Health problems since becoming vegan

[Kurkinglewood]

Hey guys, I started eating a plant based diet around 7 months ago. Everything was fine at first and I felt great, however around 6 weeks ago I started to feel my energy levels drop dramatically. The last 4 weeks has been a real struggle to the point where I’m practically bed bound. I’m usually a very active man and love to work out. I’ve been unable to work out for atleast 4 weeks now, yesterday I forced myself to do 10 minutes light exercise, it completely wiped me out for the day and I hadn’t to spend the rest of the day in bed. I’m due some blood tests at the doctors so just waiting on those. I’ve been googling my symptoms and I’ve been thinking the worst, however last night I came across a video of someone explaining the various health issues they had after becoming vegan. I’d love some input and advice, I really enjoy the diet and would hate to have to eat meat again but I’m struggling. I should state I currently take b-12, omega 3 and multivitamins. Thanks

 

[silva]

Unless you're eating a really crappy diet, or maybe even just not enough calories, it's unlikely to be from lack of meat.
Are you eating a variety of foods- compare to this nutritionally complete formula-
Are you drinking enough water?
If you hadn't changed your diet what would think is going on?

 

[Nekodaiden]

The first question I have is what happened 6 weeks ago.

Have you looked at the vitamin/mineral content of a typical week of food? Cronometer is often suggested as an online tool to use to determine what kind of numbers you are getting from the foods you eat and in what amounts. I use NUT which uses the same database but isn't online.

 

[Kurkinglewood]

Hi guys, so 6 weeks ago I was struck with what I believe may have been corona virus, if not then extreme flu. That lasted about 2 weeks. Since then though the headaches and lack of energy is on going. I did wonder if my body had used all the vitamins and nutrients stored to fight the illness and has left me deficient? I read an article about a woman suffering the same problems and symptoms as me and she said she felt a lot better after introducing fish and eggs back into her diet. My typical days diet is as follows. I’ll have a shake for breakfast (fruits, oats, avocado) then I’ll have some toast for brunch. Lunch I’ll have a vegetable stir fry and for dinner I’ll have usually a pasta dish. Also I’ll take b12 omega 3 and multivitamin

 

[Emma JC]

welcome to the forum @Kurkinglewood

I would suspect that you are not getting enough calories, plain and simple.

As Nek has suggested it is time to get on Cronometer and check how many calories you are eating.... and expending. Getting blood tests for any other issues you may be having is a good idea. Do check your input though as there as so many fewer calories when you eat plant-based that you may be judging your food wrong. You can eat piles of potatoes and vegetables and fruits and beans and oatmeal etc.

This is one of the best visuals to get that message through.

Please keep us up to date on what's happening and let us know if we can help in any other way.

Emma JC

 

[Lou]

I DO agree with Emma. But....
I'm glad to hear you went to a doctor. I think diet is maybe the least likely suspect. I think the most likely suspect is an infection. Have you checked your temp?

I don't know why people always blame their vegan diet first. You are not the first person who came here who has been vegan for months and then got sick and blamed it on their diet.

Please come back and tell us what the doctor thinks.

 

[silva]

You were sick. Your gut is probably all out of whack, that happens with whatever diet you follow.
Ya know, when people feel bad, for any kind of reason, memories revert to times they did things that felt better, and if you grew up eating meat that's likely to be what comes to mind.
When I'm feeling a cold coming on I want things like packaged ramen noodles. Miso with ginger and garlic would be the better healthier choice, but if I have a boil of Top Ramen I always feel better

Fish or eggs, or any animal product won't really help, even if you think they do. I can guarentee you'll realize it later and regret it if you choose to eat them

Really though, things like miso, ginger, garlic, dark leafy greens--Hot Sour soup with mushrooms, and tofu and all that!!!! The best thing to get over a yuck! (if of course you like those things- it's my favorite.Maybe a nice garbanzo noodle soup with veggies and no chik'n broth would do it for others)

 

[Jamie in Chile]

It might be diet, it might not, let's keep an open mind. Even if it is diet that doesn't make meat the solution because there is nothing in meat that can't be found elsewhere.

I hope you can sort this out.

Some good advice here - best of luck!

 

[PTree15]

Hi guys, so 6 weeks ago I was struck with what I believe may have been corona virus, if not then extreme flu. That lasted about 2 weeks. Since then though the headaches and lack of energy is on going. I did wonder if my body had used all the vitamins and nutrients stored to fight the illness and has left me deficient? I read an article about a woman suffering the same problems and symptoms as me and she said she felt a lot better after introducing fish and eggs back into her diet. My typical days diet is as follows. I’ll have a shake for breakfast (fruits, oats, avocado) then I’ll have some toast for brunch. Lunch I’ll have a vegetable stir fry and for dinner I’ll have usually a pasta dish. Also I’ll take b12 omega 3 and multivitamin

If you were sick with COVID-19, it might take quite a while to recover. I have a friend who is three weeks into the illness and she's nowhere near recovered. In fact, she was in the ER last week because of another bout of severe shortness of breath.

 

[Luis Halson]

Are you sure you are having a vegan protein source? Good non-meat sources of protein:

- Tofu
- Lentils
- Beans
- Peas
- Meat alternatives

 

[Jaydoesitgood]

I hope your feeling better and Im glad you're seeking medical help for this. I agree with Lou, its pretty unlikely that this is diet related. Assuming youre getting enough calories, eating a varied diet, and taking B12, you should be ok. If it is that youre not eating enough, Id track your food. Cronometer is what I use personally because it tracks micro nutrients.
But yea, if it was corona virus you might still feel crappy for a good while. Even the regular flu knocks me personally down for a good long while. Talking to your doctor about it is the best way to be sure though.

 

[Anthony0123456]

Pretty sure it's not getting enough calories either. As long as you're eating enough fruits and vegetables, you'll get enough minerals and vitamins. If you eat enough pasta, grains, and legumes, you'll get enough carbs and protein. A good chunk of your diet should be healthy carbs such as rice or even pasta.

 

[Forest Nymph]

I think I might have had a mild case of coronavirus in February. I had fatigue, mild congestion, a dry cough, and shortness of breath from normal walking. My fever was low-grade (about 99, which might be a little high for me, but still under what most doctors look at for a serious illness). My doctor gave me an asthma inhaler. Her explanations were allergies, mold inhalation, or adult-onset asthma. No one knew coronavirus was in Northern California then, and my illness never progressed. I did end up taking some antibiotics in March because I thought I might have an infection in my tooth where I lost a filling, because I still had fatigue and throat irritation that wouldn't go away. I am glad a took them because who knows, what if I developed a bacterial infection on top of the virus? I say this because a few days into my course of antibiotics I suddenly started blowing out and coughing up "gross looking" phlegm - the yellow/green kind, not normal clear or white mucus. This went away within a few days.

I now have normal energy, no fatigue or fever, but some days I still have a light cough, which very well could be allergies. I don't usually cough from allergies though just blow my nose. It's typically only in the morning, or if I use my space heater, the fan might irritate my lungs. I really don't have any other symptoms and the worst of what I felt in February or early March is totally gone. No shortness of breath.

I have no idea because no one around me has developed a serious case of COVID-19, and there are only 52 cases identified in my entire county, mostly from people who traveled from China, San Francisco or LA. I could have easily gotten a mild case though from a student traveling from the San Francisco Bay area back in February since I live in a college town.

Or maybe it's a coincidence. I am not taking chances though. I am not trying to catch it if I didn't actually have it, and if I am/was contagious in any way I don't want anyone to catch it, so I still isolate, social distance, and wear cloth masks.

 

[Gaspard]

If meat eaters, when sick, thought "it might be my diet, I should stop eating animal products", the world might become vegan soon...