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Pursuing eating disorder recovery as a vegan or vegetarian often comes with additional surprises, emotional turmoil, and sometimes even intense feelings of isolation. Following a diet that doesn’t include eating animal products can be difficult socially even if you don’t have an eating disorder on board.
Your eating disorder is probably screaming at you:
- Recovery will force you to put animals on your plate.
- You’re just being healthy
- You shouldn’t inconvenience anyone
- No one will understand why you care so much
- I should be able to recover without changing anything
- You’re contributing to destroying animals and harming the environment if you heal
All of these are lies that the eating disorder created to force you to stay sick. Whether you should consume animal products in recovery is deeply personal, and there’s no “right” answer. Just the right answer for you.
A good recovery team will work with you to dig deep into why you feel connected to a vegan/vegetarian diet and work to make a decision with you (not for you) as to if this is the right meal structure to ensure a long and lasting eating disorder recovery.
Is Being Vegan or Vegetarian An Eating Disorder
No.
While vegan/vegetarianism can be an eating disorder behavior, it is never the only reason behind why someone has an eating disorder. Tons of variables go into development of an eating disorder including environment, genetics, trauma and many other factors. It’s never just one thing.
However, it can certainly be the “gateway drug” as I call it. This is particularly true when we think about vegan diets.
However, there is certainly a deep connection between eating disorders and vegetarian lifestyles.
- 50% of those that are diagnosed with an eating disorder follow a vegetarian diet
- Vegan/vegetarian diets are often used to control weight
- Extreme healthy eating (orthorexia) and vegetarian lifestyles often coexist
- Vegan/vegetarianism is a socially acceptable way to restrict food, and often goes under the radar
- Being vegan/vegetarianism puts you in part of a community that often has rigid rules and restrictions and might promote disordered behaviors
Does being a vegetarian or vegan ensure that someone will develop an eating disorder? Absolutely not.
But the correlations are undeniable. You might also begin your vegan/vegetarian journey in a completely healthy mindset and over time your vegetarian diet can morph into something toxic. It’s important to be completely honest with yourself about what this relationship with plant based foods is like for you.
My Vegan Eating Disorder Story
Cat Rescue Shena
Hi. I’m Shena. I’m not God. And I don’t control the world.
This is what I say to myself on repeat on a tough day in the animal rescue world.
Like… seriously guys. Sometimes I have to REMIND myself i’m not in control of the universe. What a revelation! Ever feel that way?
I’ve been rescuing animals since I was 14 years old. I’ve been vegetarian since I was 13 years old (so almost 30 years for reference).
My boyfriend even has a song he made up called ”Cat Rescue Shena” where the song is always a different version of me picking up the mangled critters, taming them, or tending to a flock of cats.
It sounds cute- but it’s seriously the most annoying thing in the world when you’re shoving a bottle into a neonatal kitten who’s yet to master the art of a proper latch and suddenly you’re wearing a “cat milk” shirt all while he’s at the top of his lungs
I digress.
Anyhow. I’ve seen it all. Running a 501c3 will show you things you never even want to repeat out loud. I’ve rescued THOUSANDS of cats at this point in my life. And tragically lost dozens.
As a rescuer, you unfortunately learn a lot about death. About cruelty. About empathy. About miracles.
But most importantly you learn that NOTHING is under control.
So as i’m helping an animal pass that has just sustained a traumatic injury. Or I feel guilty because I couldn’t “save them” . I repeat to myself “I’m not God. I don’t control the world.”
Because as a rescuer, my job is not to save the world. It’s to make everything I touch better.
Naturally, you can probably see WHY i’m a vegetarian. But WHY am I telling you this? And how can it help you make your decision about what is right for you in eating disorder recovery?
When My Vegetarianism Got Dangerous
Eating disorders have a way of making you feel like you have to control…. Everything.
I have loved animals since before I could walk. I began rescuing and training animals since before I hit my double digits.
But I’ve also had one eating disorder or another for well….. Most of my life. As a kid I suffered from ARFID (avoidant restrictive eating disorder). This was in no way related to me wanting to change my body. My choice to become vegetarian at age 13 was strictly for ethical reasons and was (and is still) in no way disordered. Unfortunately however, it did restrict my already limited food choices even further leaving me in a pretty emaciated body.
At age 16 things got messy. I swung from binge eating disorder, to anorexia, and then back and forth a few times (you can check out my full eating disorder story here).
Long story short….my anorexia led me to becoming a registered dietitian. Because of course… I wanted to be the best at what I did. During this time I decided to “go big or go home” and went full fledged vegan.
Blood pressure hanging out at a dangerous low, labs went to shit, passing out on the spot all while working clinical in the hospital telling how to be healthy (how ironic).
I convinced myself I could save the world (and myself) by going vegan. If I could just control what I put on my plate… I could control….
But the exact opposite happened. As controlled as I appeared on the surface… I was anything but. Does this sound like you?
***This is your consciousness telling you that a vegan recovery plan is NOT for you!***
You are not going to save the world by being vegan. You’re actually not going to save the world by any single action you do. And as a rescuer… this was a hard slap in the face I had to learn.
I am not God (and neither are you). And you are not in charge of the world. And it is not your responsibility to save it.
Instead, I try to make everything I touch better. And letting go of my obligation to “save the world” has helped me to save just one creature’s world at a time. To know that every life I save matters just as much as million lives saved. It has given me the power to stay in the game. And let me tell you… rescue is a hard f*cking game.
Lessons About Veganism From My Cat
My soul cat’s name is Ace. Ace came to me as a ferocious feral who had been trapped four times as the property owners were trying to catch skunks. If you’re not familiar with ferals, they’re MEAN! There are also not a lot of options for them because if you try to touch them… they’ll rip your face off.
So naturally, Ace came to my house. And for 6 month- he actively tried to rip my face off. I had to feed him with roofing gloves. Until one day… he didn’t. That day he decided I was his person. I got to touch him for the first time. And since then… i’m pretty sure he’s convinced he’s my biological child.
But Ace… has this little… issue. He just happens to be a cold blooded killer. And he truly believes that I too love dead things.
So as part of his love language ace brings me an average of 2.5 dead things per day through the cat door(I say 2.5 because… well sometimes they’re not all the way dead).
Being an animal advocate and an aspiring vegan this KILLED me. I thought WHY CAN’T HE JUST STOP KILLING THINGS!
Then one as Ace was bringing his up-teenth dead thing in for the week I had a revelation. Ace is one of my favorite living creatures to ever walk this earth. And Ace…. kills things. Ace… eats things that have been killed. And if Ace didn’t eat animals… ace would be dead.
I save these animals through sweat, blood (literally), tears, and enormous economical expense. And yet I NEVER stopped to think that in order to save these animals… other animals MUST die.
And that was the day that Ace taught me… without saying a god damn thing, that I was not in control of the world. I, just like Ace, am a part of it.
And that in order to hate killing animals, I would have to hate my sweet non biological cat child. My cat child that killed things… literally just to kill them.
I’m An Animal Too
Just like my cat Ace, I am an animal too. As part of my eating disorder recovery journey I have taken on that I MUST treat myself with the same love, kindness, and respect that I do my cat.
I deserve to be
- Nourished
- Unapologetic about what I eat
- Abundant
I will always choose to not eat animals if given the option. However, i’m open to this changing if circumstances no longer make it feasible or in my best interest to be vegetarian (for example, I have limited access to food or have a crazy injury). Just like the respect I would give my cat.
While I haven’t intentionally eaten meat in almost 30 years and genuinely enjoy vegan foods over all else, I don’t freak out if this doesn’t go “according to plan.”
Sometimes I find out that the savory soup I enjoyed had a chicken stock. The other day I accidentally grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza my boyfriend had and gobbled it up. I never panic or feel guilty in either situation. Because I am an animal too. Just like my beloved Ace.
Can I Be Vegan In ED Recovery
Yes!
Vegan or vegetarianism is completely possible in eating disorder recovery. You can meet all of your nutrient needs on a fully plant based diet.
A Vegan recovery meal plan can provide:
- weight restoration
- organ and tissue repair from starvation
- Adequate calories
- Balanced meals and snacks
But the real question is… Should you?
Because eating disorders are not about food. Eating disorders are about beliefs about food. Social connections. The amount of emotional real estate the thoughts take up in your brain. Studies have shown that the willingness to be flexible with a plant based diet in recovery yields higher success rates.
And while repairing your body from starvation is absolutely critical, this is just the first step. If you heal your body without healing your mind,
So just because you CAN put balanced foods on the plate does not necessarily mean that you’re healing. Sure, physically you might be physically restoring itself, your mind might still be trapped in eating disorder hell.
I call this “putting a band aid on the problem.” Yes… It’s critical to nourish your body enough to keep you safe immediately.But recovering while deliberately keeping something you know is an eating disorder behavior on board (aka vegan or vegetarian diets) is a gateway drug back to an eating disorder that returns with a vengeance.
What To Consider Before Vegan ED Recovery
As you know from my eating disorder journey the decision to remain vegan or vegetarian in recovery is deeply personal.
Here are some questions I want you to ask yourself before making the choice
- Why did I become vegetarian?
- How long have I been vegetarian?
- Did other eating disorder behaviors happen at the same time I stopped eating animal products?
- Did I go vegan/vegetarian to change my body size?
- Would I be deeply concerned about my health if I started eating animal products?
- Is my vegan/vegetarianism deeply connected to my faith?
- Do I also feel guilty about eating foods that are not organic, natural, or “clean”?
- Am I also trying to make other lifestyle changes like going “keto” or gluten free?
- Do I feel like eating animal products will cause immense harm to the environment?
- If your concerns are environmental, are you willing to be flexible (for example opt for eating animal products during the initial stages of recovery in exchange for practicing other sustainability practices such as recycling, buying second hand clothes, or driving your car less frequently?
- Do you honor the fact that you are an animal too?
- Would I consider giving myself the same love, respect and grace I do to other animals (for example, I feed your cat or dog animals couldI do this for yourself as I re-nourish and heal my body?) If not -why?
- Am I on the top of your “who I care for” list? This includes putting yourself ABOVE the animals I care for and nurture, even if the ONLY reason I put myself there is to make sure you’re alive and well to feed and care for them?
- If I’m vegan/vegetarian for religious reasons, is there any flexibility in your faith for illness and injury? When I have an eating disorder, the food is the medicine. Is there flexibility to recover with animal products for a short time while my body receives the medicine it needs to survive and heal? If not- why not?
- If I was raised vegan/vegetarian, am I following your own values in continuing this eating pattern or just continuing to eat this way because it’s what I was taught by my parents? Would I be willing to try eating animal products.
- If i’m vegan/vegetarian for reasons that involve ethical treatment of animals, am I willing to engage in eating some animal products if I know the animal was never harmed (for example, would I eat eggs where I know the chickens are well cared for and never see harm in their lifetimes)? If not, why?
If you want to truly know if recovering as a vegan or vegetarian is appropriate for you, you need to dig FAR deeper than just what is going to go onto your plate during recovery.
Vegan Recovery Meal Plan
Mechanical Eating On A Vegan Diet
In recovery, your hunger and fullness cues will be messed up. This often comes from delayed digestion and muscle atrophy. This can cause you to feel full quickly and like you shouldn’t be eating.
You’re going to need to ignore those urges to stop eating. You’ll do this by following a mechanical eating plan carefully tailored by your registered dietitian.
A mechanical eating plan will tell you:
- What to eat
- When to eat it
- How much of each food you need
- Who needs to be preparing and plating the food (such as a person providing meal support)
You will be able to follow your meal plan with vegan and/or vegetarian options.
Vegan Recovery Meal Plan Structure
Vegan eating disorder recovery will require:
- Increasing your calories
- Getting in 3 meals, and 3 snacks daily
- Medical monitoring such as regular blood draws (where appropriate)
- Challenging fear foods
- Adequate plant based protein (beans, lentils, tofu, faux meats, nuts, seeds)
- Adequate B12 and Iron sources
Challenges With a Vegan Meal Plan
Anorexia recovery typically involves the need for weight restoration. This usually means you need to eat more calories and increase the volume of food you are eating.
If you are planning on remaining vegetarian, or especially vegan during your recovery journey you should simultaneously expect to eat a LOT of food. The volume of food you need to consume to weight restore and heal with a plant based diet is significantly larger than would be necessary with animal products.
This is because plant based foods tend to contain less calories and less nutrients like iron.
Some challenges that might come up with a vegan meal plans include:
- physical and mental distress
- hypermetabolism. This will significantly increase your nutrient needs 3-5x. It can be VERY difficult to meet your calorie needs if this happens
- Extreme hunger can feel difficult to fill with a vegan plan
- It can be more difficult to access vegan foods if you aren’t preparing these at home
- Intense cravings and binge eating
- Early satiety as vegan foods are often higher in fiber making you feel full faster
- Discomfort from high volume, high fiber diet
If any of these things happen for you, I would highly encourage liberating your diet to include some form of animal products in recovery for your safety. However, even with these things on board you can still recover as a vegan/vegetarian. It just may require more physical and emotional discomfort. You should be prepared for this.
Tips For Recovering as a Vegan/Vegetarian
Recovering from an eating disorder as a vegan/vegetarian can sometimes make you feel like you are at odds with every social circle.
Your peers in eating disorder recovery may not understand why you are choosing to not consume animal products in recovery. As a hallmark of an eating disorder, they may think there is only “one right way” to recover. This might make it difficult to connect with others in recovery. Further, staff members or providers that don’t have a good understanding of what it’s like to recover as a vegan/vegetarian might unintentionally add barriers to recovery.
On the flip side, people that are living a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle might not understand why you are being flexible with the lifestyle or no longer maintaining the rigidity you once were.
Instead of seeing these barriers as pitfalls try this:
- Everyone’s recovery is unique (even if yours is a bit more obvious)
- You can’t control others thoughts towards you
- Everyone judges. Especially those with eating disorders. It’s part of the disease.
- You’re an animal too (and so are they), which means you are inherently flawed and miraculous all at the same time. Embrace it.
© 2026 Eating Disorder Vault
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