Hi! I turned vegetarian over a year and a half. At the beginning I was perfect, but now after every time I go hiking, my joints hurt. For instance, yesterday I returned from my weekend hike and at the end, my ankle began hurting and it isn't going away. I am scared it'll happen the same as the last time. My waist acked for nearly 4 months!! What can I do? Could this be cause I am not eating enough of something?
Thanks!!❤️
Don't know if this might help you but... make any dietary changes slowly .... here is what I personally noticed with my system.... When I went vegetarian I was eating a lot more potatoes and tomatoes that I did not eat a lot of before-- never liked peppers--- you may not realize I am mentioning some of the major 'nightshade foods'
From diagnosisdiet.com "Meet the Nightshade (Solanaceae) Family:
Tomatoes.
Tomatillos.
Eggplant.
Potatoes.
Goji Berries.
Tobacco.
Peppers (bell peppers, chili peppers, paprika, tamales, tomatillos, pimentos, cayenne, etc)"
These can cause joint pains and other different pains and according to Dr. Sherry Rogers (Pain Free in 6 Weeks: Sherry A. Rogers) who also personally suffers with sensitivity to nightshade foods. She says that nightshade sensitivity can develop over time and be worse for people later in life but that it can come on at any age.
I had first given up gluten, lowered carbs and sugars and I did not want to eliminate a new category of foods. But I did and in short order my joint pains resolved. I believe like,Yasmina Ykelenstam 'the low histamine chef ' that 'elimination doesn't heal, nutrition does' but if you have a sensitivity you must avoid those foods you are reacting too for a time in order to heal. I have learned a great deal about nutrient dense foods and the power of nutrition since. Nutrition is very powerful but very complex.
I also like these Michael Pollan quotes...
“Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.”
“You are what what you eat eats.”
― Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
― Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
Never missed gluten or nightshades once I got them out of my system.
I now eat more Paleo but very plant based with meats more like, as Dr. Mark Hyman coined, 'eat meats like a condimeat'. I almost entirely avoid beef as unless it is good stock and raised very 'clean' grass fed AND grass finished with little to no antibiotics and drug use it is not best for everyone. Every food even at it's very best has pros and cons. A varied balanced diet consisting of quality foods is best.
Thanks so much for the info and quotes, loved them! Now that I think of it, I eat loads of tomatoes and eggplants.... I'll cut down the amounts!! Thanks again 
Hope you don't mind me asking how old you are Estel2468 ? It could be joint wear and tear that's just coincidental. If you are still eating good amounts of dairy and eggs a vegetarian diet shouldn't leave you short on nutrients. Are you eating fish at all? If you made drastic changes to your diet other than leaving out meat, or you don't eat a generally balanced diet then you could be missing out on nutrients. I'd make an appointment with your GP to discuss the joint pain as it might require some medical treatment or physio. As percyfaith said above the nightshade family of vegetables can exacerbate an arthritic condition but I'd check this with your doctor before eliminating these. Good luck 😀
Thanks for that!! I am 17, and I've no bone problems that I know of! I don't eat meat nor milk, eggs ocasionally, but I take a multivitamin supplement
Where do you get your protein from?
From quinoa, pasta, rice, almond milk, legumes and nuts basically... Don't know if I'm missing something
Are they complete proteins?
what does that mean? Sorry, I'm not familiar with that term😅
Hold on and I will try to get a link that explains it 😀
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Com...
I hope this explains it to you..this is something that a lot of people don't consider when they stop eating meat.
If you don't understand it I will try again 😁
I understood thanks!! Then the only complete proteins I get are from quinoa, beens and seeds and occasinally tofu, is that enough?
If you can work out how much you should be taking per day then you should be fine.
I was thinking that if you are not getting enough it might be effecting your hiking and stuff. You know that you get muscle damage when doing most physical things and they might not be repairing well because you have a low protein intake.
I hike too by the way but I'm out of action from it because I broke some of my toes a couple of weeks ago coming down a mountain. I will learn 😂
Thanks!! Now I know how much protein I have to take💪
Hhahaha omg I hope your toes get better!!! Nature awaits! Aghh it bothers me soo much when I can't go out there and do what I like....
Read this maybe it can help you understand about protein.
You may be missing out on some amino acids which make up protein. Meat, fish eggs, milk etc contain all the animo acids we need to produce protein for our muscles. Vegans need to combine foods with different amino acids to do this. Grains & beans are a good example. Most cultures have a combined meal such as beans on toast, that we like in the UK, tortilla & beans, or dhal & naan. They don't have to be eaten together, so if you eat grains for breakfast, & beans at lunchtime, that's fine.
Quinoa has complete protein, as does soya, though the latter can cause hormonal issues so I avoid unfermented soy.
I'm about 125lbs, & aim for a minimum 40-45g of protein a day. I get about half of this from fermented dairy kefir, & the rest from plant sources.
Thanks!
From where do you obtain the other half of daily protein exactly? And how do I know what foods do I have to combine in order to obtain all that is necessary? (I would need 55g of protein a day right? -if I weigh 55kg?)
I eat legumes, a lot of nuts & seeds, & a lot of kefir which is very high in protein, & provides vitamin K2 for bone growth. In winter I eat less kefir & more grains, & prefer eating oats or buckwheat as I'm reducing wheat. I occasionally eat eggs.
25g each of almonds, walnuts, brazils, plus 15g each of chia & linseeds is over 10g of protein, Eaten with a large glass of organic dairy kefir, that's over 20g of protein.
Knowing the protein content of foods etc, does become automatic after a while.
Can you join The Vegan Society for more information? They have a young person's group that you might find supportive, & help point you in the right direction.
vegetarians don t eat fish...! if they do they are not vegetarian....
Get back to your old diet
You will need animal origin proteins & fats for good joint health
Well there are many healthy vegans so it is possible to get all your nutrition from a vegan diet ( not that I'm suggesting anyone should it purely personal choice) but it takes a very good understanding of the body's needs and nutrition, and forward planning of shopping and meals to make sure you are not deficient in anything. To Estel2468 unless you chose this diet for religious or moral reasons it's not necessary for healthy eating, in fact it does sound like you have been missing out on nutrients, it's unlikely to be arthritis at your age, and sounds like you could be low in calcium as well as protein and if you've been doing this for 18 months you might still have had a little bone growth to do at age 15/16. I would still go to your GP, blood tests are not 100% accurate on vitamin/ mineral levels but they would show up any obvious deficiencies that might need temporary higher supplementation than you buy over the counter, and either start including some animal protein and fat in your diet or do some thorough research on how to stay healthy on a vegan diet. Good luck 😀
Thanks so much! Well I chose this option for moral reasons Regarding bone growth, it could be that, though I am quite tall (1'76m)
I think I might be also missing calcium yeah.... I will go to the GP and do the blood test, since I never have (gone to doctor nor done test😂) Thanks!
she doesnt say she is vegan.
I know meat would help with protein, but I'd rather not have to try it, since it's not ethical to me
Estal I suggest you avoid meat in your diet unless organic, grass fed lean meat. As the residue of hormones, antibiotics etc may be present.
Yes meat is protein but what do cows mainly eat? Yes, grass or grains which are plant based. So - the animals get their protein from plants first!
My biomedicine & pathophsiology lecturer, who specialised in nutrition, stated vegans live longer. Several people I know have avoided the effects of chronic illness by adopting this diet. What's important is having the correct & balanced nutrient intake to be healthy, which does not necessitate eating meat.
Not strictly true admin
rubbish! you do not need animal origin proteins & fats for good joint health.
you do need good oils and fats but they can come from avocadoes , nuts and seeds and coconut oil/butter for example
Hi alchemilla12
Suggest that you tone down the language
You are free to express without being abusive
crikey - you really think that saying rubbish is being abusive?
The Medical Medium—and What's Potentially at the Root of ... - Goop
goop.com/the-medical-medium-and-whats-potentially-at-the-root-of-medical-mysteries/
Another perspective to think about perhaps though it's possibly related to diet
I've been vegetarian for 30 years, & had long periods being vegan or predominantly so. It has had no impact on my joints before several accidents caused extensive physical trauma
I've found sticking to a clean food diet with no processed foods beneficial, & eat high fat/low carbohdrate foods. Most days at least 100g of nuts & seeds: almonds, walnuts, brazils, chia & linseed, which are high in omega 3 oils which help reduce inflammation. Avoiding inflammatory foods such as sunflower oil may help, it's very processed, as are most commercial oils, though the seeds themselves are healthy.
Should you have long term joint issues, you may find restricted eating times helps reduce inflammation naturally. I've posted several times about this as it's helped me.
Thanks for that!! I also eat quite a lot of seeds and stuff but I can't figure out how much protein or amino acids I'm taking in... I try to calculate it but its so hard! For instance, today I ate cereal with almond milk and chia, 100g of cheekpeas, 100g lentils, 20g aprox quinoa, 1/2 tomato, 2nectarines, 2bananas, 2apples and salad with carrot, seeds... Is that okay?
And regarding the restricted hours you mentioned... What do you mean with that exactly? Cause I don't know if it's the age or something, but I am constantly hungry!! So I eat now and again😂 That affects on whether my joints inflamate or not?
There are a lot of websites that have information on food values.
Almond mlk is very low in protein as a pint may only have a few grams of almonds, 25g of almonds contains 4g of protein, so it's cheaper & better to eat them. Cereal is very variable, & some sugary types have little protein or nutritional benefit, though adding chia is good. I sometimes eat muesli, but chose a brand that has large whole ingredients that I can see: nuts, grains & dried fruit rather than padded with powdered ingredients & sugar.
Chickpeas 100g have 19g protein
Lentils 100g 9g protein
Quinoa 185g protein 8g
Looking everything up is a nuisance at first, but you won't have to do so after a few weeks as you'll have an idea what's best for you.
You should still be growing, so need to eat regularly. Changing your diet to being vegan will also affect your appetite if you previously ate animal products. Restrictive eating times is something that you might want to experiment with when you're older.
Another very important thing is making sure you get enough vitamin B12 as vegans are usually deficient. This can cause aches as well as a lot of other symptoms. It's important to get enough iron & other minerals too, so keep checking the food values of what you eat until it's second nature. Maybe after your next hike, have a soak in a bath with at least 500g of epsom salts to help your joints as the magnesium you'll absorb may help, & it's important for absorbing calcium into your bones, along with vitamin D & K2.
Vegans generally have lower inflammation in their bodies, so I doubt your joint pain is diet related, unless you have an allergy to something you eat, but that wouldn't be localised to just your ankles. Do you have walking boots that support your ankles? If not, what about wearing ankle supports as a preventative measure? These are essential for me as I have a loose ligament below one ankle. I also find orthotic foot supports in my shoes help.
shes not vegan...
Sugar often plays a major part in any inflammation in the body. If you do consume sugar in your diet , maybe have a look at the quantities and adjust your intake and see if that makes a significant difference.
Hi there! Maybe youre not getting all the nutrients you need, it can be really hard to! There is a nutritional essential oil drink called Ningxia Red that provides tons of nutrients and its amazing! It makes my body feel so much better every day
Any advise on my diet change? Salad everyday at dinner
My diet
Is my diet healthy?
Gaining weight after marriage
