health problems after becoming vegan

January 10, 2004

Please give more detail about your day to day diet.

January 10, 2004

Hi Ruth;

You're experience does happen sometimes. We'd need to know exactly WHAT you are

eating now, in order to really help.

In general, I can suggest that you check into how much gluten you're eating...

that can cause serious problems when people are sensitive to it. I personally

have to avoid it or I'd have problems like you are having. I also avoid sugar

and limit my fat intake. I make sure to take a substantial B12, eat mostly

fruits and veggies.

I think Dr. Michael Klaper specializes in this " failure to thrive " issue.

http://www.vegsource.com/klaper/ If you'd like some help from a well-informed

doctor, I think he'd be the one with whom to at least start.

Please let us know how it goes! Wishing you radiant good health and

happiness...

Deborah

hi i just wanted to know if anyone has had the experience as me. well i became

vegan because i love animals and wont eat them. but since becoming vegan ive

never been so sick. i thought you were supposed to get healthier but my health

has fallen apart. before i was vegan i had lots of energy and had clear

skin,stablile weight and no other health problems. now ive gained 20 pounds,i

have no energy i am only 21 but feel like im 80,i have panic

attacks,headaches,muscle cramps,breakouts,rashes on my body,stomach aches,muscle

spasms and just feel like crap. before i never ate turkey or beef or anything

the only meat i ate was fish,honey. and ate no dairy at all. but now after

giving that up im so sick and i dont know what im doing wrong. is veganism

making me sick or am i just not eating the right things. has any of you had this

experience what did you do about it and what would i be lacking that is making

me sick. i eat i think a healthy diet but dont know why im sick. ive been told

my

doctors to go off veganism and eat how i used to but being a vegan is

important to me. its jsut the last 2 years ive never been so sick and want to

feel better. what do you think i shoud do and what do you guys eat. and if youve

gotten sick from this what have you found thats helped. any adivce or input

would be appreciated . thank you

sincerly

Ruth

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January 11, 2004

Hi Ruth, sorry to hear you're not doing well...I am not totally vegan yet but am

heading that way. My daughter is vegan and she wants to know what the bulk of

your diet is, also do you eat alot of refined proccessed foods, whole foods or

both? Could you possily be allergic to something that you are eating now that

you didn't before, like soy products? Some people are allergic to soy. Are you

taking vitamins? My daughter takes Vegan Life from Pangea. She also supplements

with B 12 and other herbal products. Glad to hear that you're sticking it out

even though you're not feeling well. That takes alot of character! BTW, panic

attacks may be more related to your age . I used to have them in my 20's and so

did many other women that I know. They only went away after I realized that I

had no control over those feelings and decided that " oh well, whatever's going

to happen is just going to have to happen! " Took over a year to get to that

point however. Jan

ruth belle <beautyproductjunkie wrote:hi i just wanted to know if

anyone has had the experience as me. well i became vegan because i love animals

and wont eat them. but since becoming vegan ive never been so sick. i thought

you were supposed to get healthier but my health has fallen apart. before i was

vegan i had lots of energy and had clear skin,stablile weight and no other

health problems. now ive gained 20 pounds,i have no energy i am only 21 but feel

like im 80,i have panic attacks,headaches,muscle cramps,breakouts,rashes on my

body,stomach aches,muscle spasms and just feel like crap. before i never ate

turkey or beef or anything the only meat i ate was fish,honey. and ate no dairy

at all. but now after giving that up im so sick and i dont know what im doing

wrong. is veganism making me sick or am i just not eating the right things. has

any of you had this experience what did you do about it and what would i be

lacking that is making me sick. i eat i think a healthy

diet but dont know why im sick. ive been told my

doctors to go off veganism and eat how i used to but being a vegan is important

to me. its jsut the last 2 years ive never been so sick and want to feel better.

what do you think i shoud do and what do you guys eat. and if youve gotten sick

from this what have you found thats helped. any adivce or input would be

appreciated . thank you

sincerly

Ruth

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January 11, 2004

ruth wrote:

>i have panic attacks,headaches,muscle cramps,breakouts,rashes on my

>body,stomach aches,muscle spasms and just feel like crap. before i never

>ate turkey or beef or anything the only meat i ate was fish,honey. and ate

>no dairy at all. but now after giving that up im so sick and i dont know

>what im doing wrong. is veganism making me sick or am i just not eating

>the right things.

Ruth, it sounds like you were not far from being vegan before -- all you

had to do was give up fish and honey. Or was chicken also on the menu before?

So, what are you eating these days? Are you getting enough protein? What

are your sources of protein? Are you eating fresh fruit and vegetables (as

opposed to processed, ready-made meals)? Are you taking any vitamin

supplements? The only thing that's hard to get on a vegan diet is vitamin

B-12. Are you eating any breakfast cereals that have B-12 in, or taking a

supplement?

>what do you guys eat

For breakfast, I have granola with oat milk or soy milk, or porridge made

with soy milk, sometimes with some maple syrup. For lunch, I usually try to

get some protein, some fresh vegetables, and some carbohydrates, such as

rice, potatoes or bread. Tofu or beans are my main protein sources. I also

snack on nuts (mainly almonds and walnuts, sometimes brazils (in moderation

- 2 or 3), cashews, or peanuts), which are an OK source of protein, and a

good source of minerals. Soy beans are a good snack too (very high in

protein). For dinner I do pretty much the same thing as at lunchtime, but I

don't necessarily eat protein.

I also take a multivitamin supplement, vitamin C, and Co-Q-10 enzyme. And I

eat flax oil 2 or 3 times a week -- it's a good source of the type of fatty

acids that you might have been getting from fish before.

>what do you think i shoud do

Has anything else changed in your life since you became vegan? Are you

getting enough exercise? Have you started eating anything new, to which you

might be allergic? You mentioned stomach pains -- some people get stomach

pains from eating beans. I don't have that problem, but cooking them with a

herb called epazote is said to help.

Are you actively planning your nutrition? Are you reading food labels to

make sure it doesn't have any bad ingredients (top the the list is probably

aspartame)?

Gerry

January 11, 2004

um, what exactly are you eating? even if your not eating a total well balanced

meal you shouldnt be having these kinds of problems (especially if before the

only animale products you ate before were fish and honey)it just doenst make any

sense (especially the gain in weight). are you under alot of stress? perhaps

your allergic to something youve started eating.

-mike

January 11, 2004

Hi Ruth - sounds like you've been having a pretty rough time, i'm glad to

see you're pretty committed tho!

The main things i can think of are you eating enough 'good' food (ie, not

junk or processed foods) and have you been making sure you've been getting

enough Omega3 Fatty Acids and Vitamin B12? Excercise is important as

well....

Note that i'm no doctor, and you should definitely consider your doctor's

advice before mine.

- Dave

-

" ruth belle " <beautyproductjunkie

Friday, January 09, 2004 2:00 PM

health problems after becoming vegan

> hi i just wanted to know if anyone has had the experience as me. well i

became vegan because i love animals and wont eat them. but since becoming

vegan ive never been so sick. i thought you were supposed to get healthier

but my health has fallen apart. before i was vegan i had lots of energy and

had clear skin,stablile weight and no other health problems. now ive gained

20 pounds,i have no energy i am only 21 but feel like im 80,i have panic

attacks,headaches,muscle cramps,breakouts,rashes on my body,stomach

aches,muscle spasms and just feel like crap. before i never ate turkey or

beef or anything the only meat i ate was fish,honey. and ate no dairy at

all. but now after giving that up im so sick and i dont know what im doing

wrong. is veganism making me sick or am i just not eating the right things.

has any of you had this experience what did you do about it and what would i

be lacking that is making me sick. i eat i think a healthy diet but dont

know why im sick. ive been told my

> doctors to go off veganism and eat how i used to but being a vegan is

important to me. its jsut the last 2 years ive never been so sick and want

to feel better. what do you think i shoud do and what do you guys eat. and

if youve gotten sick from this what have you found thats helped. any adivce

or input would be appreciated . thank you

> sincerly

> Ruth

>

> Hotjobs: Enter the " Signing Bonus " Sweepstakes

>

January 11, 2004

Hi Ruth,

Sorry to hear about your health problems. If veganism ruins your health it

certainly does defeat the purpose, and no-one will be converted. I have been

vegan for 21 years (since age 18) and am very healthy, (apart from a crook

back- but you can't blame veganism for that!). I work with people with

disabilities who often have colds and infections and I only take 1-2 sick

days off per year, much less than my (mainly female) co-workers, none of

whom are vegetarian. My wife is a healthy vegan of 5 years (vegetarian for

11 years) standing, and I have a healthy vegan 3yo daughter and 4mth old

son, both of whom are near or over the 100 percentile line for height and

weight (I'm a solidly built 6ft3 " bloke, so that would have something to do

with it!).

Point is, yes, you can be very healthy as a vegan, but how does that help

you? Well I'm no nutritionist, but in simple terms you must get enough

protein, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates. Ensure you have a good,

regular source of vitamin B12, the one main nutrient lacking in plant foods

(here in Australia I use mainly fortified soy milks), calcium, zinc, iron

and other important nutrients. The fact is, but for supplements or

supplemented foods, vegans would not survive beyond infancy. However, with

supplements (and let's face it, even meat eaters consume lots of supplements

in their food or pills) veganism can be a very healthy diet. It's not about

being pure or " natural " (the modern meat diet is neither, for that matter)

but causing the least harm to animals (the main motivation) and enjoying the

widest possible range of nutrition-rich foods.

I don't advocate the restrictive " raw food " diets some vegans are fond of.

Of course, each to their own, but personally I find veganism restrictive

enough, both food-wise and socially, to restrict it even further. Lots of

veggies and fruit is great, but you also need complex carbohydrates for

energy (eg bread, potatoes, pasta, rice) and a high-grade protein source,

whether that be soy-based protein, meat analogues, beans/lentils or,

preferrably, a combination of these. So my advice is don't skimp on the

important foods, but if you're worried about your weight, do reduce high-fat

high-sugar foods like vegan chocolate, soy ice-cream, biscuits (cookies for

Americans), chips (fries), soft drinks, and the like. And to find out what

your current health problem is, get a blood test done for all possible

deficiencies. Only a blood test will show what you might be lacking in, then

the cure is easy, even if it's in the form a vitamin pill. My vegan brother

had a friend who, went he went vegan, believed some authors who recommended

eating mushrooms and tempeh (fermented soybeans) a sole source of vitamin

B12. About 5 years later he was so B12 deficient he needed regular B12

injections in his bottom (ouch!). Painful, dangerous, and very avoidable.

Beware of any vegan authors who advocate eating less than the recommended

daily intake of nutrients like protein: vegan babies have died from

malnourishment because of this dangerous thinking. I suggest you find a

doctor or nutritionist who is informed and sympathetic about

vegetarianism/veganism, and follow their advice.

Anyway, good luck with your veganism, and I hope you feel better real soon.

Tom