I'm practically vegetarian, but am missing nutrients. 14, what kind of supplements do I need?!
I sometimes feel weak and tired, and I have dark circles under my eyes, but i honestly do not like meat (i also don't like soy!).
What should I supplement my diet with? Vitamins? Suggestions for nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables?
I'm fourteen, if that changes anything.
Thank you!
Answers: Well, the thing is, I don't really like pork, beef, and chicken. I do, however like fish and eggs. But my whole family really likes meat, so they don't know how I can supplement my diet.
I sometimes feel weak and tired, and I have dark circles under my eyes, but i honestly do not like meat (i also don't like soy!).
What should I supplement my diet with? Vitamins? Suggestions for nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables?
I'm fourteen, if that changes anything.
Thank you!
I agree with an answer above that you should see a doctor for your fatigue, because it may not be related to your diet. However, if you're set against doing that, then go with a multivitamin for women--go ahead and check to make sure it has your daily value of iron and calcium. Insufficient iron, common in vegetarians and young women, can lead to anemia, which has fatigue as a symptom. The calcium I just mention because I don't know if you're eating dairy, and it's something deficient in many young women anyway. If you're still eating fish and eggs, you should be getting enough protein, but if you don't eat much of them, go for nuts and beans. And yes, soy nuts are indeed good for you.
And get some sleep, if you're not getting much.
I'd hold off on the psychiatrist suggested above :)
Good luck!
get some multi vitamin pills. otherwise try tofu, it's actually ok grilled with red peppers and a little bit of olive oil.
You should see a doctor. Dark circles, weakness and feeling tired could be symptoms of a variety of medical conditions.
While your at it, throw in a shrink. You're only 14 and already you have issues with food?
God have mercy.
I would make sure you're eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and grains. You can also try to eat vegetarian foods that are rich in protein, calcium, and iron... see http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=08sourc... for a list. Good luck!
You're still eating fish and eggs, so that should give you a pretty good amount of protein. Any kind of nuts (peanut butter!!), beans, as well as milk, cheese, and vegetables have protein in them. Just make sure that you're eating a balanced diet. (especially colorful veggies)
Dark circles under your eyes are probably from sleep deprivation, you need a lot of sleep as a teenager, and it's possible that you aren't getting enough.
Feeling weak and tired could also be the sign of another sickness, or it could be that they are symptoms of PMS (b/c it can include feeling tired and lethargic).
Also, keep experimenting with tofu, because i understand that sometimes it is prepared wrong and is bland and rather gross. But it can be done right, and be yummy, so just keep giving it a chance.
I'm a vegetarian and I felt the same symptoms. You might be anaemic, which means you have an iron deficiency. You could go to your local chemist and ask for iron tablets. The ones I have you don't need a prescription for and the taste like those fizzy lollies.
Google 'anaemia' for more info and symptoms to see if that's your problem.
Hun, this is precisely why teenagers should NOT become veggies. You need meat and a full balanced diet; you are really causing harm to yourself here! The weakness and tiredness could be because you are anemic - you should go to the doctor and have bloodwork done. Talk to the doctor about nutrition as well, and maybe he can refer you to a nutritionist.
You should WANT your body and brain to grow and develop the best they can before you are an adult. Save being a veggie til then.
Take a multi-vitamin every day...make sure to eat a lot of grains, and fruits & veggies every day. You can also mix silken tofu in things such as mac & cheese and you can't even taste it. They also have great tasting soy food like the chicken patties...they taste just like chicken. It is perfectly safe to have a vegetarian diet if you do it right. Look up the vegetarian food pyramid and follow it. Good luck!!
Well first, you're not vegetarian. You eat fish and it's flesh, it's animal.
Being 14 dont mean that u cant get it right...learn how to cook, I started at 12.
Feeling tired may mean that ur anemic. What I do is dark leafy greens-how? Fry tomatoes and onions ( about a cup in all) Toss in ur leafy greens and 1/4 cup of milk or half and half, and let them saute until tender. Finally season with seasoning and salt to you like. It sounds easy but u get the hand of how to make themtastier if u practice more than once. IF ur picky about taste try kale and collard greens ( cook these the longest and they taste great with liquid salt/soy sauce) and for turnip greens, swiss chard, spinach and more( cook these less cause they tend to get really slippery if u cook 'em long). When frying them substitute an extra tomato instead of using a lot of oil.
I've been a vegetarian all my life and if your looking for cooking tips, holla back.
How do you know you're missing nutrients? Many teenagers are weak and tired and get dark circles sometimes. It's a part of growing up.
I'd suggest you get a blood test from your doctor's office and go over the results. If any deficiency comes up, take the appropriate supplement. Otherwise, don't bother.
You shouldn't be fooling around at 14 with YA. You can hurt yourself. These folks are NOT professionals and you are growing. You can harm yourself later on in life if you don't get some professional help. Sounds like you have a medical problem.
It would be best to take multivitamins if you can juust like every person should if you need more protein and iron in your diet you could try oatmeal or grits/polenta and beans are good as well. But you should check it out with a doctor first if you can.