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Vegetarian cooking (rec.food.veg.cooking) Discussion of matters related to the procurement, preparation, cooking, nutritional value and eating of vegetarian foods. |
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Vegetarian Diet Nutrition and Energy Levels
Hi there,
I have been a vegetarian for most of the last decade, but one thing that concerns me is my very poor energy level. Although I am not old (I am 32), I often feel tired and deflated, and I have to set my alarm clock an hour before I actually get up as it takes me this long to summon the will to get out of bed (incidentally, I have never been a good sleeper either). I was wondering if this could be diet related, as I have read that vegetarians who return to eating meat find that their energy levels rocket upwards. Is there any scientific basis to this idea, and if so are there alternatives to eating meat that I can try? I really don't want to eat meat again, but I would certainly try herbal supplements or altering my diet while remaining a vegetarian. Any assistance offered would be gratefully received. Many thanks, QH |
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It could also be a food allergy. I have an allergy to corn and corn
based products (maize starch, etc), and since I have cut it out, my energy level has increased tremendously. I had been tired for about 9 years. If you aren't malnurished, as someone else suggested, then try cutting things out one at a time for a couple weeks. Keep a diary of what you've eaten and see which days correspond to the most tired days. I also found other symptoms ended when I cut out corn...symptoms I'd lived with my whole life, so I just assumed they were normal. |
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Dr Engelbert Buxbaum wrote: > wrote: > > >>Hi there, >> >>I have been a vegetarian for most of the last decade, but one thing >>that concerns me is my very poor energy level. Although I am not old (I >>am 32), I often feel tired and deflated, and I have to set my alarm >>clock an hour before I actually get up as it takes me this long to >>summon the will to get out of bed (incidentally, I have never been a >>good sleeper either). I was wondering if this could be diet related, > > > A balanced vegetarien diet should provide you with all nutrients > required. In your case I'd recommend a thorough medical examination. > That should also show up any nutrient deficiency, although I suspect > that the cause of your problems is not nutrition related. There is no > point in silently suffering when help may be at hand rather easily. It most definitely *could* be diet related. What the OP describes is exactly what's happened to my child each time vegetarianism was attempted. It even happened when making sure to get a lot of protein from whey peptides, tempeh, black soybeans, tofu, etc, along with plenty of EFAs and colorful veggies. Each time, resuming consumption of animal protein reversed the awful weakness and difficulty waking and getting started each day. Susan |
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"Just Cocky" > schreef in bericht ... > On Fri, 2 Sep 2005 15:10:13 GMT, wrote: >> >>I have been a vegetarian for most of the last decade, but one thing >>that concerns me is my very poor energy level. Although I am not old (I >>am 32), I often feel tired and deflated, and I have to set my alarm >>clock an hour before I actually get up as it takes me this long to >>summon the will to get out of bed (incidentally, I have never been a >>good sleeper either). I was wondering if this could be diet related, as >>I have read that vegetarians who return to eating meat find that their >>energy levels rocket upwards. Is there any scientific basis to this >>idea, and if so are there alternatives to eating meat that I can try? I >>really don't want to eat meat again, but I would certainly try herbal >>supplements or altering my diet while remaining a vegetarian. Any >>assistance offered would be gratefully received. >> > > Well, assuming you are disease-free, you could simply be malnourished. > Many vegetarians like to gorge on high-refined carbs and forget good > fats and protein. You may also be deficient in Vitaming B12. > > Things to supplement with could be: > > 1) Good Multivitamin, ex: > http://www.lef.org/newshop/items/item00659.html > > 2) Fish, sesame and olive oils, ex: > http://www.lef.org/newshop/items/item00820.html Hmm fish oil wouldn`t be right for me as a vegetarian. Allthough a supermarket pulled a veggie meat supplement because in the flavouring they used fish oil. You can see that you can`t trust supermarkets. ;o) (it wasn`t the kind I used, but still) > 3) Whey protein (w/ Creatine and Glutamine), ex: > http://www.lef.org/newshop/items/item00611.html > > At the very least, you should get a good, high-potency multivitamin. Yeah I use that too, a long time now, but I know it is the stress from my job ;o) |
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Susan wrote:
> Each time, resuming consumption of animal protein reversed the awful > weakness and difficulty waking and getting started each day. Then the diet was not really balanced. Note also that a vegetarian diet may contain animal proteins from milk products and eggs. A vegan diet without any animal products is a complicated effort, requires constant attention to proper mixing of protein sources and supplementation with Vit. B12, which is not produced by plants. Especially for growing children not something I'd recommend. The point I was making in my earlier post is that the symptoms described by the OP can have several causes, most not related to nutrition and easily rectified once diagnosed. But that can not be done over the internet. |
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Dr Engelbert Buxbaum wrote:
> Then the diet was not really balanced. Note also that a vegetarian diet > may contain animal proteins from milk products and eggs. A vegan diet > without any animal products is a complicated effort, requires constant > attention to proper mixing of protein sources Many, many children do well and do better on a vegan diet. It is not complicated. If someone wants to get another opinion about this you can read a site authored by a registered dietitian: http://www.veganhealth.org. You can also check out the url in my sig for nutrition books by RDs who coauthored the ADA position paper on Vegetarianism. I've m Steve Be A Healthy Vegan Or Vegetarian http://www.geocities.com/beforewisdo...ealthyVeg.html Steve's Home Page http://www.geocities.com/beforewisdom/ "The great American thought trap: It is not real unless it can be seen on television or bought in a shopping mall" |
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x-no-archive: yes
Dr Engelbert Buxbaum wrote: > Then the diet was not really balanced. First of all, "balanced" is a garbage word in diet. Everyone means something different by it. Note also that a vegetarian diet > may contain animal proteins from milk products and eggs. She was eating eggs and dairy. Her supplemental shakes were whey peptide, with yogurt and frozen fruits. A vegan diet > without any animal products is a complicated effort, requires constant > attention to proper mixing of protein sources and supplementation with > Vit. B12, which is not produced by plants. Especially for growing > children not something I'd recommend. Nor for any human, actually. Any diet that causes chronic absence of a vital nutrient is not one we are meant to live on long term. I don't believe in the mixing of protein sources as a practical nor effective means to optimize health. > > The point I was making in my earlier post is that the symptoms described > by the OP can have several causes, most not related to nutrition and > easily rectified once diagnosed. But that can not be done over the > internet. And the point I was making is that in our very nutritionally informed/educated family, vegetarianism, even with adequate protein levels, caused weakness and ill health. Replacing vegetarian sources of protein with animal protein reversed the weakness and wellbeing ensued each and every time. Your assertion that the vegetarian diet not be considered a likely cause was, well, wrong. Susan == From the Moderators == The moderators would like to point out that Usenet is really not the right place to go for medical advice. Unusual or unpleasant symptoms such as unexplained weakness or poor energy levels should always be reported to a qualified medical practitioner. With that in mind, we suggest that this thread has mostly likely run its useful course. There is no fundamental reason to question the soundness of a vegetarian diet from a nutritional and scientific perspective. Thus, let's get back to food and cooking! |
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"Susan" > schreef in bericht ... > [excessive quoting removed by moderator/Gedge] > And the point I was making is that in our very nutritionally > informed/educated family, vegetarianism, even with adequate protein > levels, caused weakness and ill health. Replacing vegetarian sources of > protein with animal protein reversed the weakness and wellbeing ensued > each and every time. I have to go by your word, and how were those who choose to be vegetarian treated by the rest? I know that my well being in the beginning was influenced by the people surrounding me, talking negative about my choice. After a while there came acceptance, and a better well being. So many things to take into account in such situations. But it might be a genetical thing, just like my mother can`t take in vitamin B12, so she gets injections. (No she isn`t a vegetarian ;o) ) There are so many variables, and if you think/know that animal proteins make you feel better, and you have no problem with it, then just do what you think feels right. Many people eat less meat too, and still feel good, so who knows. > Your assertion that the vegetarian diet not be considered a likely cause > was, well, wrong. You can`t proof that it was the cause like we can`t proof it wasn`t. > Susan |
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