When illness invites questions about diet

What happens when you get sick—and you don’t eat animals?

In this uncharacteristically candid solo episode, Michele shares a personal rant sparked by a winter virus, a year full of medical appointments, and the familiar (and frustrating) question many plant-based and vegan people hear when something goes wrong:
“Are you sure veganism is working for you?”

Drawing from her own experience all while receiving consistently excellent bloodwork and zero nutritional concern from her medical team—Michele unpacks why these comments feel so patronizing, why they persist, and why they’re often not actually about health at all.

This episode is not about denying medical advice. It’s about rejecting the myth that being vegan requires asceticism, self-neglect, or irrational dogma—and offering reassurance to anyone who has felt judged, scrutinized, or quietly undermined for their choices.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why illness or injury often becomes a “conversation starter” about protein, supplements, or animal foods

• The difference between medical advice and cultural projection

• Why none of Michele’s doctors or registered dietitians expressed concern about her nutrition

• What the phrase “as far as possible and practicable” really means in a vegan context

• How “concern” can sometimes function as a defense against self-examination

• Why being plant-based or vegan does not mean being extreme, irrational, or self-destructive

Michele also reflects on how deeply embedded cultural assumptions—what psychologist Melanie Joy calls “normal, natural, and necessary”—shape the way vegan choices are perceived, especially when health enters the conversation.A reminder worth repeating:

Veganism is not a purity test.
It is not martyrdom.
And it is not incompatible with caring for your health.

As Michele puts it: how you go vegan is how you do everything—with realism, compassion, and respect for the external realities of your life.Listener Reflection / Invitation

Ever had someone question your health or judgment because you’re vegan or plant-based?
Not a troll. Not a stranger. Someone close.

Michele would love to hear from you.

And if your version of “Vedge-ing Your Best” right now isn’t perfect, ideal, or 100%—let that be okay. 

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