Staying Vegan

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Hey guys I need some help and maybe some advice. I have been vegan for about two years now and recently tried going to go vegetarian. But every time I eat animal products I break out into psoriasis and eczema. I am allergic to a protein in animal enzyme. But being vegan is becoming extremely lonely. None of my family members I am living with are vegan. They always eat different meals from me and I'm becoming very diet chaotic right now. I don't want the pain of eczema and the pain of psoriasis, but I want to be able to share the experience with my family. My dad doesn't like veganism and will not compromise to eat one vegan meal at least. My little brother is fine and happy, he likes some of the vegan meals I make. And the middle child is a vulture and eats whatever is made.

I have tried to go to Vegan support meetings, but I am not an ethical vegan. That's the issue a lot of the Vegans around here are ethical vegans. They believe in the notion that no animal should be harmed and that everyone should go vegan. I have nothing in common to share with them because I am a medical vegan. And I believe we can farm animals just not in the unhealthy way we are doing it now.

I just am no longer sure what to do. I feel healthier as a vegan, in body and mind. But I feel socially better non vegan because that's what everyone is eating.

Any advice?

i know this isnt really any help but i wish i was like you in a way. if i was a vegan or could live off a vegan diet then i wouldnt be the pig-at-a-trough that i am.

Being vegan has allowed me to explore and come out of my comfort zone trying things I would have never tried before. I realize how limited my omnivore diet was when I was a kid. I only ever ate the same things. When I went vegan I have tried Indian food, I have made my own Asain equivalent meals. I stopped wanting to go out because I knew how to make what was made at the resteraunts and make it much healthier too. It's just the social isolation that's killing me.

For twenty years of my life, even as I kid I suffered with the painfulness of psoraisis and eczema. When I was twenty it was so bad the psoriasis growing on my eyelids was scratching the surface of my eyeballs. It was so cake, sore and painful. And all the doctors ever wanted to do was perscribe me more ointment. My skin is super sensitive and it just made things worse. I went vegan as a last resort and everything cleared up.

I tried going back omnivore, but it just doesn't work.

Try to weigh what's more important. If food is more important to you than skin, start eating meat products again. I think whatever you feel is more important to lead a satisfying life, pick that choice.

That's interesting. Which enzyme is that?

Some people are hypersensitive to histamine in some meats and fish, and I've heard of other proteins causing reactions too but apparently one really important factor with histamine and another protein/enzyme ( whose name I can't remember ) is how FRESH the meat or fish is. Apparently tinned and prepackaged meat and fish will trigger the reaction where fresh meat or fish won't, so maybe that would be worth trying, IF you can get and/or afford really fresh meat/fish that is.

And some meat and fish is not so high in the offending proteins either ( I seem to remember that sardines are very high in histamine ).

Another animal protein problem I can't remember in detail ( diet/nutrition used to be my top special interest for years and then a year ago it just disappeared, and I've been forgetting so much of what I used to know! ) is related to cooking meat as opposed to eating it raw or air-dried or roasted at very very low temps, because certain proteins are more digestible, less allergenic when raw.

Another factor can be different animal "families". Some people are much more sensitive to bovine/beef animal products than porcine/pork and vice versa. Others react to chicken and eggs and so on. Have you experimented to see if some animal "families" are less of a problem?
.

PS. Important additional remark!

And something else, allergy/intolerance of certain foods can be deceptive. I used to think that I was allergic to tea, to citrus fruits, to pickles, and certain other foods in my teens and twenties; they used to apparently trigger the most awful headaches, agonising bloating, and odd other things ... so I avoided them ... only to gradually find other more serious health issues bothering me ( like mood-disorder ! ) and on trying a gluten-free diet which I had read might help ( and it did ) I suddenly found that my other problems stopped, no more headaches, no more bloating, better sleep, etc.

What hapens is that there is one ( or a couple of ) underlying or "invisible" food intolerances/allergies, in which one major/daily food source partly/largely "fills up" the "bucket" of how much stress our bodies can cope with, and then other foods, to which we are slightly sensitive cause that "bucket" to overflow.

Have you tried giving up gluten, or perhaps casein/dairy?

Good luck anyway.
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Last edited by ouinon on 18 Mar 2012, 3:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

does the condition flare up immediately or do you have to regularly eat non-vegan food for it to come back?

A vegan diet is a vegan diet. No milk. I am also lactose intolerant as well.



A week usually it begins to appear through the week. It's slow and not immediate, but it doesn't take months just a few days.

edit-

I probably should make it clear Ou, I have not been officially screened by a doctor. For my allergies. They have always just given me cream to cure it. I would love to know, but fear they will not accept my own personal experience.

If you are allergic to the many things you state you are, then keep eating vegan-wise.

Does it matter that you are lonely? You are not feeling sick to your stomach. Vegan food is fine. If you were to ask me how to become re-interested in vegan food, I'd say to buy a new vegan cookbook, or maybe a vegan chat site. Do something vegenish like helping out at a farm sanctuary (or just walk dogs at a rescue or the shelter (realizing I know dogs eat meat) but you know, helping animals.

I am not a vegan. I am an omnivore who eats a lot of vegetarian and vegan dishes. I have never seen anything odd about going meatless and have done for years at a time. I keep falling off the wagon due to my carnivorous nature, and weak will. If I were actually allergic-- why there would be no more question. It would be a health issue. pasta with only tomato sauce here I come!

Katy

Because...I use to eat omnivore, since I was a kid. For 20 years. So I too have a weak will despite my psoriasis and eczema. Bacon, I love bacon. I cannot have it.

I keep fighting myself. It was easier when there was another vegan in the household, but now that there isn't...no one cares about my cooking. No one cares when I cook.

I love cooking for the family.

I was vegetarian for about three months and it wasn't easy but just like you mentioned I felt so much better on so many different aspects. If it's difficult for you to keep your vegan diet, how about vegetarian? You dont necessarily have to go all the way if you know what I mean. Trader Joes and Whole Foods are a godsend where I live so I shop there frequently although I'm no longer vegetarian. Online shopping can be useful to buy ingredients that suit your dietary needs. I do eat meat now but I try to cut out dairy products as much as I can except for occasional indulgences such as milk tea, cheese and ice cream.

I think if I want to stay vegan I need to explore more. That's the issue. I'm the best when I can experiment and explore. I'm the best vegan when I have enough to expand my horizones. I'm not so good fo a vegan when things begin to dwindle.

Good luck with everything!!

Thanks Ria.

I'm a vegan of 5.5 years-
while I'm of the ethical variety,
I can empathize with the feelings of isolation it causes.
I get so very tired of going out with people and finding the only option is a salad (often not even that, unaltered)
or a plate of sad-looking cooked vegetables,
while everyone else eats something delicious.

Could you incorporate faux animal products into any of the meals your family eats?
Ex- they have pasta with chicken, and you have pasta with some meatless "chkn" from MorningStar or Boca?

I try to as often as I can. "Denial Bacon" and "Denial Ham sandwich slices". Chicken is actually tofu. I use tofu to replace chicken or egg in a lot of my meals. I actually really love tofu. But the moment I don't have tofu here at the home it becomes unbarable, I miss tofu.