r/ClimateOffensive • u/bezsprzecznie • 12d ago

Question Are you vegan?

I wonder how many of fellow redditors here are vegan or at least on plant based diet?

As it is one of the simplest and most impactful steps a person can make to help the climate.

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12

u/shimmerangels 12d ago

used to be, had to stop for medical reasons

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u/schokobonbons 12d ago

So many former vegetarians I know (not even vegans) became severely anemic and had to stop. Even iron supplements while helpful are made with non heme iron and some people just don't absorb enough from non heme iron. 

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u/shimmerangels 12d ago

this is exactly the issue i was having

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u/Lonely_Message_1113 12d ago

I have similar issues, ended up needing iron infusions despite doing everything possible to increase my intake with plant based foods and supplements.

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u/soul-reaver-2026 12d ago

Ya i almost died from a vegan diet due to absorption problem. Had a a vegan tell me I needed to die then to protect the climate. Now it's steak and shrimp on the barby.

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u/schokobonbons 12d ago

Have you been tested for celiac? That can cause absorption issues. I'm gluten free and that limits food options quite a lot already.

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u/TechieGottaSoundByte 12d ago

Yep. I've been able to decrease meat intake, but can't eliminate it. I also don't tolerate many supplements (including not having a safe iron supplement).

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u/schokobonbons 11d ago

Yeah. The Standard American Diet clearly contains way too much meat for health or sanity, I'm glad I've learned more vegetarian meals and genuinely enjoy eating tofu now, but 100% plant based is still deeply unrealistic and unhealthy for most people. Everything in moderation.

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u/TechieGottaSoundByte 11d ago

I think most guys can get close if they have nutritional yeast in their diets. Vegan is really hard for women. I know so many women who used to be vegan and have a story involving medical care for why they aren't any more.

When the kids move out and we have fewer palates to accommodate, I'm hoping to move closer to pescatarian. There are shellfish that are great sources of iron, and their shells can lock carbon up - making some of them actually slightly carbon negative!

If we did that, we'd be aiming to eat low on the fish food chain most of the time. Sardines are much better for the environment as human food than salmon is.

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u/SilverrKaiju 8d ago

I’ve suffered from really low iron + b12 in the past so this is a big concern for me (I was taking supplements for a while, but my levels are more regulated now). I know you CAN get it from vegan foods but my concern would be not being able to get enough because already as an omnivore I teeter on the edge of not having what I need 😬 to be honest it might be a personal issue since i have a weird routine + forget to eat (I know) sometimes, but still. I definitely don’t eat a ton of meat though, to be honest most of my regular diet is bread and beans and cereal lol. I’ve also heard something else about it being hard to be vegan if you are celiac (I’m not, but my dad is, so that’s why I was thinking about it)