Odd question - vegetarian diet and anger?

abbychelle07

are you getting enough calories, fat, protein, etc? Try some nuts, beans, and whole grains. Maybe have a treat once in awhile (sugar, anyone?)

Sorry, don't have any better advice.

sallyLunn

I'm with your wife, go eat a steak. Ummmm, steak.

vineas

I'm not sure why I didn't think of it earlier, but there was one other change at about the same time - we recently picked up a SodaStream (basically a way to make homemade soda) and I've been drinking A LOT of that, after about 3-4 months of only a very occasional soda. I've been using the standard mixes - full of the same artificial flavors, colors and preservatives that I've avoided for the most part in the last several months of not drinking much pre-made soda. These same artificial flavors, colors and preservatives have been linked to increased aggression and ADD/ADHD-like behavior in studies from Europe. I don't know why I didn't look at the labels on these mixes before, it just didn't occur to me for some stupid reason, I'm usually a label nazi.

I bet it was probably some combination of re-introducing these chemicals and possible vitamin deficiencies from the change in diet, though my money's more on the chemicals for causing the change. I'm going to drop the SodaStream and watch my vitamins closer and keep up the diet change, for at least the next couple of weeks.

Thanks all for the suggestions, it definitely opened my eyes to the things I could be missing out on if I don't pay closer attention to what I'm eating - here I thought the only difference would be no longer needing to hit the meat counter at Whole Foods!

Nich0le

I'm not sure why I didn't think of it earlier, but there was one other change at about the same time - we recently picked up a SodaStream (basically a way to make homemade soda) and I've been drinking A LOT of that, after about 3-4 months of only a very occasional soda. I've been using the standard mixes - full of the same artificial flavors, colors and preservatives that I've avoided for the most part in the last several months of not drinking much pre-made soda. These same artificial flavors, colors and preservatives have been linked to increased aggression and ADD/ADHD-like behavior in studies from Europe. I don't know why I didn't look at the labels on these mixes before, it just didn't occur to me for some stupid reason, I'm usually a label nazi.

I bet it was probably some combination of re-introducing these chemicals and possible vitamin deficiencies from the change in diet, though my money's more on the chemicals for causing the change. I'm going to drop the SodaStream and watch my vitamins closer and keep up the diet change, for at least the next couple of weeks.

Thanks all for the suggestions, it definitely opened my eyes to the things I could be missing out on if I don't pay closer attention to what I'm eating - here I thought the only difference would be no longer needing to hit the meat counter at Whole Foods!

Ok, so this goes back to my question if you were cutting particular things like sugar etc out of your diet and YES, the one thing we need to teach this generation coming up is that stuff you can't pronounce should not likely be ingested. Its quite possible you are having some issues with this.

Also, if you are taking supplements you may want to make sure there isn't anything in them that you may be allergic too. People with wheat and corn allergies often have the same add/adhd type symptoms you mentioned!

rml_16

When you say "vegetarian diet," do you mean you just stopped eating meat without any research?

A vegetarian diet shouldn't in and of itself make you have anger issues or mood swings, but a hormone change would. If you go vegetarian, you HAVE TO make sure you're replacing the nutrients you got from meat with other things and be really careful that you're getting, in particular, enough iron and protein. It's very difficult to get enough iron without eating meat and takes planning and thought.

Anyway, I hope you get to the bottom of it!

erikazj

Not really eating any soy, very little at least. Looking over my diary over the last week or so, I'm close to my goals in the carb/fat/protein areas, a bit lower in protein than before, but still at or near my goals. Most of my protein is coming from dairy products, but I'm not eating much more than before - pretty much the only change in my diet is no beef, chicken, pork or fish (with the exception of 2 days ago at a company party where there were NO vegetarian options). As far as I know I'm getting all my vitamins and minerals.

My brother in law cannot tolerate dairy - he has a very unusual reaction where it makes him extremely agressive. I think the condition is quite rare, but if you are eating more dairy than usual it might be worth considering. With anything like this, perhaps it is worth a chat with your doctor in case there are other reasons for the mood swings.

Good luck,

Erika

LotusF1ower

I occasionally do a 30 day trial of different things (an idea I got from a blog post on stevepavlina.com), and my most recent trial was a switch to a vegetarian diet. I'm about two weeks into the trial, and have been noticing that lately my mood has been very bad - I'm having mood swings and am very quick to anger. Tonight I was online doing my football draft, and my wife called when my turn was just about up. I have some DSL issues that knocks out the internet when a call comes in, takes a few minutes for it to come back. Not too big of a deal, but I was very short with my wife, then when I hung up, I threw the phone down the hallway, screaming the entire time. This is not me normally. That was definitely the worst of things recently, but I've been very short with everyone including my son. I'm normally a very patient person and not prone to quick changes in mood, so I'm a bit weirded out.

Could this have anything to do with my diet switch? I found some correlation to this by googling, but it still seems a bit odd - I wasn't really expecting anything like that, and if anything, shouldn't a vegetarian diet make a person more mellow? Anyone else have ideas?

I get like that if I do not take in enough protein.

If you have gone veggie suddenly, make sure you take in food that is protein, no longer eating meat and fish could mean your protein intake is a bit low if you are not supplementing it with other stuff to replace the protein no longer there.

godblessourhome

My brother in law cannot tolerate dairy - he has a very unusual reaction where it makes him extremely agressive. I think the condition is quite rare, but if you are eating more dairy than usual it might be worth considering. With anything like this, perhaps it is worth a chat with your doctor in case there are other reasons for the mood swings.

Good luck,

Erika

my son gets like this because of casien (an ingredient found in cow's milk and cow's milk by-products). when he is off dairy products, he is completely normal but when he has something with casien, he becomes autistic-like, rages and has less focus/concentration. it lasts in his system 3 days to 2 weeks.

elloradannon

I agree- probably too much dairy. It can make you sluggish and lazy if you eat/drink too much of it, which can then stress you out. I felt the absolute opposite after giving up animal products- enlightened and content. I don't think it's the meat

alexj8403

I am a vegetarian myself, and the diet actually seemed to make me more calm and gentle. However, I consume a very small amount of dairy, and I take a magnesium supplement. I never thought much of magnesium before, but I had heard doctors were recommending it to people trying to quit smoking and it was supposed to help the mood swings. A couple of people I knew took it while quitting smoking and it did just that. I'm sure smoker or non-smoker, it'd help your mood.

kelsully

I know people who got super cranky doing atkins.....I think diet could play a role in the crankies if it isn't a good fit...I personally feel awesome on a vegetarian diet and crappy eating meat but not all bodies react that way

2Bfenerty

I have been on a vegetarian diet for about 6 weeks, and I had the same problem. I am usually very mild mannered, but lately I was very annoyed at everything. Overreacting at the smallest issue. I do eat eggs and dairy, but not every day, it was about two weeks since I had any at this point. I eat plenty of nuts, beans and grains paired with carbs to get the proper protein. I do think I was deficient in B12 and amino acids, because once I started on a vegetarian supplement, I felt a little better within a day. Much better by the third day. Lack of B12 in Vegetarian diet is something I did not take seriously enough. If you are planning on cutting out meat completely, make sure you take supplements. Little know fact, any livestock that does not graze naturally (out in a field, on grass, etc.) is given vitamin B supplements. These vitamins are essential to good health.