Help with Vegan Diet?!
Since I've been vegan I have definitely not felt better, and maybe even feel worse. I feel dumber, for lack of a better word, and I feel almost "lost" sometimes. Realizing I was probably lacking essential fatty acids, which are known to help the brain I began taking Udo's Oil, which is a vegan fatty acid supplement, which contains EPA/DHA. I also began taking hemp seeds in my cereal...All of this to no avail. I felt no different. Then I thought well maybe I'm low on B12, so I began taking that supplement as well...once again to no avail. I still felt no different.
Recently, I've been contemplating going back vegetarian but only consuming eggs, as I do not want to consume milk/cheese/butter because I know those things for certain are terrible for you. Raw/organic or not, casein is not intended for humans...
I'm wondering if there's another way? Has anyone else had the same experience as me? I really want to stay vegan, but to be honest I don't know what else to do. I haven't gotten my blood checked yet, as I don't have a family doctor, so I'm not sure where to get it done. I cannot afford to see the dietitian that I want, (I say I "want" because many dietitians I think are not very approving of vegan/vegetarian diets, and I happen to have found one near me who has been vegan for 10 years) and I'm unsure if she would even be able to help me.
My diet consists of a fair amount of vegetables/fruits I always have a green smoothie (normally kale/apple/carrots) everyday, I eat raw nuts whenever I can, I have my fair share (if not more than enough) of grains, so I don't know what I'm doing wrong, or if maybe my body just isn't suited for a vegan diet, or what =/
I don't exercise, but even when I didn't exercise for all of last year pre-vegan, I never felt this way, so I don't think that can be it.
Any helpful feedback/advice would be very much appreciated, sorry for the long post.
Answers:
Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
TO be honest it sounds like you are not eating enough fat.
You don't mention fats in your diet, but all the oils- mustard oil, sesame oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, are really good for you and oil /fat is brain food.
Oil supplements are good- evening primrose oil is a good one too, as is apricot oil.
I'd suggest finding a really good Indian curry house nearby and going there at least once a week!
Indian food uses really good plant oils and uses good quality green veg with legumes- the mixture ensures VERY healthy and hearty eating- chickpeas with spinach and naan, potatoes with mustard seeds and peas.
Make sure you get the vegan items- NOT cooked with curd or ghee.
I really think that could be it.
Low sugar and low fat in your diet can make you feel stupid.
Especially if it's sugars AND fats.
Eat banana and peanut butter toastes burritos for breakfast to set you up.
Eat oatmeal with almonds and soycream too.
Try using different grains too- quinoa and spelt, and make muffins and your bread out of them.
Whole grains in as much as possible gives you all the oils you need and your skin and jair will look good too.
ANother thing- bitter veg- like mustard greens, collards, kale, and stuff. Eat these with high beta carotene veg- like baked pumpkin, acorn squahs, yams and sweet potatoes.
You need iron ( these vegetables and roots have plenty).
Yes, I know LOTS of faxt is not good, but all plant oils are different and all have very good properties, It is almost impossible to overdo it with plant oils. For instance, when a baby grows, the one thing its' brain needs is FAT. Not protein- FAT.
HOnestly, I think i'ts to do with that. But good fats- sesame paste, tahini, hummous, guacamole, coconut meat etc.
Tell us what exactly you eat from morning to night. Break it down in terms of breakfast, snacks etc... all the way to dinner. Sometimes there may be detox, but it doesn't last very long. It may last a long time if you have abused your body with meat for a long long time before turning vegan. It takes upto 7 years for your body and nervous system to completely cleanse. But it is difficult to say without knowing your background. You can look up 80/10/10 diet or fruitanarian diet. Reading that may give you an idea of detox to expect. Make sure you are getting atleast 50% of your calories from fruits, and make sure you are eating enough calories.
For fat you can have 3-4 soaked almonds (soaking it overnight makes the protein in nuts easier to absorb in the body) and have 1 avocado a day. Peanut butter is okay. Make sure you are having enough fruits, and have only one type of fruit at a time (mono- dont mix), and also eat fruits only on empty stomach (don't mix with greens). Food combining issues are solved if you are eating only one type of food at one time. Read the book on 80/10/10 diet. Or read free e-book by jericho sunfire on fruitanarian (fruitarian) diet. GOod luck!
i think getting your blood tested is the best, and also taking a complete vegan multivitamin at least until you figure out whats wrong
heres a list of vegan sources of protein
http://wayfaringvegans.weebly.com/consum…
and heres the vegan multivitamin i take
http://wayfaringvegans.weebly.com/recomm…