life-threatening diseases, or after reading “The China Study,” “Starch Solution,” and “How Not to Die,” didn’t change her mind?

If someone isn’t open minded, or receptive, or has already made up their mind as to what they believe, even if it’s false, no conversation, book, or video, will sway them.

I don’t want to change people; I want to save them. I couldn’t save my dad from a horribly painful death from multiple sclerosis (MS) because, at that time, I didn’t know that animal products trigger MS and autoimmune conditions. I feel terrible guilt every day for not searching for the cause of MS when my father was alive. (I’m fighting away tears as I write this). To deal with my failure to save my father, I have made it my mission to educate people on how reverse disease and prevent disease with lifestyle.

The facts I should have reminder her about is that animal products increase IGF-1, a naturally occurring growth hormone, which is bad because excess IGF-I makes cells grow, thus promoting cancer.

The other thing I neglected to mention to her is that people have been able to reverse cancer & autoimmune disorders with a vegan diet; it takes years for cancer and autoimmune disorders to show up, which is why it’s important to avoid foods that promote disease before symptoms develop, as a preventative measure.

After watching the video below, was there something else I should have said that you think would have convinced her that a vegan diet is the healthiest diet?

Also watch the highlights of the discussion with long-time vegan and animal advocate Victoria Moran, as to why so many vegans are no longer vegan, and why caring about animals and not eating them is best, not just for animals, but also for people and planet earth.

Victoria Moran has a unique perspective, which may be more compelling than my health-based approach. Let me know if you think her conversation or mine is more effective at getting someone to give up drinking animals’ milk and eating animal flesh, and why.

Her website: VictoriaMoran.com​ Victoria’s Main Street Vegan Academy: MainStreetVegan.com ​The Victoria Moran Podcast: Meetings with Remarkable Women​ Victoria’s Interfaith spiritual center: The Compassion Consortium

If this post is located on any other website other than mine, which is RealDietHelp.com, it’s been unauthorized, plagiarized (copied without my permission). The other social media sites where my articles and videos are approved to be published are on my YouTube channel (Nina’s Nutrition & Exercise Videos), my Fit Girl Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheHighFiveDiet/ and my Twitter account https://twitter.com/medairyfree