YES! People’s food journeys are NOT linear! They change throughout our lives and I appreciate you so much for being transparent because sometimes it’s hard to be open about our relationships with food. Thank you for being open about it even though we aren’t entitled to know! Much love to you!
But that's just the thing....veganism is not (just) about food. It's an animal rights movement. She didn't stop being vegan, she stopped being plant based. There's nothing wrong with that but being vegan (animal rights) and EATING vegan is not the same thing and yes, the difference is very very important.
I’ve been a vegan for about 3 years. I started doing that because I wanted to be more healthy and consume more veggies and fruits. However I’ve developed some bad digestive issues due to mineral deficiency. Now I will try to slowly incorporate fish, meat, eggs in my food. I’ve had a craving for meat and fish before but completely ignored it due to my commitment not to eat any animal products. It is always crucial to listen to your body and don’t overlook it !
Same here. This was my 3rd year being vegan, just quit. Spent the last year battling GERD, other issues. The moment I started consuming meat, fish and eggs my body came back to life. I didn't know how truly stressed my body was until that moment.
It’s interesting how similar our experiences were at the beginning. I went vegan a few weeks before my 14th bday and it was basically my last attempt at losing weight bc I had already tried many diets prior to that. As I was listening to you, I genuinely almost felt like you were talking about me 😅. I’m still vegan, but just like you, my reasons changed as I matured. Now I’m actually majoring in nutritional sciences, working on becoming a registered dietitian. My relationship with food has changed quite a lot and I’ve learned so much more studying nutrition. I think you worded everything very well and I’m glad you were willing to be open about this even though some people can definitely be judgmental at times. The idea has been created that vegan = healthy automatically when that’s just not the case. I’m glad to hear you’re prioritizing your health and feeling better about yourself! I think for anyone trying to improve their relationship with food, going to a dietitian is a great first step (shameless plug for my future self). Unfortunately, not everyone has access to those resources, but at least obtaining your information from the right people/places such as (again) registered dietitian accounts and not from people who just want to spread misinformation and fear. Keep doing you Amber!
This is why veganism is not a diet. When framing the topic of veganism as just your diet, you're shielding yourself from the ethical issue. It makes "leaving veganism" feel like a backslide on eating healthy or just a natural growth in your preferences as you mature. The reality is that you're now participating in a global holocaust of over 100 billion sentient animals a year. None of the problems you experienced are exclusive to eating plants and can be solved without slaughtering people. We do all deserve to eat, but no one has the right to take your life from you to make themselves feel better. If it's not okay to do to you, it's not okay to do to someone else.
i love how you’re super honest on how you became vegan to show both negatives and positives on changing your diet up like dat!! mucho love on whatever journey you follow💟😊😊
I just hit three years of being vegan and I know I definitely didn’t start for the right reasons because I was also restrictive and hyper focused on food, but now I intuitively eat and am in a way better relationship with food. Overall, I really related to this video and try not to worry about what people think and do what’s best for you! ❤
fFr any new starters the best option to start vegan diet is to try indian food. I have been vegeterain my whole life(not eggs) and i have never felt the need to eat meat becuase there just so many options but the problem is a lot of people don't know how to start and they end spending and stressing a lot it. The most stressfull is protien intake but if you start right with all the beans and dals then its a no brainer.
@@armdoor8346 i’m vegetarian as of october 2022 and i want to try indian food so bad! i know a decent chunk of the population in india is vegetarian which makes me happy. i feel like i’d have a great time visiting there and trying different foods. i don’t live near any indian restaurants right now, but hopefully i’ll be closer to some when i go to college in august.
It’s not about u. It’s about your victims. They don’t need to suffer and die becuase of u. But u r selfish and harm others for a taste preferences. For animal testing, fashion, entertainment. So selfish so self absorbed. Think of you victims
Maybe we shouldn't always think of ourselves only. Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude-as far as is possible and practicable-all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment.
social media was def the main cause of my disordered eating habits. it’s so sad how you, me and so many other young people develop bad eating habits bc of influencers at such a young age. i remember under eating starting from the age of 12 and i got super restrictive and got depressed bc i wasn’t looking different (thinner). I even told my parents that I wasn’t gonna eat meat for a month to “try it out bc I was curious” but in reality, I just heard influencers and social media saying cutting meat will help weight loss. uGHHH I JUST RELATE TO THIS VIDEO SO MUCH AMBER, tysm for being so open and honest :,)
Yeah, there is hundreds, if not thousands, of them. I was vegan for about 10 years and it helped so much to see that I wasn't going through this alone...
It feels so wonderful to finally hear someone put my exact thoughts and emotions towards veganism into words. I love vegan food and its positive effects, but I have also suffered from an ED in the past and just cannot be monitoring all of my food intake the way I’d have to if I were 100% vegan. I completely understand where you are coming from Amber, and I am happy that you are able to prioritise yourself and your mental health like this! Being 100% vegan is just not meant for everyone at every stage in their life, and that’s okay!
This is not true. Every major dietary organization has said that you CAN be vegan at aby stage of life. Her issue isn't veganism, it's having an eating disorders. Which you can have regardless of being vegan. You don't have to restrict yourself as a vegan, that's such an annoying stereotype. I feel like she lacked so so much education on the diet part on veganism. And yes, you can lack education despite being "vegan" for so long. If she wasn't then she would know you don't have to restrict yourself the same way she claims. Especially if you actually cared about animal rights. Its very sad how quickly these people can make excuses to eat products born of suffering. I wish she had better supportive environment of other vegans to cheer her on. Because objectively, veganism IS the best thing you can do for the environment. It absolutely is that simple.
@@sola_a I’m not talking about dietary needs though, I’m talking about mental health. Veganism can feel more restrictive because it forces you to mimick a lot of eating disorder behaviours, simply because it is still not completely accessible everywhere. If I were to eat 100% vegan all of the time, I could not be able to challenge spontaneous treats, or eating out together with my friends without checking the menu beforehand, or just being flexible in terms of food, all things that scared me when I was in my eating disorder. In a perfect world there would be just as many vegan options as non-vegan, and it wouldn’t take as much conscious effort and involvement to choose to eat 100% vegan. But the reality is that vegan foods are still not as common as non-vegan foods, and being vegan still means you have to say no to a lot of options and often find yourself with a sad salad when others can have a proper meal out. Non-disordered people can deal with those kinds of situations, but when you’re trying to recover it just adds another dimension to the struggle. So no, not everyone can be fully vegan at any stage of life, and choosing to incorporate animal products into your diet again to heal your relationship to food is a personal choice that has nothing to do with lacking education or willpower.
@@soym1lkg1rl my point still stands. Veganism doesn't have to feel restrictive, it's a matter of educating yourself sufficiently. I say this as someone who had a difficult relationship with food before going vegan. So I think I know what I'm saying when I say veganism is only as hard as you make it hard. For example, I'm the only vegan in my friend group but my friends are actually supportive to the point where we only eat at places where all of us can eat. We cook together a lot. Good friends will look out for you. You can have a difficult relationship with food with any diet, that doesn't make the diet the issue necessarily. Us vegans aren't going about life restricting ourselves to unhealthy degrees and I'm so so tired of non-vegan (including the girl in the video) claiming that to denounce veganism for their own short comings. There is nothing personal about a "choice" that involves harming another. Your choice ends where it directly harms another. At that point its no longer a choice but a violation
Wow this such a great video. I relate so much despite not being vegan. I was a young kid looking into veganism for the sake of losing weight and developed an eating disorder which I still struggle with as a now sophomore in college. I also still struggle with eating in public. It’s really crazy how much the internet warps young minds this way. This vid really comforted me about my own eating habits. I’m really glad ur bettering yourself tho!! Xx
You've never been vegan because you've never understood: Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude-as far as is possible and practicable-all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment.
i’ve been vegetarian for about 7 years now too and it’s started to become apparent to me that i do the same thing of using my diet as an excuse to eat or not and i’m proud of u for sharing this side of it that nobody talks about
I never realized how I always assume that people choose vegan diets based only on personal values about animal products so its really eye opening to hear you talk from your perspective of restrictive eating. As someone who has dealt with an E.D. in a different way, I love hearing how far you've come and how a casual relationship with food can be so freeing!! Love you as always
Tried the vegetarian diet which had some vegan meals included and I honestly kept it up throughout the summer and then winter came and I had developed such a weird fear around eating food which had never happened to me because I was and still am the biggest foodie on earth and it scared the sht out of me which made me stop immediately with the vegetarian/vegan diet. Because everytime I would eat food with a dense structure I’d get panic attacks out of fear not being able to swallow it?? Like wtf? Still don‘t really know where that fear came from but changing my diet definitely triggered that a lot which again, made me change back to my old diet. Now I listen to my body and eat what my body craves. It took me half a year to heal my relationship with food again and since then I never looked back. So thank you sm for sharing your story! It‘s so important that we honor our bodies and listen well when they talk to us❤
Growing up during the rise of critical vegans on YT was truly difficult as a young girl . I remember eating such unbalanced meals during HS I felt miserable 😞Thanks for sharing your journey Amber. it truly takes a lot for one to repair their relationship w/ food
@@nicktheveganchick *A vegan diet can never be a balanced diet. You are deficient in at least 15 micronutrients ONLY found in animal products. You are MALNURISHING yourself. You have an eating disorder. GET HELP*
@@lenorabarclay275 I support this decision because she made it. It’s her body, her choice. If that counts towards murdering a human baby, it counts for this. Where do you think they grow the plants that y’all use for your oat, almond, soy, cashew, (and whatever other plant) milk? They grow them in places where they cut down whole forests. They destroy the habitats for SO MANY ANIMALS. But now, because she made a choice that is completely her own, and un affects you run every way, you’ve decided to hate on her, and the ones that support her decision. Get your liberal but off your bed and do some real research, for both sides. You clearly have read the vegan side, now find something that disproves it and go into it with an open mind.
I hear you. I'm 5 years vegan and i dont want to change it, but I also got into it for the "wrong" reasons. Since then, I have mended my food obsessions and I hope to be vegan forever, but I TOTALLY hear you and I am so proud of you for explaining your journey.
As someone who is way older than you, I want to say that this video was beautiful. You will inspire so many young and older vegans, nonvegans, those who are going through eating disorders with this video with how important food is! Although I’m not vegan myself and never been, I respect all type of diets, cultures. Thank you so much for sharing!!! Btw!!! NEW WHAT I EAT IN A DAY!! I know you’re gonna be so experimental with new food and would love to seee!!!
As someone who is older than you I can say that this is not inspiring. It's excuses only. You never understood: Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude-as far as is possible and practicable-all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment.
@@realbonbonbon you’re very inspiring, although unfortunately not everyone can follow this type of diet. Kudos to you! Thanks for helping the environment. I’ve been using cruelty free products as much as possible so that’s all I can do for now. I work out, am a new grad nurse, and need as much protein for my energy and muscle. Also don’t have the right financial needs right now to buy anything high protein that’s vegan cause canadas been tough with high prices on food and I also live with in a Filipino household under my parents. So unfortunately I won’t be able to maintain a vegan diet. But awesome how you and others do so!
Veganism is good,but is hard to keep cause the food industry is a big mix of ingredients, and is far more healthy than a omnivor diet.I had two friends who died, meat lovers,42 and 46 years...heart and brain failure .Medical clinics are full of people with heart disease , and trust me ,not for eating salad.I have gout for 13 years , I do not eat meat(and other things) anymore.
you don’t know how big impact this video has on me. i’m so proud of you amber!!!! thanks for opening about your feelings and it’s really great to see you feeling good, ily so so much and thanks again
Thank you for this video! I’m vegetarian for almost 7 years, but have started to have the rare nibble of salmon. I’ve been thinking of going back to eating meat, but every time I feel that way something just sets me back (the icks I get thinking of meat). I initially became vegetarian when I was 13, and just like you for the wrong reasons 😅 It was a light sense of “maybe I’ll loose weight” so I became vegetarian. Eventually after 2 or so years, I became passionate about veganism and craved being vegan but relying on my parents for meals allowed them to tell me I cant be vegan until I’m 18. After a year or so, I wasnt as passionate anymore and just remained vegetarian just because I’ve been it for so long and that’s where I’m at now. I’m 19 & am indeed missing out on the social aspect because I would LOVE to try Korean BBQ without worrying about the vegetarian options knowing I wont be full. Even a simple pho soup will taste flavorless because of the broth being vegetarian instead of pork (or so, which I imagine to be flavorfullll). I also am more “restrictive” to where I dont eat dairy yogurt & dont eat dairy milk, but I still eat eggs and cheese. I would love to just casually have sushi without thinking about “do they have avocado rolls?” or without spending way more money on a speciality vegan sushi restaurant. I love vegetarism but I know I’m not doing it right. I dont eat beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc. and I occasionally add tofu. I thought I’d forever be vegetarian and even go vegan at one point, but now I’m just continuing it because I’ve done it for so long :-/ I appreciate this video so much 💗💗
i honestly appreciate you so much for sharing what you’ve gone through with food, it gives a much needed perspective in the vegan yt space! i started watching you and ashley, and i think the trader joe’s haul made me look into veganism😭 i watched the documentaries and did some research too. my mindset was focused more on the health aspect cutting out processed foods etc. but i can see why for many people it leads to harmful restrictions. i actually didn’t eat meat other than chicken so it wasn’t that different. i actually never saw it as a restriction for myself, but just for the animals mostly. the idea of meat/ and meat industry started to gross me out tbh. i was vegan for three years but i stopped in 2020. i was vegetarian up until recently, i realized something similar that it wouldn’t make me a bad person if i ate meat again. i was conflicted for a while but i desperately wanted a chicken taco one day and i stopped lol💀 i think i’m seeing it as i can have more experiences through food like you said being with friends or trying foods from other cultures. i still only eat chicken and still enjoy some vegan/vegetarian options but i honestly wasn’t eating balanced so i felt pretty tired most of the time. i can tell i’ve improved some energy wise. and honestly it kind of seems like we can’t win even if we are vegan or vegetarian when there’s billion dollar companies polluting the earth every second😔 but anyway thank you for sharing your story!! i know it’s helpful for a lot of people that went through the same thing❤
you were one of the people that helped me become vegan. other animals deserve liberation from suffering and needless death. they aren’t a food group like you see them as. they are individuals like you and me. i’m sorry that you felt like it restricted your eating and that you needed to feel socially normal and mentally well by paying for other beings to suffer and die. i know that the world isn’t perfect and there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism, but animal products always have a victim unless they’re lab-grown. it’s intentional and unnecessary harm. hopefully, someday we’ll have lab grown flesh, body parts, and breast milk that everyone can enjoy soon. i also struggle with disordered eating and feeling like i can’t eat with everyone around me. i grew up in a culture with a lot of animals served as food, roasted whole pigs on tables, and all that. but culture can change and evolve. i can’t live with myself knowing that i’m eating the body parts and secretions of nonconsenting beings who can’t escape from their pain.
@@pythondrink for once I am with the troll because the farmers protecting the vegetables are just killing every single animal near there vegetables scientist find more farmer kill animal near there vegetables than slaughter house
This video was so refreshing and honest… I am really proud of you, Amber! You are such an insightful person, and I really feel like I’ve learnt a lot from you, as someone similar to you in age who has been watching your family’s content for over 4 years now. Not only are you endlessly funny, you are also massively wise and in-tune with yourself. Thank you for sharing these parts of your life with us, because it really does help me to check in on myself, too
Thank you so much Amber. This video, and your precious, genuine words of your experience really hit smth in me. I've noticed that I'm really cautious of what I eat and find that I'm punishing myself for eating and feeling guilty for the things I eat. I also have this idea that (similar to what you mentioned,) I want to have a 'healthy girl' look in front of my friends and so at school all I eat are fruits, veggies and other nutrient foods, and so when I see my friends eating chips or chocolate or smth, I just don't understand how they can be so thin and happy eating all of that (did that make sense?) Sorry for oversharing, but I think my mindset about food and my body has changed now because of you. I know that sounds silly, but it's true. Thank you Amber
Hi Amber, I decided to become a Vegan about 5 months ago after getting negative results from a recent medical exam. I also decided to go very low oil and very low carbs and sugar. A restrictive diet was never a big deal for me because I come from a Kosher home which is already very restrictive. In fact, being Kosher in many ways is way more restrictive than just being Vegan. So far, I really love being Vegan. For most of my life, I already ate Vegan a few times a week so the transition wasn't that difficult. I don't really care about organic, processed foods or GMO, so I probably had more options than you did in some ways but less in others because the Vegan products I buy also have to be certified Kosher and you would be surprised just how many aren't. You would think all Vegan products are certified Kosher and I am sure a lot more of them could be but the manufacturers probably don't want to spend the money on certification. Many others also produce their Vegan products on the same production lines where they make other foods that are absolutely not Kosher so they could never be certified. I don't count calories and of course, I rarely eat out but my favorite thing about being Vegan now is that I can eat a lot more food and I seem to be losing weight even though I am eating more. I found a lot of foods I really love and really don't miss meat or dairy all that much. I don't know if I will remain a Vegan for the rest of my life but so far, I really like it. Did Ashley give you a hard time when you gave up being a strict vegan? Do you cook non-Vegan foods now that you're living together? I guess you would because she lived in a content house with many other non-vegans and she never complained, at least not on camera.
Freelee now lives in the jungle of Northern Queensland. She’s mellowed out over the years. Still posts on TH-cam tho not as active. 2016 vegan TH-cam was very orthorexic and I can see how it would trigger eating disorders for some. It’s a shame overly restrictive vegan diets exploded in popularity because vegan diets can be balanced and healthy
Your reasons for not being vegan anymore make a lot of sense, from the inaccessibility at college to the restrictiveness feeling like an ED. That was also such a good point about how it's not all or nothing, you can still make a difference while not being completely vegan. It's awesome to see that you have a new love and enthusiasm for food! I've also had a fear of eating in front of people for a long time but for me it wasn't really about WHAT I was eating, it was HOW I was eating, i.e. just wanting to eat neatly and not chew oddly and stuff like that 😄 I also went vegan in high school and have been for a little over 7 years. I did it purely for animal-related reasons and not for weight/diet so maybe that's why I still feel comfortable with being vegan? It does get tough sometimes with the social aspect, and the convenience of just being able to grab whatever quick. I love my favourite go-to vegan brands of oat milk, oat ice cream, and other desserts, and I never really had an appetite for eggs, meat , or fish, so maybe my taste buds are just weird or something lol.
proud of you for doing what you needed to do to heal and grow!! ❤️ i relate so much to everything you said. i was extremely restrictive a few years ago to lose weight, then found out ab veganism. i would tell ppl i went vegan bc i cared ab animals & the environment but i knew deep down it was also bc i wanted an excuse for a restrictive diet. about a year later i got extremely sick and couldn’t heal quickly bc i hadn’t been nourishing my body. so i went back to eating fish and eggs. and recently i’ve been wanting to just eat whatever i felt like eating. it’s so hard to eat out w friends & family and there’s so many foods that look so damn good but can’t eat bc of my diet 😭 i love how you said eating whatever you want is a way to heal from the restrictive mindset you’ve had in the past. i think thinking in that way can help me heal too! ❤ (sorry this is so long 😭 i just related so much and felt like sharing)
I love when you touch on how you’ve already made an impact from the many years. Everyone should celebrate the impacts big and small people have and accept that 100% 24/7 isn’t the only option :) even one meal or one week is something and no one should feel that it’s all or nothing
literally the exact same for me except im 25 and went vegan at 17 when i started college, initially it started with looking up easy recipes and turned into an easy way to restrict. like you said, it was so nice to just say “i cant eat that, im vegan”. still trying to heal from those years. thank you for making this video, it seems like so many others can relate. i loved the bit at the end, there’s so much nuance involved with being sustainable and taking care of yourself should be a #1 priority. proud of you 💕
I'm sorry that you went through that. There are a lot of vegan youtubers who push crazy restrictive diets that have nothing to do veganism as philosophy. A vegan diet doesn't have to be restrictive or like a crash diet. There's more than one way to be vegan and get the nutrients you need without hurting yourself or obsessing over health/weight. It's hard to overcome that kind of thing. I used to obsess over eating whole foods only. Now, I don't overthink my diet. I'm still vegan, eat a variety of foods, and it's comforting to know that I'm not hurting any animals.
I am about 90% vegan and the rest vegetarian. This fits well for me, because when I cook for myself I find it easy to eat vegan but sometimes for example when I visit my grandma I don‘t wanna have her make an extra dish for me, or if someone gifts me chocolate with milk I‘ll eat it anyways.. I think just do what‘s best for you without trying too hard to fit in a box 😌
It is sad that we are living in a world, where the surfice has such importance, to the point it can ruin the lives of so many young people... I say, think of animals, think of other people, we are not alone as individuals on this earth, we have to live and cooperate together and killing and abusing animals is not the solution for the wellbeing of anyone. And Americans, please ditch the sick ,,all about looks,, and ,,love yourself first,, mentality, it is slowly getting old.
i’m so grateful to have found kind youtubers like spencer barbosa, nutrition by kylie, and fitgreenmind who make body positive and health positive content. younger me needed that really badly. though, my mindset was awful and even though i was aware of the right things to do in regards to weightloss and insecurities, i was still horrible to myself. thankfully i’ve gotten out of that and i treat myself better. i’ve become healthier not only through food but by speaking kindly to myself. i’m not vegan though i’d love to be closer to one some day. i’m actually vegetarian as of october 2022. the social aspect and the money aspect of veganism is definitely a deterrent for me as of right now. being vegetarian, i have access to more things. i appreciate your transparency. as viewers of other’s content, you never know what goes on in someone’s life no matter how l things appear online. i’m happy you’ve decided to step away for your own mental health. you deserve to eat! from what i do know about you, you’re such a beautiful and hilarious person, you deserve to feel good about yourself!!
I really feel you on this. I have been vegan for the last 4/5 years (mostly, I still eat honey and in later years have eaten some eggs from my aunty's hens and mussels from my Dad's farm), but recently I have started being less and less restrictive with it. We are opposite in the way that I did not start veganism at all with the idea of losing weight, but it eventually grew to that point. I don't know that I could ever eat beef, pork, venison or chicken again (personally), but i've been afraid to potentially start eating eggs, dairy and maybe even fish again as I am afraid of gaining weight as I now have a slightly slower metabolism than when I first started with veganism (where I was legit a stick). I am now very much conciously considering whether I should try going back to being just veggie and even then not be too stressed about if I slip up. I really wish I could eat meat cause I do think that humans are mostly meant to be omnivores, but we'll just have to see what happens! Thank you for posting this Amber
amber!!!!!!! thank you for being so transparent with us and voicing out your whole thought process!! every time you have these sit down videos i get smacked in the face ( in a good way ?) with how thoughtful, well spoken, and intelligent you are! thank you for using your platform to truly speak your mind and share your experiences to reinforce + promote positive habits and self care!!! you tell things how they are, and word it in such an inspiring way .. i have so much appreciation for you and am so happy that you’re happy! i barely follow along with any youtubers and rarely comment but whenever i see you post SUM PART OF ME HAS TO VOICE MY ADORATION!! i can see just how much you care about the message that you send and AGH!!! i just love when people talk so passionately about anything and the way you are so self aware ... YAS! BUT YEAH!! U R SO AMAZING!! thank you so much for updating us even though u absolutely didn’t have to!!
Not gonna lie I always compared myself to people on the Internet, also to you and Ashley. I always analyzed what you ate in the videos to a point I thought this is the only way I should eat, so that I will also have amazing skin/body etc. Especially since you were vegan and I always thought I have to be vegan to have good skin. But hearing you talk about your struggle with food/veganism just helped me so much!!!!! Not that I am happy to hear that you didn't feel great for a long time, it just made me realize that so many people have a complicated relationship with food, and we never know what's going on in their life and shouldn't compare ourselves. I've always struggled with restricting/under eating and I am still not at the point where I am ready to give up my old bad eating habits lol BUT I have to admit that your video really changed my perspective on my diet/comparison to other girlies on the internet. I am very proud of you for taking care of your body, you deserve to be happy and healthy and I really am excited for you to try sooo much other amazing food in the future!! I can't stress enough how amazingly mature you are for your age, I am not even half that wise yet lmao you always find the right words to express your emotions, and I've been really enjoying your sit down and talk videos lately. Your growth is honestly so inspiring, love ya x
the fact that you’re now sharing your story with us after a year of being vegan free just shows how careful and aware you are of your viewers. absolute queen amber!!! thing about this life journey thing, whether it be food or whatever else is that we’re all still navigating trying to find what works for us and what doesn’t 💛
bruh amber i related so mcuh it was literally painful. i used to do gymnastics cheer tumbling etc. and that's when my restrictive eating started and I remember it even messed up my relationship my my mom bc culturally foods we eat literally do not agree with veganism, vegetarian, etc and it is such a painful feeling to have to put so much though into something that more or less does not matter. thank you for this video
Wow this was so well spoken and thought out 💕Thank you for articulating the struggles that can come with being vegan. I’m the same age and have been vegan since I was 14 too. Thinking back to when I brought like 6 bananas to school for lunch in high school is crazy to me 😂 Although I don’t share many of the restrictive experiences and habits you mentioned, I’ve had a very similar journey and sympathize with how it can be a lot to handle when trying to not restrict yourself and especially in social settings as well. Hearing someone else have the thoughts I have too is sooo validating. My way out of my restriction was fitness so I’m still going strong w/ veganism🌱but I'm happy you’re so aware of the effects it was having on you and have found freedom too in your own way❤️
You're just like me fr, lmaooo. Brooo, we had a similar experience with veganism! I went vegan for a few months in spring 2016 (around April or May, I believe. I remember because it was my freshmen year and it was during the outdoor track season). I was introduced to veganism by the TH-cam algorithm or something. Obviously being in a sport, I was trying to figure out the best foods to put in my body to nourish it and get energy/perform better at practice and on the track. So naturally, looking up healthy meal ideas, veganism-related videos showed up. I remember the Freelee the Banana Girl, the vegan couple (Mr. and Mrs. Vegan--I don't remember their name), and that one dude who would make videos and would only feed his dog vegan food (smh, feel bad for that dog). It was a weird time for the vegan community on TH-cam and for the TH-cam algorithm. Anyway, clearly I was interested in the diet (somewhat the lifestyle as well) because I wanted to eat better, but also, the documentaries and videos made me want to go vegan to prevent animal suffering on my end, at the time. A key reason I even adopted the diet was because I had high cholesterol and high triglycerides at one point after some annual bloodwork in middle school and the doctor presented and explained what that meant in a way that made it seem very life-threatening (like I would get a heart attack/heart disease soon, even though that was not the case at all). I adopted the diet almost blindly for those reasons. I obviously did some research, but it wasn't sufficient as much as the approach and diet wouldn't be sustainable for me. Eventually, my iron level was very low during that summer/fall. I eventually went back to eating an omnivore-based diet (majority plant-based and like at most 20% animal-based----I'm pretty sure it was a similar diet to the one I had prior to adopting the vegan diet). But yeah. I definitely felt better going back to my normal diet around late fall of 2016 (my sophomore year of high school). I'm 22 now and I will say my iron level was low this past January, but I took iron supplements daily as instructed by my doctors and now my iron level is within the healthy range! It was most likely low to begin with because of my PCOS and if not that, the fact that I don't really eat iron-rich animal proteins, specifically red meat. Like I said, by nature, my diet is pretty plant-based or even vegetarian at that. Anyway, if anyone read this, you're for real a G. Lol. It's somewhat comforting to know I can relate to someone my age and someone who had a very similar experience, especially in terms of being introduced to veganism.
Also, LOL, the MyFitnessPal thing was so real. I started using it in spring 2015 (I was finishing 8th grade, lmao). I didn't have an ED or anything, but definitely some form of body dysmorphia because I thought I was fat, when I really wasn't, and it was during that tumblr era and shit where people where the "thigh-gap" agenda was so present...abs too. LMFAO. Crazy. I was literally 14...using MyFitnessPal to try and get a thigh gap. Crazy. I didn't do restrictive eating though, I was just counting my calories within the range someone my age with my goals should be intaking. It's still bizarre to reflect that I lived that moment in my youth, lol. I always think about how sensitive and vulnerable young children and adults are when they have access to the internet and misinformation. It's definitely a thought I think to myself, especially when I think about having kids in the future, not gonna lie. LMAO. Deep.
Thank you so much for opening up, i find this video so relieving and important! In the past few years i watched a lot of your sister's videos, especially the "what i eat in a day", i used to be obsessed with those type of videos during quarantine, because i was trying to find new recipes that could be healthy, vegan but still good; i tried to make myself enjoy some things, especially the desserts, but in reality i didn't like some of them at all. It was only last year that i realized how much control i was putting on the food that i was eating, forcing myself not to eat the desserts that my boyfriend's mom was making because they were containing eggs or cow milk, feeling nervous and frustrated when i was eating outside or at someone's place because i didn't have the control. I was being so hard on myself on so many levels, and i decided to break this circle and i finally feel free to eat whatever i want; i haven't eaten meat in 4 years and i'm happy with this choice, i try to eat mostly plant-based but it makes me so happy to enjoy a sushi date with my boyfriend from time to time or baking a cake that actually tastes good.
your video popped up on my feed, maybe because I'm vegan (i'm from india). here is my take on your video amber, science is very clear that vegan diet (planned as every diet should be) is healthy and nutritionally adequate for all stages of life. Veganism is not a cult, fad or diet (whoever says it is, is not in it for the animals). Veganism is a social justice movement for animals. we recognize that non-human animals, deserve our moral consideration and basic right not to be exploited or killed by humans for 15 minutes of taste pleasure. animals are not commodities; they are sentient beings who can feel pain, suffer just like us. When you view animals as just food, it's very easy to be disconnected from what really happens to animals (unnecessarily inflicting pain, suffering & ultimately death). I hope you revaluate your position on veganism. you are young and have lot of influence on people too with your TH-cam channel. True Vegans (ethical) don't support animal welfarism, we only support animal liberation. I recommend you watch slaughter footage (or) dominion(2018) (or) Earthlings (2005) and make up your mind whether what we are doing to animals is justified? highly recommend you check out 'Earthling Ed' TH-cam channel and his talks. "You Will Never Look at Your Life in the Same Way Again" talk by earthling ed.
I used to agree with you, but after 14 years of detoriation on plant based diet, I don´t agree at all. Yes, I was eating balanced. Legumes, quinoa, buckwheat, plant sources omega, a ton of veggies, fruit, berries, nuts, seeds, all whole foods. Even "true vegans" as you call it, detoriate. You can keep on detoriating if you want, but believing that plants only is the healthy and natural way of living, is a load of crap. No need to eat farm raised animals.
This video was so insightful and inspiring. You honestly did not have to explain this decision at all - it was yours and yours only - but I am so glad you made this video since I know it will inspire so many to find themselves and heal their relationship with food! I hope you live your best life!
Amber this is beautiful 🥹 thank you for being so honest and vulnerable. I am so happy you have found pure JOY out of eating good food and feeding your body what it desires. I am proud of you for developing a better relationship with food and with yourself. Here’s to more love within yourself and everything you eat!!! 💛💛💛💛
Even as a 31yr old, I struggle with disordered/restrictive eating and I think without the help of the internet, I would've never known that I had an eating disorder. Personally, the hardest part for me was getting to the age where we as women, often can't tolerate carbs the same way we used (simple carbs, not complex). I also just found out that I have an illness where it is better for me to eat lower carb. I guess after years of trying to make small and healthier swaps, I still feel stuck as ever. How does 1 eat intuitively while also still technically "restricting"?! I will probably eventually work with a nutritionist if I can't find a way to manage my POTS symptoms on my own. Nourishing your body is SOOO important, especially during your younger years and this is why intermittent fasting really isn't the way to go unless a Dr recommends such. Look at professional gymnasts, they usually don't even start their periods until they are past the age of 14 because we NEED carbs for energy. I still see so many YTers claim they eat intuitively but still restrict, restrict, restrict and as women, we shouldn't be encouraging other women to eat less but eat to nourish our bodies instead. It's hard to know the right balance between what is healthy and what is not enough. ps; have you tried sushi yet? ^-^
i’ve never been vegan, but i think i’ve adopted some unhealthy tendencies recently. when id eat sugar, id always feel so guilty. i wish i wouldn’t feel this way but i do, and this guilt inhibits me from enjoying foods that i genuinely like. i’m trying not to think so deeply about it, but it’s always in the back of my mind. i wish i didn’t have the urge to censor what i eat. i mean eating anything in moderation is okay- including sugary and oily foods. but when i indulge in such foods, i try to make myself feel less badly about consuming these not so healthy foods by promising to work it off at the gym. it’s not the best mindset to have but im working on it. i hope to develop a neutral relationship with food too. but anyway i loved this video!! so real and eye opening
Very happy for you and your growth! Although I've never dabbled in veganism, but I can very much relate to struggling to understand how to have a good relationship with food and my body. I wish you luck as you continue on your journey
I really loved this video. I had been pescatarian for almost four years and I also started that diet when I was in high school and I felt very similarly as a junior in college just seeing my friends eating foods and just wanting the convenience. I started to crave fatty foods and meat again and didn’t realize that when I wasn’t eating meat I was restricting myself from eating foods I might have really wanted to eat. It’s really nice to see you talk about it and then also not define your diet because I think there’s a point where the “lifestyle” can become unhealthy if like you said you feel like you’re restricting yourself. I really appreciated everything you said and it’s helping me on my journey of loving food again!
So proud of you Amber!! I'm curious as to how Ashley feels since you and her did veganism together for so long? I'm sure your family is so glad to see you growing into a healthy woman 🥺❤️
I've been old school vegan for 60 years. It's not a diet. It's having compassion for animals and ot eating them and causes so much suffering. It's up to you to find a healthy diet . You have to figure it out yourself, that s if you cate about the planet and animals. I'm a gourmet Italian cook. I eat really great. I'm 70 years old and have 0 health issues. Run marathons Run 2 hours every morning. Bike hike. Again there is no such thing as a vegan diet. You are doing the animals a disservice and the planet by making these videos. I can run circles around most carnivores and aim 70 years old. There is 0 restrictions being vegan if you create a healthy diet.
This TH-camr has definitely proved to me that I can be strong with meat instead of Boring Vegan Foods. I wish i knew that from the start because as a person who never liked diets at all, i was so naïve to eat, And due to that I never drank or ate anything and that became a problem for me, until 2009 when i started eating and that became a life changer for me. It helped me to be more cautious about not eating, and why It causes me to be hungry everyday. With meat, I knew that it made me who i am since 2011 when the first time i tried spaghetti bolognese and i fell in love with it instantly and to this today i never felt sorry for eating it 😂. All Jokes Aside, you definitely know how to explain the reason why Vegan food is terrible without being disrespectful and im proud of you because of that. Continue the kindness that you share with your videos everytime you film it and post it online on youtube ❤😊.
The honesty in this video is so appreciated. As someone who has struggled with similar things, and I'm sure a lot of others has as well, seeing someone with a big platform talk about these topics so openly and honestly really helps with the stigma around these things and is helpful for people like us. You're so loved Amber! Thank you for this video and thankful for you!
yas i'm so happy for you Amber!! my brother is vegan and he struggles with going out to eat with family and friends bc they rarely ever have food options for him. thankfully he doesn't restrict himself too crazy but at most restaurants he'll get fries or a random side. he recently tried going vegetarian so that he would have more options. i low key praise anyone who is vegan bc it's such a hard lifestyle. i constantly go out to vegan restaurants, taco trucks, etc with my brother to show the vegan community some love in hopes that one day it's a more common option especially in smaller towns. im glad to see you being open and taking care of YOURSELF!! bc that's what matters most🫶🏼
This video is literally my shared vegan experience. I went vegan at 12, and acc got quite sick from how restricted my eating was(was watching alot of raw vegan videos)in the end I ended up in the hospital and I'm nolonger vegan I love vegetables now but I feel more free eating food now🤷🏿♀️
So cool that you're willing to share this with us!! Listening to this makes me happy because we've gone through similar struggles and hearing that you're growing out of them gives me strenght and I'm sure many others would agree, thanks Amber :)
I don't know why this made my eyes a bit teary cause i can't really relate to this. But I just can't help but feel so proud of you, Amber!🥺 I can tell how sincere you are in this video and how happy you are right now in your life, cause girl you're 💖glowinggg💖 Excited for the next chapter! xx
This is literally one of the longest, most drawn-out, cop out experiences/moans I’ve ever heard. Vegan for the animals, plant-based for other reasons. She was plant based. The animals and seceretions from animals she eats now means loss of life quite simply, because she couldn’t be fucked to actual plan her diet effectively. It’s so easy and there’s zero reason to start eating animals and dairy. Veganism doesn’t restrict you 😆 She says shit like ‘you have to check every nutrition label’ - most people buy a lot of the same foods, which they know are vegan. Bullshit excuses ‘I don’t want to do this anymore’ - this tells me it was never about the animals
This made me cry due to health issues I’ve recently implemented eggs and certain foods with dairy but never straight up dairy like cheese however for me it’s an inflammatory so I’m going to have to cut it out but now if I cut that out I’m thinking of implementing fish but I’m so scared to, you really helped me realize throughout this video, it’s okay, I have been vegan for about 6-7 years as well and I’m 22 years old ! Thank you! This is so special to me! I’ll be rewatching this as an encouragement!❤
Agreed, not everything is so black-and-white. Loved the message of your video! I think it’s so great that you were able to heal from your experience with food. Sharing food with friends, and the social aspect is one of my favorite parts of food too! I never realized that until you pointed that out.❤️❤️
i’ve recently been struggling the past year being vegan. i’ve noticed myself slowly becoming vitamin deficient due to the stress of nearing the end of college. most of the time i have to rely on empty carbs to give me the most calories possible so i can just get through the day. thank you for posting this video and allowing me to think outside of the binary that is eating vegan.
It’s a continuous and reinforcement learning process, and yes, there will be ups and downs.. don’t be too hard on yourself. Do what you can, learn how to overcome the hurdles along the way, and know your Why’s. “Vegan” shouldn’t really be a social identity.. I personally use it only to describe what I consume for convenience when talking to other people.
Omg I did not expect my reaction…but I straight up cried after you pulled out your laptop. I’m so happy you’re in a better place now with your relationship with food. 😭💕
Thank you for sharing this! I found a lot of healing in your words💜 Even though I’ve never been vegan, I’ve struggled my whole life with my body image and in the past 5 years with eating less and basically starving myself to reach this image. Hearing your journey and how you’ve reached this confidence in your body and who you are as a person is inspiring and reminds me that beauty is not one image nor one size. It’s who you are that’s beautiful🫶🏻💜
I love that "I've been vegan long enough to have an impact". I made it two years, much less time than you did, and now I am having severe digestive issues at 23 yo and cannot eat the amount of fiber anymore that is necessary to be a vegan, I am terrified to tell anyone I know who is vegan as vegans can be really mean, anyway good luck girl thanks for the video
Being vegan doesn't make an impact on anything. It's just the exclusion of exploitation and cruelty. It's just the lack of having a brutal, violent impact on vulnerable, sentient beings. In the same way not going around stabbing people doesn't prevent people from being stabbed, it's just refraining from being an active participant in violence yourself. Similarly, not paying for animals to be stabbed in the throat doesn't help any animals. You're just no longer deliberately murdering them. Being vegan is the moral neutral point. You aren't doing a beneficial action by being vegan, you're just refraining from doing a harmful one. Also you can easily have low fiber vegan diets. You could find this out in 30 seconds with a simple google search. Why would you just assume that you have to start consuming the flesh or bodily secretions of another sentient being who had to be tortured and murdered, instead of just looking up any of the hundreds of low fiber vegan foods you have access to?
What about the animals? Apart from one tiny mention at the beginning and saying you “know what animal welfare means for you”, you do not mention them. Veganism is NOT about the environment. Veganism is about animal rights. The victims on your plate are not just “food”. What you eat IS a big deal when it entails death and suffering for innocent animals. Even if as you say you are not eating meat, there is still great suffering in the egg, dairy and fish industries. Baby male chicks are ground up alive as they are unnecessary in the egg industry. Dairy cows are forcefully “artificially inseminated” (raped) in order to fall pregnant and then have their babies taken away from them at birth so that we can steal their milk. Plus when they are no longer “productive” where do they go? Straight to the abattoir. Dairy cows will be murdered at around 6 years old when naturally they could live for 20-25 years. Fish are sentient beings who suffer as they are suffocated and often cut open alive. Veganism is NOT about restricting what you eat. I’m sorry you had a bad experience with the HCLF cults but veganism doesn’t have to be like that! You can eat perfectly normally (and accessibly, if as your accent suggests you are somewhere in North America) without animals or animal products on your plate. If you take this as some kind of personal attack you are really not getting the message here - you seem like a sweet girl and this is the first video of yours I have seen so nothing against you - but I would urge you to really rethink the ethical consequences of your decisions and the real victims here - the hens, the baby chicks, the cows, the stolen calves, the bulls whose semen is stolen from them, the fish.... and not the minor inconvenience of having to check a food label or say no to a marinated egg.
I noticed that too. The vibe I get from her is that she was plant-based for dietary and environmental reasons, and probably never had a strong moral conviction about exploiting and harming non-human animals. This seems a common thread among "ex-vegans"
@illusory-seeker very common unfortunately!! If you actually make the ethical connection you will never feel “restricted” because you cease to view animals and animal products as food which is there for our consumption. No one (in the western world) feels “restricted” because they can’t eat dogs or cats or because they can’t drink horse milk. Unfortunately a lot of “vegans” still have a fundamentally speciesist mindset
self healing journies are sooo refreshing! ive been dealing with it for a couple years now and it gets pretty lonely. seeing that you are my age and have struggled with self image and eating behaviors is soo relatable to me! it really makes me happy that i can relate to you about healing our relationship with food! so proud of you girly 🥰🥰 hugs from san diego!
This is not meant to disrespect you or invalidate your experience, but I really wish people in general would stop seeing veganism as a diet or a meal plan to lose weight. Veganism is a sociopolitical movement to stop animal explotation, cruelty, and to see them for the intelligent, sentient, worthy of respect and compassion beings they are, what you eat in consequence to those ideals is just part of it, so when someone says "I am no longer vegan", were they really vegan? Does it mean they stopped caring for animals? Does it mean they no longer respect their lives? Probably not. What they really mean is that they stopped eating a plant-based diet, which is totally valid, because one can choose to have a plant-based diet for reasons other than animal liberation, such as health, the environment, to treat a condition, etc., so when it no longer works or feels right, you can change your diet to something that makes you feel better. Having said that, I'm happy you're in a place where you feel better and more comfortable with what you eat, and that your relationship with food and self image is improving.
@@JamesW81 You can call a plant-based diet that does not contain animal products a "vegan diet," but that's only one use of the term "vegan." This use only came about because the most OBVIOUS example of living out veganism is food. At its core, veganism is not just about food: it's about refraining from using ANY product and supporting ANY practice that causes unnecessary suffering to animals. This includes things like wearing wool or fur, going to zoos, going to bullfights, practicing hunting as a sport, etc. If you care about animal rights and animal suffering, you can't just all of a sudden stop caring about those things. That doesn't make sense, does it? So while you can certainly stop eating a plant-based diet (or a vegan diet, if you'd like), you can't "stop BEING vegan." There's a difference between BEING vegan and EATING plant-based (or vegan).
Thank you for sharing your story! When I was younger I struggled with body image as well. Which led to unhealthy habits. Once I started college, I became vegetarian and eased my way to becoming vegan. Throughout that process I started to discover myself and grew a healthier relationship with food. Got to experiment with different foods. It made me become more connected with my food than I had ever been. For me, it was life changing and definitely worth the journey! You had a great influence on me a few years back because I would rarely get on YT but when i did, I found you and your sister, which were similar to by age and were vegan. I was like woah I’m not the only one and a POC vegan. Made me feel reassured, but it’s saddens me that you had to go thought all that! But I’m proud of you for searching your journey & gained a better relationship with food! Thanks again for putting yourself out there because it is not an easy task! I hope to someday spread body positivity and holistic healing as a POC vegan as I approach my degree in Nutrition!
I literally cried with the last part, I never went vegan but I tried to be plant based/ “healthy” and made a lot of unhealthy diets that just make me cry when I think about them and about how much I was torturing myself back then. Thank you for this video Amber, I wish I could meet you, I basically related with everything you said, and just like you I’m glad to say I’m now in a really good mental health state since my relationship with food improved so much. Like you said food is food, it can be delicious and bring lots of happiness, it can be more or less nutritious but it has no moral value. that’s it 💛
Nonhuman animals don’t have to be viewed as food though just as you probably don’t view other human animals or some other nonhuman animals like maybe a cat as food. We can evolve and grow as a society to not exploit and kill defenseless, intelligent, and emotional beings who can’t escape from the suffering, commodification, and exploitation of their bodies, breast milk, and eggs. I thought I couldn’t be happy without them either, but nothing hurts my mental wellbeing more than knowing how much the wellbeing of other animals had to suffer for my choices. If enough of us cared, then we could help them, too.
I'm sorry that you went through that. There are a lot of vegan youtubers who push crazy restrictive diets that have nothing to do veganism as philosophy. A vegan diet doesn't have to be restrictive or like a crash diet. There's more than one way to be vegan and get the nutrients you need without hurting yourself or obsessing over health/weight. It's hard to overcome that kind of thing. I used to obsess over eating whole foods only. Now, I don't overthink my diet. I eat a variety of foods and it's comforting to know that I'm not hurting any animals.
I had such a similar experience with veganism during college! When eating was already difficult to stay on top of, veganism acted as another barrier. I would simply not eat dinner even if there was readily available, easy to prepare non-vegan food because I felt as though eating it would make me a "terrible person". I have a much healthier relationship with food now, and I'm so happy to hear your experience and how much better you're feeling ❤
I started tearing up watching this because even though I was never vegan I was still being restricted with my food. I am so happy your overcame this Amber. I an currently in the process being 16 this year but with you making this really means a lot to me and many others. I hope to end this, maybe even this year ❤️ Thank you Amber, I am actually so proud of you and glad you put yourself first ~
I was a vegan for 7 years and then vegetarian for one. I’m about to start eating meat again. I was able to get to a healthy weight for the first time in my adult life when I stopped being vegan and now I hope to help heal myself in a couple of deficiencies I have by incorporating red meat. I never thought I’d go back to meat tbh but as you grow older you realize your health is all you have.
Hey! It's your first video I've ever watched. I am a vegetarian who is trying to be vegan right now. I am so glad that you got out of your ed and living your best life right now:) altough i would have called you plant based rather than vegan, cause as you might know veganism is not just all about the diet but the mentality. I have never understood some people who try to push veganism onto others. If it doesn't come naturally to you, like you don't feel guilt and stuff and you only do it beacuse some people says that this is the only right way then what's the point in doing it? Not everyone is the same. The world doesn't need a few more super strict vegans, it needs a lots of people who are conscious with their actions and eating habits. I am not rushing going vegan for similar reasons. Instead of going fully vegan right now and not knowing what to do with my life suddenly, i prefer to go slowly and learn as much as i can during this time. I don't want to hate this lifestyle just beacuse I jumped right into it without knowing anything about it. Right now I prefer to experinece it as it comes, and at some point in my life I know that i'm going to be knowledgeable enough to go for it fully. It's not a competition:)
aww this is so wholesome in a way. the social aspect of sharing foods with your loved ones is so cute. also, the bangs and your makeup in this video are so gorg. proud of you amber 💞
It’s been almost a year for me since I became vegan. Tbh I’m already struggling from time to time because of the limited food options (especially in Korea, vegan options are not common) and because I miss out so much with my loved ones - when my family and friends get together for some great food and time. There’s always this spirit in me where I want to save animals and the environment through veganism but at the same time I sometimes questions myself would I be able to do this forever? It’s always a dilemma :(
Once you realize you're just doing it for attention then maybe you will wake up. You literally use animal products needlessly for entertainment anyway.
I was vegetarian in middle school-I did it for the animals bc I’ve always been very passionate about doing as much as I can to save the environment-but after about a year, I started eating meat again bc I realized I didn’t know how to cook good, nutritious vegetarian foods. As a stupid middle schooler, I was eating so many carbs every day and I wasn’t physically feeling great bc of it. Fast forward to about a year ago when I met my s/o who’s vegan, we bonded over how we both chose our diets for environmental reasons! And after learning how to cook more nutritious vegetarian food from my s/o and google, eventually I made the switch back to vegetarianism, and I’ve been on it for a little less than a year :) Although I’ve never had an ED, I understand the struggle of constantly reading labels and rejecting lots of food. That’s one of the reasons I always try to make sure my s/o eats enough especially for lunch/at school, since I know a vegan diet can be so restrictive, but that doesn’t mean you should stop eating with your friends! Food is certainly a huge aspect of social culture in America!! I’d also like to add, since you mentioned other ways of lessening your environmental impact, I also found ways to lessen my impact during my years of not being vegetarian. For example: - purchasing products that don’t contain palm oil to prevent mass deforestation - using bamboo products like a bamboo toothbrush instead of plastic products - using reusable grocery bags at the store - using plastic/silicone (REUSABLE) containers to store/bring food with me There are SOOOO many ways to lessen our environmental impact; going vegan/vegetarian are only a few of the many options!
I am glad you have finally reached healthy eating habits that make you feel great, happy and comfortable :). I went through a similar thing, a few years ago I became vegan for the wrong reasons. Now, I am a vegetarian and my mental health is much better! Changing your diet (especially if you have tied it to your values) is super difficult so I am proud of you for choosing what is best for you and deciding to share your decision with us, your viewers. We love to see you grow as a person! Greetings from Argentina :)))))
I'm so glad that you shared your story. I know this is really going to help a lot of people!! Also great job putting this video together, you presented the topic in a positive way and you literally wrote an entire essay!
I also went vegan in an attempt to lose weight, I liked the idea of how restrictive it was, now I can see the negative impact it had on my relationship and I’ve decided to just eat what makes me happy!
I was VEGAN for 5 years. I started getting health problems not regular in my menstrual cycle HORRIBLE PMS due to impaired ovulation and low progesterone. I also was always upset all the time and pissed off. LOL I was not fun to be around with. I stopped my VEGAN DIET because I hated wasted money on taking 12 capsules a day just to supply my zinc and Vit B12. Now, I am the healthiest as can be primarily my menstrual is regular and I just feel ALIVE now. I DID ALSO HATED ALL THAT VEGAN FAD SNACKS AND JUNK FOOD. NOPE I AM DONE WITH THAT. VEGANS EAT WAY TOO MUCH SUGAR AND WHEAT. WORSE THINGS THAT ARE HIGHLY INFLAMMATORY. I also i just watched a podcast that miley cyrus had to quit vegan diet due to brain functioning very slow... I can attest that is true! Now I eat 70% vegetarian/30% fish and meat and I slim and happy as can be!!
Very brave to speak up, as I know people seem to get a kick giving backlash. I’m glad you are recognising what is good for you mentally and physically, that’s a huge step and progress! I hope you find lots of new foods that excite you, and recipes that bring you joy - and even posting them! Keep true to you, not what others project onto you! 💜💫
i also stopped being vegan last year after being vegan for 6 years. so literally the same thing. i cant explain how good it is to hear you say the same exact reasons why i made that decision :)
@Helena Levin You were never vegan, just plant based. I could never imagine going back to supporting animal exploitation because i'm an actual animal lover and not a fake vegan. XXX
@@fruitsalad7611 People with eating disorders often use a plant based diet to mask their disorders, same thing with keto and various types of intermittent fasting etc.
You aren't vegan. You weren't ever vegan. You're too old to not have a basic understanding of what it is to be vegan. Stop confusing basic concepts. Veganism is a way of life - NOT A DIET. Please educate yourselves.
she brought her disordered eating tendencies to her "veganism" and is now blaming the vegan movement on her own mental health issues. she was never vegan because she views it as simply a diet. now she makes this video painting veganism in a negative light when the real issue here is that she has restrictive ed tendencies.
Thank you for this! Lots of people don't talk about how easily being vegan can become orthorexia and it definitely affected/affects many young people, especially young girls. This video will help lots of your younger fans create a good relationship with food and their bodies. Thanks for being so vulnerable with us
It doesn't "easily" become orthorexia. It's only easy for people who are already suffering from some kind of disorder/are prone to ocd behaviors. In other words, point of entry into veganism is crucial to whether you'll develop an eating disorder because of vegan diet. I would avoid throwing such generalizations around.
U know Amber I am happy that u chose to open up about this , even tho u do not know me personally still I want u to know that I am proud of u and ur journey 💖
I've battled multiple ED's for 40 years. Despite that, that was not why I went vegan. It happened quite by accident.. and although my issue is being obsessive about how and what I eat to get and stay thin, I know that that would be my problem, anyway.. regardless of how I eat. My ED thoughts are just too ingrained.😥 I would never give up my lifestyle, even though it's mentally draining to obsess all the time as I try to eat as healthy as possible. I wish I could just relax and eat all the vegan foods without worrying about weight gain and/or poor health, but I can't. I'm older now, and health is my priority, even as striving to be as skinny as I can contradicts that. But I went vegan for ethics primarily, so that's why I stay vegan, regardless of my ED issues.😔❤️
YES! People’s food journeys are NOT linear! They change throughout our lives and I appreciate you so much for being transparent because sometimes it’s hard to be open about our relationships with food. Thank you for being open about it even though we aren’t entitled to know! Much love to you!
Yes 100%!!! Thank you so much!!❤️
But that's just the thing....veganism is not (just) about food. It's an animal rights movement. She didn't stop being vegan, she stopped being plant based. There's nothing wrong with that but being vegan (animal rights) and EATING vegan is not the same thing and yes, the difference is very very important.
@@sola_a watch the rise and fall of vegan influencers
@@heman4448 watch dominion
@@sola_a watch the rise and fall of vegan influencers
9:52 perfectly worded🥺 Amber!! I didnt know you went through this. Thankyou for being so honest & so brave❤ I really wish you all the besttttttt ily
I’ve been a vegan for about 3 years. I started doing that because I wanted to be more healthy and consume more veggies and fruits. However I’ve developed some bad digestive issues due to mineral deficiency. Now I will try to slowly incorporate fish, meat, eggs in my food. I’ve had a craving for meat and fish before but completely ignored it due to my commitment not to eat any animal products. It is always crucial to listen to your body and don’t overlook it !
veganism isn't a diet
@@chrishyde5903 Right, it's a cult.
Same here. This was my 3rd year being vegan, just quit. Spent the last year battling GERD, other issues. The moment I started consuming meat, fish and eggs my body came back to life. I didn't know how truly stressed my body was until that moment.
You were never vegan
@@aaronmerkel5216 "yOu WErE neVEr VEgaN". Typical cult response. Cope harder.
It’s interesting how similar our experiences were at the beginning. I went vegan a few weeks before my 14th bday and it was basically my last attempt at losing weight bc I had already tried many diets prior to that. As I was listening to you, I genuinely almost felt like you were talking about me 😅. I’m still vegan, but just like you, my reasons changed as I matured. Now I’m actually majoring in nutritional sciences, working on becoming a registered dietitian. My relationship with food has changed quite a lot and I’ve learned so much more studying nutrition. I think you worded everything very well and I’m glad you were willing to be open about this even though some people can definitely be judgmental at times. The idea has been created that vegan = healthy automatically when that’s just not the case. I’m glad to hear you’re prioritizing your health and feeling better about yourself! I think for anyone trying to improve their relationship with food, going to a dietitian is a great first step (shameless plug for my future self). Unfortunately, not everyone has access to those resources, but at least obtaining your information from the right people/places such as (again) registered dietitian accounts and not from people who just want to spread misinformation and fear. Keep doing you Amber!
This is why veganism is not a diet. When framing the topic of veganism as just your diet, you're shielding yourself from the ethical issue. It makes "leaving veganism" feel like a backslide on eating healthy or just a natural growth in your preferences as you mature. The reality is that you're now participating in a global holocaust of over 100 billion sentient animals a year. None of the problems you experienced are exclusive to eating plants and can be solved without slaughtering people. We do all deserve to eat, but no one has the right to take your life from you to make themselves feel better. If it's not okay to do to you, it's not okay to do to someone else.
Holocaust tho
Hypocrite
@@Assassin99584 where is the contradiction in what I said?
@@anti-militantvegan 😴
i love how you’re super honest on how you became vegan to show both negatives and positives on changing your diet up like dat!! mucho love on whatever journey you follow💟😊😊
Ah thank you!!🥰🥰
Veganism is not a diet.
Super honest about wanting to eat humans
Journey?
@@jonjonwp Right, it's a CULT.
i know 100% your transparency means a lot to everyone! amazing video amber :D
Ahhh thank u bae!!!
Transparency of eating humans again
I just hit three years of being vegan and I know I definitely didn’t start for the right reasons because I was also restrictive and hyper focused on food, but now I intuitively eat and am in a way better relationship with food. Overall, I really related to this video and try not to worry about what people think and do what’s best for you! ❤
Awe yay!! Thank you!!!❤️
fFr any new starters the best option to start vegan diet is to try indian food. I have been vegeterain my whole life(not eggs) and i have never felt the need to eat meat becuase there just so many options but the problem is a lot of people don't know how to start and they end spending and stressing a lot it. The most stressfull is protien intake but if you start right with all the beans and dals then its a no brainer.
@@armdoor8346 i’m vegetarian as of october 2022 and i want to try indian food so bad! i know a decent chunk of the population in india is vegetarian which makes me happy. i feel like i’d have a great time visiting there and trying different foods. i don’t live near any indian restaurants right now, but hopefully i’ll be closer to some when i go to college in august.
It’s not about u. It’s about your victims. They don’t need to suffer and die becuase of u. But u r selfish and harm others for a taste preferences. For animal testing, fashion, entertainment. So selfish so self absorbed. Think of you victims
Maybe we shouldn't always think of ourselves only.
Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude-as far as is possible and practicable-all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment.
social media was def the main cause of my disordered eating habits. it’s so sad how you, me and so many other young people develop bad eating habits bc of influencers at such a young age. i remember under eating starting from the age of 12 and i got super restrictive and got depressed bc i wasn’t looking different (thinner). I even told my parents that I wasn’t gonna eat meat for a month to “try it out bc I was curious” but in reality, I just heard influencers and social media saying cutting meat will help weight loss. uGHHH I JUST RELATE TO THIS VIDEO SO MUCH AMBER, tysm for being so open and honest :,)
I’ve never seen a “no longer vegan” video, I recently gave up on being vegan in November and I felt so guilty but I’m glad you’re saying this queen
Omg sending u a hug!!🫶
Proud to be an animal abuser again?
There are hundreds of "no longer vegan" videos ☺👍🏽
Yeah, there is hundreds, if not thousands, of them. I was vegan for about 10 years and it helped so much to see that I wasn't going through this alone...
@@cammieklund When did you stop?
It feels so wonderful to finally hear someone put my exact thoughts and emotions towards veganism into words. I love vegan food and its positive effects, but I have also suffered from an ED in the past and just cannot be monitoring all of my food intake the way I’d have to if I were 100% vegan. I completely understand where you are coming from Amber, and I am happy that you are able to prioritise yourself and your mental health like this! Being 100% vegan is just not meant for everyone at every stage in their life, and that’s okay!
YES so true!!! Love u🫶
This is not true. Every major dietary organization has said that you CAN be vegan at aby stage of life. Her issue isn't veganism, it's having an eating disorders. Which you can have regardless of being vegan. You don't have to restrict yourself as a vegan, that's such an annoying stereotype. I feel like she lacked so so much education on the diet part on veganism. And yes, you can lack education despite being "vegan" for so long. If she wasn't then she would know you don't have to restrict yourself the same way she claims. Especially if you actually cared about animal rights. Its very sad how quickly these people can make excuses to eat products born of suffering. I wish she had better supportive environment of other vegans to cheer her on. Because objectively, veganism IS the best thing you can do for the environment. It absolutely is that simple.
@@sola_a I’m not talking about dietary needs though, I’m talking about mental health. Veganism can feel more restrictive because it forces you to mimick a lot of eating disorder behaviours, simply because it is still not completely accessible everywhere. If I were to eat 100% vegan all of the time, I could not be able to challenge spontaneous treats, or eating out together with my friends without checking the menu beforehand, or just being flexible in terms of food, all things that scared me when I was in my eating disorder. In a perfect world there would be just as many vegan options as non-vegan, and it wouldn’t take as much conscious effort and involvement to choose to eat 100% vegan. But the reality is that vegan foods are still not as common as non-vegan foods, and being vegan still means you have to say no to a lot of options and often find yourself with a sad salad when others can have a proper meal out. Non-disordered people can deal with those kinds of situations, but when you’re trying to recover it just adds another dimension to the struggle. So no, not everyone can be fully vegan at any stage of life, and choosing to incorporate animal products into your diet again to heal your relationship to food is a personal choice that has nothing to do with lacking education or willpower.
@@soym1lkg1rl my point still stands. Veganism doesn't have to feel restrictive, it's a matter of educating yourself sufficiently. I say this as someone who had a difficult relationship with food before going vegan. So I think I know what I'm saying when I say veganism is only as hard as you make it hard. For example, I'm the only vegan in my friend group but my friends are actually supportive to the point where we only eat at places where all of us can eat. We cook together a lot. Good friends will look out for you. You can have a difficult relationship with food with any diet, that doesn't make the diet the issue necessarily. Us vegans aren't going about life restricting ourselves to unhealthy degrees and I'm so so tired of non-vegan (including the girl in the video) claiming that to denounce veganism for their own short comings.
There is nothing personal about a "choice" that involves harming another. Your choice ends where it directly harms another. At that point its no longer a choice but a violation
@@soym1lkg1rl watch the rise and fall of vegan influencers
Wow this such a great video. I relate so much despite not being vegan. I was a young kid looking into veganism for the sake of losing weight and developed an eating disorder which I still struggle with as a now sophomore in college. I also still struggle with eating in public. It’s really crazy how much the internet warps young minds this way. This vid really comforted me about my own eating habits. I’m really glad ur bettering yourself tho!! Xx
Awe omg sending u a hug!!! We got dis💪
My Spanish teacher was a jaramillo. Cool to see the name haha great teacher
You've never been vegan because you've never understood:
Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude-as far as is possible and practicable-all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment.
@@realbonbonbon "sHe WaS neVEr VEgaN iN tHe fiRSt PLace", right?
i’ve been vegetarian for about 7 years now too and it’s started to become apparent to me that i do the same thing of using my diet as an excuse to eat or not and i’m proud of u for sharing this side of it that nobody talks about
ive been vegetarian and never ate eggs my whole life, im 14.
I’m proud that there are not dead human beings, animals, chicken periods or lactations on my plate
I never realized how I always assume that people choose vegan diets based only on personal values about animal products so its really eye opening to hear you talk from your perspective of restrictive eating. As someone who has dealt with an E.D. in a different way, I love hearing how far you've come and how a casual relationship with food can be so freeing!! Love you as always
Tried the vegetarian diet which had some vegan meals included and I honestly kept it up throughout the summer and then winter came and I had developed such a weird fear around eating food which had never happened to me because I was and still am the biggest foodie on earth and it scared the sht out of me which made me stop immediately with the vegetarian/vegan diet. Because everytime I would eat food with a dense structure I’d get panic attacks out of fear not being able to swallow it?? Like wtf? Still don‘t really know where that fear came from but changing my diet definitely triggered that a lot which again, made me change back to my old diet. Now I listen to my body and eat what my body craves. It took me half a year to heal my relationship with food again and since then I never looked back.
So thank you sm for sharing your story! It‘s so important that we honor our bodies and listen well when they talk to us❤
Growing up during the rise of critical vegans on YT was truly difficult as a young girl . I remember eating such unbalanced meals during HS I felt miserable 😞Thanks for sharing your journey Amber. it truly takes a lot for one to repair their relationship w/ food
UGH that was such a crazy time😭😭
You can eat balanced meals while being vegan. Just like you can eat unbalanced meals while not being vegan. Restricting isn't veganism.
@@nicktheveganchick *A vegan diet can never be a balanced diet. You are deficient in at least 15 micronutrients ONLY found in animal products. You are MALNURISHING yourself. You have an eating disorder. GET HELP*
There’s a reason why majority of vegans quit veganism due to health issue not always because “they did it wrong”
Clicked on this so fast! I Lowkey noticed but also figured that it’s your business and your decision! Appreciate these girl talks ! ❤
Awe thank you!!!🫶
I’m so proud of you for making such a hard decision! You are so amazing and strong.
Tysm!!!🥹
A hard decision to start abusing animals again. Proud of that really wow 😢
Amazing and strong to not bother taking 30 seconds to read a food label... yep...
@@lenorabarclay275 I support this decision because she made it. It’s her body, her choice. If that counts towards murdering a human baby, it counts for this. Where do you think they grow the plants that y’all use for your oat, almond, soy, cashew, (and whatever other plant) milk? They grow them in places where they cut down whole forests. They destroy the habitats for SO MANY ANIMALS. But now, because she made a choice that is completely her own, and un affects you run every way, you’ve decided to hate on her, and the ones that support her decision. Get your liberal but off your bed and do some real research, for both sides. You clearly have read the vegan side, now find something that disproves it and go into it with an open mind.
@@lenorabarclay275 😑
I hear you. I'm 5 years vegan and i dont want to change it, but I also got into it for the "wrong" reasons. Since then, I have mended my food obsessions and I hope to be vegan forever, but I TOTALLY hear you and I am so proud of you for explaining your journey.
Do it for the right reasons then and stop looking for affirmations to go back to eating humans
As someone who is way older than you, I want to say that this video was beautiful. You will inspire so many young and older vegans, nonvegans, those who are going through eating disorders with this video with how important food is! Although I’m not vegan myself and never been, I respect all type of diets, cultures. Thank you so much for sharing!!! Btw!!! NEW WHAT I EAT IN A DAY!! I know you’re gonna be so experimental with new food and would love to seee!!!
Thank you so much!!! And YES def gonna make an update what i eat in a day soon!
You know what isn't beautiful? Seeing animals being murdered for trivial taste pleasure.
As someone who is older than you I can say that this is not inspiring. It's excuses only. You never understood:
Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude-as far as is possible and practicable-all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment.
@@realbonbonbon you’re very inspiring, although unfortunately not everyone can follow this type of diet. Kudos to you! Thanks for helping the environment. I’ve been using cruelty free products as much as possible so that’s all I can do for now. I work out, am a new grad nurse, and need as much protein for my energy and muscle. Also don’t have the right financial needs right now to buy anything high protein that’s vegan cause canadas been tough with high prices on food and I also live with in a Filipino household under my parents. So unfortunately I won’t be able to maintain a vegan diet. But awesome how you and others do so!
Veganism is good,but is hard to keep cause the food industry is a big mix of ingredients, and is far more healthy than a omnivor diet.I had two friends who died, meat lovers,42 and 46 years...heart and brain failure .Medical clinics are full of people with heart disease , and trust me ,not for eating salad.I have gout for 13 years , I do not eat meat(and other things) anymore.
aw amber i’m so so glad that you’re comfortable with being transparent with us!! will forever support you in all that you do 🫶🫶
you don’t know how big impact this video has on me. i’m so proud of you amber!!!! thanks for opening about your feelings and it’s really great to see you feeling good, ily so so much and thanks again
ILY!!!❤️❤️
Thank you for this video! I’m vegetarian for almost 7 years, but have started to have the rare nibble of salmon. I’ve been thinking of going back to eating meat, but every time I feel that way something just sets me back (the icks I get thinking of meat).
I initially became vegetarian when I was 13, and just like you for the wrong reasons 😅 It was a light sense of “maybe I’ll loose weight” so I became vegetarian. Eventually after 2 or so years, I became passionate about veganism and craved being vegan but relying on my parents for meals allowed them to tell me I cant be vegan until I’m 18. After a year or so, I wasnt as passionate anymore and just remained vegetarian just because I’ve been it for so long and that’s where I’m at now. I’m 19 & am indeed missing out on the social aspect because I would LOVE to try Korean BBQ without worrying about the vegetarian options knowing I wont be full. Even a simple pho soup will taste flavorless because of the broth being vegetarian instead of pork (or so, which I imagine to be flavorfullll). I also am more “restrictive” to where I dont eat dairy yogurt & dont eat dairy milk, but I still eat eggs and cheese. I would love to just casually have sushi without thinking about “do they have avocado rolls?” or without spending way more money on a speciality vegan sushi restaurant. I love vegetarism but I know I’m not doing it right. I dont eat beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc. and I occasionally add tofu. I thought I’d forever be vegetarian and even go vegan at one point, but now I’m just continuing it because I’ve done it for so long :-/
I appreciate this video so much 💗💗
i honestly appreciate you so much for sharing what you’ve gone through with food, it gives a much needed perspective in the vegan yt space!
i started watching you and ashley, and i think the trader joe’s haul made me look into veganism😭 i watched the documentaries and did some research too. my mindset was focused more on the health aspect cutting out processed foods etc. but i can see why for many people it leads to harmful restrictions.
i actually didn’t eat meat other than chicken so it wasn’t that different. i actually never saw it as a restriction for myself, but just for the animals mostly. the idea of meat/ and meat industry started to gross me out tbh.
i was vegan for three years but i stopped in 2020. i was vegetarian up until recently, i realized something similar that it wouldn’t make me a bad person if i ate meat again. i was conflicted for a while but i desperately wanted a chicken taco one day and i stopped lol💀
i think i’m seeing it as i can have more experiences through food like you said being with friends or trying foods from other cultures. i still only eat chicken and still enjoy some vegan/vegetarian options but i honestly wasn’t eating balanced so i felt pretty tired most of the time. i can tell i’ve improved some energy wise.
and honestly it kind of seems like we can’t win even if we are vegan or vegetarian when there’s billion dollar companies polluting the earth every second😔
but anyway thank you for sharing your story!! i know it’s helpful for a lot of people that went through the same thing❤
you’re amazing amber, im so proud of you for talking about this and for making this decision
you were one of the people that helped me become vegan. other animals deserve liberation from suffering and needless death. they aren’t a food group like you see them as. they are individuals like you and me. i’m sorry that you felt like it restricted your eating and that you needed to feel socially normal and mentally well by paying for other beings to suffer and die. i know that the world isn’t perfect and there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism, but animal products always have a victim unless they’re lab-grown. it’s intentional and unnecessary harm. hopefully, someday we’ll have lab grown flesh, body parts, and breast milk that everyone can enjoy soon.
i also struggle with disordered eating and feeling like i can’t eat with everyone around me. i grew up in a culture with a lot of animals served as food, roasted whole pigs on tables, and all that. but culture can change and evolve. i can’t live with myself knowing that i’m eating the body parts and secretions of nonconsenting beings who can’t escape from their pain.
Future ex vegan cope
@@Assassin99584 go away troll
@PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals) get a new trolling method
@PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals) look at your chanel name and ask yourself that question lmao
@@pythondrink for once I am with the troll because the farmers protecting the vegetables are just killing every single animal near there vegetables scientist find more farmer kill animal near there vegetables than slaughter house
This video was so refreshing and honest… I am really proud of you, Amber! You are such an insightful person, and I really feel like I’ve learnt a lot from you, as someone similar to you in age who has been watching your family’s content for over 4 years now. Not only are you endlessly funny, you are also massively wise and in-tune with yourself. Thank you for sharing these parts of your life with us, because it really does help me to check in on myself, too
Why are you proud of someone that chooses to harm others?
Thank you so much Amber. This video, and your precious, genuine words of your experience really hit smth in me. I've noticed that I'm really cautious of what I eat and find that I'm punishing myself for eating and feeling guilty for the things I eat. I also have this idea that (similar to what you mentioned,) I want to have a 'healthy girl' look in front of my friends and so at school all I eat are fruits, veggies and other nutrient foods, and so when I see my friends eating chips or chocolate or smth, I just don't understand how they can be so thin and happy eating all of that (did that make sense?) Sorry for oversharing, but I think my mindset about food and my body has changed now because of you. I know that sounds silly, but it's true. Thank you Amber
Hi Amber, I decided to become a Vegan about 5 months ago after getting negative results from a recent medical exam. I also decided to go very low oil and very low carbs and sugar. A restrictive diet was never a big deal for me because I come from a Kosher home which is already very restrictive. In fact, being Kosher in many ways is way more restrictive than just being Vegan. So far, I really love being Vegan. For most of my life, I already ate Vegan a few times a week so the transition wasn't that difficult. I don't really care about organic, processed foods or GMO, so I probably had more options than you did in some ways but less in others because the Vegan products I buy also have to be certified Kosher and you would be surprised just how many aren't. You would think all Vegan products are certified Kosher and I am sure a lot more of them could be but the manufacturers probably don't want to spend the money on certification. Many others also produce their Vegan products on the same production lines where they make other foods that are absolutely not Kosher so they could never be certified. I don't count calories and of course, I rarely eat out but my favorite thing about being Vegan now is that I can eat a lot more food and I seem to be losing weight even though I am eating more. I found a lot of foods I really love and really don't miss meat or dairy all that much. I don't know if I will remain a Vegan for the rest of my life but so far, I really like it. Did Ashley give you a hard time when you gave up being a strict vegan? Do you cook non-Vegan foods now that you're living together? I guess you would because she lived in a content house with many other non-vegans and she never complained, at least not on camera.
Freelee now lives in the jungle of Northern Queensland. She’s mellowed out over the years. Still posts on TH-cam tho not as active.
2016 vegan TH-cam was very orthorexic and I can see how it would trigger eating disorders for some. It’s a shame overly restrictive vegan diets exploded in popularity because vegan diets can be balanced and healthy
Proud of you Amber for doing what's best for yourself💓 thanks for opening up about this🥺 love yaa
Your reasons for not being vegan anymore make a lot of sense, from the inaccessibility at college to the restrictiveness feeling like an ED. That was also such a good point about how it's not all or nothing, you can still make a difference while not being completely vegan. It's awesome to see that you have a new love and enthusiasm for food!
I've also had a fear of eating in front of people for a long time but for me it wasn't really about WHAT I was eating, it was HOW I was eating, i.e. just wanting to eat neatly and not chew oddly and stuff like that 😄
I also went vegan in high school and have been for a little over 7 years. I did it purely for animal-related reasons and not for weight/diet so maybe that's why I still feel comfortable with being vegan? It does get tough sometimes with the social aspect, and the convenience of just being able to grab whatever quick.
I love my favourite go-to vegan brands of oat milk, oat ice cream, and other desserts, and I never really had an appetite for eggs, meat , or fish, so maybe my taste buds are just weird or something lol.
Omg thank u so much for ur sweet comment!!! I’m glad we can relate LOL and I’m glad that being vegan is so enjoyable for u after 7 years!!!❤️❤️
proud of you for doing what you needed to do to heal and grow!! ❤️
i relate so much to everything you said. i was extremely restrictive a few years ago to lose weight, then found out ab veganism. i would tell ppl i went vegan bc i cared ab animals & the environment but i knew deep down it was also bc i wanted an excuse for a restrictive diet. about a year later i got extremely sick and couldn’t heal quickly bc i hadn’t been nourishing my body. so i went back to eating fish and eggs. and recently i’ve been wanting to just eat whatever i felt like eating. it’s so hard to eat out w friends & family and there’s so many foods that look so damn good but can’t eat bc of my diet 😭 i love how you said eating whatever you want is a way to heal from the restrictive mindset you’ve had in the past. i think thinking in that way can help me heal too! ❤
(sorry this is so long 😭 i just related so much and felt like sharing)
Have you noticed any physical changes, pros or cons, as you’ve changed your diet? What is your new favorite non-vegan food? A follow up video???
I love when you touch on how you’ve already made an impact from the many years. Everyone should celebrate the impacts big and small people have and accept that 100% 24/7 isn’t the only option :) even one meal or one week is something and no one should feel that it’s all or nothing
literally the exact same for me except im 25 and went vegan at 17 when i started college, initially it started with looking up easy recipes and turned into an easy way to restrict. like you said, it was so nice to just say “i cant eat that, im vegan”. still trying to heal from those years.
thank you for making this video, it seems like so many others can relate. i loved the bit at the end, there’s so much nuance involved with being sustainable and taking care of yourself should be a #1 priority. proud of you 💕
I'm sorry that you went through that. There are a lot of vegan youtubers who push crazy restrictive diets that have nothing to do veganism as philosophy. A vegan diet doesn't have to be restrictive or like a crash diet. There's more than one way to be vegan and get the nutrients you need without hurting yourself or obsessing over health/weight. It's hard to overcome that kind of thing. I used to obsess over eating whole foods only. Now, I don't overthink my diet. I'm still vegan, eat a variety of foods, and it's comforting to know that I'm not hurting any animals.
I am about 90% vegan and the rest vegetarian. This fits well for me, because when I cook for myself I find it easy to eat vegan but sometimes for example when I visit my grandma I don‘t wanna have her make an extra dish for me, or if someone gifts me chocolate with milk I‘ll eat it anyways.. I think just do what‘s best for you without trying too hard to fit in a box 😌
It is sad that we are living in a world, where the surfice has such importance, to the point it can ruin the lives of so many young people...
I say, think of animals, think of other people, we are not alone as individuals on this earth, we have to live and cooperate together and killing and abusing animals is not the solution for the wellbeing of anyone.
And Americans, please ditch the sick ,,all about looks,, and ,,love yourself first,, mentality, it is slowly getting old.
i’m so grateful to have found kind youtubers like spencer barbosa, nutrition by kylie, and fitgreenmind who make body positive and health positive content. younger me needed that really badly. though, my mindset was awful and even though i was aware of the right things to do in regards to weightloss and insecurities, i was still horrible to myself. thankfully i’ve gotten out of that and i treat myself better. i’ve become healthier not only through food but by speaking kindly to myself. i’m not vegan though i’d love to be closer to one some day. i’m actually vegetarian as of october 2022. the social aspect and the money aspect of veganism is definitely a deterrent for me as of right now. being vegetarian, i have access to more things.
i appreciate your transparency. as viewers of other’s content, you never know what goes on in someone’s life no matter how l things appear online. i’m happy you’ve decided to step away for your own mental health. you deserve to eat! from what i do know about you, you’re such a beautiful and hilarious person, you deserve to feel good about yourself!!
THIS WAS SO WELL SAID AMBER!! I love how honest you are and this is so true!!!!! TYSM :)
I really feel you on this. I have been vegan for the last 4/5 years (mostly, I still eat honey and in later years have eaten some eggs from my aunty's hens and mussels from my Dad's farm), but recently I have started being less and less restrictive with it. We are opposite in the way that I did not start veganism at all with the idea of losing weight, but it eventually grew to that point. I don't know that I could ever eat beef, pork, venison or chicken again (personally), but i've been afraid to potentially start eating eggs, dairy and maybe even fish again as I am afraid of gaining weight as I now have a slightly slower metabolism than when I first started with veganism (where I was legit a stick). I am now very much conciously considering whether I should try going back to being just veggie and even then not be too stressed about if I slip up. I really wish I could eat meat cause I do think that humans are mostly meant to be omnivores, but we'll just have to see what happens! Thank you for posting this Amber
amber!!!!!!! thank you for being so transparent with us and voicing out your whole thought process!! every time you have these sit down videos i get smacked in the face ( in a good way ?) with how thoughtful, well spoken, and intelligent you are! thank you for using your platform to truly speak your mind and share your experiences to reinforce + promote positive habits and self care!!! you tell things how they are, and word it in such an inspiring way .. i have so much appreciation for you and am so happy that you’re happy! i barely follow along with any youtubers and rarely comment but whenever i see you post SUM PART OF ME HAS TO VOICE MY ADORATION!! i can see just how much you care about the message that you send and AGH!!! i just love when people talk so passionately about anything and the way you are so self aware ... YAS! BUT YEAH!! U R SO AMAZING!! thank you so much for updating us even though u absolutely didn’t have to!!
Not gonna lie I always compared myself to people on the Internet, also to you and Ashley. I always analyzed what you ate in the videos to a point I thought this is the only way I should eat, so that I will also have amazing skin/body etc. Especially since you were vegan and I always thought I have to be vegan to have good skin. But hearing you talk about your struggle with food/veganism just helped me so much!!!!! Not that I am happy to hear that you didn't feel great for a long time, it just made me realize that so many people have a complicated relationship with food, and we never know what's going on in their life and shouldn't compare ourselves. I've always struggled with restricting/under eating and I am still not at the point where I am ready to give up my old bad eating habits lol BUT I have to admit that your video really changed my perspective on my diet/comparison to other girlies on the internet. I am very proud of you for taking care of your body, you deserve to be happy and healthy and I really am excited for you to try sooo much other amazing food in the future!! I can't stress enough how amazingly mature you are for your age, I am not even half that wise yet lmao you always find the right words to express your emotions, and I've been really enjoying your sit down and talk videos lately. Your growth is honestly so inspiring, love ya x
the fact that you’re now sharing your story with us after a year of being vegan free just shows how careful and aware you are of your viewers. absolute queen amber!!! thing about this life journey thing, whether it be food or whatever else is that we’re all still navigating trying to find what works for us and what doesn’t 💛
bruh amber i related so mcuh it was literally painful. i used to do gymnastics cheer tumbling etc. and that's when my restrictive eating started and I remember it even messed up my relationship my my mom bc culturally foods we eat literally do not agree with veganism, vegetarian, etc and it is such a painful feeling to have to put so much though into something that more or less does not matter. thank you for this video
EXACTLY OMG!!! We live the same life😭😭 love u bae!!
Wow this was so well spoken and thought out 💕Thank you for articulating the struggles that can come with being vegan. I’m the same age and have been vegan since I was 14 too. Thinking back to when I brought like 6 bananas to school for lunch in high school is crazy to me 😂 Although I don’t share many of the restrictive experiences and habits you mentioned, I’ve had a very similar journey and sympathize with how it can be a lot to handle when trying to not restrict yourself and especially in social settings as well. Hearing someone else have the thoughts I have too is sooo validating. My way out of my restriction was fitness so I’m still going strong w/ veganism🌱but I'm happy you’re so aware of the effects it was having on you and have found freedom too in your own way❤️
You're just like me fr, lmaooo. Brooo, we had a similar experience with veganism! I went vegan for a few months in spring 2016 (around April or May, I believe. I remember because it was my freshmen year and it was during the outdoor track season). I was introduced to veganism by the TH-cam algorithm or something. Obviously being in a sport, I was trying to figure out the best foods to put in my body to nourish it and get energy/perform better at practice and on the track. So naturally, looking up healthy meal ideas, veganism-related videos showed up. I remember the Freelee the Banana Girl, the vegan couple (Mr. and Mrs. Vegan--I don't remember their name), and that one dude who would make videos and would only feed his dog vegan food (smh, feel bad for that dog). It was a weird time for the vegan community on TH-cam and for the TH-cam algorithm. Anyway, clearly I was interested in the diet (somewhat the lifestyle as well) because I wanted to eat better, but also, the documentaries and videos made me want to go vegan to prevent animal suffering on my end, at the time. A key reason I even adopted the diet was because I had high cholesterol and high triglycerides at one point after some annual bloodwork in middle school and the doctor presented and explained what that meant in a way that made it seem very life-threatening (like I would get a heart attack/heart disease soon, even though that was not the case at all). I adopted the diet almost blindly for those reasons. I obviously did some research, but it wasn't sufficient as much as the approach and diet wouldn't be sustainable for me. Eventually, my iron level was very low during that summer/fall. I eventually went back to eating an omnivore-based diet (majority plant-based and like at most 20% animal-based----I'm pretty sure it was a similar diet to the one I had prior to adopting the vegan diet). But yeah. I definitely felt better going back to my normal diet around late fall of 2016 (my sophomore year of high school). I'm 22 now and I will say my iron level was low this past January, but I took iron supplements daily as instructed by my doctors and now my iron level is within the healthy range! It was most likely low to begin with because of my PCOS and if not that, the fact that I don't really eat iron-rich animal proteins, specifically red meat. Like I said, by nature, my diet is pretty plant-based or even vegetarian at that. Anyway, if anyone read this, you're for real a G. Lol. It's somewhat comforting to know I can relate to someone my age and someone who had a very similar experience, especially in terms of being introduced to veganism.
Also, LOL, the MyFitnessPal thing was so real. I started using it in spring 2015 (I was finishing 8th grade, lmao). I didn't have an ED or anything, but definitely some form of body dysmorphia because I thought I was fat, when I really wasn't, and it was during that tumblr era and shit where people where the "thigh-gap" agenda was so present...abs too. LMFAO. Crazy. I was literally 14...using MyFitnessPal to try and get a thigh gap. Crazy. I didn't do restrictive eating though, I was just counting my calories within the range someone my age with my goals should be intaking. It's still bizarre to reflect that I lived that moment in my youth, lol. I always think about how sensitive and vulnerable young children and adults are when they have access to the internet and misinformation. It's definitely a thought I think to myself, especially when I think about having kids in the future, not gonna lie. LMAO. Deep.
Thank you so much for opening up, i find this video so relieving and important! In the past few years i watched a lot of your sister's videos, especially the "what i eat in a day", i used to be obsessed with those type of videos during quarantine, because i was trying to find new recipes that could be healthy, vegan but still good; i tried to make myself enjoy some things, especially the desserts, but in reality i didn't like some of them at all. It was only last year that i realized how much control i was putting on the food that i was eating, forcing myself not to eat the desserts that my boyfriend's mom was making because they were containing eggs or cow milk, feeling nervous and frustrated when i was eating outside or at someone's place because i didn't have the control. I was being so hard on myself on so many levels, and i decided to break this circle and i finally feel free to eat whatever i want; i haven't eaten meat in 4 years and i'm happy with this choice, i try to eat mostly plant-based but it makes me so happy to enjoy a sushi date with my boyfriend from time to time or baking a cake that actually tastes good.
Awe yay!!!! That’s exactly what I went through ahhh, so glad we’ve both given ourselves the freedom to eat little treats every once in a while!!
your video popped up on my feed, maybe because I'm vegan (i'm from india).
here is my take on your video amber, science is very clear that vegan diet (planned as every diet should be) is healthy and nutritionally adequate for all stages of life. Veganism is not a cult, fad or diet (whoever says it is, is not in it for the animals). Veganism is a social justice movement for animals. we recognize that non-human animals, deserve our moral consideration and basic right not to be exploited or killed by humans for 15 minutes of taste pleasure. animals are not commodities; they are sentient beings who can feel pain, suffer just like us. When you view animals as just food, it's very easy to be disconnected from what really happens to animals (unnecessarily inflicting pain, suffering & ultimately death). I hope you revaluate your position on veganism. you are young and have lot of influence on people too with your TH-cam channel.
True Vegans (ethical) don't support animal welfarism, we only support animal liberation.
I recommend you watch slaughter footage (or) dominion(2018) (or) Earthlings (2005) and make up your mind whether what we are doing to animals is justified?
highly recommend you check out 'Earthling Ed' TH-cam channel and his talks. "You Will Never Look at Your Life in the Same Way Again" talk by earthling ed.
I used to agree with you, but after 14 years of detoriation on plant based diet, I don´t agree at all. Yes, I was eating balanced. Legumes, quinoa, buckwheat, plant sources omega, a ton of veggies, fruit, berries, nuts, seeds, all whole foods. Even "true vegans" as you call it, detoriate. You can keep on detoriating if you want, but believing that plants only is the healthy and natural way of living, is a load of crap.
No need to eat farm raised animals.
This video was so insightful and inspiring. You honestly did not have to explain this decision at all - it was yours and yours only - but I am so glad you made this video since I know it will inspire so many to find themselves and heal their relationship with food! I hope you live your best life!
Amber this is beautiful 🥹 thank you for being so honest and vulnerable. I am so happy you have found pure JOY out of eating good food and feeding your body what it desires. I am proud of you for developing a better relationship with food and with yourself. Here’s to more love within yourself and everything you eat!!! 💛💛💛💛
Even as a 31yr old, I struggle with disordered/restrictive eating and I think without the help of the internet, I would've never known that I had an eating disorder. Personally, the hardest part for me was getting to the age where we as women, often can't tolerate carbs the same way we used (simple carbs, not complex). I also just found out that I have an illness where it is better for me to eat lower carb. I guess after years of trying to make small and healthier swaps, I still feel stuck as ever. How does 1 eat intuitively while also still technically "restricting"?! I will probably eventually work with a nutritionist if I can't find a way to manage my POTS symptoms on my own. Nourishing your body is SOOO important, especially during your younger years and this is why intermittent fasting really isn't the way to go unless a Dr recommends such. Look at professional gymnasts, they usually don't even start their periods until they are past the age of 14 because we NEED carbs for energy. I still see so many YTers claim they eat intuitively but still restrict, restrict, restrict and as women, we shouldn't be encouraging other women to eat less but eat to nourish our bodies instead. It's hard to know the right balance between what is healthy and what is not enough.
ps; have you tried sushi yet? ^-^
i’ve never been vegan, but i think i’ve adopted some unhealthy tendencies recently. when id eat sugar, id always feel so guilty. i wish i wouldn’t feel this way but i do, and this guilt inhibits me from enjoying foods that i genuinely like. i’m trying not to think so deeply about it, but it’s always in the back of my mind. i wish i didn’t have the urge to censor what i eat. i mean eating anything in moderation is okay- including sugary and oily foods. but when i indulge in such foods, i try to make myself feel less badly about consuming these not so healthy foods by promising to work it off at the gym. it’s not the best mindset to have but im working on it. i hope to develop a neutral relationship with food too. but anyway i loved this video!! so real and eye opening
Very happy for you and your growth! Although I've never dabbled in veganism, but I can very much relate to struggling to understand how to have a good relationship with food and my body. I wish you luck as you continue on your journey
Ah thank you!!❤
the way I could sit and listen to amber talk abt anything for hours
I really loved this video. I had been pescatarian for almost four years and I also started that diet when I was in high school and I felt very similarly as a junior in college just seeing my friends eating foods and just wanting the convenience. I started to crave fatty foods and meat again and didn’t realize that when I wasn’t eating meat I was restricting myself from eating foods I might have really wanted to eat. It’s really nice to see you talk about it and then also not define your diet because I think there’s a point where the “lifestyle” can become unhealthy if like you said you feel like you’re restricting yourself. I really appreciated everything you said and it’s helping me on my journey of loving food again!
So proud of you Amber!! I'm curious as to how Ashley feels since you and her did veganism together for so long? I'm sure your family is so glad to see you growing into a healthy woman 🥺❤️
I've been old school vegan for 60 years.
It's not a diet.
It's having compassion for animals and ot eating them and causes so much suffering.
It's up to you to find a healthy diet .
You have to figure it out yourself, that s if you cate about the planet and animals.
I'm a gourmet Italian cook.
I eat really great.
I'm 70 years old and have 0 health issues. Run marathons
Run 2 hours every morning.
Bike hike.
Again there is no such thing as a vegan diet.
You are doing the animals a disservice and the planet by making these videos.
I can run circles around most carnivores and aim 70 years old.
There is 0 restrictions being vegan if you create a healthy diet.
Bruh how you still alive?
youre crazy
This TH-camr has definitely proved to me that I can be strong with meat instead of Boring Vegan Foods. I wish i knew that from the start because as a person who never liked diets at all, i was so naïve to eat, And due to that I never drank or ate anything and that became a problem for me, until 2009 when i started eating and that became a life changer for me. It helped me to be more cautious about not eating, and why It causes me to be hungry everyday. With meat, I knew that it made me who i am since 2011 when the first time i tried spaghetti bolognese and i fell in love with it instantly and to this today i never felt sorry for eating it 😂. All Jokes Aside, you definitely know how to explain the reason why Vegan food is terrible without being disrespectful and im proud of you because of that. Continue the kindness that you share with your videos everytime you film it and post it online on youtube ❤😊.
The honesty in this video is so appreciated. As someone who has struggled with similar things, and I'm sure a lot of others has as well, seeing someone with a big platform talk about these topics so openly and honestly really helps with the stigma around these things and is helpful for people like us. You're so loved Amber! Thank you for this video and thankful for you!
❤❤❤ LOVE U!!!
I feel restricted to. I wanna eat dog and dolphin etc u ok with that?
@@veganix6757 yeah as long as you’re sure you won’t end up in a cell
@@veganix6757 when the crocodiles evolve they won’t fight for your rights so passionately unfortunately
@@mickeydude7113 neither will some humans but I still defend their rights as well as children and other people I’ll defend their rights
yas i'm so happy for you Amber!! my brother is vegan and he struggles with going out to eat with family and friends bc they rarely ever have food options for him. thankfully he doesn't restrict himself too crazy but at most restaurants he'll get fries or a random side. he recently tried going vegetarian so that he would have more options. i low key praise anyone who is vegan bc it's such a hard lifestyle. i constantly go out to vegan restaurants, taco trucks, etc with my brother to show the vegan community some love in hopes that one day it's a more common option especially in smaller towns. im glad to see you being open and taking care of YOURSELF!! bc that's what matters most🫶🏼
This video is literally my shared vegan experience. I went vegan at 12, and acc got quite sick from how restricted my eating was(was watching alot of raw vegan videos)in the end I ended up in the hospital and I'm nolonger vegan I love vegetables now but I feel more free eating food now🤷🏿♀️
So cool that you're willing to share this with us!! Listening to this makes me happy because we've gone through similar struggles and hearing that you're growing out of them gives me strenght and I'm sure many others would agree, thanks Amber :)
I don't know why this made my eyes a bit teary cause i can't really relate to this. But I just can't help but feel so proud of you, Amber!🥺
I can tell how sincere you are in this video and how happy you are right now in your life, cause girl you're 💖glowinggg💖
Excited for the next chapter! xx
This is literally one of the longest, most drawn-out, cop out experiences/moans I’ve ever heard. Vegan for the animals, plant-based for other reasons. She was plant based. The animals and seceretions from animals she eats now means loss of life quite simply, because she couldn’t be fucked to actual plan her diet effectively. It’s so easy and there’s zero reason to start eating animals and dairy. Veganism doesn’t restrict you 😆
She says shit like ‘you have to check every nutrition label’ - most people buy a lot of the same foods, which they know are vegan. Bullshit excuses
‘I don’t want to do this anymore’ - this tells me it was never about the animals
This made me cry due to health issues I’ve recently implemented eggs and certain foods with dairy but never straight up dairy like cheese however for me it’s an inflammatory so I’m going to have to cut it out but now if I cut that out I’m thinking of implementing fish but I’m so scared to, you really helped me realize throughout this video, it’s okay, I have been vegan for about 6-7 years as well and I’m 22 years old ! Thank you! This is so special to me! I’ll be rewatching this as an encouragement!❤
You don't have to eat eggs so that is not an excuse to go vegan
*You need to prioritise your health and start eating animal foods*
@@romanhoax9014you dont need to abuse animal's to be healthy
Agreed, not everything is so black-and-white. Loved the message of your video! I think it’s so great that you were able to heal from your experience with food. Sharing food with friends, and the social aspect is one of my favorite parts of food too! I never realized that until you pointed that out.❤️❤️
i’ve recently been struggling the past year being vegan. i’ve noticed myself slowly becoming vitamin deficient due to the stress of nearing the end of college. most of the time i have to rely on empty carbs to give me the most calories possible so i can just get through the day. thank you for posting this video and allowing me to think outside of the binary that is eating vegan.
Just don’t go back to abusing animals, challenge22 if you need help or guidance.
@@Stefania.Ferrario abuse tho
Enjoy your inadequate diet future ex vegan
It’s a continuous and reinforcement learning process, and yes, there will be ups and downs.. don’t be too hard on yourself. Do what you can, learn how to overcome the hurdles along the way, and know your Why’s. “Vegan” shouldn’t really be a social identity.. I personally use it only to describe what I consume for convenience when talking to other people.
@@Patrick-yc3tf that’s such a good thought process, thank you
Omg I did not expect my reaction…but I straight up cried after you pulled out your laptop. I’m so happy you’re in a better place now with your relationship with food. 😭💕
AWE ily!!!🫶
Thank you for sharing this! I found a lot of healing in your words💜 Even though I’ve never been vegan, I’ve struggled my whole life with my body image and in the past 5 years with eating less and basically starving myself to reach this image. Hearing your journey and how you’ve reached this confidence in your body and who you are as a person is inspiring and reminds me that beauty is not one image nor one size. It’s who you are that’s beautiful🫶🏻💜
Thank you for creating such a positive and healing space around food! Just hearing someone say “you deserve to eat” means so much ❤
I love that "I've been vegan long enough to have an impact". I made it two years, much less time than you did, and now I am having severe digestive issues at 23 yo and cannot eat the amount of fiber anymore that is necessary to be a vegan, I am terrified to tell anyone I know who is vegan as vegans can be really mean, anyway good luck girl thanks for the video
Being vegan doesn't make an impact on anything. It's just the exclusion of exploitation and cruelty. It's just the lack of having a brutal, violent impact on vulnerable, sentient beings. In the same way not going around stabbing people doesn't prevent people from being stabbed, it's just refraining from being an active participant in violence yourself. Similarly, not paying for animals to be stabbed in the throat doesn't help any animals. You're just no longer deliberately murdering them. Being vegan is the moral neutral point. You aren't doing a beneficial action by being vegan, you're just refraining from doing a harmful one.
Also you can easily have low fiber vegan diets. You could find this out in 30 seconds with a simple google search. Why would you just assume that you have to start consuming the flesh or bodily secretions of another sentient being who had to be tortured and murdered, instead of just looking up any of the hundreds of low fiber vegan foods you have access to?
What about the animals? Apart from one tiny mention at the beginning and saying you “know what animal welfare means for you”, you do not mention them. Veganism is NOT about the environment. Veganism is about animal rights. The victims on your plate are not just “food”. What you eat IS a big deal when it entails death and suffering for innocent animals. Even if as you say you are not eating meat, there is still great suffering in the egg, dairy and fish industries. Baby male chicks are ground up alive as they are unnecessary in the egg industry. Dairy cows are forcefully “artificially inseminated” (raped) in order to fall pregnant and then have their babies taken away from them at birth so that we can steal their milk. Plus when they are no longer “productive” where do they go? Straight to the abattoir. Dairy cows will be murdered at around 6 years old when naturally they could live for 20-25 years. Fish are sentient beings who suffer as they are suffocated and often cut open alive. Veganism is NOT about restricting what you eat. I’m sorry you had a bad experience with the HCLF cults but veganism doesn’t have to be like that! You can eat perfectly normally (and accessibly, if as your accent suggests you are somewhere in North America) without animals or animal products on your plate. If you take this as some kind of personal attack you are really not getting the message here - you seem like a sweet girl and this is the first video of yours I have seen so nothing against you - but I would urge you to really rethink the ethical consequences of your decisions and the real victims here - the hens, the baby chicks, the cows, the stolen calves, the bulls whose semen is stolen from them, the fish.... and not the minor inconvenience of having to check a food label or say no to a marinated egg.
Typical vegan cult nonsense and hypocrisy
@user-xu2yz5ee9v where’s the hypocrisy bro
@@Assassin99584 typical of you to say. I bet you didn't read
I noticed that too. The vibe I get from her is that she was plant-based for dietary and environmental reasons, and probably never had a strong moral conviction about exploiting and harming non-human animals. This seems a common thread among "ex-vegans"
@illusory-seeker very common unfortunately!! If you actually make the ethical connection you will never feel “restricted” because you cease to view animals and animal products as food which is there for our consumption. No one (in the western world) feels “restricted” because they can’t eat dogs or cats or because they can’t drink horse milk. Unfortunately a lot of “vegans” still have a fundamentally speciesist mindset
self healing journies are sooo refreshing! ive been dealing with it for a couple years now and it gets pretty lonely. seeing that you are my age and have struggled with self image and eating behaviors is soo relatable to me! it really makes me happy that i can relate to you about healing our relationship with food! so proud of you girly 🥰🥰 hugs from san diego!
This is not meant to disrespect you or invalidate your experience, but I really wish people in general would stop seeing veganism as a diet or a meal plan to lose weight. Veganism is a sociopolitical movement to stop animal explotation, cruelty, and to see them for the intelligent, sentient, worthy of respect and compassion beings they are, what you eat in consequence to those ideals is just part of it, so when someone says "I am no longer vegan", were they really vegan? Does it mean they stopped caring for animals? Does it mean they no longer respect their lives? Probably not. What they really mean is that they stopped eating a plant-based diet, which is totally valid, because one can choose to have a plant-based diet for reasons other than animal liberation, such as health, the environment, to treat a condition, etc., so when it no longer works or feels right, you can change your diet to something that makes you feel better.
Having said that, I'm happy you're in a place where you feel better and more comfortable with what you eat, and that your relationship with food and self image is improving.
No true Scotsman fallacy and hypocrisy
Typical vegan cult nonsense
@@Assassin99584 Think what you want, I stand by what I said 🤷♀
@@ohsugarblitz This!!!!!!!!!! "I'm no longer vegan" is an oxymoron. It doesn't make any sense!
Vegan is literally a diet. It's a choice of what you eat.
@@JamesW81 You can call a plant-based diet that does not contain animal products a "vegan diet," but that's only one use of the term "vegan." This use only came about because the most OBVIOUS example of living out veganism is food. At its core, veganism is not just about food: it's about refraining from using ANY product and supporting ANY practice that causes unnecessary suffering to animals. This includes things like wearing wool or fur, going to zoos, going to bullfights, practicing hunting as a sport, etc. If you care about animal rights and animal suffering, you can't just all of a sudden stop caring about those things. That doesn't make sense, does it? So while you can certainly stop eating a plant-based diet (or a vegan diet, if you'd like), you can't "stop BEING vegan." There's a difference between BEING vegan and EATING plant-based (or vegan).
Shower of love for AMBER GROWING AND LOVING HERSELF:❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for sharing your story!
When I was younger I struggled with body image as well. Which led to unhealthy habits.
Once I started college, I became vegetarian and eased my way to becoming vegan. Throughout that process I started to discover myself and grew a healthier relationship with food. Got to experiment with different foods. It made me become more connected with my food than I had ever been. For me, it was life changing and definitely worth the journey! You had a great influence on me a few years back because I would rarely get on YT but when i did, I found you and your sister, which were similar to by age and were vegan. I was like woah I’m not the only one and a POC vegan. Made me feel reassured, but it’s saddens me that you had to go thought all that!
But I’m proud of you for searching your journey & gained a better relationship with food! Thanks again for putting yourself out there because it is not an easy task!
I hope to someday spread body positivity and holistic healing as a POC vegan as I approach my degree in Nutrition!
I literally cried with the last part, I never went vegan but I tried to be plant based/ “healthy” and made a lot of unhealthy diets that just make me cry when I think about them and about how much I was torturing myself back then.
Thank you for this video Amber, I wish I could meet you, I basically related with everything you said, and just like you I’m glad to say I’m now in a really good mental health state since my relationship with food improved so much. Like you said food is food, it can be delicious and bring lots of happiness, it can be more or less nutritious but it has no moral value. that’s it 💛
Nonhuman animals don’t have to be viewed as food though just as you probably don’t view other human animals or some other nonhuman animals like maybe a cat as food. We can evolve and grow as a society to not exploit and kill defenseless, intelligent, and emotional beings who can’t escape from the suffering, commodification, and exploitation of their bodies, breast milk, and eggs. I thought I couldn’t be happy without them either, but nothing hurts my mental wellbeing more than knowing how much the wellbeing of other animals had to suffer for my choices. If enough of us cared, then we could help them, too.
I'm sorry that you went through that. There are a lot of vegan youtubers who push crazy restrictive diets that have nothing to do veganism as philosophy. A vegan diet doesn't have to be restrictive or like a crash diet. There's more than one way to be vegan and get the nutrients you need without hurting yourself or obsessing over health/weight. It's hard to overcome that kind of thing. I used to obsess over eating whole foods only. Now, I don't overthink my diet. I eat a variety of foods and it's comforting to know that I'm not hurting any animals.
I had such a similar experience with veganism during college! When eating was already difficult to stay on top of, veganism acted as another barrier. I would simply not eat dinner even if there was readily available, easy to prepare non-vegan food because I felt as though eating it would make me a "terrible person". I have a much healthier relationship with food now, and I'm so happy to hear your experience and how much better you're feeling ❤
I started tearing up watching this because even though I was never vegan I was still being restricted with my food. I am so happy your overcame this Amber. I an currently in the process being 16 this year but with you making this really means a lot to me and many others. I hope to end this, maybe even this year ❤️
Thank you Amber, I am actually so proud of you and glad you put yourself first ~
Congrats on eating humans again
I was a vegan for 7 years and then vegetarian for one. I’m about to start eating meat again. I was able to get to a healthy weight for the first time in my adult life when I stopped being vegan and now I hope to help heal myself in a couple of deficiencies I have by incorporating red meat. I never thought I’d go back to meat tbh but as you grow older you realize your health is all you have.
Hey! It's your first video I've ever watched. I am a vegetarian who is trying to be vegan right now. I am so glad that you got out of your ed and living your best life right now:) altough i would have called you plant based rather than vegan, cause as you might know veganism is not just all about the diet but the mentality. I have never understood some people who try to push veganism onto others. If it doesn't come naturally to you, like you don't feel guilt and stuff and you only do it beacuse some people says that this is the only right way then what's the point in doing it? Not everyone is the same. The world doesn't need a few more super strict vegans, it needs a lots of people who are conscious with their actions and eating habits.
I am not rushing going vegan for similar reasons. Instead of going fully vegan right now and not knowing what to do with my life suddenly, i prefer to go slowly and learn as much as i can during this time. I don't want to hate this lifestyle just beacuse I jumped right into it without knowing anything about it. Right now I prefer to experinece it as it comes, and at some point in my life I know that i'm going to be knowledgeable enough to go for it fully. It's not a competition:)
Did Ashley also stopped being vegan?
i hope not :(
thank you for creating a safe place between us! I truly appreciate you and your transparency!!
aww this is so wholesome in a way. the social aspect of sharing foods with your loved ones is so cute. also, the bangs and your makeup in this video are so gorg. proud of you amber 💞
AW thank you!!🥹
It’s been almost a year for me since I became vegan. Tbh I’m already struggling from time to time because of the limited food options (especially in Korea, vegan options are not common) and because I miss out so much with my loved ones - when my family and friends get together for some great food and time. There’s always this spirit in me where I want to save animals and the environment through veganism but at the same time I sometimes questions myself would I be able to do this forever? It’s always a dilemma :(
Once you realize you're just doing it for attention then maybe you will wake up.
You literally use animal products needlessly for entertainment anyway.
I was vegetarian in middle school-I did it for the animals bc I’ve always been very passionate about doing as much as I can to save the environment-but after about a year, I started eating meat again bc I realized I didn’t know how to cook good, nutritious vegetarian foods. As a stupid middle schooler, I was eating so many carbs every day and I wasn’t physically feeling great bc of it.
Fast forward to about a year ago when I met my s/o who’s vegan, we bonded over how we both chose our diets for environmental reasons! And after learning how to cook more nutritious vegetarian food from my s/o and google, eventually I made the switch back to vegetarianism, and I’ve been on it for a little less than a year :)
Although I’ve never had an ED, I understand the struggle of constantly reading labels and rejecting lots of food. That’s one of the reasons I always try to make sure my s/o eats enough especially for lunch/at school, since I know a vegan diet can be so restrictive, but that doesn’t mean you should stop eating with your friends! Food is certainly a huge aspect of social culture in America!!
I’d also like to add, since you mentioned other ways of lessening your environmental impact, I also found ways to lessen my impact during my years of not being vegetarian. For example:
- purchasing products that don’t contain palm oil to prevent mass deforestation
- using bamboo products like a bamboo toothbrush instead of plastic products
- using reusable grocery bags at the store
- using plastic/silicone (REUSABLE) containers to store/bring food with me
There are SOOOO many ways to lessen our environmental impact; going vegan/vegetarian are only a few of the many options!
I am glad you have finally reached healthy eating habits that make you feel great, happy and comfortable :). I went through a similar thing, a few years ago I became vegan for the wrong reasons. Now, I am a vegetarian and my mental health is much better!
Changing your diet (especially if you have tied it to your values) is super difficult so I am proud of you for choosing what is best for you and deciding to share your decision with us, your viewers. We love to see you grow as a person!
Greetings from Argentina :)))))
AW YAYY so happy for you!! Sending u love❤❤
I'm so glad that you shared your story. I know this is really going to help a lot of people!! Also great job putting this video together, you presented the topic in a positive way and you literally wrote an entire essay!
I also went vegan in an attempt to lose weight, I liked the idea of how restrictive it was, now I can see the negative impact it had on my relationship and I’ve decided to just eat what makes me happy!
YUP exactly!!! Sending u a hug bae🫶
@KiKi Griffin Veganism is about animal liberation. YOU made it about restriction. Get help.
@@fruitsalad7611 Animals don’t need liberation they understand nature’s balance.and the food chain
@@heman4448 Nature's balance is not equal to industrial mass murder of animals.
@@fruitsalad7611 not the industrial part yes but the flesh eating part yes
I was VEGAN for 5 years. I started getting health problems not regular in my menstrual cycle HORRIBLE PMS due to impaired ovulation and low progesterone. I also was always upset all the time and pissed off. LOL I was not fun to be around with. I stopped my VEGAN DIET because I hated wasted money on taking 12 capsules a day just to supply my zinc and Vit B12. Now, I am the healthiest as can be primarily my menstrual is regular and I just feel ALIVE now. I DID ALSO HATED ALL THAT VEGAN FAD SNACKS AND JUNK FOOD. NOPE I AM DONE WITH THAT. VEGANS EAT WAY TOO MUCH SUGAR AND WHEAT. WORSE THINGS THAT ARE HIGHLY INFLAMMATORY. I also i just watched a podcast that miley cyrus had to quit vegan diet due to brain functioning very slow... I can attest that is true! Now I eat 70% vegetarian/30% fish and meat and I slim and happy as can be!!
Very brave to speak up, as I know people seem to get a kick giving backlash. I’m glad you are recognising what is good for you mentally and physically, that’s a huge step and progress! I hope you find lots of new foods that excite you, and recipes that bring you joy - and even posting them! Keep true to you, not what others project onto you! 💜💫
i also stopped being vegan last year after being vegan for 6 years. so literally the same thing. i cant explain how good it is to hear you say the same exact reasons why i made that decision :)
OMG that’s insane!!! We’re totally in this together🫶
@Helena Levin You were never vegan, just plant based. I could never imagine going back to supporting animal exploitation because i'm an actual animal lover and not a fake vegan. XXX
@@fruitsalad7611 nobody ask xx
@@fruitsalad7611 watch the rise and fall of vegan influencers
@@fruitsalad7611 People with eating disorders often use a plant based diet to mask their disorders, same thing with keto and various types of intermittent fasting etc.
You aren't vegan. You weren't ever vegan. You're too old to not have a basic understanding of what it is to be vegan. Stop confusing basic concepts. Veganism is a way of life - NOT A DIET. Please educate yourselves.
she brought her disordered eating tendencies to her "veganism" and is now blaming the vegan movement on her own mental health issues. she was never vegan because she views it as simply a diet. now she makes this video painting veganism in a negative light when the real issue here is that she has restrictive ed tendencies.
I love how open you are with us amber! So proud of you amber baby!! ❤️
Thank you for this! Lots of people don't talk about how easily being vegan can become orthorexia and it definitely affected/affects many young people, especially young girls. This video will help lots of your younger fans create a good relationship with food and their bodies. Thanks for being so vulnerable with us
A lot of people don’t talk about a well planned vegan diet.
It doesn't "easily" become orthorexia. It's only easy for people who are already suffering from some kind of disorder/are prone to ocd behaviors. In other words, point of entry into veganism is crucial to whether you'll develop an eating disorder because of vegan diet. I would avoid throwing such generalizations around.
@@solidsnake1806 causing the least amount of suffering to animals is not a diet
a "diet" is just a certain way of eating. Isn't it amazing that some words have more than one meaning? @@Commonclaus
I'm sorry that veganism didn't work for you, but you had the wrong mentality a lot of the time...
so authentic and real!! thank u for sharing your perspective and being honest while being considerate. excellent video amber!! u are epic
U know Amber I am happy that u chose to open up about this , even tho u do not know me personally still I want u to know that I am proud of u and ur journey 💖
AW thank you🥹🫶
Why are you proud of someone that chooses to harm others?
I've battled multiple ED's for 40 years. Despite that, that was not why I went vegan. It happened quite by accident.. and although my issue is being obsessive about how and what I eat to get and stay thin, I know that that would be my problem, anyway.. regardless of how I eat. My ED thoughts are just too ingrained.😥 I would never give up my lifestyle, even though it's mentally draining to obsess all the time as I try to eat as healthy as possible. I wish I could just relax and eat all the vegan foods without worrying about weight gain and/or poor health, but I can't. I'm older now, and health is my priority, even as striving to be as skinny as I can contradicts that. But I went vegan for ethics primarily, so that's why I stay vegan, regardless of my ED issues.😔❤️