A social media influencer from Argentina said he gave up his vegan lifestyle after he was bitten by a dog.
According to The U.S. Sun, Mariano de la Canal had amassed more than 455,000 followers on Instagram as a vegan influencer.
However, he told an Argentinian news outlet that an attack from a canine on the street caused him to rethink everything, according to the Daily Star.
“I stopped being a vegan because a dog bit me, so I got angry and said: ‘I’m campaigning for the animals, and then one of them comes and bites me,'” de la Canal said. “That’s when I stopped being vegan,” The Sun reported.
“The truth is that I campaigned for all that, veganism, vegetarianism, all that. But a dog bit me on the street and I said: ‘Wow, I’m trying a lot for them and one of their pack comes and bites me.’ So no, I went to McDonald’s, automatically.”
As of Thursday, de la Canal had about 452,000 followers on his Instagram account. It was unclear whether his turn from veganism would affect his career as an influencer.
De la Canal first gained notoriety on Showmatch, an Argentinian entertainment show in which fans decided who got to remain on the program, the Sun reported.
De le Canal was not the only notable figure to speak out recently about giving up the vegan lifestyle.
In an interview published Wednesday on Men’s Health, actor Zac Efron said he stopped eating vegan after about two years.
Efron said wellness expert Darin Olien, who co-hosted web documentary “Down to Earth” with him, partly inspired his decision to try veganism.
“Morally, of course, I still wish I was vegan,” Efron said.
But during his two years eating vegan, Efron said his body simply told him it wasn’t working.
“I started intermittent fasting just after I stopped being vegan,” Efron said according to a separate article from Men’s Health. “My body wasn’t processing the vegetables in the right way.
“So, I decided to stop it and try something new. Intermittent fasting has been really helpful with that.”
Efron said his current routine consists of two daily meals: one around 11 a.m, and another in the evening. His first meal usually consists of bone broth soup, veggies and a clean protein like elk or chicken, and his second includes more meat and “a healthy carbohydrate like sweet potatoes or quinoa,” he told Men’s Health.
“This is kind of weird, but I really like organ meats,” Efron said. “I love liver and onions.”
Veganism has been a topic of debate for years among people. Some swear it helps them feel healthier, while others say they do not get the energy and substance they need without meat.
Both Efron and de la Canal decided they would rather eat meat than continue with the vegan lifestyle forever.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.