What To Do When You Can't Go Vegan (Modvegan)

[brimstoneSalad]

Modvegan just published a great video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znWCIj3hdbE

A few comments based on my experiences:

Second Opinion:
Get a second opinion, and see a registered dietitian (not just a "nutritionist" which means nothing) if there is one in your area. If your current doctor makes the claim that you can't go vegan (it's not impossible, but it is unlikely, so it is an extraordinary claim; more likely it's just an issue of "it will be harder for you to go vegan and this is easier advice for me to give/I don't know how you could go vegan"), find another doctor, one who will be more open to helping you. In most Western countries, and even on most insurance plans, it's possible to try new doctors.
Also, before you try another doctor make it clear to the doctor that you want to go vegan, and ask if it's really impossible or if it will just take more work/be harder, and why it's impossible if he or she says it is. Maybe the doctor will admit it's just harder, and agree to help you anyway; they aren't mind readers, and your doctor may think it's just a whim that you could take or leave, or that you're doing it for health rather than ethical reasons.

Mostly Vegan at home:
This in particular applies to severe eating disorders/anorexia. When your weight is dangerously low, you can't afford to skip a meal because you can't find something vegan. Eat vegetarian if you need to when out, or even meat if you have to. Getting calories in is essential. Also make sure your therapist and doctor understand and are on board with helping you; ideally see a dietitian to help you plan your meals.
Once you've overcome your eating disorder, you can start worrying about being more strict.
This is a very common issue among vegans, because people with eating disorders are drawn to strict dietary limits like veganism (or are more tolerant of them).

Freegan (or near-freegan)
The section on oysters was great (I would note that behavioral arguments are better than structural ones; e.g. they can't run away from predators, so they don't need to be sentient), but there's also the freegan option, and the near-freegan option.
If your doctor says you need a little meat, it's relatively easy to rescue meat safely in many areas. Dumpster diving (not as dirty as it sounds, it's usually a matter of opening a clean dumpster and removing sealed packaged food in bags placed there an hour before), or eating leftovers to prevent waste.
There's also buying only processed meat which is near its expiration date (frozen meat, hotdogs, etc. ideally purchased in the afternoon or evening the day before it expires), which will help the store reduce waste of animal products. It's not as good as not buying it at all (which will make them stock less), but it's less bad than buying the meat that's just been stocked since that meat has a higher chance of being purchased by somebody else. Avoid "fresh" meat at the meat counter.

Veganhealth.org
Nutritionfacts isn't really the best practical source of advice. Jack Norris' site [veganhealth][/veganhealth] is much better.

Does anybody else have any thoughts?

[ModVegan]

I'm glad you liked the video! And yes, very good point about the registered dietitian - I'm always a bit flabbergasted when friends tell me they sought a second opinion from...a naturopath.

[brimstoneSalad]

I'm glad you liked the video! And yes, very good point about the registered dietitian - I'm always a bit flabbergasted when friends tell me they sought a second opinion from...a naturopath.

It would be funny if it weren't so sad.
People just have no idea what credibility means. And worse, some people think it's an "appeal to authority" fallacy, not realizing it's actually only a fallacy when it's an unqualified authority (like a naturopath).

Unnatural Vegan made a video on this pretty recently which was good, did you see it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KamUKyQiJbM

With most people it seems to either be "we can't trust anybody" or "trust whoever seems right to you/your intuition"... sometimes both.
Scientific consensus doesn't get much love.

[ModVegan]

I'm glad you liked the video! And yes, very good point about the registered dietitian - I'm always a bit flabbergasted when friends tell me they sought a second opinion from...a naturopath.

It would be funny if it weren't so sad.
People just have no idea what credibility means. And worse, some people think it's an "appeal to authority" fallacy, not realizing it's actually only a fallacy when it's an unqualified authority (like a naturopath).

Unnatural Vegan made a video on this pretty recently which was good, did you see it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KamUKyQiJbM

With most people it seems to either be "we can't trust anybody" or "trust whoever seems right to you/your intuition"... sometimes both.
Scientific consensus doesn't get much love.

Yes! I saw that video from Unnatural Vegan. It was great. Unfortunately, a lot of people still prefer to "do their own research"