I'm worried about my sister.?

Question

My sister recently decided to become a vegetarian. I was little worried at first because her eating habbits aren't that good and she doesn't have a lot of money to suppliment or buy the good food. I voiced my concerns to her but she only got angry and said if I cared about her, I would support her choice as an animal lover. So, I left it alone. I bring her healthy, vegetarian groceries and iron suppliments and iron/protien rich foods as much I can.
But her health is deteriorating. She is foggy and skinnier than heck. She's having a hard time with her studies and is super cranky. I know that some people can function very well without meat, but I don't think she or anyone in my family can.
Should I back off? Should I try to convince her that this is not a healthy choice for her? Is there anything else she could suppliment with that I haven't tried?
Any advice is much appreciated!

Answer 1

I am also a vegetarian, and I lost a lot of weight when I first started as well. When you first become a vegetarian, it's hard to find the right balance in your diet. The most important things to find in foods for vegetarians are iron, protein, and B12, since those are abundant in meat products and essential to good health. I would suggest vitamin supplements, such as Women's One-A-Days. Also, support her decision, and try not to be critical of it. It's true that vegetarians get a lot of grief from everyone, and if she thinks you're doing that, she'll push you further away. It might help if you took an interest in her vegetarian lifestyle by trying to cook vegetarian dishes with her or for her. You could also look online for vegetarian recipes and cook them together (try vegweb.com, bhg.com, or just google search "vegetarian recipes").

Answer 2

Get your sister to get a check up for her thyroid and Vitamin B levels.

There are good and bad food choices even for Vegetarian/Vegans. The only supplement you should need for a Vegetarian/Vegan diet is Vitamin B12.

Try 'green' smoothies - throw a handful of fresh, organic fruit into a good blender with some water, and add some salad greens. There are very few combinations that don't taste good. It delivers instant nutrition, and is the most easily digestible food you can give someone. The best blender to use is a Vitamix as it tears open the cell walls so your body only has to do a minimum of digestion. (No, I don't have a Vitamix, in case you are wondering - that's on the 'to buy' list). If you mix in a banana, it will take your body longer to digest the smoothie. If you mix a banana and a citrus fruit, it can cause digestive upset in some people. Do not mix in any dairy. That stops the body from digesting the fruits and veggies in the smoothie. Do not eat anything (like toast or cereal) for at least an hour before you drink the smoothie or again you've stuffed up the digestive process.

Answer 3

A balanced Vegan diet is actually healthier than a diet including meat. So if she is eating right, then she should be fine. But there is obviously something wrong so, take her to a doctor if it gets any worse. Also vegetarians and vegans can't get enough vitamin b12 , because it's found mostly in meat. so a B12 supplement wouldn't hurt. (but that's probably isn't the problem because vitamin B12 can be stored in the body for up to 2 years and since she only recently became a vegetarian, ya know...) another thing it could be is that maybe she is intolerant to a food she is eating. Soy is a very common "food allergy" trigger and she could be sensitive to it, If she is then she will get progressively worse. To find out if she is, you should make her cut out ALL soy from her diet (read ingredient labels carefully, there is soy in alot of stuff). If she feels better after cutting soy out then she is most likely intolerant to soy. That would be harder for her to be a vegetarian with out soy, but there are alternatives to soy, If someone wishes to have a vegetarian diet, just gotta do some research. Good luck.
Check with a Doctor though and see what they have to say.

Answer 4

The fogginess could be from lack of protein. She needs to eat protein complimentary foods -- that is, to match the different components so that she gets the full range of protein. For example, mixing rice and beans or whole wheat bread with peanut butter. That said, it sounds like "vegetarian" means "anorexic" in her case. She shouldn't be that skinny. A lot of anorexics either say they're vegetarians to avoid eating or they think that they're eating more healthfully when they're not eating at all. Go to her and watch her eat -- is she actually eating? Or does she push the food around? Does she go to the bathroom a lot? She could be purging. If she's in school, ask a school counselor what to do. Can your parents intervene? Check some websites: if she's a danger to herself, you may have to get her admitted to a psych ward. Yes, you should support her choices as an animal lover, but if she's not eating, that's not loving the key animal, the human being.

Answer 5

You should look up stuff on eating vegetarian or vegan she needs to get her protein from something besides meat. She needs to eat different foods that make complete protein. She will probably lose weight but you don't have to have meat you just need to eat correctly. print up info about veg and vegan menus for her so you both know what kinds of foods she should be eating. There are veggie hot dogs, cheese, salad dressings and that sort of stuff in the veggie section of the store morning star makes some fake meats in the frozen section that she can use in meals that she used to eat before going veg it is like ground burger or chicken and steak strips but it is veggie. Instead of buying foods for her maybe take her to the store to show her what choices are available for her there is more than just veggies. Also watch her she may say she is veg but may have some sort of eating disorder that is causing her to lose weight and be cranky. Maybe have someone else talk to her about this and if you know anyone that is vegan or veg invite them both to lunch and then talk about being veg. It sounds like she has made a choice to go veg but doesn't really have the knowledge of what she needs to eat. the website below has info about going veg and towards the bottom there is a link about making the transition.

Answer 6

My son was born low birthweight and he doesnt care for meat (most of the time) . My dietician suggested peanut butter, beans, nuts, green peas. Also smoothies work. Make her some protien shakes with beets strawberrys, watermelon carrot, protien powder yogurt and honey. (some vegetarians eat dairy or go with soy) Also bulk up her food . Good olive oil and avacados work nice and are a good fat to use. Try different oils too for salads , walnut oil in a vinagrete with walnuts, apples, raisins and spinach .... yummy .Take her to a vegetarian resturant and look at the menu for high calorie items that would be easy to fix.

If that dont work she needs to see a doctor and/or a dietician. She doesnt have to give up on her decision to not eat meat, but to eat right for her health.

Good luck !

Answer 7

There isn't enough detail in the question. What kind of food does she eat? What are you bringing her? There is no one on earth who can't function without meat, but you have to know how to eat. Check into consulting a registered dietician to plan some menus for your sister to make sure she gets the proper nutrients in adequate amounts-supplements aren't the answer. Also, find a copy of Diet For a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe, which gives information, advice and recipes for eating a plant based diet. Best of luck to you both.

Answer 8

Vegetarianism is in itself NOT unhealthy. It is quite possible to be an unhealthy vegetarian, however. What is she eating? If she's eating only pasta and cheese, then you bet she will be sick. Rather than eating meat again, she should research a balanced vegetarian diet and follow it. She should eat a lot of legumes.

Answer 9

You are a good sister. My suggestion is for YOU to educate yourself about the matter, and really support her-it can be very daunting and frustrating, especially if you have no one in your corner. Learn about it, and with a super upbeat attitude, share what you learn with her. If she feels you are behind her 100 percent, she might make some better food choices. Many people are critical of vegetarianism, and its frustrating. She just needs to know what foods are high in protein and vitamins, and how to prepared them in a way she enjoys them

Answer 10

Sounds like something else is wrong. Giving up meat doesn't all of a sudden make you foggy and skinny...bad eating habit do or health issues.