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

[eddym67]

@happywifehappylife If you are losing blood to the point you’re anemic then your Dr should’ve referred you to a OBGYN. But, you should still go to one and get checked out. Having said that, hemp seeds and pea protein have lots of iron. Add those into your diet. You need to supplement B12. That’s what the body uses to make red blood cells an its found in seafood mostly. You could eat sea moss, but unless you are very familiar with its source, you may not see much benefit.
Definitely start taking a multivitamin.
I read what you typically eat in a day and my guess is you are fainting because you are not eating even nearly enough calories. You have to nourish your body! Carbs are your friend. Buy local honey (like from a farmers market) and eat plenty of fruit.

 

[yannis]

@happywifehappylife Find a different doctor who is willing to help you rather than lecture you about his personal beliefs. There's nothing wrong with talking supplements to get your iron levels back up. If they're very low, diet changes may not even be able to bring them back up without supplementation.

I was anaemic while I was still eating red meat because of my heavy periods. Too the point where if my levels had dropped any lower, I would have needed a blood transfusion.

I took iron supplements (the hardcore kind) and I got better. In the end I got on birth control (Mirena IUD) and I never had problems with iron deficiency again. Now I've been vegan for 6 years and my iron levels have remained normal. So, if your like me the cause of your anaemia could be excessively heavy periods rather than your diet.

I think it's not a bad idea to take supplements until you get your iron levels back up and then try to incorporate more iron rich vegan foods into your diet (add citrus to them because vitamin C helps your body absorb iron). You shouldn't stay on supliments forever without medical supervision because too much iron can also be harmful.

If you like you could also look into solutions for your heavy periods such as hormonal birth control.

Here are some plant based foods you can incorporate more of into your diet to keep your iron levels up:

-Iron-fortified breads and cereals
-Peas; lentils; white, red, and baked beans; soybeans; and chickpeas
-Tofu
-Dried fruits, such as prunes, raisins, and apricots
-Spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables
Prune juice

Good luck!

 

[pegasusangel]

@happywifehappylife I’ve been a vegan for 17 years and I haven’t dropped dead of anemia yet, in fact my latest blood work was perfect. I’m also a nurse who works in intensive care and know multiple vegan doctors. Wait for the blood work before any assumptions are made, if it’s too hard to get a new doctor right now ask to be referred to a dietician. Doctors unfortunately do not get very much education on nutrition at all and I wouldn’t take dietary advice from a GP unless it’s like “stop eating McDonald’s cause your cholesterol is high”

 

[playradioplay]

@happywifehappylife You don't need to eat meat. Vegans are less likely to be anaemic than non-vegans and get more iron than non-vegans. There are plant foods high in iron - lentils have 50% more iron than beef. You need to eat foods high in iron, paired with absorption promotors, and avoiding absorption inhibitors. Vitamin C and beta-carotene are promotors, while dairy and eggs are inhibitors.

https://veganvigil.gitbook.io/overview/nutrition/nutrients/essential/minerals/iron

 

[howeryall]

@happywifehappylife Sorry but your doctor is spot on here. I actually died 27 years ago, soon after going vegan, and my restless spirit has been haunting the world wide web ever since.

 

[doxa123]

@happywifehappylife Your doctor is an idiot. If you’re anemic look into Jamaican Sarsparilla, Kalawalla and Contribo. Make a tea with all 3 of those herbs. Drink a cup in the morning and night then go back to your doctor after a month and show him how dumb he is. Also incorporate dandelion greens into your diet.

 

[happywifehappylife]

@doxa123 Thank you for your reply ! this sounds lovely !

 

[russ98]

@happywifehappylife Also tell him he might want to take out the spicy-hot pepperoni that’s lodged in his ass and learn a few more things about iron-rich vegetables.

 

[starcluster]

@happywifehappylife Most Doctors will tell you that they get very limited nutritional training in school. Unless they are involved in a field of study that requires it, they know about as much as you or I do concerning general health related to food. What they know is basic biology and specific drug interactions, that's about it unless they educate themselves.

This is why you get medical doctors like Shawn Baker (who lost his license btw) who advocate all meat diets and then tell people that high cholesterol isn't a problem...like you're going to have a blocked artery in five or ten years high!

 

[vdubmechanic]

@happywifehappylife Get an opinion from a vegan doctor, or dietician. They’d be much more well researched on the topic. I can recommend taking an adequately dosed iron supplement and eating all of your plant based sources of iron with high amounts of vitamin C.

 

[laowaiphil]

@vdubmechanic Depends where you’re based i guess. In the uk that probably wouldn’t be an option, and definitely not on the nhs. Also where people are saying get a different doctor, we pretty much get what we’re given

 

[jumords]

@happywifehappylife My pediatrician has assured me that a vegan diet, when diverse and nutritious (aka not just pasta and Oreos, despite both being vegan) is perfectly healthy for both my daughter and myself. Even when I was pregnant I was never recommended to change my diet.

Get a new doctor.

 

[pjpaker1]

@happywifehappylife In addition to the other comments, try to avoid coffee/tea/chocolate when you eat meals. Wait at least 1 hr before and after. Also have a vitamin c rich food(kiwi, strawberries) with meals.

 

[catsaregorgeous]

@happywifehappylife Also consult a nutritionist to scrutinize if your diet is as well-balanced as you think it is.

Get a second opinion from another doctor. Bloodwork tests can reveal if you're truly anemic.

 

[coindude123]

@happywifehappylife You had erectile dysfunction as a kid and you're a 21f? That must be rough.

First, your doctor isn't being mean here. Your argument of "my boyfriend is vegan and he doesn’t faint" isn't valid. Your boyfriend also menstruate.

Here's a published peer reviewed study on the topic. There's no difference in vegans/vegetarian and everyone else EXCEPT in younger menstruating females.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8468774/

"higher among vegetarians, except in women with regular menstrual cycles"

The challenge is that vegan sources of iron aren't as well absorbed by the by body. There's also an anemia caused by a B12 deficiency.

Here's what I'd suggest. Get a B12 bood screening done tomorrow to see your levels. You can do it from the LabCorp website.

1. If your B12 is low, start supplementing it.
2. Start increasing your intake of high iron foods. You want to gain weight so.... that shouldn't be hard.
3. Consider adding a daily orange juice/powdered greens drink. Those powdered greens are easier to eat than a huge salad, they can contain a lot of iron and hte Vitamin C helps absorption.

Want to avoid meat, you need to eat in a way that gets your anemia under control.

Gaining weight is just more calories. Add olive oil in things. A tablespoon is 100 calories.

 

[usmckoontz]

@coindude123 Eating disorder, not erectile dysfunction. The "ed" abbreviation stands for like 5 things. Let's assume from context.

 

[matthew40]

@happywifehappylife Be your own doctor

 

[anonymous23]

@happywifehappylife Lies!

 

[thetower]

@happywifehappylife Bullshit

 

[starlightmike]

@happywifehappylife Find a registered dietitian. Most doctors are basically laypeople when it comes to nutrition; they aren't even required to take any nutrition courses in some places. Dietitians specialize entirely in nutrition and the biochemistry behind it, make sure you don't land yourself with a nutritionist. Dietitian. (Wrote this before reading your edit, my bad lol)

I have regular monthly periods and the first couple of days are very heavy. I'm perfectly healthy. Your doctor insinuating that you can't be vegan because you're a woman is just entirely wrong.

Just wait for your blood tests and seek second and third opinions, then go from there. Best of luck!