Ex-Vegan (2 Years): Fiber and Starch Ruined My Gut. Horrible IBS and Autoimmune Issues

Watch on YouTube · 2018-07-08 · 37 min

0:00 If you're ready, you can introduce yourself and just start from the beginning.

[video] 0:05 Okay. So, my name is Shir. I'm 29 years old. I started with my vegan journey around 2012. I was always interested in health and healthy diet. I always thought that fruits, vegetables, whole grains, all these things are healthy for humans.

[video] 0:36 I always thought that meat and fat and all these things are bad for us. When I was around 23,

[video] 0:48 I was originally from Israel, so there the vegan movement is really big, especially the raw foods movement, the vegan activists. You know, the animal rights activists. It's very popular and it's very big. So I got interested in that. I started because of the health aspect, because I always thought that veganism, well, it makes sense because it promotes healthy eating, so whole grains, fruits, vegetables. But I ignored the fact that it wasn't healthy for me.

[video] 1:33 basically, but I was convinced that veganism is the only way and I also preached it to others, unfortunately, because of all the brainwashing and all the propaganda that veganists are doing.

[video] 1:55 So I started to become vegan. In the beginning I was trying to incorporate more raw food into my diet, because I saw a lot of YouTube channels like Fully Raw Christina, the Fully the Banana Girl, all these things, and also a lot of

[video] 2:18 other channels that promote veganism and healthy eating. So I started to do that. I incorporated more raw foods and at some point I was just doing like hardcore low-fat starch diet. basically because I was also convinced that fat is bad for us, so I eliminated fat completely, and I was focusing mainly on starches, basically. Starches, so like healthy whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables. And I was convinced that this is healthy for me, because this is what I was always told.

[video] 3:03 but my digestion reacted so badly, for two years I had to run to the toilet like maybe five times a day, like right away after I would eat like whole grains, like even a bowl of rice or even a banana, I had to run to the toilet basically, and I couldn't even get fully depleted, is this the right word? that half an hour after it, I had to go again. But I ignored it because I was a bit brainwashed, I would say, and I thought that veganism is the only way. I ignored the fact that fiber and starches are irritating my gut, basically, and I couldn't really digest them at all.

[video] 3:58 Yeah, people told me, oh, you should try probiotics, or maybe you should try supplements and stuff like that. And I bought so many supplements and probiotics, aloe vera juice, you name it. Like, I tried it all, and it all made my digestion worse. You know, actually, probiotics made my digestion worse, and all these supplements like spirulina and all these things made my condition worse. Like, it didn't help at all. But I ignored it for two years despite the horrible digestion issues that I had. I just ignored it because I was convinced that veganism is the only way. I was really obsessed with it at some point.

[video] 4:49 It was only about two years after it that it really became unbearable. It was a time that I had horrible pain. Every time I had to go to the toilet, I would cry. I had the feeling like I had labors or something like that. It was horrible, like stabbing knives pain.

[video] 5:13 Really, I had to go to the toilet so many times and I was in really terrible pain and I noticed, now I know it, that what irritates my gut and what is causing me this horrible pain is mostly fiber and starches. This is the main reason why I had this horrible pain and IBS. Nothing was digested. You could see my stool was pieces of lentils and all this food that I had. It was terrible. Nothing was digested properly.

[video] 5:53 After two years on this diet, there was one time that it was the breaking point for me.

[video] 6:03 I woke up in the middle of the night and I had horrible bloating like I was pregnant or something. I was so scared and I even had a little lump here coming out of my stomach, like a lump. I was so scared that I went to the hospital.

[video] 6:23 They checked me, they didn't find anything, but then they also sent me to other more deep

[video] 6:34 examinations like endoscopy and even laparoscopy where they insert camera in my stomach because I just didn't know what the hell is wrong with me. Basically every night I would get up with horrible nausea, like horrible nausea, I couldn't sleep. My stomach was bloated every time after I was eating, it was horribly bloated like I'm pregnant. And like I said, I had this little lump coming out of my stomach. Till now, I don't know what it is. I assume it was like gas or something that was dropped somewhere here. But it happened every time I would eat like vegan food, especially starches and especially whole grains and certain types of fruits. I know that bananas and dates, stuff like that irritate my stomach terribly.

[video] 7:33 All these tests that I did in the last couple of years and nothing. The doctors couldn't help me. All the tests were okay. They didn't know what's wrong with me, so they just told me, oh, you probably have IBS because when they don't know, Yeah, the name of the disease or what's wrong with your digestion, they just say you have IBS, like it's the magic wand, you know.

[video] 8:06 And then about two years ago, I educated myself more. I stuck with veganism when I saw a lecture of Dr. Lauren Cordain, the Paleo founder. And it made sense to me and I thought, yeah, how is it possible for me to stay vegan if I can't eat fiber? Because vegan equals fiber. Whole grains, even regular grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, all these things were detrimental for my stomach. So I was thinking, if I cannot digest these things, how can I be vegan? So of course I stopped with it.

[video] 8:57 Then I watched some Paleo videos and Dr. Lorraine Cordain's lectures and I read his book. I started the Paleo diet two years ago and my digestion improved greatly. I felt much better.

[video] 9:18 Nothing to compare even with what I felt. Some of my digestion issues went away.

[video] 9:27 But it wasn't enough, because the Paleo diet still includes fruits and sweet potatoes, which is also starch, you know? And I know that I had a feeling that starch irritated my stomach, because every time I would eat sweet potato, I would get bloated, and not just bloated, but I would have the nauseous again, and also I would have joint pain, a lot of neck pain, back pain, a lot of autoimmune related issues basically. Then I read about the IBS no starch diet by Carol Sinclair. which is basically kind of paleo, but without the starch.

[video] 10:21 And that kind of made sense for me, because I thought, yes, starch probably is the main issue, well, along with fiber, of course. So I eliminated the sweet potatoes and the root vegetables that paleo diet allows. And then I really had the big change in the way I'm feeling. And till now I'm following this diet. I don't consume any starch. My diet is mostly meat, eggs, fish, some cooked vegetables, fruits. I can't really have much. I mean, I can have maybe I don't know, maybe like melon or one peach or something, but I cannot have bananas. They are even worse than bread for me. It's all this high fiber food, basically. I cannot tolerate them.

[video] 11:18 I do eat dairy sometimes and I don't have a problem with it. You know what I notice every time I fall off the wagon, let's say, and I just try to taste grains again, or a little bit of grain, or even one banana or something. I noticed immediate reaction. It's funny, but my nails break immediately after I eat even half of banana. Or what was it like last week? I ate at a restaurant, so I ate rice with tofu or something, just because my friend was vegetarian and I ordered it as well. And immediately after I ate my nails, crack, like completely. One thing I noticed as well, every time I'm eating grains, my gums bleed, like I have blood coming out of my mouth, and it's a lot of blood and it's scary.

[video] 12:18 So I'm really...

[video] 12:24 I know that it's not good for me, I mean I know what's working for me, And I know that I should stay away completely from starches, this is for sure. But also some fruits irritate me. So basically, no fiber and no starch for me. This is the way to go, probably.

12:45 Okay. When was this, 2014 to 2016? Your vegan years? When I stopped... Yeah, when were you vegan?

[video] 12:57 Yes, so I started on and off around 2013, then I became hardcore vegan around 2014, and then around 2016 I started with the Paleo diet. Then, about a year ago, I introduced myself to the no-starch diet.

[video] 13:20 Basically, I don't consume starches anymore, but I also make sure I limit the fiber consumption, because I noticed that even nuts irritate me, and even certain fruits irritate me, and vegetables. I cannot have raw vegetables. Basically, fiber irritates me. Yeah.

13:39 Did you have any vegan friends who were mad that you quit veganism?

[video] 13:46 I had vegan friends at that time. I'm not in touch with them anymore. Well, they are still in Israel, so I don't really have contact with them.

[video] 13:58 They were not mad, but they were like, oh, why not, and you should try again. I saw a lot of videos saying, oh, maybe you're not doing it right. And I tried all vegan diets. I tried raw food, fruitarian, starch, high-fat, low-fat. None of them work, essentially, because... I cannot tolerate fiber, so it doesn't matter what vegan diet I follow, none of it will work because all of them consist mainly of fiber. I mean, you cannot be vegan and eliminate fiber. What, will you live on water, on the air? I don't know. It's not possible.

14:43 Did they understand why you quit?

[video] 14:48 So, like I said, I'm not in touch with them anymore. Okay. One of them just asked, why not, or maybe you should try again.

[video] 14:59 She didn't really like the idea that I'm eating eggs again, or meat. She was like, yeah, it's disgusting, or whatever.

15:12 Did you take supplements?

[video] 15:16 I tried it all. I'm so ashamed about the amount of money I spent and also my dad's money. thousands of euros, thousands of dollars. I ordered special supplements from Amazon, from other websites to deliver it. I tried all probiotics, aloe vera juices, spirulina. I tried all these essential oils, those antibiotic oils. and it made my condition worse. I actually became supplement sensitive because I noticed that I cannot tolerate any supplement at all. If I take supplements, especially vegan ones, immediately I notice I have insomnia. I cannot sleep at all. This is first of all.

[video] 16:14 But also a few months ago I tried like omega-3 algae, you know, the vegan version, just because I heard it's healthy, you know. So I tried it, but you know what happened? My gums bleed.

[video] 16:34 So I just threw it to the garbage. But you know, my gums are fine when I'm taking the regular fish oil, but when I'm taking the vegan algae products, my gums bleed, you know, and it's not normal, you know, it's scary. And I think my body is so sensitive, it reacts immediately, like within seconds after I eat something that is not right, I feel like immediate indigestion, I feel like something is rotting in my stomach, like I have worms walking in my stomach. I don't know how to explain it, but I heard maybe it's called dyspepsia or something like that, I don't know the exact word. But it's terrible, and my body is really, really sensitive. Like I said, it bleeds immediately. My nails crack within seconds. It's crazy. My digestion is horrible.

[video] 17:33 So I notice immediately when I do something wrong. I notice immediately.

17:42 Did you hear that Israel has the highest rate of diabetes, one of the highest, the top ten? Do you think it has to do with veganism? Why do you think veganism is pushed in Israel so much?

[video] 17:56 Yeah, well, I will tell you one thing. I think veganism is pushed in Israel because, well, the way they treat animals in Israel or the There are a lot of factory farms. There is no free-range meat or free-range eggs. So there's a lot of awareness to how animals are being mistreated. So this is for sure I'm against it. There's a big distinguish between the health of humans and promoting something that is not healthy. Okay, you can fight against animal, how do you call it, Miss animal cruelty. Okay, you can fight against it, but don't promote something that can be harmful for, I would say, majority of the population. And another thing about diabetes, I think actually

[video] 18:57 I think the main issue with diabetes is that the government is promoting things like whole grains and fruits and vegetables and beans that are supposedly healthy for diabetics, but it's the other way around. I'll give you an example. My dad is diabetic. for over 15 years or so.

[video] 19:21 His doctor recommended him to eat this special whole grain bread that is special for diabetics, and he consumed it for years. A few, about half a year ago, he was complaining to me all the time that he is itching his skin all the time, that his eyes are burning, that it's more than what he used to have. And then I told him, Dad, you should quit this bread, that you are consuming, and in the beginning he was against it, no, it's not about that, it's a whole grain and I'm only consuming two slices a day, it shouldn't be a problem. But I told him, listen, even if it's one crumb, it can be deadly for you. And about a month ago he stopped with the bread, and now actually he's not eating starches at all, because bread was the only starch that he consumed, the whole grain bread.

[video] 20:20 Because he was also aware of, you know, he's also into health. So now he stopped with the bread and now he basically follows, you can say, like a paleo diet, because he doesn't consume any starches and any grains, any beans, nothing. So he's only focusing like meat, eggs, vegetables and some fruits. And his blood sugar dropped so much, like it became like normal and he was just completely shocked, you know, and also his itching stopped. He was eating himself all the time and he was buying all these creams against dry skin. But I told him, it won't help. You should quit the starches and all those grains. And now his situation is way better and he sleeps better. So I'm happy for him about it.

21:19 Any other health issues you had besides the digestion?

[video] 21:23 Yeah, of course. I became basically sensitive to anything, especially plant foods. Till now, I think I'm sensitive to most plant foods, I would say.

[video] 21:41 I have terrible back pain, joint pain, my gums are bleeding every time I eat.

[video] 21:54 grains especially, but also other starches and some other fruits.

[video] 22:01 Neck pain, I even noticed I had like grey hair started to come out of my head, which was weird because I always looked so young, you know, and I didn't expect suddenly to have grey hair, like white hair even on my head. and my nails cracked all the time when I was eating grains, or bananas especially are the worst, probably.

[video] 22:34 Anything with starch or fiber would irritate my whole system, basically. I dropped so much weight when I was a vegan, and I was already so skinny, I'm skinny naturally. When I was vegan, I dropped so much weight and people noticed it and they were kind of like, yeah, you don't look healthy and you should quit it. But I was really religious about it. So I continued with it despite the fact that I was terribly skinny and it was disgusting almost.

23:12 How much weight did you lose, if you want to share?

[video] 23:18 Well, I was already skinny, but I lost like maybe six kilograms, which is a lot for me because I already have low, how do you call it, BMI, naturally. So every kilogram for me is like really essential, and it was really terrible. And I forgot to mention that because you asked me about supplements, At that time, I was also seeing naturopaths, and I spent a shit-lot of money on that as well, because I was so obsessed with staying vegan, so I wanted to try everything, and I was willing to pay so much money for these doctors, so I went to these doctors, and they told me, yeah, it's normal that in the beginning you lose some weight, and your body needs to

[video] 24:18 like detoxify or to get used to it. But all their recommendations didn't help me because they were like vegan naturopods. And they put me on those diets that didn't work, obviously. And I tried it for a whole year. For a whole year I saw them and I spent thousands, thousands, really thousands of euros just on naturopods. On their supplements and their diets, they didn't work. At one point, I just quit. I stopped every contact I had with them. I didn't even answer their emails anymore. I just decided to quit because I thought I'm just wasting my time and money.

[video] 25:12 It's not working, you know? It's just not working, so I don't want to waste my time or my money anymore, or my dad's money for that matter. Yeah, it was really terrible. Yeah, because funny, like vegans say, like vegan diet is so cheap, but actually the amount of money I spent, two years was probably more money I spent my whole life on food and supplements or even more than that. It's funny because all the healthy supplements and healthy food that they promoted, made me sick. So it's funny, like, the unhealthy food made me healthy, or at least not sick, and the healthy food made me sick, basically.

[video] 26:06 Made me run to the toilet, have terrible pain, cry basically in the toilet, go to hospitals, pay to doctors, and really have these autoimmune issues that God knows, yeah. What are they? But yeah.

26:27 Would you say that you got something out of veganism or was it just a mistake?

[video] 26:33 It was a mistake. It was a horrible mistake. Unfortunately, I'm paying it till today because my digestion is not, I mean, it is fine when I'm keeping with the no starch diet, with the like strict paleo no fiber diets, or really limiting the amount of fruits and vegetables to almost zero, and not consuming any starch, so no grain, no sweet potato, no potato, nothing that contains starch, basically. When I'm staying on that diet, I'm fine, more than fine.

[video] 27:09 I don't have any irritation in my stomach, I don't feel uncomfortness or discomfort, I don't feel any irritation, I can just go to work normally without rushing to the toilet all the time, I don't have blood in my gum when I'm brushing my teeth, my nails are fine, they don't crack, my eyes are not burning after I'm eating fruits or grains, all these things and I don't have the arthritis pain that I used to have all the time after I was eating grains and starches especially. So, of course it was a mistake until now I'm paying for the consequences because let's say in the past if I could eat like a little bit of everything and I would be fine.

[video] 28:06 Well, now even a small amount would irritate me and I would get this lump I have in my stomach and horrible nausea in the night and terrible, just terrible, miserable feeling basically. So, yeah.

28:26 What do you think is the future of veganism? What's going to happen?

[video] 28:31 Well, I hope people will open their eyes and I hope that some of the vegan YouTubers will be not allowed to post their videos anymore because It has a lot of influence, because it had a lot of influence on me as well, you know, because this is how I started veganism, by watching Freely the Banana Girl, and Rock Christina, and whatever, and all these things that I thought were healthy for me, and Dr. McDougal, and all these things. I think, really, that YouTube should be more selective and really should make more research about what is right to advertise, what is not, because it can have consequences on people's lives. And it's really dangerous, you know?

29:25 Do you think that somebody is pushing it, or how did we get to this point?

[video] 29:33 Yeah, I think it is being pushed, first of all, by those raw foodists that want to sell their products, like all those powders, this magic potion, and these things that they want to sell us, those magical algaes or whatever.

[video] 29:55 This is the first thing, and then you also have the fruitarians, that think that their diet is the best, and they promote it. I don't know, those doctors behind the fruitarian diet maybe, and what's more, well, the animal rights activists, probably, I would say.

30:30 Is there anything you want to say to vegans, if any are watching right now?

[video] 30:35 Well, I would like to say that I don't have something against the fact that vegans are trying to promote animal rights. And I'm in favor of animal rights as well. I'm always buying organic food, organic produce, organic meat, organic eggs against animal cruelty, but they should also think about humans' health.

[video] 31:11 I think most people probably will not be able to sustain a vegan diet without having health problems, whether it's digestion, because we're not supposed to eat fiber, or at least the amount of fiber that the vegan diet has. We are not herbivores, we are not vegetarian, we have different digestion. So this is the first thing, whether it's digestion problem that the vegan diet can lead to, and second of all,

[video] 31:49 other autoimmune issues like arthritis pain, joint pain, lack of energy, diabetes even, and some other issues that you can run into if you follow a vegan diet. And, you know, like I said, people can think, oh, maybe you didn't do it right, or maybe you didn't, yeah. But I tried all vegan diets, so I tried a healthy diet, supposedly, so they cannot tell me, like, oh, you didn't eat healthy food, so this is why. I never ate sugar, never ate junk vegan food. I didn't even eat those soy products when I was vegan. I was really focusing on healthy food like grains and vegetables and fruits. But this was the worst for me, for my digestion. I'm sure for many others as well.

[video] 32:45 So people cannot tell me you didn't do it right or you didn't eat healthy because I was really hypochondriac about my health. And I thought I was eating healthy, but apparently I didn't. So, yeah.

33:03 Anything else you want to add?

33:07 An experience?

33:11 somebody you met, anything like that?

[video] 33:16 No, I just, at that time that I was vegan, I followed a lot of those vegan YouTubers. So I just want to warn people about it, because you see people, they're smiling and they look maybe healthy or whatever, and you think this is the right way,

[video] 33:39 But it's not and you should listen to your body and unfortunately I didn't listen to my body for two years and now I'm having the consequences of it. Till now, like I said, if I'm not on my strict kind of paleo diet and if I fall off the wagon, my body reacts immediately. So don't, yeah, like...

[video] 34:09 If you cannot, don't end up like I did. Don't experiment, and if you see it's not working, continue. Just don't start with it. It's a waste of time, money, and you will just ruin your health, basically.

34:31 What do you think about the vegans who crave meat, but eat fake meat instead? They don't listen to their body. And did you crave meat in the time?

[video] 34:42 So, in the beginning I didn't crave meat. I was eating a lot of fruits and whole grains and all these things. I think I was also brainwashed that meat is bad, so I kind of got myself to the idea that No, it's not appealing to me, you know? But I also never tried those soy products and the fake meat because I was into a healthy diet, so I stayed away from processed vegan food. But I think it's silly that vegans try to imitate non-vegan food, whether it's eggs or meat or even fish.

[video] 35:34 If you crave it so much and if you have health issues, then it's a sign that you shouldn't be staying on that diet and you should just go for the real source.

[video] 35:49 I think it's ridiculous and I think that those vegan food industries are making so much money out of fooling people to believe that soy is like the new health food and that it can substitute meat.

[video] 36:13 Yeah, that's just silly. And they just want to make money on the expense of vegetarians or vegans.

[video] 36:24 And the fact that vegans try to imitate it just shows that they actually crave the real thing. Otherwise, they wouldn't even try to imitate something they don't want. And I think it's a warning sign for sure.

36:44 Alright, if that's it, then thanks for sharing.

[video] 36:48 Yeah, thanks for giving me the stage. I wanted to share it so much, because obviously people, yeah, it's hard to get to the heart of people, and the doctors of course don't listen, they don't know anything about nutrition or... gut problems. I went to so many doctors and gastroenterologists and none of them could help me, none of them even knew what's wrong with me.

[video] 37:24 So, I think we are the best doctors for ourselves and we know what's working for us and what's not.

[video] 37:40 So thank you for letting me share my story.