VegaNick Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 My friend Josh just recently went vegetarian (although he does not eat eggs or cheese he does get some dairy in) about a week ago. He's complaining that he feels tired and fatigued. I never had this trouble. What can I tell him. I don't want him to stop, but I'm not sure what he would be lacking in his diet that might make him feel this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pelicanAndrew Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 It's probably protein. If he went veggie recently it's not b12 but it doesn't hurt to get those levels checked. He probably just needs to eat more legumes, nuts and grains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CollegeB Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 try to find out what he actually is eating. Isn't there b12 in dairy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pelicanAndrew Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Yeah, i guess there is but i thought he said his friend wasn't eating much dairy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RawRunnerBethany Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 He probably needs to be eating more fresh, ripe fruit and less junk... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegaNick Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 That's the thing though, he said that all he has been eating is fresh fruit. He also said that he has been craving meat. My question is what can he eat that will give him what he needs and keep his brain from telling him he needs meat? I never craved it when I went, so I'm having trouble telling him what to eat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_raVen_ Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Fatigue is very, very common when switching diet! It's not necessarily a "vegan" thing, either: it happens whenever one makes such a drastic change. The body is in transition. Use a simple example ... say, coffee: When one stops drinking coffee they experience some terrible withdrawals, some even developing the flu. But it passes; and they get off of the addiction: it's the same with foods or any other addiction. One just has to go through it. Or how about exercise? When you start, it's killer; but after a while, one adapts. ~Read this quick link:When people say, "I don't feel well when I eat this way", this is one of the best explanations I've found because it is so true. It not only makes sense to my ears, but it is factual. I've heard and read Dr. Fuhrman say this over and over when people say they can't do a vegan diet.It also follows for other bodily functions and changes. Your organs have to adjust to these changes, bigtime He may need some higher carbs right now, which are what give us energy. Tell him to eat a lot beans and fruit. Eat some potatoes, if he feels he needs more carbs. What he needs: He definitely needs e.f.a.'s: Tell him to get 1 TB of ground flax seeds every day. Eat a couple ounces of whole-food source of fats like nuts and seeds,whatever kind he likes. Make sure to get sunshine every day -- at least 15 minutes, unprotected; if he can't, he needs a vitamin D supplement, asap.A multi will with B-12 will probably be best. Make sure it has Vitamin D2 (which is vegan), and iodine too. And make sure it has no Vitamin A.consume leafy greens -- tell him to make green smoothies (Go to my intro post where I explain about them -- they are miraculous! P.S. If after this, he still wants meat, tell him to have some faux meats, found in the refrigerated and frozen section of markets. It's not optimal nutrition, but it's okay for a transition period. But try the above first, lots of beans, greens, and fruit! All veggies, especially green ones are good, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RawRunnerBethany Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 If all that he has been eating is fresh fruit, I have 2 thoughts: 1. He may not be eating enough calories. It takes a lot of practice to learn to eat enough calories from fruit. 2. His body is probably cleaning house... What do you think? Are either of these possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odidnetne Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 An amazing trick that made me stop craving meat was to eat something spicy, like beans with a lot of peppers, that worked like a charm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 A week after changing a diet so drastically, I imagine the body is just surprised by how sudden it is and doesn't know how to use the foods he is eating, and is used to dealing with the old kinds of foods. How much is he eating a day, and how big are the servings? How many calories roughly is he getting, and how much activity is he doing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegaNick Posted October 3, 2006 Author Share Posted October 3, 2006 I seriously doubt it, but does anyone think it could have something to do with that he is African American. I'm not racist or anything but I know that african americans are generally lactose intolerant so maybe their body composition is different making the switch more difficult? Maybe an african american vegan could let me know if this sounds familiar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finbarrio Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 Read Raven's post again. It's likely just the switching diets thing. I also would recommend him eating more carbs. I fell into the high-protein trap when I first went vegan and felt the drag when out on my bike. After taking some advice (from this here forum) that I might need more carbs, the drag went away almost immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9nines Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 His condition is probably from a lack of calories and his carvings are likely not for meat per se, just a craving of calories. If he ate a normal American diet, meat is what his body knows as a dense calorie source. So wanting more calories, the body gets an urge for what it knows. Maybe not a good permanent diet, a good transition food might be to eat a lot of bread. It is easy to eat and is calorie dense. After he expands his diet to more foods, as most new vegetarians do, he can lessen the bread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CollegeB Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 Essentially tell him to eat more. He can do the fruititarian diet, but I think going from a standard american diet into fruititarianism is probably not what he should do, and I dont think his race has a thing to do with it. See bigwii. More carbs, beanutbutter, flax seed, rice/beans, give him some brocoli too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odidnetne Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 The best to tell him is to just give it some time, and that it'll be worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_raVen_ Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 Read Raven's post again... Hey, thanks, fin...sometimes people don't read posts...much less mine or the links I post! By the way, I read in the nickname thread about the origins of your screen name and I was suprised; I thought for sure "fin" was short for something or maybe a fish reference, and "barrio" related to your 'hood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finbarrio Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Read Raven's post again... Hey, thanks, fin...sometimes people don't read posts...much less mine or the links I post! By the way, I read in the nickname thread about the origins of your screen name and I was suprised; I thought for sure "fin" was short for something or maybe a fish reference, and "barrio" related to your 'hood Hey, I always find your posts thoughtful and intelligent, even when I don't agree with them And ya, you betta recognize - I represent the mean streets of Medway, Mass, yo! (small, upper-mid class suburb of Boston suburbs. I used to walk through a farm on my way to school - dodging cow pies is about as tough as my "hood" got lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_raVen_ Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Read Raven's post again... Hey, thanks, fin...sometimes people don't read posts...much less mine or the links I post! By the way, I read in the nickname thread about the origins of your screen name and I was suprised; I thought for sure "fin" was short for something or maybe a fish reference, and "barrio" related to your 'hood Hey, I always find your posts thoughtful and intelligent, even when I don't agree with them What??! Someone doesn't agree with me? I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked! I'm used to being in the minority especially with my opinions anyway . With the exception of Jay -- and even with him it's rare -- I don't think anyone here agrees with me But thanks And ya, you betta recognize - I represent the mean streets of Medway, Mass, yo! (small, upper-mid class suburb of Boston suburbs. I used to walk through a farm on my way to school - dodging cow pies is about as tough as my "hood" got lol) Hey, cow dung is pretty dang tough in my book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finbarrio Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Our 'hood now is retirement/tourist community. There are literally NO kids on our street. Seriously. Kristy, at 28, is the youngest person on our street. At least it's safe, except for the occasional gardening mishap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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