Over the past several years, I drifted into vegetarian eating for no particular reason other than I liked the food and recipes. I was an “accidental vegetarian”: I did not set out to eat that way but drifted into it. I liked the vegetarian foods I was cooking and they came to dominate my eating, only having meat – almost always chicken – as a stir fry – once or twice per month. I never thought of myself as a vegetarian and if asked, I would not have described myself as vegetarian. I was influenced by several people who gave up meat eating, and media stories proclaiming vegetarian eating as “healthy”, and “will save the planet”.
I never woke up one day and said, I’m giving up meat and will eat only plants.
Only recently did I discover that almost meatless eating was causing serious health problems that had occurred for over 2 years. I am now an everyday omnivore again – and my health has improved dramatically.
Below, I describe what I experienced with B12 deficiency. But first, I looked into the experience of others.
You Must Apologize if You Cannot Eat Vegetarian?
I ran across this article – where the writer wrote a 35-page, single spaced essay apologizing for why she is no longer a vegetarian: Why I Stopped Being Vegetarian After 11 Years | Healy Eats Real
After 11 years she had serious health problems and, it turns out, she can’t eat vegetarian. Yet she felt compelled to write a 35-page apology.
Do you need to apologize for doing what is best of your health?
Apparently if you cannot eat vegetarian, you are lesser and inferior person who is unclean and bad for the earth and should grovel for forgiveness?
Discontinuing eating vegetarian is described with sharp tongued language: 5 Reasons Why Some Vegans Go Back To Eating Meat | LIVEKINDLY where such people who leave vegetarian eating are said to be “falling off the wagon”.
There is no right way to eat – but those who are not vegetarian or who cannot be vegetarian (like the author of the above or me) feel they must apologize for their transgression of eating meat. That line of thinking feels like a religion, unfortunately, and pits groups against one another. Shouldn’t all groups want freedom to eat the way that works for them?
Why are we compelled to defend being vegan, vegetarian, lacto ovo vegan, flexitarian, omnivore, carnivore, low fat, high fat, keto, high protein, low glycemic index or whatever else one chooses?
Why do we have proponents of any eating style insisting others should adhere to their one true eating style?
Why is it necessary to insist that “my way” (whatever that is) is the only true way to eat, that this makes someone more sanctimonious than others, more worthy, a better person?’
Because all of the above have become modern day religions.
Here’s another essay from a woman who quit eating vegetarian after 18 years, who concludes “You do (what works for) you. Don’t ever feel like you have to put a label on your eating patterns or defend your eating decisions as long as you’re being really honest and curious with yourself about your intentions behind them“
Another take:
And yet, there’s a vital piece of these conversations that’s been missing: the reality of being a vegetarian. And the truth is that, for many of us, it’s not actually a sustainable lifestyle; not long-term, anyway. Most vegetarians, regardless of convictions or reasons for quitting meat, ultimately go back to eating meat.
Lessons I Learned from Quitting Vegetarianism | by A. Elise | Wholistique | Medium
(NOTE – SAMPLE BIAS – a majority of vegetarians are women – see below. A majority of writers are women. Consequently, when you look online for information on these topics, you’ll find personal stories from women, who are/were vegetarian and also work as writers. Their views are not necessarily going to be consistent with a diverse group.)
Vegetarianism Is Not Widespread
From frequent media reports, you’d think vegetarianism is widespread, but surveys find that few people eat plant-based diets (vegan and vegetarian) or vegetarian (plants + dairy and eggs).
What Percent Are Vegetarian/Vegan?
- In the U.S., 4% of adults are vegetarian, down from 6% twenty years ago per Gallop 2023 survey. Yet another study, found about half of those who said they were vegetarian actually ate meat at times! Which means reported percentages of true vegetarians may be twice the true value.
- A 2018 Gallop survey found 5% were vegetarian.
- An estimated 2% of the U.S. population is a “long term” vegetarian (Microsoft Copilot answer)
- Another study estimated about 3% are vegetarian: Vegetarianism. A blossoming field of study – ScienceDirect
- 1.7% of adults age 65 or older are vegetarian.
- In 2017, NPR reported an estimated 3.3% of Americans were vegetarian.
- A 2006 US FDA study found 2.3% are vegetarian and 1.4% are vegans.
- One way to obfuscate low numbers is to create more categories that sound like vegetarian but are not: flexitarian (eats some meat), and pescatarian (eats fish). Each is about 3% in the ipsos survey of 28 countries.
- When this is taken into account, the actual % of the population truly eating vegetarian may be as little as 2% plus 1% vegan.
I suspect these values, above, are lower than you were expecting, certainly based on the media attention promoting vegetarian eating. There are many vegetarian promoters who discuss hypothetical benefits – but give little or no public attention to real health risks. This skews many into thinking they can casually start eating vegetarian or vegan.
What Percent of Vegetarians/Vegans Give it Up?
- 12% of Americans have at any time, pursued a vegetarian diet per Gallop. Which means that 66% quit (12% compared to the 2021 estimate of 4% is a loss of two-thirds).
- Another study estimated 84% give it up eventually. Vegetarian activists claim the study is flawed or misleading. They say eating plant-based food is irrelevant to classification as a vegan or vegetarian: “if a vegetarian or vegan diet is only adopted for health, then it isn’t veganism at all, but a plant-based activity.” About half self-identify, then, as true vegetarians or vegans which proponents define is someone who does not eat meat for philosophical or ethical reasons.
- Here is a 2019 survey with similar values.
- Another survey claims 79% of vegetarians are women, 21% are men. The Gallop poll found 60% were women and 40% were men.
- Globally, 4-10% +/- are vegetarian (varies by country) and vegans are 1-2%. India has an estimated 20-40% of its population as vegetarian and: Vitamin B12 Deficiency is Endemic in Indian Population: A Perspective from North India – PMC (nih.gov)
Why Do People Give Up Vegetarian Eating?
- 35% give up vegetarian eating because their health declined.
- 25% found it difficult find quality food at the right price, took too much time, or “grew tired of the lifestyle”.
- 15% found eating vegetarian interfered with their social life.
- 20% found they wanted to eat meat again.
- Some discover they used vegetarian eating to hide an eating disorder.
- For some, vegetarian eating is a way of protesting actual or perceived U.S. farming practices
Finally, whether or not you can successfully be vegetarian may come down to genetics as researchers think there may be some genetic differences between the small % who eat vegetarian and the rest of the population: Being a vegetarian may be in the genes, a new study finds : Shots – Health News : NPR and Being a vegetarian is genetic and could explain why some people can’t give up meat (msn.com)
Vegetarian/Vegan Promotion
- There are numerous vegetarian/vegan book authors who promote this way of eating.
- There are vegetarian/vegan doctors who promote this way of eating – and typically also publish books on the topic. (Similarly, there are many authors who promote “keto” diets, low carb, and the extreme – the Carnivore diet – literally, meat and eggs.)
- There are many media articles implying this way of eating is common and spreading rapidly.
- There are climate enthusiasts who insist we must stop eating all meat to “save the planet” (not realizing that pet dogs and cats consume 25% of the meat in the U.S. -which means, they also wish to ban all pet dogs and cats).
- Promoters have a religious zeal – and proclaim hypothetical benefits but omit or hide legitimate health concerns (they won’t sell many books if they say “Eat this way and get sick!”)
- This has created a skewed public perspective on vegetarian/vegan eating – since it worked for the promoter, it can work for everyone! And everyone will be better! And the planet will be better!
- The reality is – whether vegetarian eating works for you “depends” on many factors. Just because it works for you does not mean it works for everyone else.
Health Issues
B12 deficiency is common among those who pursue vegetarian or vegan eating, especially over a period of years. Most of us have a 2-6 year store of B12 in our livers – such that we can go a while without consuming meat before B12 deficiency symptoms strike.
It is theoretically possible to avoid b12 deficiency on a vegetarian or vegan diet BUT it requires careful planning and monitoring: Vitamin B12 among Vegetarians: Status, Assessment and Supplementation – PMC (nih.gov)
The various levels of blood markers are defined differently by country – with a wide variation, suggesting no one really knows what a truly adequate level is for everyone. Many people are not average, as well.
Per a video by Dr. Greger, the recommended 2.4 micrograms of B12 per day came from a 1958 study. Other countries (other than the U.S.) recommend about twice that level and some recent studies suggest about 7-8 micrograms per day.
Recent studies reported low serum cobalamin among vegetarians [103]. A deficiency in 11%–90% of elderly, 62% of pregnant women, 25%–86% of children, and 21%–41% of adolescents has been documented [110]. In a systematic review of literature based on the blood concentration of Cbl among vegetarians, a deficiency was present ranging from 0% to 86.5% among adults and elderly, up to 45% in infants, from 0% to 33.3% in children and adolescents, and from 17% to 39% among pregnant women [111]. The use of supplements or fortified foods seems to prevent deficiencies, indicating that a well-planned plant-based diet has proven to be adequate and sustainable [112,113]. However, despite the use of fortified foods, deficiency over a period of five years could occur, demonstrating a continuing insufficient intake or a possible decline in the absorptive capacity due to aging [114]. In all likelihood, even when supplementation occurs, it is possible that concentrations sufficient to avoid the reduction of body stock in the liver, blood and kidney cannot be reached. The liver is the main reservoir with a capacity of around 1–1.5 mg of Cbl [114].
and
Currently, the official position of associations and government agencies is categorical and unequivocal: in the case of a vegetarian diet, including LOV, LV and OV, supplementation of Cbl [B12] is required [11,13]. Cbl concentration per 100 g of cow’s milk, dairy products and chicken eggs ranged from 0.5 to 0.4 μg, from 4.2 to 3.6 μg, and from 2.5 to 1.1 μg, respectively [139,140]. Taking into account the losses during cooking and the specific absorption rate, these quantities are not sufficient to ensure the daily intake in a balanced diet [141].
If You Wish to Eat Vegetarian
If you are considering eating a vegetarian diet – and especially if you are a mature adult (40s and up), you must consult with your doctor and a registered dietician before starting. You may also need to have blood tests to ensure you maintain proper vitamin levels.
In June of 2021, I read the book How Not to Diet by Michael Greger, MD. He presents benefits of a plant-based diet but seems to only mention b12 deficiency in two sentences on page 276 and 277. This critical item should have been prominent in the first chapter.
Update: He does emphasize the importance of B12 in an online video, which I had not seen before: The Optimal Vitamin B12 Dosage for Adults (nutritionfacts.org)
But for me, after eating that way for years, my health gradually deteriorated including chronic fatigue, brain fog, hair loss, dizziness, headaches (non-migraine) and daily visual auras/scotomas up to ten times per day and regular migraines about once per month (a migraine is much worse than a normal headache). Over two years, my health got worse and worse. The visual auras were to the point that I could not plan on doing many activities. When a scotoma occurred, I lost partial vision for typically 1-10 minutes for each of the 5 to 10 times they occurred every day.
I paid over $5,000 out of pocket on medical tests trying to find a cause for the rise in visual auras (heart imaging, artery imaging, blood tests, vision, and more) – but found nothing. My energy levels became worse.
I inadvertently ran across something and began taking a vitamin b12 supplement. In one day, I saw improvement. By 3 days, my migraines and visual auras ended. After a week, I discontinued taking the b12 tablet and my visual auras returned. I then resumed taking b12 and they vanished again. My dizziness was gone, my brain fog began to fade away. My hair loss, as collected on my comb, ended. Several health problems cleared up. At this point, I notified my doctor who now has me taking 1000 mcg of vitamin B12 indefinitely. (We also did a bunch of blood tests costing me several hundred dollars more – out of pocket. That’s a side effect of having an ObamaCare “Bronze” ACA plan which cost us $1,900 per month for 2 adults – and came with a $19,600 annual deductible – affordable health care? No, that was an absolute lie.)
I now understand I did vegetarian eating all wrong.
I did not eat meat and ate egg whites instead of whole eggs (eggs have vitamin b12 but egg whites have essentially zero b12); I did not know that. I used to have one or two 12+ oz lattes every day – but had gone to decaf, no longer had coffee every day, and had just 6 oz cups with 4 1/2 oz of milk (which has just a little b12). I did not eat manufactured “fortified” cereals and breads. I was starving my body of essential nutrients. I did not take any vitamin pills.
THIS IS IMPORTANT!
If you are thinking of eating vegetarian because you think it’s hip (from the above stats, it is not as hip as the media presents it to be), you must consult with your doctor and a registered dietician before starting on that eating style. You need to plan on taking vitamin supplements to replace those provided by meat. You should have your blood tested for nutrient levels, at least once per year. You may need a spreadsheet or an app to track your food and nutrients. This advice is important if you are an older adult; vegetarian eating is not something, contrary to the media nonsense and peer pressure, that you can take up casually.
If you experience problems like dizziness, hair loss, etc, you need to discuss with and tell your doctor about your eating habits. In fact, for any visit to your doctor you should mention you are vegetarian. I had discussed my migraines and my dizziness with my doctor – but had never told him I was eating vegetarian. If I had, he might of spied the b12 problem early on.
Young people have a different health profile than older adults and can do vegetarian eating wrong for years before problems develop. Older adults may not absorb nutrients as well, this is especially true for b12, and old people may “crash” sooner than young adults eating vegetarian.
VEGETARIAN EATING IS NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE CASUALLY BY JUST STOPPING THE CONSUMPTION OF MEAT.
I did not understand this until now. I am now a meat-eating omnivore again and will be careful to consume sufficient animal protein. My health deterioration was scary and I will not risk that again.
I blame myself for the damage that occurred, but I am, realistically, a brain injured idiot so that may have played a role here. I fell for the peer pressure and media stories -which turned out to have been misleading/misinformation bull shit stories.
Afterward – look up “vegetarian and hair loss” – you’ll find tons of pages and videos on this subject (see this for example). Look up “vitamin b12 and migraines” – you’ll find published papers on this subject. Look into “vitamin b12 and dizziness” – yep, lots on that too. Thees are real problems for vegetarians.
See vegetarian hair loss – YouTube
