To think that a vegan diet may be the cause?

[new2veganism]

As per my username I am pretty new to eating a vegan diet and so as still learning how to get all the things I need!

Just to clarify, I am not fully vegan and so don't call myself one but I eat a vegan diet 80+% of the time. Partly because I'm trying to lose weight and save money, partly due to ethical/environmental concerns.

I've been noticing in the last few months I'm getting a lot of mouth ulcers and cracks in my lips. Normally I only get these when I'm really stressed or run down and that isn't the case now so aibu to think that maybe my diet is missing something and that is causing the mouth ulcers? Has anyone else experienced a similar issue when switching to a vegan diet?

I don't eat a lot of junk food (of any type) as I genuinely don't like a lot of it and I'm a professional chef so I cook almost everything from scratch 😁

What are you eating?

It sounds like a lack of iron/b12/vitamin d?

It’s less a vegan vegetarian and more about the lack of nutrients.

I would go for a blood test asap.

What were you eating before? I think it's harder to get fats on a vegan diet, are you eating lots of nuts, healthy oils, avocado and coconut etc?

I know someone who is pre diabetic after switching to a vegan diet, though in her case she had used a lot of pre-prepared food that was very high in sugar.

You have to be very nutrient aware when first turning vegan. Meat contains a lot of nutrients because the animals are pumped with them to make the meat more nutritious.

A balanced diet takes a lot of work, it sounds you’re not getting a very key requirement in your diet. Take a look at what you eat weekly and think what it may be?

If you eat a lot of legumes/nuts it’s unlikely to be iron.
You need to be drinking/eating food fortified with B12 so check your milks etc.
Mushrooms, cereals and juices are great for vitamin d.
I would emphasis that everyone vegan or no should take daily multivitamins, no one’s diet is excellent and we really need the extra support especially in winter!

Try taking a vitamin b supplement. I take an effervescent 'energy' drink with vitamin b, it is pretty cheap and easy to ge in the supermarket.

I’ve been vegan for over 5 years and never had a mouth ulcer. If you’ve only been vegan for a short while even if you haven’t had any b12 at all it’s unlikely to be that as your body can store a couple of years’ worth. Have you been eating any new foods that you might be intolerant to? Or lots of lemons or something?

Mouth ulcers can be a symptom of low B12 which is really common with a vegan diet. I would start an iron/b12 supplement ASAP. I take theses ones https://futureyouhealth.com/iron?gclid=CjwKCAiA7dKMBhBCEiwAOcrFFUZmCOLNeCRk1HYMcfZGuGbbFqT1BVwnthWgb9kL9C5oCWz9NRGJxoCPikQAvDD_BwE

I felt better after taking these for a couple of weeks. If they don't help them you need to see a GP and get some blood tests done.

You have to be very nutrient aware when first turning vegan. Meat contains a lot of nutrients because the animals are pumped with them to make the meat more nutritious.

Do you?

No milk = no calcium.

That's ok, it's fortified in most alternative mills.

No meat = no protein.

That's ok, it's in plenty beans and pulses.

It's not as hard as people thing.
Cows milk isn't all it's cracked up to be.
In fact, lots of it can inhibit iron absorption.

OP get your iron and vitamin D checked.

If both or either of those are low, you won't be able to successfully increase them in food alone.

I find vitamin B 6 and 12 have helped my cold sores and ulcers.

Calcium is in various vegetables like leafy greens and sesame seeds as well. Sesame is actually the highest source per gram I think. Obviously easier in the form of tahini than trying to chew tiny seeds!

Ok yesterday I had:

Marmite and (vegan) butter on toast

Pasta with homemade tomato sauce, olives and veg

Vegan curry, mushroom rice and naan bread

Today so far:

Vegan yogurt with fruit and homemade granola (oats, chia seeds, nuts, seeds, etc)

Homemade carrot, ginger and orange soup (with olive tapenade and a small wrap)

For dinner I'll probably have a stuffed butternut squash (we have tonnes to use up 😂) with salad.

I eat a lot of chickpeas, both in falafel/hummus and whole to bulk things up, plenty of lentils and other beans/pulses. Lots of veg and tofu in curries, stews, stir fries etc.

I mostly drink silver oatly in coffee but rarely have cereal as I'm more of a savoury breakfast person 😁

Ive never had this. You can get easy nutritional yeast from any of the supermarkets to sprinkle in sauces in your pasta, curry, homemade soups, on fried potatos etc etc, its delicious and gives you all your b12 if your worried about b12. But you sound like youve a good diet to be fair.

I have known a few vegans over the years, and some of them always looked pasty and too thin, and lacked energy., and were not getting enough valuable nutrition for all their body functions., and consequently, seemed to have more little ailments than most.

@scully29 yes good point! I do use nutritional yeast a fair bit, in fact I used it in some creamy leek and mushroom pie filling, I have leftovers which I'll stuff my butternut with 😋

I also made a vegan Parmesan with it but I completely forgot about it when I had my pasta! 🤦‍♀️

@1forAll74 sounds like poor diet which is not limited to being vegan. On the other hand Lewis Hamilton, Venus Williams, David Haye, etc are hardly wasting away…

have some b12 and vit d supplements. Also some vegan omega 3 with DHA supplements. Make sure you're having a healthy diet overall including nuts, pulses, veggies, fruits, healthy oils etc

It’s actually caused by Folate deficiency but tends to go hand in hand with B12 deficiency. Given the length of time you’ve been eating this way, the fact you’re not actually Vegan but are dieting you’re either more prone to this (perhaps a poor methylator) or have reduced your intake of folate rich foods too much

Sounds like B12 insufficiency. Vegan Society does a very reasonably priced supplement with the common nutrients vegans tend to be low in.

Hi. Folic acid/folate and other B vitamins should help.

Your not even vegan 🤦‍♀️

@Greenrubber

Your not even vegan 🤦‍♀️

Eh?

I had mouth ulcers and cracked lips when I had given up dairy.

Your diet sounds fine to me, it's almost exactly the same as what I eat and I've been fully vegan for almost 3 years with zero health issues. I also get ulcers very easily when I'm run down or stressed. I became a vegan after almost 20 years as a vegetarian though so not much of a change to me. I suppose if you're newly plant based and that represents a big change from the way you used to eat then it might be your body adjusting to new eating patterns. That doesn't mean your diet is unhealthy or unsuitable for you though. The worst ulcers I ever had in my life happened whilst I was quitting smoking and clearly that wasnt an unhealthy choice. Stick with it a bit longer, take a multivitamin if you're concerned, and maybe get a blood test if it's still going on in a few weeks time. I'm sure you're fine though. Good luck.

My new toothpaste has given me mouth ulcers and the skins peeling away from my mouth, could be something like that instead of your semi vegan diet.