Please! Advice! Anyone! (nutrition)

[free_vegan]

I need help! I'm not getting enough nutrition on my new Vegan diet. I'm on this medication for depression which happens to be an appetite suppressant; which causes me to never feel hungry and when I do eat, it's out of force or habit. And since I'm not eating meat, eggs, and dairy - things that I'm use to in my diet - my body is screaming for food. When I do feel hungry, I don't want to cook myself something because most of the time, if I want a big, fufilling meal, it takes sooo long to prepare. I don't want to tell my parents that I feel like I'm not getting enough nutrition, that I'm having tremors from my opposing medicines, and that I'm feeling weak. What should I do? I'm already taking multivitamin supplements, too. And there is NO WAY in HELL that I'm switching back to a regular diet! NO WAY! Any way, this is sooo important! Any advice is more than appreciated!!! Thanks!!!

[karenlovessnow]

Is your doctor aware that the medicine is supressing your appetite and that it is causing tremors? What kinds of vegan foods to you enjoy eating?

[Tesseract]

I'd say...

1. Talk to your doctor about the side effects. Maybe your dose can be adjusted or you can be put on a med that works better for you.

2. Bean and rice burritos. You can make them yourself fairly quickly if you have all the ingredients already prepared and ready in the fridge, or you can get frozen ones from Whole Foods or even the cheap ones at the regular grocery-- they're like 39 cents. They're pretty dinky, though.

3. Mineral supplement.

4. I don't want to be one of those armchair MDs, but have you tried St. John's Wort for the depression? It worked wonders for me, with no noticeable side effects whatsoever. I don't know how effective it is on severe depression, but I was pretty depressed - to the point that I couldn't work.

[RunsWithFoxes]

I need help! I'm not getting enough nutrition on my new Vegan diet. I'm on this medication for depression which happens to be an appetite suppressant; which causes me to never feel hungry and when I do eat, it's out of force or habit. And since I'm not eating meat, eggs, and dairy - things that I'm use to in my diet - my body is screaming for food. When I do feel hungry, I don't want to cook myself something because most of the time, if I want a big, fufilling meal, it takes sooo long to prepare. I don't want to tell my parents that I feel like I'm not getting enough nutrition, that I'm having tremors from my opposing medicines, and that I'm feeling weak. What should I do? I'm already taking multivitamin supplements, too. And there is NO WAY in HELL that I'm switching back to a regular diet! NO WAY! Any way, this is sooo important! Any advice is more than appreciated!!! Thanks!!!

1. Hunger is an indication that your body believes it's not getting enough calories. This is different than inadequate nutrition. It's doubtful that "nutrition" is the cause of your problems. For example, your micronutrient and mineral status are probably just fine.

2. Big fulfilling meals don't necessarily take a long time prepare. You need to give yourself a break if you've recently transitioned to a vegan diet - you have A LOT to learn. Namely, a whole new way of selecting and preparing food. It sounds like perhaps you should try a gradualist approach if you don't feel sufficiently well-skilled to go "cold turkey". Don't worry - if you're inquisitive and aggressive you'll be ready for 100% vegan in no time :angel:

3. The tremors are pretty serious - you should talk to your doctor.

Good luck! :bobo:

[db3695]

I had to switch. I forgot what one I was on, I went through a few of them. I know what you mean that having no appetite is a problem, it was for me, plus I was just new to vegetarianism too. I had to tell the doctor. I was losing too much weight and felt horrible.

[VeganForHealth]

I'd make sure to have some humous in the fridge at all times, with fresh sliced veggies.

If you live near a Trader Joes, get some Soy Nuggets. ...You can nuke those up in 2 minutes. Use Barbeque sauce, or even just Ketchup.

Keep chocolate Soymilk around for if you get a sweet tooth craving.

Grapes are always good to have onhand. (Even when I'm not hungry I can eat these.)

I hate snacking on nutz. I find them too filling. But if you don't, maybe keep some pisatchios in the freezer.

For me, horse radish in Tomatoe Juice wakes up my appetite. I squeeze a fresh lemon in, and stir with a celery stalk. When I'm fussy, often I'll eat that.

...Good luck!

[Jinga]

Free_vegan, it sounds like we are having nearly indentical problems. Thankfully, I'm not having tremors, but I have no appetite and its been making me feel weak. Feeling like that makes it even harder to muster up the energy to prepare something nutritious when I do get hungry. My best success has been things like cashew butter on whole wheat, cereal and fortified soymilk, and pre-made soups, gyoza, sushi, etc. from places like Trader Joes. Many days I've just had to remind myself that nutritious food means life and energy.

[free_vegan]

Thank you you guys for all the advice. I remembered late last night that I've been going cold turkey on the usual 2 cups of coffee in the morning and 3-6 cans of Sunkist after school. Caffeine withdrawal. I don't think there is a Trader Joes around here. The only thing close is Publix, but God! There veggie food are sooo expensive! For 10 slices of cheedar vegan cheese, it's like almost $5!!! My mom thinks I should try to prepare my own foods instead of eat TV dinners and such.

I really do appreciate you guys jumping in within 24 hours. Last night I felt like I was going insane! I was sooo hungry and I couldn't think of a thing to eat! This is definately a harder transition than I thought, especially when I am just going cold turkey! Thanks for the advice! *BIG HUGS*

[lijahbaby]

Maybe you could prepere several things that you like and freeze them for when you get hungry? Get some vegan cookbooks and go crazy!

[Thalia]

If you decide to change to St. John's wort, make sure your give yourself a good 2 weeks off of your old meds to prevent potentially harmful interactions. SJW can also reduce effectiveness of birth control pills, HIV medications and others. So beware, and ask your physician.