Aching Joints - Vegans

[NailQueenxo]

I became vegan a month ago and i have become very tired, my legs ache a lot, i feel weaker and less energetic. What supplements to other vegans take that help them become more energetic?

[deejames]

I do hope you didn't just eliminate all animal products without researching how to get the essential nurients etc in your new diet. B 12 for one. Are you eating lots of pluses and whole grain cereals ? I'm not a vegan but vegetarian and even then I have to make sure my diet is including everything g I need.

Dee

[NailQueenxo in reply to deejames]

I have been vegetarian my whole life so didn't think veganism is much different , I knew that b12 and calcium are important to supplement but I don't know what brands or anything. I think I will go to my doctor and get a blood test to see if I'm deficient in anything , thanks for your concern 😊

[Ali-Gregory]

Hello, would certainly suggest a B12 supplement, if your having low energy ( it comes from a bacteria in the soil found in sea plants most people should take a B12 supplement because it's not naturally found in enough quanity in meat or vegan diet ) . I take a vegan/ vegetarian multi vitamin which you can buy at Holland and Barret, which contains B12, but you don't have to take multi vitamins. You can actually get B12 shots from the NHS ( may have to look into that, it's apperntly better because it bypasses your digestive system and goes straight to the cells! ) . Otherwise I would suggest to look at the amount your eating, I haven't been vegan for very long, but felt quite similar the first few days because I wasn't eating enough, I was trying to eat like I would when I was vegetarian. I would say eat as much fruit as you can e.g bananas, dates, grapefruit, Apples ECT. ( before meals or just as a full meal) and make sure your getting enough carbs from potatoes, rice, pasta ECT. with less oil and salt , because these tend to contribute to withholding water weight and maintaining fat in the body. Also I would suggest doing so more reaserch ( I found it confusing at first and I'm still learning) on different recipes or varying vegan lifestyles / diets and see if there is something you are maybe not including enough of ? Also just getting out and going for a walk or doing some activity can increase your energy levels ( although I can understand that's not so tempting when your already feeling achey.)

But for certain find a B12 supplement, that did improve my energy levels a lot ( I first started taking it when I was vegetarian ) and it has improved my mood and energy levels a lot.

I hope this helps a bit

[NailQueenxo in reply to Ali-Gregory]

Great thanks for the really helpful advice! i will definitely do some more research and take what you said on board

[NailQueenxo]

Hiya sure!, so normally a fruit smoothie for breakfast (e.g. mango, banana and soy milk) or granola/muesli/porridge and soy milk but not often because it irritates my ibs. I always make sure i incorporate fortified soy milk somehow for breakfast. I don't snack in the morning. Then I have lunch at about 2 and I try to keep it in low starchy carbs, for example a mixed leaf salad w/ avocado or a hummus sandwich/ hummus and pita chips or just loads of vegetables like a whole head of lettuce with sweet corn, peppers, avocado etc. And I tend to have an afternoon snack for example a fruit and nut bar, some chopped fresh fruit or peanut butter on rice crackers. Then for dinner at about 7pm, I tend to have quite starchy meals, for example, a baked sweet potato with homemade guacamole, quinoa and vegetables, pesto pasta or vegetable/bean wraps. And I don't eat anything after dinner. I always drink a minimum of 2.5L of water daily (including about 2-3 cups of peppermint/green tea) and my calories usually come to 1200-1400 because i'm currently trying to lose weight. I like walking so i usually walk for around 30-60 minutes a day and sometimes run 3 times a week. (not so much now because of the way i'm feeling at the moment). Im an 18yr old 5ft 9 10st 8 female. Hope that helps!

[Macrovioletics in reply to NailQueenxo]

I agree with the comment about the amount of water you are drinking, and the dangers of soy that hasn't been fermented.

Please, consider having more filling meals, including protein in all of them (beans, pulses, tempeh (fermented soya beans), maybe some occasional tofu) with whole grains (rice, millet, buckwheat, quinoa, etc.)

Having too much raw fruit and vegetable may cause weakness, and bloating. Another thing that is important for IBS is, of course, to limit spices and to cook the beans thoroughly. You could even put them through a sieve after cooked to make sure you don't have to deal with all the hard fibre at the beginning, as your intestines get used to the diet and gradually grow stronger.

Walking is great, I hope you feel like doing it again soon.

[NailQueenxo in reply to Macrovioletics]

Thanks very much! Will definitely take everything into consideration xx

[HASHISmom34 in reply to NailQueenxo]

You are not getting enough calories and fats!!! Even if you want to lose weight. If you exercise most days and burn calories there, you need enough calories. I would call your Family dr and ask if they have a certified nutritionalist at the practice. If not, Find a professional and have a consultation for sure. You need a list of things to help you to get enough of everything in you and what you need. And FYI i do not know if you have any conditions but soy milk has been known to cause thyroid issues. Many studies back it up, anything w/ soy actually. One of my brothers is a nutritionalist and i switched to almond milk yrs ago. I use that for smoothies and my cereal. Good luck!

[fitflexcoach]

Yes a vegan diet can make the joints ache. One issue is the lack of the omega three fatty acids, there's a large, and disproportional ratio of omega six fatty acids, to omega three fatty acids. Some vegan diets, has a far greater than the average of eighteen to one. Some vegans have over a one hundred to one ratio, due to eating nuts like almonds. The omega six while important, can have an inflammatory affect, on the body, and the joints. The proper ratio, or balance, is between four to one, and one to four omega sic to omega three. But as pointed out, it's also very possible with a diet, that's completely omnivorous, or contains meat. A diet for example that contains fish, or seafood, is less likely to be as inflammatory.

[NailQueenxo in reply to fitflexcoach]

Thanks I will look into omega 3 supplements C

[HASHISmom34 in reply to NailQueenxo]

The omega 3 respond from fitflexcoach was super, but if i might add you want to make sure you buy a quality omega 3 with high active MG Omega 3. Example i buy from puritans pride online 1360 MG with 950 Active MG. The active part is most important. Pharmacies brands are basically useless.

[BadHare]

Hi,

I gave up being predominantly vegan a year ago, & went back to being vegetarian. I think a lot of my pain issues were due to lack of B12 & D3. Make sure you get a good source of methylcobalamin & cholecalciferol, & avoid inflammatory foods. I feel better for sticking to a clean diet, & having no processed food. I found a lot of vegan foods were processed, such as mrgarines, & many soya products gave me mouth ulcers within an hour, which isn't a good sign.

M*

[NailQueenxo in reply to BadHare]

Yes i iunderstand! the vegan junk food does tend to be quite processed. Thank you x

[HASHISmom34]

yes!!! you beat me to it!!!

[Ryan-]

I'm day 23, i hurt & I'm tired. I felt great at first. I eat organic oatmeal w blue berries & strawberry. Big organic salad,4 type peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, milled flaxseed &walnuts. Organic rice cakes & guacamole or hummis (home made no oil) portobello mushrooms and steamed vegetables. Inorganic homemade pizza. Organic pretty much everything. I take a B12 supplement three times a week I take a vegan B3 supplement daily. Oh yeah also organic apples and bananas. When I'm feeling right I train five or six days a week mostly cardio running. When am I going to start feeling amazing? I also eat a lot of rice &beans. I did eat meat 6 times a day for my macro nutrient diet. For about 5 years. I went cold turkey after watching forks over knifes

[andyswarbs]

For aching joints as well as B12, I would look at both omega3-6 ratio and also potassium levels.

For weakness I would ensure you are not limiting your calories. This is a biggie. You should ensure you get enough cals for your body, so that should be, say around 2,200 cals. But it depends on age, gender, exercise etc. So I go to cronometer.com which is a free service to find out what your personal needs are.

There could be particular health reasons that you are feeling this way that are nothing to do with change to veganism. So anything you are prepared to share will help provide more pertinent advice.

[PeaceOnEarth]

Personally, I find all my necissary vitamins in Avocadoes, Blueberries, Coconuts, Cashews, Moringa Leaves, and mushrooms without resorting to using suppliments. That isnt all I eat, but most of those have B12 especially mushrooms

Maybe try Yerba Mata in the morning. Just make sure you get 2000 calories a day