Why I won’t be going vegan this January

There is also some evidence to support the theory that the risk of fracture for vegans is higher than for meat eaters, fish eaters and vegetarians, due to their lower intake of calcium. The 2020 study was conducted by the University of Oxford and published in the journal BMC Medicine.

However, a 2023 study published in scientific journal Osteoporosis International, found that older adults, especially women, who follow a plant-based diet could be at lower risk for osteoporosis. So the case is far from clear.

Brain health is the area that causes me the most concern. The amount of B12 in a person’s blood later in life has been directly correlated with their IQ. One study found that the brains of elderly people with lower B12 were six times more likely to be shrinking.

Iron is another element crucial to brain health. A 2007 study found that giving young women iron supplements led to significant intellectual gains. In those whose blood iron levels increased over the course of the study, their performance on a cognitive test improved between five and sevenfold, while participants whose haemoglobin levels went up experienced gains in their processing speed.

While eating a steak is unlikely to make me Albert Einstein, making the most of what brain cells I have seems sensible.

Going half-the-hog

After experiencing symptoms of fatigue, increased appetite, hair loss, weight loss and inflamed skin, Camilla Mason (not her real name) says that she now eats “like a Tudor earl”.

Eating venison, a non-farmed meat that is available in abundance, is her way of still being aware of ethical issues around intensive farming practices. Importantly it also acknowledges that she needs more protein and fat than a vegan diet provided for her.

“I wouldn’t eat anything if I thought the quality or origins were dubious. Most of my meals are still vegetarian. I eat a lot of fish and eggs. From my experience of going vegan, I’m now much more clued up on protein and iron needs for my body, so that’s what I try and prioritise.”

Despite her experience of being vegan, Mason still thinks it’s possible to have a vegan diet without the health issues she encountered: “I think I was doing it wrong, basically. If I had been more aware of nutritional needs and had taken supplements accordingly, I think I could have managed it much better. However, I feel happier and more relaxed now with my current approach.”

Dr Mahmood-Ahmed agrees that it is possible to be vegan and healthy. “If you’re eating a vegan diet where you get 30 plant-based foods a week and you cook for yourself it is highly unlikely you’ll run into any nutritional deficiency-related issues. The quality of a vegan diet is really critical here.”

Even still, a veg-centric approach is how Dr Mahmood-Ahmed prefers to describe her own diet. Having grown up in a Muslim household, where meat is central to family and religious life, she says: “We ate meat every day pretty much.”

Reaching the point where she has a few vegetarian or plant-based days a week has been a journey. “My tastes have just gradually changed over time. Part of it was education. Part of it was becoming my own person and deciding what I enjoy more.”

That we live in a meat eating culture in the UK has to be acknowledged, but says Dr Mahmood-Ahmed: “It shouldn’t make us think that you have to eat a lot of it.

“If meat eaters could be just a little bit more vegan or vegetarian sometimes, I think they’d be doing their health a lot of good. And their pocket, because meat is very expensive. Speaking as a mother and someone who runs a household budget, you can buy a lot of legumes and pulses for a lot less and make it go a lot further.”

She and her family have regular “Veg Wednesdays”. She advocates small switches such as having a vegetable curry one night instead of your usual chicken. “It might feel relatively insignificant but if you add those days up over the course of a week or month you’ve actually made a significant, positive dietary change.”

It’s a nuanced approach that doesn’t fit with the all or nothing messaging of Veganuary. 

A diet you can sustain

Whatever your motivation, Dr Mahmood-Ahmed advises against treating veganism like a fad diet that you do for a little while and then give up.

“We know that restrictive diets don’t work. Whether it’s Keto or Atkins, the science has shown that people will lose weight initially and then they put it back on because the restrictive changes were too difficult to maintain long-term. If you treat veganism in the same way that’s exactly what’s going to happen to you.”

Her advice is to take the messages that are positive from a vegan diet, such as eating a wider range of plant based foods that are crucial for gut health.

“One key thing that’s really important that’s going to be better on a vegan diet is fibre. Fibre is so important for bowel health, appetite regulation and a supported immune system,” she says. “I would hate people to be vegan for a month for the sake of it and not take some of the really great things about a vegan diet into their life in the long term.”

Meanwhile for Whittaker, it’s important that whatever you decide is best for you, your choice is made free from judgement. “You should never be criticised for your dietary choices. If you want a glass of milk, or some fish, you go and have some.”

She cites the example of the singer Jessie J who switched back to eating meat when she was pregnant and was chastised on the internet. “Whether your dietary decisions are for animal welfare or your human health, it’s your personal choice.”