My doctor/my veggie lifestyle. Please help?

Question

I went to see my doctor today, and he gave me some pretty bad news. My vegetarian diet is killing me. He said my diet is starving me. I have no calcium left in store, and I'm weakening as I go along. I'm lacking all 12 amino acids, and I'm not doing well at all. My pancreaus, thyroid, and liver are all begining to fail. Well, not fail but weaken. He said that if I didn't stop eating this way, it was going to end badly, so he put me on a new diet. I have to eat meat, but only beef, chicken, and fish, and have to eat lots of fruits, and 2 times more veggies than fruits. I also have to eat minimum 2 eggs a day, and can have no milk or milk products. He's making me drink almond milk, actually. Help me! I have to follow this diet and take bunches of supplements, but he made me eat beef today and it made me sad. What should I do?

He's a specialist.

Answer 1

I agree. See another doctor, or ask for a referral to a nutritionist, but this guy has not a single clue of what he's talking about. You may be deficient, but not brain deficient. And also, no one NEEDS to eat beef. Please see another doctor, and get a second opinion.

Answer 2

EIther you have an 100 year old doctor who isn't up on the newest information, some kind of quack pseudo-doctor, or you're making it up.

I never heard of a doctor picking out specific amino acids and saying which ones you are low on. I never heard of someone's thyroid, liver and pancreas being "weakened" because of a vegetarian diet. Are you diagnosed with a specific endocrine/metabolic disorder? If you nave no "calcium stores" are your bones breaking?

Fiind another doctor or ask for a referral to a dietitian. I mean a Registered/Licensed Dietitian; not a "nutritionist'--anybody can call themselves a nurtitionist. Look to see if the person has RD or LD behind his or her name; if not, the person isn't a dietitian and there's no telling what kind of advice you'll get.

You say he's a specialist; a specialist in what?

I have all the respect for medical doctors, but the truth is they are not required to study nutrition to become a doctor.

I work in mental health medical records. One time a doctor wrote "vegetarian diet" on a patient's report as if it was a diagnosis. I told her "I can't code that because there's no such diagnosis." She didn't argue with me and she never did it again.

Answer 3

I suggest you see another doctor, and a nutritionist. Getting a second opinion is always a good idea anyway.

One more question, how long have you been a vegetarian, because your last question(which was 2 days ago) http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aqxe.XFbo2689CHJEFTkl_Pty6IX?qid=20070731115208AAnoFS7
you said you had only been vegetarian for a month(which is no where near enough time for you to become that unhealthy just because you are no longer eating meat. If your body is in that bad of shape already then you must have been doing something wrong for a long time, and it has nothing to do with being vegetarian, but rather your diet as a whole.

Answer 4

That's weird.. Why don't you see a new doctor? Were you following a good vegetarian diet? There's no reason why you couldn't be perfectly healthy on a vegetarian diet, unless your body has an allergy or something. Eggs, dairy and dark leafy greens provide lots of calcium. If anything, you should be eating chicken and fish but not beef. Beef isn't very good for you, unless you want really high chlosterol. My advice is to see a second doctor for further advice.

Answer 5

While vegetarianism can cause a lack of nutrients and serious health problems, one can also live a healthy and active lifestyle without meat.

The trick is to keep the right balance of nutrients, such as replacing the protein that you would normally get from meat.

If you consult a licensed nutritionist, they can help you set up a vegetarian diet plan that is healthy.

The Vegetarian Society website, as well as many others, may also help. A few helpful sites are listed below.

When the proper balance is maintained, vegetarianism can be a healthy lifestyle. The key is to eat a balanced diet to suppliment the nutrients you would normally get from meat, dairy, and eggs.

Answer 6

I don't believe this post for a minute. How exactly did his test you for calcium stores? How did he test you for your amino acids, exactly? I have a lab req slip right here, and I'm looking all over it and I don't see either of those tests.... hmmm. It's very hard to believe that you have issues with your pancreas, thyroid, and liver at the same time. What blood tests did he do in the office that didn't have to be sent out to the lab that told him all this?

Either your going to a quack or you're hosing us. If this was a visit to a chiropractor or some "doctor" who sells all those hormone, enzyme, and vitamin suppliments, but they didn't do lab tests (those kinds of tests have to be sent out to a lab and take time to get back - you couldn't know the results the same day as your appointment), then you definately need to go to a medical doctor - an MD - to get checked out.

By the way, you didn't say how you feel - if you don't feel sick, I'm guessing you aren't.

Answer 7

Your doctor cant "make" you do anything, and you have clearly not been following a BALANCED vegetarian diet, or you wouldnt have these issues. ONLY beef, chicken and fish? That only leaves out pork. Me and my 12 year old veggie daughter have been veggie for years, and our recent bloodwork showed our levels of everything were perfect. We eat organic, home cooked, no junk, and a diet well balanced with amino acids (available in quinoa and other whole grains) vegetables, fruits, and protein sources such as legumes, beans, lentils, pulses, etc. You must have been doing the "junk food" version of being a vegetarian. We need no supplements at all, but we do consume nutritional yeast and spirulina as part of our diet, which provides amino acids, protein, and B vitamins. No offense, but are you sure you are not looking for an excuse to eat meat? Again, you dont HAVE to follow his diet. Specialist or not, its clear he is uninformed about a true vegetarian diet, as are most doctors. Before I would go back to eating unhealthy meat, along with all the parasites, bacteria, growth hormones, steroids, blood, pus, and other nasty stuff that is in meat, I would do a load of research and find ways to have a more balanced veggie diet. Your doctor is ill informed, and it sounds as though you may have been misguided in your attempt at being a vegetarian. I mean no insult to you, but so many go about it the wrong way-just want to let you know it can be done right, if you do your homework. Unless my doc was buying my groceries, and paying my mortgage, I would tell him to research the facts a little more himself. Meat is unhealthy, no matter how you slice it (no pun intended) Sounds like you would be better off talking to a vegetarian friendly nutritionist or dietician, rather than taking an omnivore doctors advice.

Answer 8

Oh dear, have you noticed that your doctor doesn’t go on vacations? Instead, he goes to very important week long “conferences” in Barbados where they discuss issues that will certainly “save the world” one day, but that day is not today and it won’t be tomorrow or any other day. Interestingly, most of these conferences are sponsored by pharmaceutical companies (those that make the supplements he recommended) and some are sponsored by beef/poultry/dairy producers (still wondering why he ordered you to eat beef? LOL)
For millions of years humans and our ancestors flourished on well balanced vegan diet as many people do today. Please stop listening to that charlatan and use your brain instead.

Answer 9

As a veggie, you really need to monitor what you eat more. Do the supplements, eat the right veggies--be good to your body! Perhaps you can contact a nutritionist and get a second opinion. I would be pretty sickened to my stomach if I had to eat beef.

Answer 10

All of the following are marinated: Beef Pork Chicken Lamb Onions Mushrooms Green pepper Red Pepper Celery