vegetarian nutrition advice?
I have been a vegetarian for a little over a year. I’ve been anemic most of my life and lately i have been getting lightheaded and having trouble breathing. I’m not sure if it’s the iron I’m lacking or if it’s something different all together.
I’ve been experimenting with different soy products (fake burgers and chicken, soy cheese, silk, and soy protein drink shakes) all of which have given me pretty bad stomach pains.
I eat a lot of whole grain pasta and rice, lots of fruits and vegetables, nuts and whole grain bread. I also take a multi vitamin.
Can anyone give me any advice on what foods i should be eating and/or supplements that could help me to be more healthy?
Thank you!
If you have pains when eating soy, ask your doctor whether you might have a soy allergy, as Spiderman mentioned. http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/soy-allergy/DS00970/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all and of course, if those things don’t agree with you, don’t eat them. You do not need soy to get what you need. If you have those other symptoms– like trouble breathing after eating soy, then that may be a more serious symptoms of a soy allergy.
You don’t need supplements if you’re eating right, unless a doctor has told you that you need them. A lot of doctors believe a multivitamin could benefit everyone. So no harm in continuing to take yours as long as the doc says it’s okay. You will benefit from the vitamin B12
Blood iron is easily checked by a doctor, which you know since you have a history of anemia. iron is better absorbed if you eat it with foods rich in vitamin C. Here’s some info on iron http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm
On page 750 of this http://www.eatright.org/ada/files/veg.pdf from the American Dietetic Association, there’s information on iron in the vegetarian diet.
Most importantly, if you’re having symptoms, ask your doctor because that’s the only person who can physically examine you, consider your history, and apply their knowledge to you care for you. No one can make a diagnosis online.
July 4th, 2009 at 2:22 am
What you need to do is to go to a GMC store(a vitamin store) and get dietary supplements. it is very difficult to supply a body with the correct amino acids without eating at least a little bit of meat. so ask the clerk for vegetarian dietary supplements. and you should also be taking a multi-vitamin for the iron and other things you miss.
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July 4th, 2009 at 3:06 am
If it’s the iron (it sounds likely), then increase your intake of spinach and similar leafy vegetables, broccoli, molasses, yeast, seaweed. Foods rich in vitamin C will help with your body’s absorption of iron. Foods high in calcium will hinder the iron absorption (avoid eating the calcium foods at the same meal as the iron foods). Caffeine will hinder the iron absorption (so, cut out the coffee and cola!). Cooking with iron pots should help a little too.
If it’s vitamin B12, increase your intake of algae and fungi (seaweed, mushrooms, yeast, plus B12-fortified foods and drinks). A simple blood test should be able to determine whether it’s a deficiency of B12 or iron or something else causing the problem.
If the soy products are consistently giving you stomach troubles, then you may have a soy allergy. Cut back on those for a while to see if it rights itself. Sometimes people who have trouble digesting most soy products have no problem with tempeh (it’s a bit of an acquired taste though). But, there are plenty of other good, non-soy sources of protein (if protein was the reason you were experimenting with soy products) - quinoa, amaranth, chia, lentils, beans, peas, chickpeas, peanuts, wheat, millet, oats, rye, barley, maize, sunflower seeds, almonds, flax seeds, buckwheat, seitan, nuts, and so on. If you’re ok with dairy products and/or eggs, there’s plenty of protein there too.
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July 4th, 2009 at 3:17 am
You use Nutrilite food suppliments such as Nutrilite Protein Powder, Daily Vitamin and Salmon Omega. For vegetarians the food intake is very less so as the nutrition. For iron deficiency the nutrilite’s Iron folic is there. All these food suppliments are natural products and there will not be any side effects. You start having these immediately, you will know the difference within a week. These supplements can be obtained from any Amway Business Owner.
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July 4th, 2009 at 3:32 am
If you have pains when eating soy, ask your doctor whether you might have a soy allergy, as Spiderman mentioned. http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/soy-allergy/DS00970/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all and of course, if those things don’t agree with you, don’t eat them. You do not need soy to get what you need. If you have those other symptoms– like trouble breathing after eating soy, then that may be a more serious symptoms of a soy allergy.
You don’t need supplements if you’re eating right, unless a doctor has told you that you need them. A lot of doctors believe a multivitamin could benefit everyone. So no harm in continuing to take yours as long as the doc says it’s okay. You will benefit from the vitamin B12
Blood iron is easily checked by a doctor, which you know since you have a history of anemia. iron is better absorbed if you eat it with foods rich in vitamin C. Here’s some info on iron http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm
On page 750 of this http://www.eatright.org/ada/files/veg.pdf from the American Dietetic Association, there’s information on iron in the vegetarian diet.
Most importantly, if you’re having symptoms, ask your doctor because that’s the only person who can physically examine you, consider your history, and apply their knowledge to you care for you. No one can make a diagnosis online.
References :
July 4th, 2009 at 4:15 am
get some vegan cereal that is high in Iron and eat some. It is simple, easy, cheap and will fix your problem. NEVER BUY VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS
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July 4th, 2009 at 4:57 am
If you’ve been anaemic most of your life, then you probably should talk to your doctor. However, from what you are saying, it does sound like you are suffering from iron deficiency now.
You should try to increase your intake of beans, lentils, fortified cereals and leafy green vegetables. Also remember to eat lots of vitamin C with your meals as this will help your body to absorb the iron. Again, I would say though you should see your doctor. If your iron has already dropped to a very low level, diet alone may not be enough to give you the boost you need now.
There is some good advice on getting iron and B12 as a vegetarian on the following website.
http://www.everyday-vegetarian-recipes.com/sources-of-iron.html
http://www.everyday-vegetarian-recipes.com/vegetarian-vitamin-b12.html
References :
http://www.everyday-vegetarian-recipes.com/
July 4th, 2009 at 5:27 am
You need to see your doctor, if you have been anemic most of your life changing your diet isn’t going to cure it. Most people, even meat eaters, become anemic because their bodies can’t absorb the iron from their diets.
This website, run by the Mayo Clinic, has a copy of the vegetarian food pyramid on it. Use it when planing your meals.
Vegetarian diet: How to get the best nutrition
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-diet/HQ01596
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