Anorexic and Vegan?!
I recently made the decision to go vegan but I live in a household where it is almost impossible to maintain a healthy vegan lifestyle. I don't know how they survive on rice and meat but that is 99% of what they eat! I can either continue eating meat or I can starve... For the past week I've been doing the latter. There is no way I can survive on the bare minimum that is stocked in my house but when I think about eating meat it makes me want to puke. In the past few days I've been very dizzy, having frequent blackouts and just very groggy. I fear that my poor diet is going to put me in the hospital. I am starting a new job next week but even with that I wont be able to buy food for another 2 weeks or so... I just dont know what to do.
Answers: So I have a slight problem... Ok, maybe not so slight but here goes:
I recently made the decision to go vegan but I live in a household where it is almost impossible to maintain a healthy vegan lifestyle. I don't know how they survive on rice and meat but that is 99% of what they eat! I can either continue eating meat or I can starve... For the past week I've been doing the latter. There is no way I can survive on the bare minimum that is stocked in my house but when I think about eating meat it makes me want to puke. In the past few days I've been very dizzy, having frequent blackouts and just very groggy. I fear that my poor diet is going to put me in the hospital. I am starting a new job next week but even with that I wont be able to buy food for another 2 weeks or so... I just dont know what to do.
Vegan lifestyle is not meant to be anorexic. Can your family stock up on different type of beans, peanut butter, peas, as these are not expensive types of food.
We can make suggestions, but you need to see a medical doctor for a checkup. Most doctors are positive minded about vegan diets and they will make the BEST suggestions for you. You may have an anemia, coeliac or autoimmune condition, for instance.
Vegan is all about being healthy and not harming or killing. Right now, the priority is for you to get healthy and not harm your body any more.
2 weeks isn't that long.
Eat the rice and meat until then. One animal dying for you to live is better than both of you dying for no reason at all.
Are you saying you are anorexic? And trying to go vegan?
You should put your recovery first and only if you are no longer governed by your eating disorder (fasting, restricting, obsessive weighing of yourself or your food, "forbidden" foods, inability to eat snacks or desserts, etc.) can you go vegan.
It's just the bottom line truth, and the honest one, and it's coming from someone that recovered from an ED and couldn't be happier to be free from it - me.
If it's hard to eat a healthy, balanced diet to begin with because of what is stocked in your house, you need to make do with what you have. Learn to eat a healthy diet first, if you are underweight gain weight so that you are healthy, and only once you have been healthy for a good while (a year or more) can you consider to go vegan. If going vegan in any way ever plunges you into your old behaviors, I would have to say you shouldn't be vegan at all.
Anorexia is far more serious than anything eating meat, eggs or dairy can ever do to your body.
okay, you should not be starving. her eis what you do:
1) eat the rice that is there
2) buy some veggies that can add to your rice
3) buy some food form the store, - Amys, gardern burger, there are lots of vegan foods. I am vegan
4) get a proper vegan cook book
5) buy cheap ingrediences from you local food store. you'll bne able to find them there.
6) eat fruits, nuts dried fruits, there is so much food you can eat. stop starving yourself!
So recap: buy some vegan food, and eat, cook for yourself.
here is a link for all the vegan foods you can get,
http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/
That's a tough situation. Do you have an allowance? Is there something you can sacrifice? Let's say you have 20 dollars that your saving to buy a shirt. Instead of buying the shirt right now, go out and get 10 pounds of veggies. But if you don't have any money at all and have to eat what's there, just try to get the food down as best you can. You don't wanna sacrifice your well-being because you can't afford veggie foods.
I hope the time before your first paycheck goes quick.
It suprises me that only 2 of the other answerer's completely PASSED OVER the fact that you are anorexic.
I am also a recovered ana (like the girl above), and let me tell you honey you need to start eating soon or yes you will end up in the hospital.. What you are doing is destroying completely your health and your body, not to mention your right state of mind. Do me a favor and take care of yourself, there is much more to life than this. Eat healthy, and dont go vegan because at this point sweety you dont have a choice but to eat meat because something tells me you are missing lots of neutriants.
Be smart, take care and good luck.
Go to a doctor and get some REAL help. The armchair doctors here in the V&V have very limited credentials.
I have to agree with flex... you should see a doctor. That sounds quite serious. In the mean time you *need* to buy some fruits, veggies and nuts. They really are not that expensive. I'm sure if you ask your parents to buy you food they would. If not maybe they can loan you some money. You really should take care of your self. Take care.... get well soon.
=0)
i come from a polish farm house and we moved to America and when we came, my whole family ate meat so much except me. I got through so i give you support EAT PROTEIN!!!
I do eat proteins And Im the fattest vegetarian alive
and Im very skinny
Darlin,
I love that U are committed to want to go "vegan". But at this point in you're life....I think that is not a option U can afford to take...it already sounds like ur'e body is freaking out big time...I know U're starting a new job, now how is that going to look...if U show up all foggy, thin & not really w/ it?? Do ur self a favor...EAT...Do not be a maryt...Who r u hurting but U??? Try this again once U get the other problem cleaned up, anorexia...Which will eat U alive...Unless U take charge...When U can afford it...GO TO A DOCTOR!!!! If U can go now as a emergency....Good luck & God Speed!!
If you are old enough,what's stopping you from eating out?Or buying food?
since you admit that you are anorexic, I tend not to believe what you say about the food in the house but are simply using it as an excuse to justify your eating disorder. I seriously suggest you gt help with the anorexia first, then deal with the "limited"dietary choices in the house later on. I think you're problem is anorexia not food availability or choices.
the most important thing to do when going vegan is to listen to your cravings. if you're not seeing anything that looks satisfying, ask yourself what WOULD be. if you have a blender, make fruit smoothies with frozen fruits and juice. another VERY important part of a vegan lifestyle is eating greens. if you eat uncooked greens, you will get almost all of the nutrients that your body needs in a very little amount of food-- it is strange to think that because we've been taught that we need all of this excess crap in order to be healthy, but we don't.
bottom line, you have to start listening to your body in terms of what to eat. hopefully your parents (if that is where you are living) are supportive, and will pick you up food from the store or give you money to get stuff that works for your diet. if they have been supportive of your eating disorder, just cite them veganism as a step on the road to recovery and maybe they won't see it as being so radical. (if you don't live with your parents, honestly, go to your local grocery store and just jack some produce... my BF and i do that all the time when we're broke... and we are organic raw food vegans-- a very very limited grocery store selection, LOL.)
if you need any other help, feel free to email me.
good luck!
eat whats in your household until you can afford to start doing your own food shopping. don't starve yourself at all, tha's not helping the animals or yourself. and fyi, meat and rice is not healthy just because it's meat, you need to eat a variety of protein, veggies, fruits, and grains. so eat what you have to until you can do some food shopping on your own. stay healthy!
well, with a history of anorexia, the number one priority is for you to reach/maintain a healthy weight.. Veganism is SO healthy that it might not be easy to "gain weight" But reaching a healthy weight is the #1 crucial thing to achieving complete recovery.. NO anorexic recovers while still underweight..
so that's your #1 prioritiy.. You may have to wait to be vegan until you are able to maintain a healthy weight..
I say, eat lots of rice, and a little of whatever else you need to eat, for the next 2 weeks until you can buy your own food.. then make tofu dishes to eat over rice..
MAKE SURE you keep with the "program" of recovery, any therapy sessions, etc.. that you need to be doing.. Consult a dietitian who will help you to "do" veganism correctly and keep a healthy weight.. .
Good luck..
Remember.. anorexia kills.. recovery is your #1 priority.. veganism is down the line somewhere..Can be done.. but the focus must be on full recovery
over 50% of anorexics relapse.. that's why I'm stressing recovery..