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ofearthandstarsPersonal thoughts/feelings on veganism, weight loss, and body image.
First off, veganism is a very personal decision. It is not something that I tend to nag, bully, or push others around about. At holidays and family dinners, when L.'s family inevitably jokes with me about forfeiting my position at the top of the food chain, I don't make it a point to argue, and I don't believe that veganism is for everybody. It's just about what feels right for me.
For me, veganism is a way to practice ahimsa, it is about compassion for all living beings, and from that view, I find it a very freeing and abundant way to live. My food choices are centered around compassion and trying to leave this world a little better than I found it. I have a hard time viewing the vegan diet as one of restriction or deprivation, and it rankles me when people refer to it as such (although I also understand that someone who eats meat, dairy, and eggs has more possible food combinations, to willingly forego these items does not require that one feel deprived).
With that in mind, I think several other more qualified people have written about the problem of parading veganism as a weight loss diet - Ginny Messina, a professional dietician, is my personal hero for pointing out that relying on veganism doesn't guarentee weight loss, arguing for a HAES approach, and tackling the body shaming that comes from as high up as the Physicians Committee for Response Medicine.
From a personal perspective, I lost weight initially, and I think that veganism has helped me to keep my weight down in the past year, but ultimately, I have gained around 10-15 lbs again as I encountered interruptions to my exercise routine and found myself beset with stress outside of my control (I think that eating the way I used to eat would probably have resulted in greater weight gain). Perhaps I've enjoyed too much coconut milk, avocado, nut butters, and wine. In short, I'm pretty much a "fat vegan", a term for which there should be no shame for. (And please don't argue with me about whether being an inbetweenie qualifies as "fat" - if you look at me, you can obviously discern that I am overweight by my lovely belly.)
However, there are a number of reasons that jumping into a vegan diet solely for weight loss makes me feel deeply uncomfortable - for one, it presumes that everyone who jumps on the vegan bandwagon will lose weight (they won't), and it presumes that those who don't magically lose pounds have had some great moral failing - and really, the vegan community has already suffered a epidemic of individuals arguing over the moral failings of others (just think, for a second, of the stereotypical "combative" vegan who lambasts other omnivores for their food choices and health problems). This results in individuals who don't fit the magical size 4 vegan runner mold being alienated. Case in point, Dr. McDougall equates being overweight to failing the vegan cause, or as he puts it:
In short, vegans that are fat are abusing themselves and making veganism look bad. And while I can appreciate that drowning everything in olive oil is probably not good everyday, I also feel that those who promote the fat-free and oil-free vegan diet are myopically focused on the fat-is-evil-and-will-kill-you viewpoint. It is, once again, simple demonization and fatphobia.
I follow Lindsay Graham's blog, but she lost a lot of my respect with her "say no to oil" post, which is based more on vague, emotional arguments against oil instead of nutritional studies or science (oh, and statements from Dr. McDougall). Although, I'm not gonna lie, I have her "Everyday Happy Herbivore Cookbook", and of all my vegan cookbooks, her recipes have resulted in the most cooking failures, including one dish that made me physically sick - so maybe that's why I give Lindsay the hairy eyeball. But that's an aside...this approach also results in people giving up on veganism when they realize it is not a magical weight loss tool, and when they do begin to feel deprived because they can't enjoy a vegan cupcake or an oil-based salad dressing. And in all of this, the ethical focus of veganism - compassion for all living things ('cept plants) - is lost.
And I can't help but think that all of this claptrap about fats and oils, and promoting veganism as a weight loss tool, is just another way of making veganism more extreme, more difficult, than it needs to be. And frankly, there are already accessibility issues with maintaining a healthy vegan diet - think of individuals who live in a food desert, where the nearest grocery store is a gas station of canned goods and white bread. I have the good fortune of having the income and the ability to drive to obtain certain foods that are unavailable in my local grocery and to get a variety of foods in my diet, but not everyone does. There are also a number of vegans who suffer from other health issues, unrelated to weight (or maybe even causing weight gain, such as thyroid issues) that will always struggle to meet this mythical picture of health and wellness. Have we lost sight of that?
Being vegan shouldn't require that one fit some picture of health and perfection. I fear that getting lost in trying to live to those standards keeps you from enjoying some of the mental (and maybe spiritual) aspects of living vegan - knowing that each bite you take is cruelty-free, knowing that you are able to sustain your body without violence, knowing that there is an abundance of plant-based foods that are tasty and amazing, and even the pleasure of an endorphin rush that comes with a kick-ass vegan dessert. That's enjoying a compassionate life, not attempting to fit some paradigm of slimness or wellness (which are not one in the same).
It's great if veganism makes you feel better, if it improves your energy levels or if it reduces GI issues, if it helps you to maintain a healthy weight, or if it inspires you to make other healthy choices that improve your health. Those are all great personal reasons to keep it up, and it's okay to say those things. That said, I find that expecting it to be the magical weight loss cure and promoting it as such for everybody - along with this insane zealotry of labeling certain plant-based foods (avocados, olive oil, etc.) as "bad" or "unhealthy" and claiming some higher moral ground for abstaining - results in a loss of compassion towards oneself and towards others who don't meet the mold and who make food choices that are accessible/attainable for them.
I don't need to feel shamed by a so-called community of compassionate individuals because I don't meet that mold. There's already enough messages from society about how a large body is bad, there's already enough struggles with doctors who won't examine real health issues because they can't see past weight, there are already enough assholes out there making snide comments and bitching about second seats on airplanes. Veganism that relies on fatphobia and weight-loss as its crutch is missing the point entirely.
Disclaimer: These are just my personal thoughts on what I feel is a disturbing trend, and this post is not directed at anyone. Also, I fully realize that some people go vegan for personal health reasons (to reduce cholesterol, etc.), and that's not my argument - my argument is against the expectation that veganism should be about weight-loss or fat-avoidance or some picture of wellness that must feed the cause.
First off, veganism is a very personal decision. It is not something that I tend to nag, bully, or push others around about. At holidays and family dinners, when L.'s family inevitably jokes with me about forfeiting my position at the top of the food chain, I don't make it a point to argue, and I don't believe that veganism is for everybody. It's just about what feels right for me.
For me, veganism is a way to practice ahimsa, it is about compassion for all living beings, and from that view, I find it a very freeing and abundant way to live. My food choices are centered around compassion and trying to leave this world a little better than I found it. I have a hard time viewing the vegan diet as one of restriction or deprivation, and it rankles me when people refer to it as such (although I also understand that someone who eats meat, dairy, and eggs has more possible food combinations, to willingly forego these items does not require that one feel deprived).
With that in mind, I think several other more qualified people have written about the problem of parading veganism as a weight loss diet - Ginny Messina, a professional dietician, is my personal hero for pointing out that relying on veganism doesn't guarentee weight loss, arguing for a HAES approach, and tackling the body shaming that comes from as high up as the Physicians Committee for Response Medicine.
From a personal perspective, I lost weight initially, and I think that veganism has helped me to keep my weight down in the past year, but ultimately, I have gained around 10-15 lbs again as I encountered interruptions to my exercise routine and found myself beset with stress outside of my control (I think that eating the way I used to eat would probably have resulted in greater weight gain). Perhaps I've enjoyed too much coconut milk, avocado, nut butters, and wine. In short, I'm pretty much a "fat vegan", a term for which there should be no shame for. (And please don't argue with me about whether being an inbetweenie qualifies as "fat" - if you look at me, you can obviously discern that I am overweight by my lovely belly.)
However, there are a number of reasons that jumping into a vegan diet solely for weight loss makes me feel deeply uncomfortable - for one, it presumes that everyone who jumps on the vegan bandwagon will lose weight (they won't), and it presumes that those who don't magically lose pounds have had some great moral failing - and really, the vegan community has already suffered a epidemic of individuals arguing over the moral failings of others (just think, for a second, of the stereotypical "combative" vegan who lambasts other omnivores for their food choices and health problems). This results in individuals who don't fit the magical size 4 vegan runner mold being alienated. Case in point, Dr. McDougall equates being overweight to failing the vegan cause, or as he puts it:
... their audiences of meat-eaters and animal-abusers may be so distracted by their appearance that they cannot hear the vital issues of animal rights and the environment; resulting in an unacknowledged setback for a fat vegan’s hard work for change.
In short, vegans that are fat are abusing themselves and making veganism look bad. And while I can appreciate that drowning everything in olive oil is probably not good everyday, I also feel that those who promote the fat-free and oil-free vegan diet are myopically focused on the fat-is-evil-and-will-kill-you viewpoint. It is, once again, simple demonization and fatphobia.
I follow Lindsay Graham's blog, but she lost a lot of my respect with her "say no to oil" post, which is based more on vague, emotional arguments against oil instead of nutritional studies or science (oh, and statements from Dr. McDougall). Although, I'm not gonna lie, I have her "Everyday Happy Herbivore Cookbook", and of all my vegan cookbooks, her recipes have resulted in the most cooking failures, including one dish that made me physically sick - so maybe that's why I give Lindsay the hairy eyeball. But that's an aside...this approach also results in people giving up on veganism when they realize it is not a magical weight loss tool, and when they do begin to feel deprived because they can't enjoy a vegan cupcake or an oil-based salad dressing. And in all of this, the ethical focus of veganism - compassion for all living things ('cept plants) - is lost.
And I can't help but think that all of this claptrap about fats and oils, and promoting veganism as a weight loss tool, is just another way of making veganism more extreme, more difficult, than it needs to be. And frankly, there are already accessibility issues with maintaining a healthy vegan diet - think of individuals who live in a food desert, where the nearest grocery store is a gas station of canned goods and white bread. I have the good fortune of having the income and the ability to drive to obtain certain foods that are unavailable in my local grocery and to get a variety of foods in my diet, but not everyone does. There are also a number of vegans who suffer from other health issues, unrelated to weight (or maybe even causing weight gain, such as thyroid issues) that will always struggle to meet this mythical picture of health and wellness. Have we lost sight of that?
Being vegan shouldn't require that one fit some picture of health and perfection. I fear that getting lost in trying to live to those standards keeps you from enjoying some of the mental (and maybe spiritual) aspects of living vegan - knowing that each bite you take is cruelty-free, knowing that you are able to sustain your body without violence, knowing that there is an abundance of plant-based foods that are tasty and amazing, and even the pleasure of an endorphin rush that comes with a kick-ass vegan dessert. That's enjoying a compassionate life, not attempting to fit some paradigm of slimness or wellness (which are not one in the same).
It's great if veganism makes you feel better, if it improves your energy levels or if it reduces GI issues, if it helps you to maintain a healthy weight, or if it inspires you to make other healthy choices that improve your health. Those are all great personal reasons to keep it up, and it's okay to say those things. That said, I find that expecting it to be the magical weight loss cure and promoting it as such for everybody - along with this insane zealotry of labeling certain plant-based foods (avocados, olive oil, etc.) as "bad" or "unhealthy" and claiming some higher moral ground for abstaining - results in a loss of compassion towards oneself and towards others who don't meet the mold and who make food choices that are accessible/attainable for them.
I don't need to feel shamed by a so-called community of compassionate individuals because I don't meet that mold. There's already enough messages from society about how a large body is bad, there's already enough struggles with doctors who won't examine real health issues because they can't see past weight, there are already enough assholes out there making snide comments and bitching about second seats on airplanes. Veganism that relies on fatphobia and weight-loss as its crutch is missing the point entirely.
Disclaimer: These are just my personal thoughts on what I feel is a disturbing trend, and this post is not directed at anyone. Also, I fully realize that some people go vegan for personal health reasons (to reduce cholesterol, etc.), and that's not my argument - my argument is against the expectation that veganism should be about weight-loss or fat-avoidance or some picture of wellness that must feed the cause.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-07 07:05 pm (UTC)Most of the Veg*ns I know are over weight to some degree, for various reasons. They have differing levels of health as well. What it comes down to is: they are human beings showing the wide range of body size and health states that is normal for human beings to have. I hate the magical thinking that some sort of restrictive diet will magically make the person following it noble, good, healthy, slender, etc. It's really destructive.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-07 08:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-04-08 09:21 am (UTC)I would like to share my own - albeit probably a bit confused - view on this.
I believe that the overly zealous and (verbally) aggressive vegans/vegetarians ultimately do more harm to the meat-free cause, than if they quietly tried to inform people about 'why' they chose to avoid animal foods. It's like with religion, if you actively try to convert me by bothering me non-stop about the benefits of your way of thinking and heavily criticising my way of thinking, I will choose to ignore you.
I am far from being vegetarian, but I eat a lot less meat than the average person in this country. 99% of the times I will choose a vegetarian option. I find it terribly immature when omnivores make fun of people who avoid meat. (I talk about vegetarians because right now I don't know -as in 'encounter in every day real life'- any vegans, I do know some but they live abroad) I also think the way we eat is a very personal and intimate choice, and we ought to choose according to our own heart, what kind of food we would like to eat.
I avoid meat because I feel bad about the way it is produced. I have never considered veganism for a series of reasons: I like cheese too much. I am not willing to cut out that many foods from my life, because I have a past of eating disorders, and stopping eating certain foods brings back bad memories. 20 years ago I eventually cut off too many kinds of foods, and it's a haunting memory. I know that it would be hard for me to handle more food restrictions, as simple as that. I don't live on my own either, and I cannot afford to cook my own food. I live in a city that offers very little vegan foods, even simple tofu is overpriced, just to give an example. I would eat more vegan dishes, if I had the chance to make delicious ones. Again, not having much choice with ingredients, I could only make rather bland foods that would feel like I am restricting myself - and that would bring back memories of my anorexia. I just know that it wouldn't be a good thing. I don't want to preach to others, and I would like the others not to preach to me.
Omnivores expect vegetarians to be thin, because they cannot imagine the variety of dishes one can prepare without meat. Also, culturally speaking, we've been brought up to associate special occasions with meat. Every bigger holiday has its meat dish. Meat means wealth. I know for my grandmother, who grew up very poor, a couple of slices of sausage added to a vegetable soup was considered a treat, that she would get maybe once per month. But I think those were old times, and this cannot be true any longer. But it's kind of ingrained in our subconsciousness.
Vegetarianism and veganism considered as a means of weight loss lose their deeper meaning and sense. Cruelty free is not a 'diet', it's a life choice. You can be a 'thin omnivore' just as you can be a 'fat vegan'. Our society is so obsessed with thinness, that we all too often look at everything through this thinness lens, which distorts things. My avoiding meat has got zero to do with weight loss. I avoid eating foods imported from other continents, because I think it makes no sense to pollute the world by having airplanes and ships bring me pears from Argentina, when they grow here as well. it's not about the meat, it's a about the ethics behind it.
One of course can be vegetarian or vegan for religious reasons (or perhaps it is more correct to say, for ethical reasons), or for environmental reasons, but then again, someone can occasionally eat meat and have a smaller environmental footprint because the meat they eat a few times a year was produced locally, while the vegetarian eats exotic fruits that polluted half of the planet to be brought onto his plate, you know what I mean?
Bottom line is, there are so many aspects to consider, including our society's obsession with thinness. I can only speak for myself, and I know that I want to strive to eat better, according to how I feel about life and nature and the whole planet. I dislike being criticized for occasionally eating meat by hardcore vegans, just like I dislike being made fun of by regular meat eaters for always picking the veggie option. Each one of us is different, and I think people should educate themselves, respect each other and be realistic, before passing judgement or pushing their beliefs down other people's throats.
ETA: Sorry if I was a bit long-winded and random!
no subject
Date: 2013-04-09 12:26 am (UTC)I also wanted to add that struggled myself with the availability of foods for a long time (I've cycled from vegan to vegetarian to omnivore and back, for this very reason). It's only been in the last few years that more vegan foods are available in my area and it's not such a struggle to gather ingredients for meals.