One of the world's biggest supporters of the vegan diet has recently admitted that maybe it's not the greatest or healthiest way to go.
Virpi Mikkonen is an award-winning blogger who championed a vegan diet and her four cookbooks earned her hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. While she thought she was eating the healthiest possible foods, turns out the diet may not have been all that great for her health.
She became alarmed by the appearance of a rash on her face and immediately sought the help of a specialist in Chinese medicine, who told Virpi she must stop eating so much raw food and start eating meat. She also had a bout with the flu that was hard to shake as well as crumbling nails, feeling low, and, most worrying, her periods stopped. A blood test revealed her follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels had sky-rocketed to the level at which women hit the menopause. Virpi was 37 and having hot flushes.
Once she incorporated meat back into her diet, she began to feel a million times better. She's not alone either, as Tim Shieff, also known as the “vegan prince,” revealed earlier this year that he had given up the plant-based lifestyle because it was making him ill.
Now, I'm not saying that this will happen to you if you're vegan, or that all vegans are unhealthy, but this isn't the first time I've heard stories like this. One of my friends was in a similar situation and was told he needed to start eating meat again. Actress Anne Hathaway recently stated she's no longer following a vegan diet for health reasons as well. Definitely listen to your body, talk to your doctor, and make sure you're getting all of your body's required nutrients, no matter what type of diet/lifestyle you follow. Glad Vripi is healthy!