Vegans Who Started Eating Meat Again Share Their Experiences
Reddit user Capital_Brain2676 asked: 'Vegans that started eating meat again, what happened?'
Most restaurant menus have caught up with the times to offer plenty of options to patrons with various dietary restrictions.
Vegan dishes tend to be a top priority, with gluten-free options being a close second.
Thanks to these options, groups of family and friends can dine together and not be limited by restaurant choices.
But when there's a sudden break in routine on the next outing, it can be jarring when the vegan in your group suddenly orders prime rib or a juicy burger that is not a plant-based patty.
What the whaaat?
Curious to hear from those who did a dietary 180 after routinely nourishing themselves with food grown from the earth's soil, Capital_Brain2676 asked:
"Vegans that started eating meat again, what happened?"
Some people were told what's good for them.
Point Made
"I know someone who was a vegetarian for 13 years simply because someone told them they couldn't do it. I guess he figured 13 years was enough to prove a point and went back to eating meat after."
– ottersandgoats
"I feel like 2-3 years would be enough though??"
– WebBorn2622
On A Dare
"I knew a girl in college who did that. She was dared in middle school to become a vegetarian and... she just stuck with it. More power to them."
– ComplexWest8790
Some people were left with no choice but to ditch veganism.
Thanks, Mickey Ds
"Got cancer. Ate whatever my body would take without throwing up and that just happened to be chicken nuggets."
– BratS94
When Choices Are Limited
"Homeless and pregnant = eat what I was given."
– anon
"I’ve always wondered this actually. If a homeless vegan eats what they’re given. I’ve given homeless people subs in the past because of veggies, protein, and carbs (all necessary things) and wondered if they would eat it if they’re vegan. I’m sorry you’ve been on that road. I hope things are better for you now."
– Saltwater_Heart
The Saying Goes
"There is a reason for the saying 'beggars can’t be choosers,' you give what you can/have and you can’t always accommodate the person you are giving it to, don’t think too hard about it. Also, hope OP is doing better."
– Reikotsu
Certain medical conditions prevented these Redditors from sticking to their restrictive diets.
Cooking For Two
"I still eat mostly vegetarian food and have done all my life. However my husband was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and coeliac which means that a high fibre/lower iron diet is not an option and a lot of the substitutes aren’t gluten free. More often than not when he has meat I’ll leave it or have the veggie equivalent but there are just not enough hours in the day to make 2 separate lasagnes and sauce etc."
– Chanel-Chic
Troublesome Ailment
"As someone who has UC, that's very cool of you to cook a more UC friendly diet. I dated a woman for 6 months who was a pescatarian. Every time I cooked, it was something we both liked and could eat. Every time she cooked, she focused on what she wanted and it didn't seem to matter whether I could eat it or not. She was nuero divergent and had it in her head that veggies = good regardless of what it did to my insides. For anyone who doesn't know, UC is inflammation due to my immune system attacking the lining of my colon. So it's inflamed (unless you're in remission, which a fair amount of people aren't). Large amounts of fiber makes the food sit there longer and get more packed, which hurts like all hell being tight up against inflamed tissue. And certain ones create gas of an unimaginable magnitude and strength."
"Anyway, a fair amount of the time, I had to order delivery or takeout because otherwise, I would have been farting or sh*tting my brains out overnight. So I appreciate what you've done like you wouldn't believe."
– Wishilikedhugs
Bye Bye Veggies
"My gastroparesis diet led me off my vegan diet as well. I can’t handle legumes, leafy greens, and most vegetables. Hard to be a healthy vegan without any of those."
– Jefauver
When Vegan Ingredients Turn On You
"Yup. Crohn’s Disease ended my 17 year vegetarian stretch. I’m in remission now and don’t eat red meat but I am sensitive to several vegan friendly ingredients like garlic, onions, cauliflower family and now I can avoid them without starving."
–friscodayone
Cooking For A Full House
"Back when COVID had everyone in lockedown, myself and my roommate's family would take turns cooking dinner and it was fine. Then my roommate went on the NOOM diet, her daughter was diagnosed with GERD and couldn't have anything acidic, and her husband was diagnosed with celiac. Oh, and another family member disliked potatoes. I finally had to bow out. It was way too much of a pain in the @ss to cook a meal that met all of those restrictions."
– panda388
Sometimes, you just gotta have meat.
Costco Chicken
"Not my story, but a good friend of mine was vegetarian, very nearly vegan for over 10 years. One day she was in Costco and walked past the rotisserie chickens. Without thinking she put it in her cart. When she got home she stood over the sink and ate it with her bare hands. She had no idea what came over her. Her telling me this story is still one of the funniest things I've ever heard. She is still very plant forward in her eating, but she won't hesitate to order a burger or a steak when she wants it now."
– NotAlwaysGifs
Ravenous
"I went on a weekend backpacking trip with a girl who had been religiously vegan for a few years. It was a pretty physically intense trip, and the last day heading back was in pouring rain the whole way, so by the time we got back to our car, we were absolutely exhausted, filthy, and starving."
"There was only one restaurant anywhere nearby, one of those highway diners. We get there and I notice she's got this kind of crazy look in her eyes. I ask if she's okay, and she just says 'I need a steak.' I laugh, but she goes 'I'm serious. I can't help it. I need a big greasy piece of meat right now or I'm going to die.""
"Sure enough, she orders the biggest steak on the menu, and wolfs it down in minutes, and the crazed look goes away. After that, she went right back to being vegan like nothing had happened. The look in her eyes was a little scary to be honest."
– AxelShoes
Unless it's a matter of life or death, there's no way I can survive being a vegan.
I don't have a strong enough will power to avoid eating meat.
So if that day ever comes when I'm forced to make a major change in my diet that won't include red meat and you're around me all the time, apologies in advance for my perpetual state of being hangry.
The word diet or the phrase "healthier options," don't have to be curse words.
We've come a long way in food culture.
There are some foods that make a fantastic supplement to the foods that harm us.
No one is trying to control anyone, but there are healthy options that taste just as good if not better than the unhealthy.
Redditor daborabo asked:
"What healthy food tastes just as good as unhealthy food?"
Is wine healthy? It's made from fruits. Hmmm...
By the 5
“'Cuties' mandarin oranges."
avauli
"I'll grab like 5 and just hide in my room and eat them and then come out and grab 5 more. They're good."
SexyPineapple-4
Happy New Year GIF by SitecoreGiphyPop Pop Pop
"Homemade popcorn. Get some kernels from the supermarket, pop them in a pot or something, and chuck some salt on. Heck, lump some butter on too, then it may not quite qualify as 'Healthy,' but it's still a heck of a lot better than packaged microwave popcorn."
quantummidget
"I love popping the corn at home! My favorite is to just pop white popcorn plain, then spritz it with some olive oil (just a little), then top with chopped chives and fresh Parmesan cheese."
ImParticleMan
Delish
"Tzatziki."
Macarogi
"I make some fresh every 2 days! I'm Greek so I eat it with almost everything."
djfine
"Agree! I love it as a dip for fresh vegetables - cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, bell pepper slices, baby carrots. I bring this to work for lunch occasionally and it’s simple and delicious."
Changolango
"Being Armenian of course we have tangents to the Tzatziki!!!.... with Falafels... Yum!!!"
totallytotal2020
I'll eat all of them...
"Pistachios."
septagon7777777
"Oh God I cannot keep pistachios in my house because I'll eat all of them. I once bought a Costco bag. Never again."
aquanonymous
"Really depends on how you define healthy. Pistachios contain 50% more calories than sugar, so unless you eat very limited amounts of them they're extremely unhealthy."
evr-
"A couple of friends said pistachios taste even better when you freeze them, because they take on a creamier consistency."
je4nine
Yummy
"Dried mango tastes like hairy gummy bears... personally, I like it."
"Dried mango is amazing, but I feel that you described it in the worst possible way, lol."
EverydayObjectMass
Gillian Jacobs Love GIF by NETFLIXGiphyMangos I love. Dry anything, no thank you.
In the Sun
"Fresh picked berries, especially when they're still warm from the sun. I can eat a bowl of them like a bowl of chips."
t12aq
Season 9 Eating GIF by The SimpsonsGiphyDo it Right!
"If you do it right, smoothies."
CringeBOIXD
"I put tons of veggies in my smoothies (spinach, kale, carrots, beets, arugula, parsnips, etc). Seriously half my smoothie is veggies and I mask the flavor with fruits. I usually also add half an avocado, protein powder, turmeric powder and hemp or flax seeds.
"I usually eat it for dinner and call it the 'lazy salad.' Bonus round: adding cinnamon, pure cocoa powder, fresh ginger, or dash of vanilla will seriously up your smoothie game!!"
ShineInThePines
The Peak
"Fresh peaches. When they are just ripe is their peak of flavor."
double_kcik
"I had a fresh peach only once in my life right off a farm, thing exploded into juice the minute I took a bite, I still dream of that damn thing and finally get why people keep saying farm stand/market beats store."
"I had one of these in Italy. Our tour guide told the bus driver to pull over to buy fresh peaches... and as soon as I bit into it, the peach juices were dripping down my chin and arm. Best peach I’ve ever had. I think about it a lot... and this was back in 2011."
peacharnoldpalmer
Fresh
"Homemade fresh guacamole."
AzukyPanda
"I ate guacamole like it was nobody's business... then developed an allergy. Stomach cramps and itching. Apparently its connected to my latex allergy and I have sensitivity to banana, papaya, kiwifruit, celery, and sometimes even prepackaged salads because they wear latex gloves during packaging."
wasabi_gem
Family Size It
"Hummus."
JadedHoneydew
"I mean hummus is healthy if you eat it like a normal person. For some reason, I can’t help but eat the whole family size hummus in one setting."
needadvice1234554321
hummus GIFGiphyI love hummus! #Hummusforever
For the most part, our pets get treated extremely well. They are fed, bathed, played with, cooed over, and are treated like part of the family.
Some pets get even more comforts awarded to them, such as luxurious beds, copious amounts of toys, and amazing food. My best friend rents a three-bedroom apartment just so her dog and cat can have their own rooms!
However, sometimes we're not always the best caretakers. Most of us don't intend to neglect our pets or any part of their care. However, a combination of unfounded internet advice, our pet's favorable reactions, and sometimes even plain old hubris, lead us to make decisions that aren't in the best interest of our furry friends.
Luckily, veterinarians are here to tell us the proper way to care for our pets.
This is all thanks to Redditor Feeling2Leafy who asked:
"Veterinarians of Reddit, what do pet owners ignore the most?"
Feed Them Right
"Husbandry advice, but dietary advice in general. I see a lot of animals being fed inappropriate diets, which owners will refuse to stop feeding because "the animal likes it.""
– Moctor_Drignall
"My neighbours used to feed their dogs bread with butter and meat. Over the past 15 years they killed 3 dogs like that and dont want to admit that their way of feeding is the problem"
– MaxRptz
"Yup this annoys me especially since even Google will tell them what they are feeding them is wrong or just plan bad."
– Valuable-Currency-36
Start Young, Start Early
"I believe that the finest thing you can do for your new pet, particularly a puppy or kitten, is to handle it frequently when it is young. Getting them used to having their feet handled, nails trimmed, mouths opened (even more benefit if you get them used to brushing their teeth daily - gold standard for at-home dental care), ears touched (especially breeds prone to ear infections - huge benefit in the future if you have to administer topical ear medication)... Restraint is also crucial. I constantly advise my clients to train their animals to be restrained. Because it hasn't learned to be okay with restraint, that wriggly puppy that is cute when it nips when you hold it grows up to be a massive dog that can't be properly examined."
– Relevant_Home_810
"Thank you for mentioning restraint. Restraint's very important in making sure pets can coincide with their environments!"
– Feeling2Leafy
And Don't End At Old
"Teeth and quality of life in older senior animals."
– Campfire77
"I can definitely agree that senior animals need more care than some people realize."
– Feeling2Leafy
Dogs Are Not Accessories
""People who carry their toy breeds everywhere and feed them human food instead of dog food... they are killing their pets slowly.""
"My vet said this to me as we were as we were walking our dogs on the beach. Apparently lots of small breeds get very little exercise and are extremely overweight."
– Nobody_Wins_13
Of Course It Hurts!
"Obesity and sadly, pain. I have met many owners who have had lame dogs for weeks and didn’t think the animal was in pain. Sometimes we have even discovered after X-rays that the animal has a fracture."
– Safe_Ad4328
"My favourite is when clients come in to get the stitches removed from their dogs spey and hand back the pain meds (that they paid for???) for us to dispose of because “I didn’t need to give any, she wasn’t in any pain”"
"Like I’m sure having your guts cut open and an organ ripped out is just a walk in the park for you, but I think fluffy would have appreciated some pain relief"
– Elliespaghetti669
Greens Aren't Always Good
"Look up what plants are toxic to your pet! You'd be surprised what common house plants are incredibly deadly to your fuzzball."
"An example is lilies for cats, getting some pollen on their fur and licking it up or drinking water out of the vase is enough to cause deadly kidney failure in a few days. Check the plants you have and deal with the toxic ones. I got rid of my peace lilies before I got my cat. You could also place them somewhere your pet can't get at them (off limits room, behind glass, hang it out of reach, etc.) Though that carries a risk of accidents."
– raininmywindow
Sometimes The Best Thing Is The Hardest Thing
"This might not be the most ignored, but it’s the one that if ignored cause the most suffering.
"Deciding the time to put your pet to sleep. Some people tell us that “they aren’t ready”, which is sad, and I know it’s going to be the hardest choice you’ll ever need to make regarding your little one."
"But the hard truth is, it’s not about you."
"If your pet is crying all night, not eating without you force feeding one bit at a time, and can’t even walk on it’s own, it’s time. Most of the time our animals tell us when they’re ready, and they trust that you’ll do what’s best for them."
"We have an amazing opportunity with animals, which is to let them go when their quality of life just isn’t there anymore, and selfish owners that refuse just because they “can’t handle it yet” is half the reason why working in the industry will not be long term for me."
– Elliespaghetti669
Be Willing To Do The Work
"The top one for me (and I’m sure it’s been mentioned somewhere) is a rabbits general needs. Dietary, husbandry, and housing. Rabbits have so many needs that need to be met- they are not easy animals! They have burrowing needs, hay and straw are necessary, so many vegetables they cannot be fed or shouldn’t be in high amounts that people ignore, and the majority of hutches they are kept in do not meet their needs!"
"My friend specialises in rabbits and the stories I’ve heard from her are just terrible. Please do genuine research into rabbits before you buy them or ask a vet advice."
– h0n3yst
Vaccinate, Vaccinate, Vaccinate
"Not a vet, but worked at a clinic. vaccine schedules. You want to go as soon as your pet is due, don't wait a few months or even a few weeks. We had a clients dog die of lepto because they were behind in the vaccine. Preventatives are another. You need them year round, bc fleas and ticks still come out and heart worm is not something to f**k with"
– roccotheraccoon
Rehome, Don't Dump And Run
"Please give your unwanted pets up for adoption, or at least put a little effort into giving your pets a future home. Summer is season for abandoning pets in the wild, even though many wont survive in nature, let alone the cold climate in some countries."
"You have responsibilities ffs... Just because the poor pet suddenly doesn't fit into your lives, it doesn't mean it has to suffer."
– MrPundick
"It's one of the few things that I just cannot empathize with is dumping a pet. Needing to rehome a pet, absolutely, we all end up in situations that we couldn't have foreseen and my heart breaks for anyone faced with that decision, but then take it to a rescue. There is NEVER an excuse to dump an animal in the wild for any reason."
– KaleidoscopeInside
Okay, so those people are deliberately evil, and we don't need a vet to tell us not to abandon a pet.
However, a lot of this advice is really useful. We all love our pets, and now we know how to take care of them better!
Chances are, most of our favorite foods are not exactly healthy for us.
We always crave them for obvious reasons, but it would do us some good to eat them in moderation, whether it's chocolate or mashed potatoes.
But aside from being a craving or a snack, there are general foods we consume on a regular basis and we don't think about it because it's part of our regular diet.
That is until Redditor TheJoePilato put things in perspective by asking:
"By volume, what food have you eaten the most of in your life?"
These Redditors find it's difficult to avoid carbohydrates
On A Roll
"Bread in any form probably"
– PvtPill
"I'm eating fresh bread right now! I tend to eat it about 1/3 a loaf at a time, so it seems like a lot, but I'll go weeks or months between making it."
– Original Poster (OP)
Popular Staple Food
"Rice."
–duckling_tota
"Rice is great when you're hungry and want 10,000 of something."
– MaynardJ222
It Has Ap-peal
"Bananas, I think."
– Daintylittlesole
Italian food seemed to be a number one choice for hungry Redditors.
"It’s a battle between pizza and pasta. Pizza might be winning. Blame being from north NJ."
– User Deleted
NYC Staple
"I think when I first moved to NYC, it was pizza for sure. In college, it might have been pasta. Dollar slice/dollar for a pound of dry pasta? Can't say no to that."
– OP
That's One Way To Eat It
"Pasta. I inhale the stuff."
– User Deleted
A Deep Obsession
"pizza. I have an obsession that worries my friends and family. I am not unhealthy and am not over weight. Have pretty decent health, I guess that makes people mad or something but my family and close friends get actually angry with me that pizza is my main food always."
– PizzaPretender
But it's hard to resist Mexican cuisine as well.
That's A Wrap
"As a Mexican, tortillas."
– lululechavez3006
Can't Have Burritos Without 'Em
"Also as a Mexican."
"Rice and beans but tortillas are probably high on my list."
– Effective_Trouble967
It's A Daily Option
"I'm a Texan, but same. We have Tortillas pretty much daily in my home and always have."
– Lets-B-Lets-B-Jolly
These honorable mentions are also a frequent part of Redditors' diets.
Exotic Gravy
"Indian curry. It must be coming close to tonnage now."
– floydie1962
Can't Live Life Without It
"Cheese. Definitely cheese. Only because of the diversity of cheese options and the broad spectrum of other food products (vegetables, fruit, meat) that distribute the curve. ...."
"Who am I kidding. It's mostly because cheese is just so damn good."
– SanctionedMarine
And The Golden Ticket Goes To...
"Chocolate ftw! Chocolate milk, chocolate cake, chocolate cookies, brownies, chocolate muffins, chocolate pudding, chocolate oatmeal, chocolate icing, chocolate ice cream, chocolate-covered almonds, chocolate-covered espresso beans, chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate candy at every holiday and that was just when I was a kid."
"Now as an adult I've cleaned up my diet and only eat dark chocolate. Sadly I gave up 90% all sweets/junk food. But I can't say no to dark chocolate protein bars, dark chocolate-covered espresso beans, dark chocolate oatmeal. And sometimes just plain dark chocolate with a little bit of sweetener. Chocolate is my kryptonite."
– nessao616
For me, it's noodles.
Growing up Japanese, I had ramen, udon, and soba noodles all the time and loved slurping up each helping.
It wasn't surprising that I later became obsessed with pasta. Put me in front of a moving conveyor belt with a parade of spaghetti, fusilli, fettuccine, linguine, penne, macaroni, gnocchi. I'll devour them all if I could.
Lord help, me if I ever develop an intolerance for gluten.
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Who can resist having a medium-rare slab of filet mignon, perhaps with some béarnaise sauce, on their dinner plate?
That would be true vegetarians, that's who. But no judgment here.
After all, vegetarians reap healthy rewards, including having lower blood pressure and a lower risk of chronic diseases.
Carnivores, on the other hand, can't imagine not having a juicy burger, or even chicken and fish. But just because meat-eaters love their meat doesn't mean they limit their dietary options, come supper time.
Curious to hear about the palates of strangers on the internet, Redditor TinyRobotParts asked:
"Meat eaters of reddit, what is your favorite vegetarian/vegan dish?"
Got that napkin tucked into your shirt with fork and knife at the ready?
Then, let's go. The following home chefs shared their favorite dishes grown from the earth.
Put It In A Pot
"Veggie soup. Simple to make, a lot of room to experiment and individualize it to your liking."
"It's also healthy and cheap."
Shaking The Bag
"So I cube some sweet potatoes and toss the chunks in a big ziploc bag."
"Then I add olive oil and spicy BBQ rub."
"Shake the bag so the oil and rub coats the potato chunks and then slow smoke at 225 until soft."
"It's flippin delicious" – Ron_F'kin_Swanson
Indian food was brought up repeatedly as having the best-tasting vegetarian/vegan dishes.
"Amazing Use Of Potatoes"
"Nobody else makes vegetarian food that seriously tastes insanely good across so many different dishes. It rarely even feels like its vegetarian because of their amazing use of potatoes and other high calorie veggies."
So Many Options
"Even as a meat-eater, baingan bhartha is my go-to at Indian places, followed by aloo gobi. And there's so many dishes that can be made veg without too much issue - korma, saag, biryani, even vindaloo. Pretty much the only thing I've found that doesn't really work is murgh makhni (aka butter chicken), and even then I've had some passable versions, just not quite to my taste."
Palak Paneer
"Palak paneer is my absolute favorite. There's no Indian restaurants where I live, and my attempts at making it myself have been less than successful."
"I live in a very small town in Wisconsin currently, and we literally have like five or six Mexican restaurants but zero Indian or Thai."
"As soon as I can I'm moving back to Cincinnatinati, specifically Westchester/ Sharonville. Indian buffets and Pakistani restaurants every 5 ft. It was glorious."
Mediterranean cuisine offers plenty of delicious vegetarian options for omnivores.
Simple Pasta
"too many but for example, spaghetti aglio/olio (with garlic and olive oil)"
"Crunchy Cheese Pizza"
"Eggplant parmesan is one of my favorites too. It's like a little crunchy cheese pizza and I could eat the entire eggplant in one sitting by myself."
– Struana
Falafel Is Not Awful
"Falafel sandwich, with extra tahini, poured on. The places that do it really well (which is rare) are the best restaurants on earth to me. So amazing."
"Plenty of people might be like 'eh not for me'. Then they try it and their mind is blown."
I'm a meat-eater through and through, but I have found that, as I got older, I like less heavy meals.
While Margherita Pizza is technically not a vegetarian dish since it has no vegetable toppings, it has become my favorite non-meat dish.
I found that the simplicity of the pie's basic ingredients made it more flavorful than having it topped with ground sausage and pepperoni.
But if I had to go with a favorite vegetarian dish, I would say vegetarian lasagna is right up there.
Suddenly, I have this sudden urge to eat my way through Italy. Who's coming with?