I've recently gone vegetarian - about 8 months ago or so. One thing
I've noticed is that my fingers tend to be a bit colder when outside -
if I had gloves on, it could get really, really cold before my fingers
would bother me. Now they are pretty sensitive. I guess a lower body
temperature is to be expected, however, and it works out nice now that
it's getting warmer.

Another odd thing I've noticed is that the back of my hands got very,
very dry and cracked. There is also a weird consistency in the skin -
almost as if the elasticity is prematurely going out of my skin. Now
that winter has passed, it lingers, though not as dry as before. Has
anyone else had this, and is there any vegetarian food and/or
supplement that I might take to make up for some sort of deficiency?

In article . com>,
Sean LeBlanc > wrote:
>I've recently gone vegetarian - about 8 months ago or so.
>....
>Another odd thing I've noticed is that the back of my hands got very,
>very dry and cracked.

Dry cracking skin, or inability to heal properly, may be the result
of insufficient protein in your diet. I'd say increase your intake
of legumes. And if you aren't vegan, eat an egg once in a while.

Of course, it could also be coincidence that this is happening
during dry weather in winter. But if you never noticed it before,
and the only difference in your life is your new vegetarian diet,
that might be indicative that you need more protein. Protein is
necessary for wounds to heal, even small wounds caused by chapping.

-A

Sean LeBlanc > wrote:
> I've recently gone vegetarian - about 8 months ago or so. One thing
> I've noticed is that my fingers tend to be a bit colder when outside -
> [quoting trimmed by moderator - gedge]
> Another odd thing I've noticed is that the back of my hands got very,
> very dry and cracked. There is also a weird consistency in the skin -

I used to eat a lot of Bell peppers for my skin when I was a vegan. I still
eat/drink Aloe Vera.

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!

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In article . com>,
says...
> I've recently gone vegetarian - about 8 months ago or so. One thing
> I've noticed is that my fingers tend to be a bit colder when outside -
> [quoting trimmed by moderator - gedge]
> Another odd thing I've noticed is that the back of my hands got very,
> very dry and cracked.

I would track pretty closely what you eat for a while- not just
protein/varb/fat ratios, but micronutrients as well. It is really easy
to get in a rut and miss some vitamins. b12 deficiency is pretty common
in vegetarians/vegans. One symptom is tingling in the fingers... I
don't know how that matches with feeling cold. Omega-3 fatty acids are
also known to promote good skin quality- if you ate a lot of fish
before, and don't now, that could be part of the issue.

There are some nice computer programs that have a demo period that make
tracking this relatively painless. As long as you aren't eating highly
processed food, most of the databases in the computer programs are
pretty detailed. Some of them only track calories or fat grams (for
dieting) as opposed to everything (for nutrition).

If you do find that your diet is lacking something, try to fix it with
food and not supplements...


Louise

On Jun 9, 3:19 am, Louise > wrote:
> In article . com>,
> says...
>
> > I've recently gone vegetarian - about 8 months ago or so. One thing
> > I've noticed is that my fingers tend to be a bit colder when outside -
> > [quoting trimmed by moderator - gedge]
> > Another odd thing I've noticed is that the back of my hands got very,
> > very dry and cracked.
>
> I would track pretty closely what you eat for a while- not just
> protein/varb/fat ratios, but micronutrients as well. It is really easy
> [quoting trimmed by moderator - gedge]
> There are some nice computer programs that have a demo period that make
> tracking this relatively painless. As long as you aren't eating highly

Thanks for the info (all of you). I guess I should make sure I take my
vegetarian B12 and flaxseed oil and maybe more eggs. I haven't noticed
cuts taking any longer to heal, however.

Speaking of software, are there any open source projects that track
diet? I did a quick google and didn't turn up anything. It would seem
the actual functional part would be relatively simple; the data might
be hard to find/maintain.

According to >:
>Thanks for the info (all of you). I guess I should make sure I take my
>vegetarian B12 and flaxseed oil and maybe more eggs. I haven't noticed
>cuts taking any longer to heal, however.

I was under the impression that unless you were vegan, B12 wasn't
really a problem. (Due to needing such a small amount, and it
staying stockpiled in the body for a long time anyhow)
--

In article >,
says...
> According to >:

[snip]
>
> I was under the impression that unless you were vegan, B12 wasn't
> really a problem. (Due to needing such a small amount, and it
> staying stockpiled in the body for a long time anyhow)
>

I'm not vegan- I eat eggs regularly (which are a good source), and I
rarely meet the RDA for B12 (I barely get a third of the recommended
amounts). I don't eat a lot of prepared food- a lot of cereals and
breads are fortified with B12. Nutritional yeast may or may not have
it, depending on brand.


Louise