The first time I ate eggs, it literally felt like I finished having Thanksgiving dinner.

Health and wellness touch each of us differently. This is one person’s story.

I was on a 100 percent plant-based diet for nearly three years. Yes, that meant my plate was only whole fruits and vegetables, grains, and legumes. I excluded all animal products, including dairy, meat, and seafood. And initially, I felt amazing.

My digestion was great, and I was super energized. It also felt great to no longer be contributing to the cruelty of modern animal agriculture and the negative effects livestock production has on the planet.

But… earlier this year, things started to change.

I started to have way less energy. Completing even the smallest of tasks had become a struggle. I also noticed that I was having horrible migraines before and during my menstrual cycle. At one point during my periods, I could barely get out of bed.

I knew something was wrong, and tried to adjust my diet in every way possible. I started eating healthier fats and iron-rich plant foods, but my symptoms didn’t change. During this time, I also had an odd, intense craving for seafood, but I wanted to continue making veganism work for my body.

It wasn’t until I started to have trouble digesting foods that normally went down without an issue that I decided to visit my holistic doctor.

I thought that maybe I developed an allergy to nuts or gluten, but my lab results revealed something even more shocking: I was critically low in iron — and my iron stores were even lower! Not only that, I was also very low in nutrients, including vitamins B-12, A, D, and zinc. I had been eating a wide variety of the healthiest foods on the planet, but my body was clearly sending a signal that it wasn’t enough.

My doctor was very concerned, but remained respectful of my vegan diet. She suggested a long list of different supplements to try to raise my levels, but I knew supplements weren’t the answer.

I had been ignoring the signals my body was sending me for a long time already. Instead of forcing my body to adapt to veganism again, it was time to start incorporating fish and other animal products into my diet.