Fatigue

[Gaagaa]

Hello

I've been doing veganuary (plant based January) after previously eating fair amount of meat, dairy, eggs. I planned and read up and been eating lots of varied iron, protein sources etc. I've not really missed previous foods taste wise but this week feel crushingly tired despite trying best to have lots of different plant sources of iron/protein etc. Is this normal, does it pass? I was hoping to continue more of this lifestyle but at the moment my body doesn't seem to be responding well..

All due respect to people who have made the switch long-term

Thanks

I'm sure it will pass, I did the Atkins once and felt like death for a fortnight. I've friends who are Vegan and they don't lack energy at all. They are though rather flatulent..

Best of luck with it.. Wish I had your commitment..

Thanks ratchet. Can cope with the farting just not feeling a bit faint, especially with crazy toddler. Anyway I've just had vegan nuggets, sausage, baked beans, waffle and protein shake which has helped for now! This has been standard lunch, breakfast and dinner has been a bit more inventive..

You're welcome. My Vegan friend says :

Don't bother joining the Vegan Society, its discounts are crap.
Be aware that she never ate anything in hospital being a vegan, so that was quite unpleasant. She had to see a consultant each time to get out of the f*cking place.
Apparently you can get good vegan stuff from the 'free from' in Morrisons too.

Above all, rest assured, you're doing yourself a power of good and you're going to feel great soon.

This piece from a couple of years ago confirms it.

www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/went-vegan-60-days-changed-life/

The author went on a vegan diet for 60 days and...

Two weeks in, despite eating lots of vegetable fats, including nuts and seeds, coconut oil on my toast, avocados every which way and truckloads of nut butters, I was surprised to find I had lost 2kg. What’s more, my visceral fat had dropped by half a point (from 3 to 2.5, on a scale of 1 to 59).

A vegan diet is obviously very low in saturated fat, which mostly comes from animal products,” says Rick Miller. But research has also shown the unsaturated fats found in plant-based foods don’t seem to accumulate in visceral fat. That has huge implications for people’s health because it’s visceral fat that leads to things such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.”...

Best of luck.... I'd love to go Vegan but I'm far too weak, selfish and in love with cheese to do so. If I do summon the courage to, I'll let you know....

Have you tried iron supplements, OP?

I needed some motivation thanks again ratchet. I've def not lost weight though if anything I've put some on!! I ate a lot of cake after making a nigella recipe for 'dark and scrumptious' (accidentally vegan) choc cake or something like that- v good if u do try it, it's not cheap to make tho! Basically chocolate, various types of coconut fat, flour and sugar. Tasty.

We are trying for child number 2 so I've been taking a pregnacare multi vit that says it has iron in- maybe another supplement might be better though, I'm def not pregnant! Is there a good one to take?

I love floradix.
I would wonder about b vitamins (in marmite) and vitamin d in relation to fatigue as well as iron.
But after 3 or 4 weeks that shouldn't have a massive impact. It might be that you're eating less calories - something as simple as that - or checking in with yourself more about your energy levels as you've made a change.

There are lots of reasons why you might be feeling extra tired.
B vitamins are important for therelease of energy from food. Vitamin B12 is only found naturally in animal foods. Most Berocca supplements are vegan friendly. Other vegan friendly foods that have vitamin B12 added include some breakfast cereals, plant milks and Marmite.
Vitamin C has been shown to enhance iron absorption. It captures non-heme iron and stores it in a form that's more easily absorbed by your body. Coffee and tea have a high content of polyphenols which has been shown to inhibit the absorption of non-heme iron.
Your body requires iodine to produce thyroid hormones. A diet low in iodine can result in hypothyroidism, which can cause fatigue.
The zinc in plant-based foods like beans, vegetables, nuts and grains is bound by phytate compounds that interfere with the body's ability to absorb the mineral. Inadequate zinc inhibits normal growth and development and can cause immune problems that may include tiredness as a symptom.

Thanks. I'll have a think about supplements and calories a bit more. It may also just be general toddler/Jan/life related and not about what I'm eating.

Given up booze for Jan too, shame because reckon a glass or 2 of wine would make me feel (psychologically) better

Excellent response ricekrispie22

Anyway I've just had vegan nuggets, sausage, baked beans, waffle and protein shake which has helped for now! This has been standard lunch, breakfast and dinner has been a bit more inventive..

Sorry OP but this is a very crap diet and it is no wonder you are feeling crap and putting on weight. Everything you are listing is highly processed. You should eat foods and proteins from a plant not from an industrial plant. Focus on the food you eat, not the food you avoid, in this case animal products. There is the prefix VEG from vegetable in vegan and you really should add more of these in your diet.

Vegan are very often highly malnourished with severe deficiencies and if you are trying for a baby now or in the near future you MUST take vitamin B12. And i would add you must educate yourself on plant based nutrition. Start with this video

Anyone switching to a vegan diet should take some time to read about nutrition but not on a forum or a tv str/blogger or anyone without a medical degree.
You need your
-Omega 3 => grounded flaxseed every day

• calcium => low oxalate greens and almonds
• iodine => seaweed, iodine enriched salt or iodine drop
• iron => legumes, some greens and NO tea or coffee, at least one hour before and after
• .... and so on and so on.....

Have a colourful plate, not fifty-shades-of-beige, aim at whole grains, so wholemeal flour, red and black rice, rolled oats, soups, roasted veggies, tofu and tempeh, a nice salad, ...

And you must take bit B12. You must . A bit B12 deficiency can cause dementia in adults and irreversible neurologic damage in babies and that deficiency starts in the womb and when breastfeed.

A multivitamin is NOT a good source of bit B12. Limit the "fakes" such as vegan nuggets, vegan sausage, vegan burger, vegan yoghurt and so on, they are not making your healthier, far from it, they cause a massive shift in Omega 6s and raise inflammation. And of course, so much engineering goes into transforming a lentil or grain into something that tastes like meat with the addition of so many additives, salt and oil it becomes void of any micronutrient .

Brenda davis, the dietician in the video , has written several books. I recommend anyone on a vegan or plant based diet buys or borrows a copy from a library. Or from another SERIOUS author, not an instagram star.

King I will check out the videos. Thanks for taking the time to reply everyone in the know

I know my lunch was admittedly crap but I have been making more effort with other meals. Breakfast typically smoothie with spinach, raspberries, flaxseeds, almonds, oats, soy yogurt (had that today)

Dinner tonight and yesterday is fajitas with peppers, onions, black beans, tofu, salsa.

Nuts and dark choc/fruit have been snacks,

Quite a lot of calories but I have also had cake (due to feeling hungry, needing something extra?!) and my weight is fine generally (just under 10st) so not too concerned about that. I'd need to cut down on the sugar if I stick with this though.

I did have a separate b12 supplement but stopped as was having the multivit. May have been a mistake. I need to look again at various supplements having digested all the advice here, especially about the absorption of iron being limited with caffeine, I have a big coffee habit so need to think about that. The jnfo about iodine, iron, b12 is all helpful.

I did think after only 3 weeks I shouldn't have to worry too much about supplements if I was having a reasonably varied diet, but my body is telling me otherwise possibly.

The junk food has become a lunch habit but didn't want to come across as completely clueless. I have been trying for some variety but need to make more effort especially if I am going to keep this up, which I would like to try...

I cannot stress enough the importance of Vitamin B12. I searched an old video and you should watch it from the beginning to understand why so many vegan have horrible diet but just for the bit b12 jump at min 40.44

I follow an anti-cancer plant based diet, so very focused on veggies and micronutrients and I do supplement. Bit b12 every day, iodine drops a couple of days per week, iron, a couple of evenings per week.
In my case, I take an iron supplement, because I take high doses of curcumin and curcumin is na iron chelator, which means it removes iron from cells, so I need to compensate but not too much because tumour cells are dependent on iron.

When I decided to become a vegan, I went to my GP after a month and requested blood test. I repeat these even six months.
Another micronutrient you need to be mindful is Vitamin D. I live in Australia and sit in the sun every day but if you are in UK in winter time you should also be mindful of Vit D if you are on a vegan diet.

Right now, while I type this, I have a pot on the stove with a soup I will take later on to the beach. My meal of choice when eating out and taking food from home is soup. Sometimes just veggies, sometimes, with red lentils or a handful of rice. Just put leeks, carrots, very ripe tomatoes, zucchini, onion, pumpkin, well whatever you have in the fridge in whatever combination you like best, blend it and done.

And when it comes to minerals and vitamins, there is a massive difference between content in food and absorption in human body, So calcium content is spinach might be high but we can't absorb most of it because of the oxalate content, so spinach is still great but not for calcium.

You’re not going to be deficient in anything in a couple of weeks. Your body can store b12 for ages, it can be a year or more before deficiency would kick in. The likeliest issue is you’re consuming far fewer calories as long food is less calorie dense. Eat more, eat proper food - beans, lentils, whole grains, fruit and veg, nuts and seeds, and keep an eye on your actual calorie intake to make sure you’re getting what you need.

@Kingirving - I don’t know where you’ve got the idea most vegans are severely malnourished, that’s honestly just total bollocks

Plenty of data on malnutrition and vegan. A recent article is here www.google.it/amp/s/theconversation.com/amp/vegan-diets-are-adding-to-malnutrition-in-wealthy-countries-107555 and it is a myth b12 reserve lasts for years. Go to the second video I posted roughly min 48 and you will get more on that.

Op doesn’t need more calories but better calories.