Been Vegetarian for about 5 months! Why am i so poorly all the time?

Question

I've always been picky with meat! Never ate red meat rarely ate chicken alot and stuff like ham but over time the thought of actually eating animal flesh really turned me off so around christmas time i decided to stop eating any type of meat at all!! But I'm just so ill all the time, worn out, tired, head aches, weakness, strange taste on my tongue e.t.c - Could this be anything to do with cutting out all meat? If so what can I do to stop this??

I'm also lactose intolerant so not really eating dairy - drinking the alternatives soya milk etc.

Answer 1

You probably cut back on your calories quite a bit by eliminating meat.

You should do a nutritional analysis on you current diet to see how many calories you're taking per day in order to see where you're deficient.

Answer 2

Lillyian is right. Don't listen to all these dorks chanting "protein protein protein."

You need very little protein. For energy and stamina you need carbs. GOOD carbs.

Just telling us you've gone veggie really doesn't say a lot. What kind of veggie are you? Are you a healthy veggie or a fast food veggie?

As one person said, non meat items from the vending machines is no way to live. I know a number of regularly sick vegetarians who try to live this way.

Even replacing animal meat with packaged processed veggie meats is no way to live.

The symptoms you've given are all symptoms of detox. Your body purging itself of junk it's been storing. If that IS the case, it's best just to ride it out. Drink lots of juice and add extra fiber to your daily intake. Help flush the junk out.

If what Lillyian says is true about you beginning to work out, then know that the working out causes your muscles to flush the toxins. Which is good. But you feel horrible til it's all gone.

You've got to get books. Learn how to cook. Take care of yourself. And as Lillyian says, if you've been that sick for that long, see a doctor.

Answer 3

It sounds to me like an undiagnosed food allergy, quite likely to the soy. Food allergies often cause a strange taste on the tongue, most usually at the very back of the tongue. Consider having allergy testing done-if you keep eating foods you are allergic to, you will feel worse. Try eliminating wheat, soy, eggs, and dairy for a few days, to see if you notice an improvement. Keep a food journal to see if you feel worse after ingesting certain foods. If you are eating a HEALTHY vegetarian diet, with a good balance of whole grains (quinoa, rice, millet,etc) vegetables, fruits, etc., there is no reason the diet would make you feel bad. Its most likely the soy. If you do an elimination diet, check all labels for hidden sources of it. Soy is often labeled under other names, such as tofu, tvp, autolyzed yeast extract and other names. Google it for details. Good luck! A good allergist can help you sort it all out, You could try rice milk in the meantime. Email if you need more info

Answer 4

It is really hard to answer you without knowing what you are eating..were you ill before?you say you ate such little meat so that should not be a big factor, but you do need to eat healthy and balanced..many things can make you tired from eating improperly..or your levels of potassium or b vitamins could be off..too many variables..I would suggest however you be conscience of eating fruits, vegetables, tofu,soy meats ,,whole grains,nuts,rice, ...make sure you are balancing your diet and with each meal cover your protein and carbs..and last your body may be going through some changes ...but shouldn't be lasting this long..if you can get blood work done to check your levels..it sounds to me like something else is going on (the number one cause of anemia in woman is lack of iron due to heavy bleeding with their period)..

Answer 5

Well, it looks like you started becoming dizzy about 4 months ago. 1 month is hardly enough time for a diet switch to bring someone down so much... especially since you say you rarely eat meat.

Have you been to the doctor since you started feeling this way?
I also see that you have been looking for ways too exercise, are you working a bit too hard on trying to lose weight/get healthy?

You need to eat a certain amount of calories per day If you are eating the proper amount, it is impossible to not get enough protein. Contrary to popular, uneducated belief, you would have to be in famine conditions to not get enough protein.

Go here http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/caloriesneed.htm and see how much you should be eating in a day and start eating that. You seem like you may be a bit of a finicky eater and are maybe just not getting enough food.

As long as you are eating an appropriate amount of food and a wide variety (grains, fruits, veggies and legumes) it is not your diet. Here is a veg food pyramid for you http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/caloriesneed.htm

If you are doing everything right, then it is time to get your butt to a doctor.
Good Luck

Answer 6

Are you eating junky food that is Vegetarian?
Vegetarianism is determined by VEGETABLES.
You need to have lots more than just peanut butter and fake burgers--there aren't enough Vits. and minerals in those!
Try to eat things like eggs or oatmeal with a little fruit or butter in it for breakfast.
Soup and a veggie sandwich for lunch,
and a nice dinner of Veggie Pizza, Spaghetti, or Black Bean Tacos with salad and fruit for dessert.
Learn some basics on nutrition first, then subtract the meat and you'll be feeling so much better. You don't need to eat meat to feel better, but you do need to understand about Amino Acids and Food Combining to get and stay healthy!
You also need to get a good Vegetarian formula of multivitamins and take one each day.
Good luck.

Answer 7

I noticed that so so many people think lack of protein is the problem, the first thing people say to a vegetarian who is not feeling well is "you need more protein!" this is not the answer. Protein is not used by your body as an energy source unless you are starving and out of body fat. What you really need is more good quality healthy calories, like in fresh raw fruit, whole grain foods, fresh raw vegetables. There is nothing you were getting in meat that you can't get in plant based foods.

You might also be low on iron, instead of taking iron pills you can eat iron rich foods. Foods high in iron include: dried beans and dark leafy green vegetables are especially good sources of iron, better on a per calorie basis than meat. Iron absorption is increased markedly by eating foods containing vitamin C along with foods containing iron. Vegetarians do not have a higher incidence of iron deficiency than do meat eaters. You could also try having more water every day. Anothing thing is making sure you get omega 3, this can be found in ground flax seed, avocado, virgin olive oli, raw nuts. You can sprinkle ground flax seed on things like salad, rice, pasta. Make home made salad dressings using olive oil. Avocados tast great in salads, wraps, spread on toast or crackers, or by itself. Raw nuts make great snacks during the day.

I have tons of energy every day, I have a very physical job and I do aerobics, jogging, and muscle building/toning etc every day. Before every meal in the day I always drink a glass of water, for breakfast I only eat fruit and I eat as much as i feel like. I always have raw vegetables as a part of my lunch, quite often I have a nice big salad, sandwich, tortilla wrap, dipped veggies in hummus stuff like that. I often like to compliment my veggies with some sort of whole grain food (like pasta, brown rice, bran muffins, bread etc) For supper I like soups, baked potatoe, stir fryed vegetables and rice, subs, salad, home made veggie burgers. Tonight I am having vegan scalloped potatoes and a salid with head lettuce, cucumber and asian sesame dressing.

Listen to Lillian and Max they have great information as well!

Answer 8

it should take some time if you ate meat for such a long time your body wants more and will keep fighting by making ill to get some...im also a vegetarian for like 2 years

Answer 9

Make sure you are getting enough proteins and iron. You don't need as much protein you might think; one handful of nuts per day is perfect. Other great sources of protein are beans, lentils, and legumes.
Those symptoms sound like an iron deficiency. Some really great sources of iron are green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and collard greens. Other great sources of iron are lima beans, kidney beans, molasses, raisins, dates, almonds, broccoli and prunes.
You don't need meat to be healthy, but you do need to replace the meat when you stop eating it.

Answer 10

are you eating enough calories per day, i don't know how much you weight or anything so an average person needs 2000 calories intake to function, if more active, then add more calories, if less active then eat 1600

if you're losing weight since you switched over, you're not eating enough, start eating more everymeal, and drink more soy milk, and eat more nuts and seeds, drink real juice not store brought juice, eat balanced meals,

don't eat junk food, and drink tea, green tea, barly tea, corn tea, any kind of tea to give you energy.