I stopped my vegan diet after my hair started falling out – eating meat again saved my life
An ex-vegan has claimed that switching to a plant-based diet caused her skin to break out and her hair to fall out – revealing that it left her so weak she could barely stand.
Kai-Lee Worsley, 25, an author and entrepreneur from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, said she decided to become a vegan after learning about factory farming.
She stopped eating all animal products in 2018. But six months into her new diet, the writer began to feel unwell.
Not only did her locks begin to fall out, but she said her fingernails became brittle and she soon found it difficult to get up.
An ex-vegan has claimed that switching to a plant-based diet caused her skin to break out and her hair to fall out – revealing it left her so weak she could barely stand
Kai-Lee Worsley, 25, an author and entrepreneur from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, said she decided to go vegan after learning about factory farming
She stopped eating all animal products in 2018. But six months into her new diet, the writer began to feel unwell. She was seen in March 2019
Finally, after her symptoms became too intense to ignore, she started eating meat again – and she now says it “saved her life.”
During a recent conversation with Southwest News Service, Kai-Lee explained that she first went vegan after moving from her hometown in Canada to Santa Ana, California, in August 2018.
Not only did her locks begin to fall out, but she said her fingernails became brittle and she soon found it difficult to get up
At the time, she had moved into a house with a group of people who were vegan, and after they taught her about the suffering and mistreatment animals can face in the meat industry, she decided to change her diet.
“What convinced me was the way animals were treated,” she recalls. “I didn’t know how animals were treated in factory farms. I didn’t even know factory farms existed.’
To make sure she met nutritional needs, she said she would consume protein-rich vegetables and take numerous supplements.
But within months, she found herself suffering from a slew of health issues. In addition to the problems with her skin, hair and nails, Kai-Lee said she started feeling extremely dizzy and “always tired.”
“I couldn’t form coherent thoughts,” she recalled. “I would just be in bed several times a week and I would spend all day in bed if I could.
My nails broke all the time. My hair fell out. I already have thin hair anyway, but my hair just fell out in pieces.’
Finally, after her symptoms became too intense to ignore, she started eating meat again — and now she says it “saved her life”
“I couldn’t form coherent thoughts,” she recalled. “I would lie in bed all day if I could. My nails broke all the time. My hair fell out’
The decision for Kai-Lee to reintroduce meat into her diet came after a terrifying incident that took place in June 2019.
She had just moved into an apartment in Toronto, Canada on her own when she almost passed out.
“I was sitting in my kitchen feeling so light-headed I was seeing stars,” she said. “I remember thinking, ‘If I die now, no one would know.'”
By this time, Kai-Lee had been a vegan for 10 months, but she felt she had no choice but to give up her beliefs for her own good.
She revealed, “I went to a butcher in Greek Town and bought a single steak and brought it home. I didn’t even know how to cook meat anymore so it was horrible.
“But as soon as I took a few bites, I felt better.” I felt I had more energy.’
After 10 months of being a vegan, Kai-Lee felt she had no choice but to give up her beliefs for her own well-being
The author, seen with one of her books, now makes sure she eats steak three times a week, and she said she feels a lot better
Despite feeling the physical benefits of eating meat, Kai-Lee struggled morally when she went off her vegan diet.
“I really thought veganism was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” she admitted.
‘I even saw myself as an activist. But after eating meat, I saw myself as a fraud. I even had a V tattoo in my ear, which stood for vegan.
“I was at the point where I was so indoctrinated that it was very hard to go back. I didn’t tell anyone at first. I was afraid what they would think of me.
“I think when you’re so indoctrinated into something, it’s really hard to pull back, but I’m glad I was able to do it in time.”
Still, she now makes sure she eats steak three times a week and feels a lot better.
“Now I eat essentially the same as when I was vegan, except I eat steak three times a week,” she concluded. ‘I have exchanged meat substitutes for meat. It literally saved my life.’