Another vegetarian question

[Stephanie0523]

Hey veggies! I have another question. First of all, I've been eating mostly vegetarian for about a month and a half (had fish on two occasions), and I am loving it. HOWEVER, this week I have been totally zapped of energy and even a little dizzy at times. Is this normal? Did you guys feel this way when you first converted? I'm wondering if I'm low on iron or protein... Any advice?

 

[hriacobacci]

Stephanie - you may check out your iron and protein intake. If you're eating a balanced diet (vegetarian, vegan, or otherwise) you shouldn't be feeling that way. So my first thought is exactly what you already suspect.

Hope that helps!

 

[Stephanie0523]

Thanks, Heather. I think I should rejoin Cathe's nutrition manager so I can keep track of my vitamins/minerals. It's hard to balance it all.

 

[hriacobacci]

It really can be. I think the longer you are vegetarian, the easier it becomes and the less you have to consciously think about putting all the nutritional pieces together. At least you have a great place to come for some good advice!

 

[Liann]

Steph - I would look at taking a Vitamin B complex if you aren't already. Not an expert here by no means, but I think that helped me when I was eating strictly vegetarian.

 

[Stephanie0523]

Liann-I didn't know you used to be a vegetarian! I thought about a B vitamin, but I take a multivitamin each day and am wondering if that would be too much B? I'll have to check it out.

 

[PhyllisG]

I take a Vit B12 everyday. I think in the book Becoming Vegetarian she suggests this. Have you checked out this book? She pretty much breaks down the vit/min requirements and what foods supply them. It is really a good book for someone who is going veg. I got it from my library and then ended up buying it.

 

[kathryn]

I agree that "Becoming Vegetarian"/"The New Becoming Vegetarian"/"Becoming Vegan" (all by Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis) are excellent resources.

If you are eating a balanced veggie diet, then the symptoms you have could be related to a detox reaction (when your body takes the opportunity to rid itself of toxins stored in fat cells especially) or a type of withdrawl from some things that were in your previous diet. If so, it will be very temporary, but can come and go.

 

[RapidBreath]

Could it be B12? You can get these little bitty red tablets from Trader Joe's that you put under your tongue. The other thing is you might be low on calories. If you don't feel better from adding the B12 try adding some more fats to your meals like drizzling with olive oil or adding coconut oil to your soups/stews/stir frys. Nuts are my favorite source of vegetarian protein but I don't know which ones you can eat (some people have allergies). Also, if you have increased your soy intake that can adversely affect your thryoid, your gland can still be working but the soy effects your sensitivity to it. That can make you tired, cold, and sluggish.

 

[Stephanie0523]

So, I just bought another month of nutrition manager and noticed that I am good on calories, well, it said a little high, but I think that 1790 is OK isn't it? Anyway, my daily menu scored an F for B12 and E and a D for potassium. I may have to get a B12 supplement. Is it OK to take that with a multivitamin, do you think? Also, my multi doesn't have potassium. Any suggestions for that? (PS I HATE bananas...)

BTW, you ladies rock! Thanks for helping me out!

 

[martijean1]

I agree that "Becoming Vegetarian"/"The New Becoming Vegetarian"/"Becoming Vegan" (all by Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis) are excellent resources.

If you are eating a balanced veggie diet, then the symptoms you have could be related to a detox reaction (when your body takes the opportunity to rid itself of toxins stored in fat cells especially) or a type of withdrawl from some things that were in your previous diet. If so, it will be very temporary, but can come and go.

I was going to say the same thing...
MJ in MN

 

[Liann]

Liann-I didn't know you used to be a vegetarian! I thought about a B vitamin, but I take a multivitamin each day and am wondering if that would be too much B? I'll have to check it out.

Yes, actually I was for a complete year. I took the 30 day challenge and stuck with it for a year before finally fizzling out. It was just getting hard with DH not being totally on board etc... We are still very careful about what we eat though and only buy from local farmers that we have personally talked to about what they feed their animals and how they are treated and we do keep our actual meat consumption pretty low. DH is slowly coming over to the dark side though and I think eventually we will be back to almost completely eating vegetarian again.

You know, I really don't put much stock in multivitamins. The fact that several of the actual vitamins in the multi counteract each other makes me doubt that it is all that effective in the end. For example, Iron inhibits the absorption of Calcium, so you are never supposed to take them together, so I don't see how taking a multi with those two vitamins does any good. I take mine separate. In the morning, I do Iron, B6/B12, VC and in the evening I do Calcium and VD. I also have a prenatal (which I guess is a multi) I take and some other assorted "stuff".

Dried apricots are REALLY high in potassium. Supposedly higher than bananas. I have been living on them to keep these leg cramps under control. So if you like dried apricots, that's a good option for your Potassium.

 

[kathryn]

For B12, I like this spray: http://store.veganessentials.com/pure-advantage-vitamin-b-12-spray-p1158.aspx (though you should have enough stores of B12 to not feel any effects of low levels for a while).

For potassium, you say you hate bananas, but what about frozen bananas used to sweeten/thicken smoothies?

Other sources of potassium: coconut water, oranges, avocadoes, carob

I found this info:
" If you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, then you are probably consuming enough potassium. Particularly good sources of potassium include bananas, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, pumpkin, spinach, raisins and root vegetables. Generally, more-processed foods have less potassium."

Best to get it from foods:
"
What happens if you get too much?
High potassium intakes from food have not been shown to cause adverse effects in healthy individuals. However, high doses of potassium from supplements can be toxic. Toxic doses of potassium supplements can cause a range of symptoms from gastrointestinal distress and abnormally high blood levels of potassium to heart irregularities. Bottom line: Stay within range of the recommended intakes"

(quoted from http://www.bing.com/health/article/...RE&qpvt=food+sources+of+potassium#bestsources )

For vitamin E, almonds are a good source, as are many grains.

 

[PhyllisG]

I would suggest those little sublingual B12 tablets. Most health food stores sell them.

 

[JoanC]

I also use Cathe's nutrition site. I was unable to get enough potassium unless I ate mashed potatoes ( at least a cup or 2) Jann contacted the software company that made the recommendations. They sent her a website that explained that the potassium requirement is so much higher than in the past because the general population eats so much salt. If you use less salt you need less potassium. Since I do eat minimal salt and my blood test is good for potassium I ignore that one category. I usually get F or D with about 50% of recommended amount.

 

[cindi1]

I have a question re: b12. I'm not 100% convinced that I actually absorb the multivitamins I choke down. So I take a B12 liguid under the tongue which I assume bypasses my picky digestive track. Am I thinking about that correctly?

 

[kathryn]

I also use Cathe's nutrition site. I was unable to get enough potassium unless I ate mashed potatoes ( at least a cup or 2) Jann contacted the software company that made the recommendations. They sent her a website that explained that the potassium requirement is so much higher than in the past because the general population eats so much salt. If you use less salt you need less potassium. Since I do eat minimal salt and my blood test is good for potassium I ignore that one category. I usually get F or D with about 50% of recommended amount.

That's interesting!
If recommendations are based on the SAD (Standard American Diet), then they might not apply to those who eat a healthier diet. Not just with potassium, but perhaps with some other nutrients as well.

It really isn't hard to get enough potassium from food alone.

 

[kathryn]

I have a question re: b12. I'm not 100% convinced that I actually absorb the multivitamins I choke down. So I take a B12 liguid under the tongue which I assume bypasses my picky digestive track. Am I thinking about that correctly?

Sublingual B12 should be absorbed mainly in the mouth (just be sure to hold it there for a bit). Though I've given 'sublingual' B12 pills (methylcobalamin, the more effective form) to a cat with diabetic neuropathy (for which my vet said there was no cure), and it evidently was absorbed without him holding it under the tongue (try to imagine convincing a cat to do that, LOL!), as his neuropathy got much better after a few weeks.

 

[Stephanie0523]

So I bought a sublingual B complex and some dried apricots AND some almond milk today (just for the heck of it). I thought I'd give all three a try for a healthier me. Here's a long-shot question: I've been stalled out on weightloss for a LONG time, and I'm wondering if it's B12 that's holding me back? I read this today online: "Vitamin B12 have a numerous amount of benefits that can help individuals in different ways. The most common benefit of B12 is its ability to boost ones energy level, and speed up your metabolism."

Hmmm... I have been dead on my feet for awhile now. And I wonder if my levels were low all along. We'll see how this works. I took my first dose this morning and am not feeling a zap of energy. Maybe it takes time.

I also tried almond milk for the first time in my cereal this morning. I got the unsweetened vanilla, and it was great in my cereal!! Can I use it in oatmeal? Does it heat well? I never thought I'd ever go dairy-free, but I'm moving that way. Who knows, I may become an accidental vegan...

In a bit, I'll try the apricots.

Thanks again you guys for all of the suggestions!!

 

[story1267]

Not to send you back out to the store or anything ......but having apricots together with raw almonds....a very happy snack IMHO.