[KammieG]

I've tried to go vegetarian several times, but always stopped because of severe withdrawal symptoms. I am talking about physical, not psychological, symptoms like headaches, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, indigestion, etc., that basically make me a non-functioning person.

When I try, I eat a healthy diet of non-processed whole foods, organic if I can afford it. I take vitamins, including b12 and iron. I eat plenty of food and include some protein like nuts, beans and eggs, or grains like quinoa. I exercise. I don't even eat that much meat to begin with (maybe 3 oz. daily), so it's not like I'm a major carnivore eating huge slabs of meat at each meal.

Has anyone else ever had these severe symptoms and managed to lessen them somehow? How'd you do it?

Note: I can't digest soy, wheat, and dairy, so suggestions of "eat more tofu/seitan/cheese" aren't helpful.

 

[Tesseract]

That's really weird. It sounds like you're eating plenty of healthy foods. How long have you stuck it out in the past before going back to eating meat? It's possible it could just be a matter of getting through the adjustment period. Is there something else about your diet that you changed when you tried to go veggie before, like maybe cutting out caffeine, or eating a lot less salt? Any sudden change, even a positive one, can make your body cranky until it adjusts.

Maybe you ought to try a more gradual approach by, say, having a meat-free day once a week, or meat -free dinners two nights a week, or something like that, and gradually increase the number of meals a week that are veggie.

 

[KammieG]

I stuck it out for about 4 months in college once, and never got around to feeling good again. I drink caffeine infrequently, so I don't think it is that, but I never thought about salt. I can't think of any other significant changes I would make, except for simply eating more fruits and veggies.

I have tried the gradual lessening, but often it seems like if I don't get meat or at least cheese, back when I was eating it, every 24 hours, I am miserable.

I know, it is totally bizarre and no one else ever seems to have these issues. Lucky me

 

[KammieG]

And I have tried the gradual lessening, but often it seems like if I don't get meat or at least cheese, back when I was eating it, every 24 hours, I am miserable.

I know, it is totally bizarre and no one else ever seems to have these issues. Lucky me

 

[Ludi]

You might happen to notice these symptoms more when you are trying to go veggie, but they are the symptoms of illnesses such as depression or fibromyalgia. Realistically, it seems extremely unlikely these are related to doing without meat, as there is nothing in meat which would cause these withdrawal symptoms. There's no kind of deficiency you would be experiencing in such a short time, even a protein deficiency wouldn't be experienced in a short time, as far as I know.

How can you eat cheese and not be able to digest dairy? If you can't digest it, there's nothing in it which you would be metabolizing to prevent withdrawal symptoms. In fact, you would have indigestion if you ate dairy cheese and not if you did without it.

I'd look into other problems such as depression (which can manifest with only physical symptoms and not emotional ones) or fibromyalgia. I just don't think there can be physical withdrawal symptoms from not eating meat, it doesn't make any kind of scientific sense, as far as I can figure.

 

[Ludi]

Oh, I should ask, is there anything you eat when you're trying to go veggie that you don't eat when you're on your regular diet?

It seems more likely there is something new you're eating which could cause those symptoms, rather than something you're going without. Possibly a food allergy?

 

[KammieG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ludi

Oh, I should ask, is there anything you eat when you're trying to go veggie that you don't eat when you're on your regular diet?

It seems more likely there is something new you're eating which could cause those symptoms, rather than something you're going without. Possibly a food allergy?

No, I just don't put meat in my food (e.g. no meat in curry or pasta dishes or whatever). I imagine that some of my problems in the past were due to the soy allergy, since I was eating lots of tofu, but the more recent episodes were soy-free. All I can think of is that I eat a greater quantity of vegetables, but that doesn't seem like it would be an issue.

 

[KammieG]

Weird, I don't know why my reply to your other question didn't show up. Basically I said that the dairy thing is relatively new, and so that's why I said, "back when I was eating it" to signify that I don't eat it anymore. My more recent veg. attempts have been dairy-free.

And I've had the same thoughts as you did on depression and fibro, but I do not meet the criteria.

 

[the cacao kid]

Salad and good fat. A salad a day as a discipline, always orgnanic where possible. You absolutley have to have greens.

Organic is very very important, and you should always get it when you have the opprotunity. Your worth it.

Good fat meaning=avocados(green guacamole is amazing), olives, olive oil, flax seeds ground, flax oil, hemp seeds, hemp oil, all nuts and seeds(pumpkin seeds, sunflowers, sesami(tahini), almonds, pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, cashews, etc etc...), coconut(actually a nut) or coconut oil, aflatoxin free jungle peanuts, algae supplements(like spirulina or klamath lake have some EFAS). If you eat fat, it will cause your blood to thicken and it will not create detoxification or detox symptoms that you might be experiencing. When you don't eat fat, the body has room to get ride of a bunch of stuff it couldnt earlier, and you should always try to juice some lemons and celery and green leafy vegetables when you experience those symptoms. You can add a carrot to sweeten it up and make it taste agreeable too. Ginger eases nausea as well, so that's an herb/spice to keep in mind.

Quinoa is a gluten free grain I like to sprout. It's really more of a seed. Sprouts in general are very healing foods to incorporate into the diet.

 

[Ludi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KammieG

And I've had the same thoughts as you did on depression and fibro, but I do not meet the criteria.

Ok, I'm glad you checked that out with your physician.

 

[rabid_child]

A sudden jump in fiber (and beans) can definitely upset your stomach. You mentioned you went veg for 4 months *in college.* How well were you really eating in college? Even seasoned vegetarians have some trouble eating well while in college. Granted the soy/dairy/wheat thing could make it more difficult. Are you eating enough calories as a veg? Whole grains? Perhaps you should see a nutritionist, have them lay out a healthy meal plan for you, try it for a while and see if it makes any difference.

 

[rabid_child]

A sudden jump in fiber (and beans) can definitely upset your stomach. You mentioned you went veg for 4 months *in college.* How well were you really eating in college? Even seasoned vegetarians have some trouble eating well while in college. Granted the soy/dairy/wheat thing could make it more difficult. Are you eating enough calories as a veg? Whole grains? Perhaps you should see a nutritionist, have them lay out a healthy meal plan for you, try it for a while and see if it makes any difference.