Am I eating a bad vegan diet? ?
I became a vegan about 6 months ago. At first I felt great but now I think I’ve become anemic. I feel extremely exhausted all the time, my immune system seems to be shot and my hairs become really brittle and thin and started falling out in handfuls a few months ago. The only thing I can come up with is that I’m not eating right so I thought I’d ask fellow vegans to see how my diet compares and get pointers on where I can improve. My child can’t have wheat which makes getting the right amount of nutrition even harder for me. Most mornings I made a fruit smoothie with wheat-grass and flax-seed for breakfast. For lunch I usually have a salad with beans and veggies and a vinaigrette dressing. For dinner I’ll either make some tofu, tempeh, beans, or veggie soup. I usually make rice or quinoa with them and some veggies.. usually broccoli, kale, or carrots. For snacks I’ll have some silk yogurt, wheat-free pretzels, or dried cranberries. Does this sound like a bad diet? If anyone has lost hair because of a nutritional problem how long till it stopped falling out and started growing back ?
I mainly drink juice and rice milk.
I’ve gained weight as well. A few months ago I started jogging every morning (2-4 miles) but haven’t been able to even lose a pound.
I’ve been a healthy vegetarian for all my life and a healthier vegan for the past 12 years. I actually used to be anemic before I became a vegan. People always talk about how vegans are more prone to iron, protein & B12 deficiencies- this is a myth. You do not need massive amounts of protein or B12 in your diet. You just have to eat very balanced meals making sure you get all your nutrients like: amino acids, calcium, fats (unsaturated fats like from avocados, oil, and nuts are really good for you & should help address your hair issue), proteins, simple carbs, electrolytes, folic acid, bioflavonoids, your b vitamins, minerals etc.
What kind of greens do you put in your salads? Romain & iceberg lettuce actually don’t have much nutritious value besides being a very good source of water. You should upgrade your salad with dark leafy greens- spinach, kale, collard greens have just as much protein & calcium as milk does ounce per ounce. Leafy greens and some other veggies are very rich in iron and folic acids. And proteins and calcium from leafy plant sources are much easier for your body to absorb than from meats, fortified dairy sources, or even from beans. You should try blackstrap molasses, it’s really high in iron and can be added to shakes and nut milks (taste great).
Also, it sounds like you’re not eating enough fresh foods and maybe having too many processed foods. You should include fresh, dark leafy greens in every meal except breakfast and don’t overcook or fry your meals (fried food is not healthy anyway you spin it, vegan or not). Btw, it’s great that you have lots wheatgrass and flax seed but you’re may be eating perhaps too many starches- like rice is extremely energy depleting and hard to digest. Brown rice and quinoa are better because they are unrefined and therefore they are still coated in fiber. Wild rice is the best choice though because it’s not actually rice, it’s a seed so absorption is simple.
Being a real vegan doesn’t just mean substituting meat/dairy proteins for vegan ones. Variety is key for a vegan. You’ll need to source all kinds of different foods for a complete diet. You need a variety of seeds, nuts (if you have a food processor you can make lots of different kinds of nut patties and dessert recipes), leafy green veggies, whole grains, sea vegetables like seaweed, root vegetables for minerals and vitamins. Rice milk doesn’t have much nutritional value and again too much starch- stick with soy, or better yet almond or hazelnut milk. Also what do you cook with? Try cold or expeller pressed olive oil which you can use generously in fresh salads especially. Use sea salt for and Braggs amino acids for your essential amino acids and the sea salt activates the digestion process.
Other vegan B12 options: miso, sea vegetables like seaweed (i usually have nori seaweed in every salad) and some tempeh.
Other things to boost your iron intake and energy levels right away: spirulina, liquid chlorophyll, (you can add it to plain water, any shake or fruit drink).
Quick tip if you’re not already doing this to lose weight: drink lots of water, cut out processed starches completely like rice if you can (stick with quinoa, brown and wild), eat more fresh foods, and avoid late night eating altogether.
I’ve never had my hair fall out because of my diet. But hope this helps.
All the best
ask a docter
I’d try to add more Wheat grass definitely. You’d be shock how much it will help.
Best,
S.
It actually sounds pretty good to me. I think I would take a multi vitamin that has calcium and Vitamin D in it just to be on the safe side though.
Eat some cheese! i know you’re vegan but, cows are breed to give us milk!!!!!! cheese doesn’t take an animals life and it’ll keep u healthy! :]
Go to a doctor, Ashley.
Although I hear trolls frequently have those symptoms, regardless of diet.
Level 1, private Q&A…..
If you are able, I would consider making an appointment with your doctor or a nutritionist that specializes in vegan/vegetarian diets to make sure you are getting the correct amount of vitamins/protein and calories.
YES, All vegan diets are bad.
-There has not been a single controlled clinical trial that has produced any reduction in CHD mortality that can honestly be attributed to saturated fat restriction or cholesterol-lowering?
-Long-term follow-up studies have shown that those with the lowest cholesterol levels tend to live the shortest lives?
-So-called heart-healthy polyunsaturated vegetable oils have been linked to cancer and heart disease?
-Cholesterol-lowering drugs have not been shown to provide any longevity benefit to women, the elderly, or high-risk men free of heart disease?
-In Japan, where low-fat diets supposedly protect people from cardiovascular disease, it is actually those who eat the most saturated fat that have the lowest rates of stroke?
-There is no clinical evidence that eating more whole-grains will reduce your risk of heart disease?
-Vegetarians do not live longer than people eating a typical mixed diet?
-Most of the information disseminated by health authorities today is designed not to protect your health, but to benefit vested financial interests?
If you believe fresh red meat and saturated animal fats cause cancer, you have been brainwashed. If you believe a vegetarian, high-fiber, organic diet of fruits, vegetables and whole grains does not cause cancer, you have been brainwashed.
In the scientific literature, there are surprisingly few studies done on vegetarian longevity. Russell Smith, PhD, in his massive review study on heart disease, showed that as animal product consumption increased among some study groups, death rates actually decreased! Such results were not obtained among vegetarian subjects. For example, in a study published by Burr and Sweetnam in 1982, analysis of mortality data revealed that, although vegetarians had a slightly (.11%) lower rate of heart disease than non-vegetarians, the all-cause death rate was much higher for vegetarians.
The Nutritional Desk Reference is really a horrible book.
I’ve been fixing Diabetic patients, clinically for ten years with higher fat and protein diets.
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I would have said that you are probably lacking B12/calcium but, I see that you have listed various foods that contain calcium, such as quinoa. Next I would say Iron, but you are eating kidney beans and broc… so…. Must be b12, some foods are fortified with it like soya products, try eating more of those. Over all your diet appears to be fine.
Good luck, go see a nutritionist who won’t tell you to eat meat.
1. See a doctor right away. It sounds more like a thyroid problem than a nutritional deficiency.
2. Make sure you’re taking a B-12 supplement. Rice milk isn’t as often fortified with B-12 as soy milk is, and all vegan diets must contain either a B-12 supplement or B-12 fortified foods.
You should definitely start taking vitamins and talk to your doctor.
As a vegetarian, I take a vegetarian daily supplement. I personally believe that everyone, meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, should take a daily vitamin.
You probably do need more iron in your diet, as well as protein and calcium. Try drinking more soy milk. You may also need to eat more in general, though what you do eat seems rather healthy, so it is probably not what you eat, so much as what you don’t eat, if that makes sense.
Back when low fat diets were the rage women noticed the quality of their hair became straw like and brittle. Your diet sounds very low in fat. Add some stir frys with brown rice and a good quality of oil. Add some vegan margarine, cheese, sour cream and tofutti ice cream sandwiches. Pay attention to getting enough vitamins and minerals even if it means taking supplements. Especially the family of "B" vitamins and iron which is very important to women of child bearing age.
take B complex..your hair will come back. And take Iron..for anemia.
interesting to me( my child cant have wheat either ..celiacs)
hair is coming back now after 2 months on prenatals and B complex
I had all the thyroid tests and blood work done by the doctor.
She still had no answers.
I always eat nuts flax seed oil, and avacodo . I use only first pressed virgin olive oils . NONE of this worked for my hair.
See a doctor about your medical condition, rather than jump to conclusions like "my immune system seems to be shot" or "I think I’ve become anemic."
Consult a registered dietitian to plan a healthy diet. I’ve been vegetarian or vegan for most of my life, and have never experienced any illness– or any of those symptoms. I know many vegetarians and vegans and have never met one with those symptoms either. It’s time for you to stop guessing and see a doctor.
***now that you’ve added the symptom of weight gain, it looks more and more like a thyroid problem. Ask your doctor.
The quality of your food looks great, but are you sure you are eating enough of it? Unless you are eating very large portions, this looks like a very low calorie diet. Probably too low. How is your weight?
I would suggest adding some healthy fats. Nuts, more olive oil, avocado. The fat is good for your health, contains vital nutrients and it will add calories as well. You might also consider adding more whole grains to your day.
try supplementing your diet as well. b12, fatty acids, the works. and if you think your anemic, eat more dark greens. dark greens have more iron in them and anemia is a lack of iron.
Hi,
I wanted to lose some weight, and came across this book, it has some really healthy eating suggestions. While not totally Vegan, it does not suggest eating meats, and there are plenty of great meals in it.
Dr. Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes.
For now, make yourself some oatmeal for breakfast, serve with cinnamon. Try this for lunch or dinner, bake a whole sweet potato and also serve with cinnamon.
Have you made split pea soup? Take 1 pound dried split peas, 1/2 pound lentils, 1 small onion chopped up, 12 cups of water and cook in a crock pot for 5 hours. Add some sliced carrots during the last 1 hour if you like.
that sounds fine — im vegetarian and got anemic before, and felt miserable! now im better, because i took iron pills. ask your doctor about your hair — mine was fine. good luck and feel better