Why I Went Partially Vegan – And Why You Might Want to As Well

“That’s all you’re eating?!” “Aw, come on…you CAN eat this” “But I made SURE it had only ingredients you can eat” These are just some of the responses I sometimes get when I dine out with non-vegans. Honestly, early on it made me reconsider why I went partially vegan in the first place. There are many reasons why people go vegan. Conscience. Not wanting to contribute to the alarmingly high rate of animal cruelty that already exists world wide. Wanting to identify with an ideal. And while I’ve almost cried watching the horror stories on the Hope for Paws rescue videos, none of those reasons is really why I went partially vegan. Simply put, I have an autoimmune disorder called eczema. I did not choose to have it, but it certainly had me suffering for 6 long years. For a long time I chose to eat and do what I wanted anyways knowing I could make my condition worse. So when I chose to do something about it I could have gone an easier route, but I chose to use diet (among other things) to heal my body from the inside out rather than be dependent on chemicals to mask the symptoms of an autoimmune condition. I chose to stop being defined by my condition and instead become defined by what I chose to do to heal my body and change the trajectory of my life. And being partially vegan was one of the choices I made in pursuit of that.

Therefore, I consider myself now to be a partial vegan.

So what exactly is a partial vegan? I think it can mean different things to different people, but for me I do eat organic poultry, but I refuse to eat any kind of animal eggs, any type of animal milk, or any dairy products that are derived from animals. Why? Because these things are known to aggravate autoimmune disorders and my condition has improved drastically after strictly excluding these things from my diet. These things are also linked to other major health issues such as cancer and diabetes. And while some experts claim that they are a part of the major food groups, just as many experts can prove that they are helping to keep people sick. For me, being partially vegan also means that I eat whole foods vice processed foods – which basically means I don’t eat many processed foods and cook 99% of what I  eat.

Some people with my condition are complete vegans who don’t eat any meat or any animal byproducts. I chose to keep poultry in my diet because I have a pretty significant list of food allergies. The list is long enough that if I didn’t include some meat in my diet, I wouldn’t get any protein. If it weren’t for those allergies, I probably would have become a complete vegan.

But despite the fact that I’m only a partial vegan, I’ve experienced some tremendous success in healing my body. If you’ve struggled with eczema, allergies or other similar autoimmune conditions, adopting partial veganism or veganism could help you too. Here’s why:

1: It changed the way I relate to food. I remember eating chocolate cake donuts, cheetos or doritos and how much I craved them. I remember how much I loved Sprite. I remember how much I loved my mom’s homemade pound cakes and chocolate chip cookies. McDonald’s was a favorite. And looking back, I realize that I also used these foods to soothe myself. But these things only made my emotional and physical condition far worse. When I made the decision to heal from the inside out, I had to reject the food that was making me sick and I had to learn to look at whole food for it’s nutritional and healing properties, not just what it tastes like. And it’s funny how once you realize how much good certain foods do your body, your taste buds will come around.

2: It changed my lifestyle. All those snacks I used to love, have all been replaced by roasted seasoned brussel sprouts, kale chips, and homemade granola. Instead of reaching for snacks to soothe myself, I’m challenged to work out, get enough sleep, and reach out to friends or loved ones instead. Because the truth is that we often turn to food (sometimes sex, alcohol, gambling or other addictive behaviors) to fill the void that only living a whole life can fill. I’m also forced to plan my meals. I spend quite a bit of time in the kitchen or at Chipotle (yeah, I know about the meat issue years ago, but they’re the only fast food restaurant where I don’t have an allergic reaction after eating their food). And because eating right goes hand in hand with physical activity, I also incorporate working out and physical activity into my weekly routine. In a year, I’m a totally different person physically and the lifestyle change paid off.

3:. It helped me better identify who people really are. It’s okay to not understand a person. But what’s not okay is to try and force that person to conform to your standards or shame them because of your lack of understanding. On this journey, I’ve had people who are super supportive and sensitive to my needs. I’ve had others who talk about how skinny I look now and it must be because I don’t eat anything (which is a lie…I eat…A LOT and I only dropped 5 – 10 pounds). I’ve had people tell me that a little bit won’t make a difference, or that I’m just trying to avoid eating something I don’t like. And still there are others who insist that I can eat foods that will cause me to go into anaphylactic shock. At the end of the day, I’m going to stick with the people who support and love me even if they don’t understand me. Life is too short to spend defending yourself or trying to conform to others to fit in when you can’t.

I know that  living life without Little Debbie or Nabisco seems impossible. But anything is possible when you have the right “why”. Wherever you are in your life, whether you go vegan, partially vegan or not, just consider where you want to be a year from now. If you want to feel better, look better and live better going partially vegan could get you there.

What are your questions about veganism?