◊ By Preethi Sukumaran

A vegan for more than 5 years, Sukumaran describes the ill health she and her husband experienced as result of a vegan diet

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After 5+ years of being vegan, in 2016, my husband, Srinivas, and I went back to being vegetarians, who consumed small amounts of carefully sourced dairy. At this time, we were reeling under a backlash of severe health issues.

Srinivas developed a potent form of gout 2 years after going vegan. He experienced severe weight loss (from 70 kg to 56 kg and dropping) and tremendous bone and joint issues, which would simply not go away, no matter what kind of treatment we took (we tried allopathy, Ayurveda, siddha, reiki, distance healing, practically everything we could think of). From being physically very strong and able to do tremendous amounts of running and exercise, he went through phases where even putting one foot in front of the other and walking in the house was immensely painful.

This condition was diagnosed as Vata Rakta in ayurveda– an extreme form of vata aggravation caused by high dryness in the body due to the vegan diet.

Srinivas developed a potent form of gout 2 years after going vegan. He experienced severe weight loss (from 70 kg to 56 kg and dropping) and tremendous bone and joint issues. From being physically very strong and being able to do tremendous amounts of running and exercise, he went through phases where even putting one foot in front of the other and walking in the house was immensely painful

As for me, following a tremendous personal loss that we suffered in 2015, I developed a persistent form of anaemia. My haemoglobin levels were down, and I suffered from recurring spells of dizziness, insomnia, panic attacks, extreme hair loss, and some weight loss (though not as extreme as Srinivas’). This was diagnosed as a Rakta-Pitta disorder—brought on by my grief and personal loss, but also due to alarming rise of pitta and vata in my body, again due to a vegan diet.

Within my vegan diet, I made several poor choices. I attempted to substitute cow milk and cow milk-derived curd with vegan substitutes which looked and tasted like these foods, but which have completely different properties. For example, I substituted cow milk curd with peanut milk-based curd and cashew curd—both are highly pitta-aggravating, which explains my pitta imbalance.

To make up for the lack of curd and satiety on the plate, we used a higher number of lentils, nuts and seeds (sesame, almond, soy, etc). This could have contributed to Srinivas’ high vata imbalance. Both of us had only black tea and coffee, which are highly acidic, thus upsetting the pitta in our bodies.

Through our entire time as vegans, warning bells were continually raised by our family, friends, our teachers and our mentors. My siddha professor continually told us that he did not agree our decision was a healthy one, especially when he observed the rapid weight loss Srinivas was experiencing. When we argued with him about ethics and animal cruelty, he expressed support of our stance, but continued to warn us that traditional medicine believed in a quantum of dairy in the diet.

Witnessing the amount of suffering that Srinivas was going through, our yoga teachers also warned us that that our decision of going vegan did not sit well with the principles of health followed by traditional medicinal systems.

Finally, it took an utterly devastating loss for us to re-evaluate our life and our health choices. We agreed to take ayurvedic treatment for our health issues. We were also convinced by our vaidya (ayurvedic practitioner) to start consuming carefully sourced dairy (small amounts of milk, ghee and buttermilk).

I attempted to substitute cow milk and cow milk-derived curd with vegan substitutes, which looked and tasted like these foods, but which have completely different properties

EMBRACING A2 MILK-BASED DAIRY FOR SOUND HEALTH

In the 5 years that we were vegan, I was extremely vocal and strident about promoting veganism as an ethical, healthy, lifestyle choice. I do not know if I was convincing. But I was certainly regular in communicating the choice I had made. I also communicated that this was a choice many adults could explore, and urged many of my friends to try it out. I no longer believe this to be true.

So, I have spent the last few years eating crow and retracting my statements. I advise all to adopt good quality, desi A2 dairy products and regularly consume milk, ghee and small amounts of buttermilk. If someone wants to drop dairy altogether, I would advise them to do their research thoroughly and check with an ayurvedic vaidya first.

I am no longer convinced a vegan diet is for everyone. In fact, it could be debilitating for many. I advise all to adopt good quality, desi A2 dairy products and regularly consume milk, ghee and small amounts of buttermilk

It is possible that some people are able to handle elimination of dairy from their diets better than other people. Many of us, during the time we were vegan, held on to such examples of vegan runners, vegan tri-athletes, mountaineers, etc, and told ourselves that being healthy and vegan was possible. But as Srinivas and I moved closer and closer towards the principles of ayurveda, we realised we could not do vegan ayurveda. The concept did not exist. The foremost principles of Indian traditional medicine (ayurveda and siddha) do not support the idea of a vegan diet for everyone. In the form of gobar (cow dung), gomutra (cow urine), ghee, butter, milk, curd and buttermilk, the gifts of a cow are irreplaceable in ayurveda and its principles of health.

I have nothing but respect for the principles behind the vegan movement. In a land where we were supposed to worship the cow as our mother, we continually ill-treat, abuse and torture her through commercial dairy farming practices. This needs to stop. A great part of the vegan movement highlights the cruelty that we continually subject animals to, when we should be protecting them. That being said, I am no longer convinced a vegan diet is for everyone. In fact, it could be debilitating for many.

Many of us, well intentioned as we may be, go ahead and adopt veganism without adequate research, while ignoring thousands of years of traditional, well thought out wisdom. And thus, we suffer.

Fortunately, Srinivas and I have been able to gradually rebuild our health. Painfully, 1 spoon of ghee and 1 glass of milk at a time.

The author is a keen follower of Ayurveda and is also cofounder of Krya, a natural skincare and homecare products brand

What has your experience with Veganism been like? Comment below.