Chances are you’ve probably heard of veganism before. It’s a philosophy that prohibits the use or consumption of animal products. In terms of diet, this means that vegans don’t eat meat, dairy, eggs, etc. While veganism is a perfectly acceptable choice, it does require significant planning and work to ensure followers are meeting their protein and micronutrient needs. Therefore, it may not be the right decision for those recovering from an eating disorder. There are several challenges and risks associated with pursuing a vegan diet while trying to recover from an eating disorder. Read on to learn about these risks and whether maintaining a vegan diet is right for you and your eating disorder recovery journey.
Understanding Eating Disorder Recovery
Before we discuss the challenges of veganism in recovery, we must first discuss what successful eating disorder treatment and recovery entails. Contrary to what most may think, repairing a relationship with food is not easy. Unfortunately, it’s often a long and arduous process. Eating disorder recovery involves overcoming physical, mental, and emotional barriers that are preventing an individual from living a fulfilling life. This means that treatment should be approached from a holistic perspective and under the guidance of a team of specialized clinicians.
Treatment and recovery can be organized into 4 basic components. These include…
1. Nutritional
Nutritional recovery is a main priority of treatment. This involves eating a variety of foods from all food groups, eating an appropriate quantity of food to meet an individual’s physical needs, and responding to the body’s hunger and satiety cues.
2. Physical
Physical recovery means restoring and/or stabilizing an individual’s weight. This also includes addressing any physical complications or conditions associated with an individual’s eating disorder that may exist.
3. Psychological
Psychological recovery is associated with a reduction in co-occurring conditions such as depression and anxiety, as well as an improvement in an individual’s self-esteem and body image.
4. Functional
Functional recovery essentially entails improving an individual’s ability to engage with their job, hobbies, friends, and other aspects of their life.
As mentioned above, establishing a balanced and nutritious diet is a key part of eating disorder treatment and recovery. However, pursuing a vegan diet can complicate this.
Challenges of Meeting Nutritional Needs on a Vegan Diet
Meeting nutritional needs is already hard in recovery. Add in veganism, and meeting nutritional needs becomes exponentially harder! Veganism is associated with a higher risk of nutrient deficiencies, such as…
- Vitamin B12: Found in fish, meat, and dairy, low B12 can lead to weakness, fatigue, and impaired brain function
- Iron and Zinc: Found in red meat and seafood, low iron or zinc can cause brittle hair and nails, dizziness, fatigue, and reduced immunity
- Omega-3s: found in fish and eggs, low omega-3s can impact mood, mental health, and brain function
- Protein: Found in meat and dairy, low protein can impair muscle repair and growth
**Note: it’s also difficult to maintain a balanced macronutrient (carbs, fat, protein) ratio on a vegan diet. It tends to be lower in protein and therefore higher in carbs and fat.**
Clearly, there are significant deficiencies associated with a vegan diet. Given that one of the main goals of recovery is to improve nutritional and physical health, it’s clear that veganism can make achieving this goal more difficult. In some cases, maintaining a vegan diet may even stall an individual’s recovery journey.
Negative Psychological Impacts of Veganism
Eating disorders are typically characterized by obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors that orbit around food. For some, veganism may worsen these thoughts and behaviors. Regardless of the moral and physical benefits of veganism, the reality is that it’s an incredibly restrictive diet. Veganism may act as a “cover” for individuals with eating disorders, allowing them to restrict foods, count calories, and establish rigid food rules in the name of their lifestyle. All of these behaviors can heighten negative thoughts and impede treatment or recovery. As a result, it’s important to evaluate whether maintaining a vegan diet is a decision rooted in personal ethics or obsession and fear.
How Can I Tell If a Vegan Diet is Right for Me and My Recovery?
Despite its risks, veganism does have moral and ethical implications, as well as spiritual and cultural significance. So what do you do if being vegan is important to you, but you’re in recovery? This is a difficult question to answer and will be different for everyone. It’s a decision that should not be taken lightly. Your healthcare team, including a dietitian, should be part of the decision-making process.
Here are several questions you and your team can discuss to determine whether veganism is right for you.
- When did I become vegan or interested in being vegan? Was I vegan my whole life or did it start around the time my eating disorder developed?
- Who or what introduced you to veganism?
- Do I truly believe in abstaining from animal products because of the ethical and/or spiritual value?
- Do I want to be vegan because I believe that will make me skinny or healthy?
- Does the thought of eating non-vegan foods scare me or make me anxious?
- Am I restricting foods in addition to being vegan? For example, am I on a keto-vegan diet?
- What is my current physical condition? Is it safe for me to be vegan at this moment?
- How far along am I in my recovery?
- Can I consistently meet my nutrition needs on a vegan diet?
Closing Thoughts on Veganism During Recovery
Thank you for reading this resource on veganism and eating disorder recovery. As mentioned previously, choosing veganism during recovery is a serious decision. One that must be weighed with all the facts in hand. Ultimately, you and your team may decide that veganism is not the right choice for you. That’s ok! That doesn’t mean you can never be vegan again. It simply means it isn’t best for you right now. Part of recovery is learning to adapt and be flexible in order to best support your body and mind. The most important foundation of recovery is adequate nutrition. Nutrition is never worth compromising as it directly impacts your physical, mental, and emotional health. Use your treatment team for guidance and advice as you navigate recovery. As always, bring curiosity and compassion to the table when you explore veganism in recovery!
**This blog was edited by Georgia McArtney, MS, RD, LD**
Contact Us
Courage to Nourish is a group of eating disorder specialized dietitians. We have in person locations in Alexandria, Virginia, Columbia, Maryland. and College Park, Maryland. We offer virtual services across the state of Virginia, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. We offer individual nutrition therapy. As well as support groups. We would love to guide you in building a better relationship with food.
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Leslie Bredehoeft, Student Intern
Hi! I’m Leslie Bredehoeft and I’m an intern at Courage to Nourish. I am currently an undergraduate student at the College of William & Mary, majoring in Kinesiology with a concentration in Human Nutrition and minoring in English. After receiving my B.S. I plan to go to grad school to pursue an M.S. degree and become a registered dietitian. As a registered dietitian, I hope to educate my clients on the science of nutrition and help better their relationship with food.
