You do what you like.

I was happy to read all of the above comments.

Only, one thing shocks the very core of my being.

The love, compassion and respect given so freely to animals should also be given AS freely to human beings by being polite and respectful.

Who are we to judge. Who are we to point fingers. No one here is flawed. And if I were to choose the MAIN carateristic for the vegan/vegetarian community and the example we are supposed to set for one another and for those who do not share our opinions it would be LOVE LOVE LOVE !!!

I have to laugh at their presumption, and confess to enjoying the site of their squirming once I reveal that I’m a paleontology student and demonstrate that I know more about human evolution than they do.

But still, they seem to be getting more common, and I wish they’re fad would just wither away.

You offer great advice for this problem!

There may be situations where people can thrive on veganism, and I’ll never discount that. I do, however, now strongly believe they are exceptions.

I almost died because I was vegan.

There’s no more and no less to that story. I don’t want to get into specifics, because it’s a lot of pain and anguish but in the end I had to begin consuming animal products again. I wasn’t a junk food vegan. I ate very, very well and took supplements. My health went severely downhill after about six years.

I already expect most vegans to take it harshly. It’s like a personal attack on their diet choices, and in some ways it is. Being vegan is dangerous to some, and the dangers of it need to be addressed and clearly stated to those who are considering beginning the diet.

Women can be perfectly healthy on a vegan diet throughout pregnancy and during nursing, as even the conservative ADA has said.

Thanks for sharing your story, but you can hang onto the advice.

The point of me saying this, is that I used to get really mad when ex-vegans would get on their soapbox and tell me just how unhealthy is is not to eat dairy (since, as most people agree that vegetarianism is healthy, dairy is what these people must have the problem with, right?). It really annoys me when people who simply lose their willpower (like me) are too proud to say it, and instead try to get others to come down to their level, to make themselves feel better, or right.

A woman I know used to be a vegetarian (it was the little lambs that did it, she sniffed) but now eats anything that walks, and once sat and gave me a lecture about how she was literally dying without meat, and had to go ‘back on it’ for health reasons *cough bullsh!t*. If that was true, you would think these people, having felt so compassionately about animals in the past, would eat the bare minimum of meat to keep their poor wasted bodies going, but I often find that they have meat every day (and with most meals).

Anyway, although the advice in this blog is the most polite way to deal with ex-vegans, you have to ask yourself why they care so much, as to interrogate you on your food choices. Tell them to eat what they want and you’ll eat what you want, because I bet they’re only trying to get you to convert back to make themselves feel better.

Now, I also think it’s okay to occasionally eat processed soy foods, like faux meats and such, but think of them as a treat.

If thyroid problems run in your family or you already have a thyroid problem then consume less soy. But be aware there is a lot of soy in packaged food, so read labels. My mom has hypothyroidism and is careful with her consumption.