At about the same time (Fall of 2009) we both experienced autoimmune failure and became suddenly painfully crippled, generally partially paralyzed, struck with all kinds of health and performance issues that were mysterious, until we found that not only were our symptoms classic to high carb diets (vegan diets are basically about 100% carbs), but that many long term vegans had written about having the same experience, with very similar or exact symptoms, during about the same time frame (15 - 25 years as vegan) that were all a result of a high carb / low fat diet.
All those years we were also starving our brains by denying ourselves any saturated fats that are the primary nutrient for this critical organ. Once sharp minds began to dull.
It is especially disturbing when you have been convinced you were on an almost magically superior - "in tune with god and nature" - diet!
We found however that a short glance at actual "nature" conclusively demonstrates that the concept of the "circle of life" that everyone seems to easily accept for every creature from microbes to planetary systems - excepting only humans - might also apply to us - even though that might infringe on one of the ways humans feel...um..."special" as in a special creation by God or Nature to both rank at the head of and yet be in some intrinsic way different from all the other creatures - not an animal, "a mere brute", but a superior being!
I digress....
We found that there was some real science that had been available but apparently never of interest to the diet "experts" we had consulted over the years. (The Weston Price Foundation is a good place to start and two books I highly recommend are Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes about the science of fats and carbs and The Vegetarian Myth, by Lierre Keith (who spent 20 years as a vegan) who discusses the specific diet caused health issues that long term vegans and many vegetarians seem to experience.
I will include a link at the end of this and each post about this topic for these and other books I recommend.
What we found caused us to turn our diet on it's head and essentially go paleo with a high fat / low carb plan.
The transition to eating meat took an entire years and was really touch and go.
We have now completed a little over one year since that time and have included organic, pastured foods (eggs, raw milk, cheese, yogurt, kefir, beef, pork, deer, chicken, turkey) and wild-caught north atlantic/pacific salmon and cod.
The changes have been pretty amazing and very gratifying.
That is what I am working on and since there is a continuing interest in this topic by readers of my blog [previous "Why I'm No Longer Vegan" post] I hope there will be interest in this update.
So, if you are one of those interested parties, it may be a few weeks yet for my update, but meanwhile - thank you, you're welcome, have a nice day.
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