Doctor said being vegan will kill me and if I wanna be healthy then I need to eat meat again :(

[parrishchapel]

@happywifehappylife Really curious to know what your blood levels are. I’m not vegan but I do know Doctors overblow this stuff all the time and most absolutely have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to nutrition. When I was a dietetic student, I knew more than the idiot MDs I was around when it came to nutrition.

No not all are bad but my goodness, the shit I would hear was baffling.

Definitely update with your labs and I’m glad others recommended you to seek out an RD!

 

[warriorforchrist2020]

@happywifehappylife Girl get a different doctor. How TF is he telling you only men can be vegan? WTF is this 1920?

To gain weight add olive or avocado oils to your meals. It’ll add calories and good fats but not volume (which may be a thing for you). Also nuts. Walnuts macadamias almonds pecans all nuts and seeds are calorie dense but also good for you!

 

[parkparker12890]

@happywifehappylife Doctor don’t get trained in nutrition. Dietitians do, so only listen to them. I’d actually consider filing a complaint at this doctor. Would he ever dare tell a Muslim to start eating pork?

Regarding your situation, you want to increase uptake of iron (eg leafy green vegetables) and vitamin c (eg oranges). Avoid foods/drinks with tannins like coffee as this reduces iron absorption.

 

[happywifehappylife]

@parkparker12890 I was also thinking a similair thing ! I don’t eat meat for many many reasons, and one of them is for religious reasons as I follow Hindu/Buddhist teachings on diet and not causing suffering to other living beings. I wanted to mention this to the doctor but I just got too upset, he just made me feel so bad about myself.

Thanks for your reccomends!

 

[parkparker12890]

@happywifehappylife No worries, I’m actually a dietitian in training so this was a gold mine for me haha.

 

[super14lds]

@parkparker12890 There's a lot more nuance than that... But yes RDs are very valuable. You can still drink coffee, if quitting is too difficult, just wait for like two hours after your supplementation, but switching to other things can improve this.

 

[felidae]

@happywifehappylife There are two easy tips you can try but you should go see a (preferably vegan) dietician

1/ Up your intake in legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas...) with C vitamin (some lemon juice, parsley...), especially before your period

2/ If you drink coffee, don't drink it at least 1h before & after meals (if you don't drink coffee this is a bit useless, but when I had low iron I think this is what really helped me (24F))

 

[margegry]

@happywifehappylife Before my transplant, I actually had a very serious form of anemia and the hematologist recommended that I go plant based/vegan. Get your CBC and BMP (combined blood count and basic metabolic panel) blood tests and go from there. Make sure you’re taking vitamin B12 every day as vegans are often low in that vitamin and it’s directly related to bone marrow health and blood production. You might need more protein or iron but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to eat meat. You DO need to be cognizant of getting enough critical nutrients in your diet though. Many vegans are not!

 

[clifthethird]

@happywifehappylife doctor is giving you outdated information - they’re not dieticians

 

[kakers]

@happywifehappylife My gf takes supplements every other day at bedtime together with vitamin c. She also switched to taking her contraceptives every day instead of pausing one week a month, so now she doesn’t get her period at all.

Both works great for her.

(With that said, if you end up coming to the conclusion that a few eggs are the difference between fainting and being healthy I think should put your health first, at least until you are doing better)

 

[bloved1]

@happywifehappylife The doctor is an idiot.

 

[mercswell]

@happywifehappylife This won’t be the last time you come across a doctor that doesn’t understand women’s health (let alone healthy veganism)!

Self-education and medical self-advocacy are so important. Just make sure you choose good sources to educate because there is a lot of junk out there.

 

[blessedsingle99]

@happywifehappylife I would get a second opinion. For the most part, doctors aren’t terribly great at nutrition. Like it’s not something they focus on in med school. And a lot of things that your doctor is saying to you does not sound very accurate. I would definitely find a new doctor. Their education doesn’t sound very modern and their bedside manner sounds terrible.

 

[jdink]

@happywifehappylife This doctor is a poor professionnel. You should find a better one.

Also, it's pointless to talk nutrition with a MD as they have zero education in that topic.

You're light headed because you simply don't eat enough. I would advise to eat calorie dense foods and eat often. That should do the trick.

Of course seeing a dietitian is a good thing.

 

[asouthernwriter]

@happywifehappylife I'll say upfront that I'm not an expert, and your first priority should be getting your nutrition back on track.

A similar thing happened to a guy I used to know, but the cause was B12 defeciency. It might be helpful to try checking your blood for direct confirmation of the underlying problem.

It sounds like your doctor wasn't very understanding. They've got a duty of care regardless of people's lifestyle choices.

 

[lthb911]

@happywifehappylife Instead of an iron supplement, try to supplement your diet with foods rich in iron. Legumes such as beans, tofu, or lentils jump to mind; they’re also all healthy vegan sources of proteins and fats and are very versatile.

 

[tad91]

@lthb911 That won’t be enough for severe anemia. Supplements are important for iron especially.

 

[dawn16]

@lthb911 Lectins in legumes bind to iron...

 

[ladyestellarose]

@happywifehappylife

I asked him about iron supplements and he answered by saying that if a smoker came to him with chest pain and breathing difficulties he wouldn’t give them an inhaler, he said quitting smoking is the answer because that is the cause of the problem. He started lecturing me saying that this is serious stuff and if I don’t start eating meat it could kill me.

What an absolute idiot.... Seriously get a second, hopefully less biased, opinion.

 

[yolandarose]

@happywifehappylife Plenty of women are vegan and not fainting. See another doctor