Vegan for several years.. craving.

[Chewchewaboogie]

I really dont want to eat meat or dairy or eggs.
I have been vegan for several years. Before that i was veggie. However for a brief period I ate high welfare meat. I did.that as I felt i was voting for a better life.and affecting a life wereas being veggie i felt I was not influencing industy to at least give an animal a good life.
I found that I could not sustain eating the meat.It did not feel right.
However, during that time i.felt the best ive felt in years, grounded and strong. I ate v v good quality meat with veg daily.plus eggs .
Returned veggie then vegan diet for.last few years
Last night.was out with friends who were eating steak. It was like ky body wanted it ,but my mind did not.
I feel tired all the time. I feel weak.
I have an underactive thyroid ,treated by thyroxin which is under control.
I have fresh air and walk daily. I sleep at least 8 hours, deeply.!
My typical diet would be .
Breakfast. Porrige with soya milk.or overnight.oats with.fruit.
Or beans on toast, or mushroom on toast. A brazil nut and an apricot. A spoon of flax or mixed seed.
Lunch. Budda bowl.veg. lentils. Chick peas. Quiona. Spinach , toms, rocket, peppers etc. Or soup. Or wraps with veg and hummus. Advocado.
Evening.
Homemade nutroast, lentil loaf .with veg.lentil curry or chilli with rice.
Tray bakes with veg .
Snack. Popcorn . Glass wine .
Any suggestions.? A friend has said some people are meant to eat meat. She thinks i am.one of them. I often feel 'floaty'.
Can anyone suggest anything i can do please. I take veg 1 vegan daily supplement , as recomended by vegan society.it has b12 in it.
Thanks .

Are you anemic? Iron deficiency anemia is quite common in those with an underactive thyroid

You eat a good diet but maybe are questioning whether you could/should eat something else?
I think it's good to listen to your body. But only you can decide really if maybe reverting to vegetarianism or occasionally eating meat would be something you are able to do.

It would still be worth have blood tests to check B12 levels. Plenty of vegans end up needing b12 injections, despite taking supplements, and low B12 & vitamin D seemed to be common in people with hypothyroidism, even when on correct dose of thyroxine.

Eat a steak and forgive yourself! Sounds like you want it.

Ive been tested for anemia for the bulk of ky adult life( veggie since 18 apart from the meat period described).
Ive never had it but have always felt this tiredness to some degree.
Its really strange.
I did mention it to practice nurse who suggested I didnt exercise enough and that the more you sit the more you want to sit. ( i am innfact in bed now !)

I do try and listen to my body.its just my mind and body do not agree 😀

maybe you have a vitamin D deficiency? It's common and can make you feel rough. Worth getting tested!

Eat the steak terrywahls.com/

I could well eat a steak!! Also eggs and soldiers. I won't because I know it's wrong and I value my moral sanity.

I enjoy recreating animal products with food. I don’t mean fake meat, I mean things like steak from mushrooms or beetroot.

I've done cheesecake with cashews, I make a lovely tuna for salads and sandwiches, I make a mince with lentils and walnuts and it's so lush.

It's a hobby of mine. Get into it! Get on youtube or pinterest or Instagram and start finding fun ways to recreate things using whole foods. This adventure will be in place of you eating a steak.

There's no magical answer but I can attest doing this is in itself magical.

@Chewchewaboogie

Ive been tested for anemia for the bulk of ky adult life( veggie since 18 apart from the meat period described). Ive never had it but have always felt this tiredness to some degree. Its really strange. I did mention it to practice nurse who suggested I didnt exercise enough and that the more you sit the more you want to sit. ( i am innfact in bed now !)

So are lots of meat eaters. It's dark green leafy vegetables we're missing, not meat. I was anaemic as a vegetarian at 15 because I ate no vegetables, I ruined my health back then. Skip to a pregnant vegan, vegan one year, and no anaemia, at all. I ate raw broccoli every day while I was pregnant. Also has Vitamin K.

I transcribed for a children's hospital for years and every child who was severely anaemic ate meat. It's not about meat.

Your body is likely craving vitamin B12 & maybe iron. Your symptoms suggest this too. I'd see your GP for a blood test. If it shows as deficient they will give you B12 injections. If low normal, I'd suggest booking a few injections at a private clinic

I have this issue. Also hypothyroid. I have the potential to be very rigid and rule based. My body has other ideas! Now I eat 'mainly plant based' which means a vegan diet probably 95% of the time.

Well you can’t get all the nutrients you need from a vegan diet - do you take supplements?

I’d listen to your body, and the statement you made that you felt the best you had in years whilst on an omnivorous diet. Go back to that and feel better!

I experienced the same after 3 years on a vegan diet.
I ignored it and eventually I felt truly awful. Exhausted all the time, very mentally foggy, and totally lethargic.

I ate the meat. I didn’t have steak, just salmon and chicken. And I never stopped. I feel 1000% better both mentally and physically, than I did as a vegan.

However, that’s not to say you have to eat meat. Maybe get your B12 and Iron levels checked and go from there.

I’d suggest you talk to a nutritionist.

Short term, if you’re craving meat and feeling floaty and tired, I think you should either treat yourself to some meat or at least take iron supplements / investigate what nutrients in meat are missing from your diet. I know it sucks. I’ve tried being vegetarian but after about 5 days I start feeling dizzy / crwving meat. We all have different bodies with different needs 🤷‍♀️

HermioneWeasley yes I take veg 1 recommended by vegan society, iron, d3 with k2, vegan ' fish'oil, and an immune supplement.

My iron levels come up the low end of reasonable but that enough to make me feel rubbish. I take floradix which i get off amazon which helps.

To be clear, I dont think you are anemic because you are vegan, its more that it can go hand in hand with your thyroid issues. My anemia is better on a vegitarian diet because I am eating more veg thats high in iron so im not advocating for going on meat.

Get your iron, B12, vit d levels checked by a dr, and see what they come back as, if they come back as normal ask them where in the normal range they fall. Normal is an average range for everyone, but that doesnt mean it suits you.

Thanks all. I kmow something is not right. What i find odd is that the only time i ate meat since i was 18( now late 50)i felt strong somehow.. i wonder if it psychological.?!
I have a great deal of brain fog too.!

Is there also iodine in your existing supplements? Most iodine in the uk diet comes from cow's milk. I don't know how extra iodine would interact with your thyroid condition though, so it's probably worth checking with your medical team

Menopause symptoms?
I'm taking iron at the moment too. I do eat meat but have been experiencing really heavy periods which have been treated now, but the doctor suggested a blood test. Am feeling much less fatigued. Also in my 50's.

@Chewchewaboogie

Thanks all. I kmow something is not right. What i find odd is that the only time i ate meat since i was 18( now late 50)i felt strong somehow.. i wonder if it psychological.?! I have a great deal of brain fog too.!

Could you try the meat for a trial period. Maybe a month, and see how you feel?

Of course, that’s only if you want to.

MorganSeventh ues there is iodine in the veg 1 supplement.

Ive been tested for anemia for the bulk of ky adult life( veggie since 18 apart from the meat period described). Ive never had it but have always felt this tiredness to some degree. Its really strange

It might be worth getting a print out of your last blood test results. You can still be symptomatic in the lower end of the ‘normal’ range for many things. Normal level for B12 is set really low in this country. My local lab range is 150-1000 but at 150 they actually write on the report “consider treatment if symptomatic” so they know people have symptoms at that lower level. Likewise many women suffer symptoms if ferritin is less than 90, even though ‘normal’ is, iirc, 20 for our lab.

Eating a very small amount of meat because you want it or you feel your body needs it is not 'wrong'.

Just eat a steak and bloody enjoy it too!