Hello! I've been vegan for a year and a few months. I was vegetarian a year before going vegan. I'm having reoccurring hair loss ever since changing my diet. I'm 18, so it can't be due to age. Random patches of thinning hair and breakage. This has happened twice as an omnivore, but it's due to not knowing how to take care of my hair when I was younger. I also have acne breakouts. I can't really say it's because my body is detoxing because. I haven't had meat in 2 years. Is anyone else having or had this problem?
I'm 5'4 and 103lbs. I've lost 3 lbs since February of 2016. My weight has been constant. The heaviest I've been is 110.
What are you trying to protect your hair loss? For me, I was the same issue. Though I'm not a vegan. But I was totally frustrated about my hair loss. However, you can try with Ardent Vegan hair shampoo. This can help you to protect your hair. good luck!
Oh, I forget to add. Here is some of the most common ingredients in these shampoos include -
1) Aloe Vera
2) Tea Tree Oil
3) Jojoba Oil
4) Sunflower Oil
5) Coconut Oil
6) Shea Butter
These above ingredients will really help you to grow your hair. All the best!
Women are much more likely to suffer from anorexia than men. It is actually an eating disorder. When you suffer from it, you are usually that last to admit that you have a problem. I'm not saying that this is your problem. It would be silly to diagnose someone based on one symptom. I'd consult a doctor if you have a fair number of the symptoms below.
Signs and symptoms
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by attempts to lose weight, to the point of starvation. A person with anorexia nervosa may exhibit a number of signs and symptoms, the type and severity of which may vary and may be present but not readily apparent.
Anorexia nervosa, and the associated malnutrition that results from self-imposed starvation, can cause complications in every major organ system in the body. Hypokalaemia, a drop in the level of potassium in the blood, is a sign of anorexia nervosa. A significant drop in potassium can cause abnormal heart rhythms, constipation, fatigue, muscle damage and paralysis.
Symptoms may include:
- A low body mass index for one's age and height.
- Amenorrhea, a symptom that occurs after prolonged weight loss; causes menses to stop, hair becomes brittle, and skin becomes yellow and unhealthy.
- Fear of even the slightest weight gain; taking all precautionary measures to avoid weight gain or becoming "overweight".
- Rapid, continuous weight loss.
- Lanugo: soft, fine hair growing over the face and body.
- An obsession with counting calories and monitoring fat contents of food.
- Preoccupation with food, recipes, or cooking; may cook elaborate dinners for others, but not eat the food themselves or consume a very small portion.
- Food restrictions despite being underweight or at a healthy weight.
- Food rituals, such as cutting food into tiny pieces, refusing to eat around others and hiding or discarding of food.
- Purging: May use laxatives, diet pills, ipecac syrup, or water pills to flush food out of their system after eating or may engage in self-induced vomiting though this is a more common symptom of bulimia.
- Excessive exercise including micro-exercising, for example making small persistent movements of fingers or toes.
- Perception of self as overweight, in contradiction to an underweight reality.
- Intolerance to cold and frequent complaints of being cold; body temperature may lower (hypothermia) in an effort to conserve energy due to malnutrition.
- Hypotension or orthostatic hypotension.
- Bradycardia or tachycardia.
- Depression, anxiety disorders and insomnia.
- Solitude: may avoid friends and family and become more withdrawn and secretive.
- Abdominal distension.
- Halitosis (from vomiting or starvation-induced ketosis).
- Dry hair and skin, as well as hair thinning.
- Chronic fatigue.
- Rapid mood swings.
- Having feet discoloration causing an orange appearance.
- Having severe muscle tension + aches and pains.
- Evidence/habits of self harming or self-loathing.
- Admiration of thinner people.
That's really good @Plant Muncher . Glad to know about this. I hope Ardent Vegan Shampoo will definitely add extra pleasure someones life. Because this not only protect hair as well as will help to grow hair naturally too.
Hello @Toottoot, hope you see this!
Hair loss can be a result of various mineral deficiencies but in particular iron, zinc or calcium. These deficiencies can happen amongst vegans in spite of our high vitamin intake because of all the phytates we are consuming (legumes, grains, leafy veg). Phytates, whilst both good and bad, can lead to iron and zinc deficiencies, as they stick to these minerals decreasing their bioavailability. They do however also help to protect us against cardiovascular disease so I definitely wouldn't exclude them from your diet.
So what can you do to remedy this? You could get more iron and zinc in the form of those vitamin-powder mixes that you can sprinkle on smoothies or salads. Or perhaps a vitamin tonic. I wouldn't recommend taking iron supplements in the form of tablets without seeing your doctor as they are usually for very serious iron deficiencies and are as such vey strong and should not be taken without consultation from a doctor.
The 2nd thing you could do is reduce the phytic acid in your legumes and grains by soaking them overnight before cooking them. You should rinse them before you cook with them and change the water. Or you could sprout them but for me this is too much effort.
The 3rd and final thing is try to consume iron- and zinc-rich foods or vitamin powders/tonics first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and not at the same time as foods that are high in phytates. Some foods are of course both iron/zinc-rich AND high in phytates, I would not rely on these foods for your iron/zinc intake without undertaking the steps I mentioned in point 2.
I also had the problem you are experiencing and have found that starting my day with my vitamin tonic, waiting half an hour then having a fruit-based smoothie (without veggies, nuts or seeds) and sprinkling some vitamin mix on really helps.
Final final thing (this has been very long sorry, hopefully it will be helpful though!), before undertaking any big changes to your diet, or if you thing you may have a vitamin deficiency, please consult with a doctor and get a blood test. I know it might cost a fair bit but it's the only way you can be sure of what you are deficient in.
Best of luck
Hair loss can be a result of various mineral deficiencies but in particular iron, zinc or calcium. These deficiencies can happen amongst vegans in spite of our high vitamin intake because of all the phytates we are consuming (legumes, grains, leafy veg). Phytates, whilst both good and bad, can lead to iron and zinc deficiencies, as they stick to these minerals decreasing their bioavailability. They do however also help to protect us against cardiovascular disease so I definitely wouldn't exclude them from your diet.
So what can you do to remedy this? You could get more iron and zinc in the form of those vitamin-powder mixes that you can sprinkle on smoothies or salads. Or perhaps a vitamin tonic. I wouldn't recommend taking iron supplements in the form of tablets without seeing your doctor as they are usually for very serious iron deficiencies and are as such vey strong and should not be taken without consultation from a doctor.
The 2nd thing you could do is reduce the phytic acid in your legumes and grains by soaking them overnight before cooking them. You should rinse them before you cook with them and change the water. Or you could sprout them but for me this is too much effort.
The 3rd and final thing is try to consume iron- and zinc-rich foods or vitamin powders/tonics first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and not at the same time as foods that are high in phytates. Some foods are of course both iron/zinc-rich AND high in phytates, I would not rely on these foods for your iron/zinc intake without undertaking the steps I mentioned in point 2.
I also had the problem you are experiencing and have found that starting my day with my vitamin tonic, waiting half an hour then having a fruit-based smoothie (without veggies, nuts or seeds) and sprinkling some vitamin mix on really helps.
Final final thing (this has been very long sorry, hopefully it will be helpful though!), before undertaking any big changes to your diet, or if you thing you may have a vitamin deficiency, please consult with a doctor and get a blood test. I know it might cost a fair bit but it's the only way you can be sure of what you are deficient in.
Best of luck
Ive also had stages of thinning hair i would say from my experience its primarily linked to stress/anxiety also vitamin deficiency. I would suggest learning some relaxation tecniques try laughing more and making sure you eat plant based foods rich in calcium and iron. Personally I try and eat 2x avocados a week also a hand full of brazil nuts a day and some dried figs. These are great in between meal snacks. Also another idea is to dip a cotton bud in some tea tree oil twice a week before you go to bed or before you wash your hair and massage throughout your scalp it clears dirt that may be blocking your hair folicles and also promotes hair stimuli.
If I have learned one thing after joining this forum, it is that people tend to associate becoming vegan with any future health issues, changes, or side-effects good or bad. If there is an actual association, I can't say, but it seems like the tendency is to attribute becoming vegan with this or that physical change. In reality, the cause and effect relationship seems rather circumstantial since people don't become vegans in a vacuum. I don't know if people are trying to rationalize not continuing their vegan lifestyles by associating symptoms that may or may not be related to their new diet but I would bet anything that much of what people consider "side-effects" of going vegan would probably have occurred in the course of their lives anyway. I'm not saying that going vegan can't have physical consequences for some folks, I just don't believe that there are as many genuinely associated "side-effects" as are detailed in this forum. But that is just my opinion. I guess it probably comes from the lack of any real adverse side-effects from own transition and I have been a regular carnivore for like 58 years. I was never even a vegetarian until 9 months ago.
rogerjolly
Forum Legend
Phew! That’s a relief. I was getting increasingly concerned that my body and mind were not functioning as they used to:
· I am as bald as a coot
· I sometimes cannot immediately recall an everyday word
· I use reading glasses
· I have recently acquired hearing aids
· A favourite walk that once took 45 minutes now takes 50
· I get tired after heavy work and sometimes succumb to an afternoon nap
· I have a twinge of arthritis in my right knee
After half a lifetime as a vegan perhaps I should look elsewhere for the source of my woes?
Roger (Aged 74)
Last edited:
And sometimes a cigar is just a cigar old buddy.Phew! That’s a relief. I was getting increasingly concerned that my body and mind were not functioning as they used to:
· I am as bald as a coot
· I sometimes cannot immediately recall an everyday word
· I use reading glasses
· I have recently acquired hearing aids
· A favourite walk that once took 45 minutes now takes 50
· I get tired after heavy work and sometimes succumb to an afternoon nap
· I have a twinge of arthritis in my right knee
After half a lifetime as a vegan perhaps I should look elsewhere for the source of my woes?
Roger (Aged 74)
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