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I'm starting a vegan any advice from vsgers!

Peanut1074
Peanut1074 Posts: 10
in Social Groups
Hi my name is Latina Brooks. I'll be having my surgery on May 5th . I have in stage renal failure,hypertension ,and sleep apnea . I want to change all the lifestyle that left me disabled . I've decided a vegan diet will support that change . What I'm look for is suggestion book , recipe, personal experience .....etc. I look forward to reading you ideals on this subject

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  • teachren
    teachren Posts: 78
    Welcome Latina,

    I saw your post this morning but didn't have time to respond. I figured someone may have posted by now that has experience with a vegan lifestyle but no such luck for you so I guess you are stuck with me! :-)

    I am not a vegan, but I do know a little of what that lifestyle requires and I certainly know a lot about what VSG needs are so I'll give you my advice.

    If you are not committed to the vegan thing for ethical reasons (just health ones) may I suggest you actually put the vegan thing on hold for a while to see if you get the relief from your health issues through using the VSG tool? Then if you don't get what you need from that I say give the vegan thing a try.

    Before I get bashed by any vegans out there let me say I am not saying being vegan and having a VSG won't work...but I will say it could certainly make the experience a lot more challenging. If you are trying a vegan lifestyle for the first time I certainly wouldn't pair it up with VSG. I think it takes a lot of dedication to be able to make sure that you get the protein requirements that you need with a vegan diet.

    VSGers require high amounts of protein in relation to the quantity of food we eat. Without milk, cheese, eggs and meat I think you may be setting yourself up for a rocky road. Now I realize some vegans eat milk, cheese or eggs but I don't know how "hard core" you are intending to go?

    I would suggest getting a book on the VSG so that you really understand the food requirements it demands. Dr. Alvarez has a book on the sleeve that I personally followed that you can get on Amazon in print or on Kindle. There are a couple others out there as well. Have you discussed the vegan idea with your surgeon?

    Sorry I couldn't give you more insight on the vegan thing. Hopefully someone else will chime in!

    Good luck with your surgery.
  • MissMadly
    MissMadly Posts: 5
    Hi, Latina.

    I have friends who are vegan, so I'm pretty familiar with what vegans can and can't eat, and I gotta say, I would not choose to go vegan at the same as I had weight loss surgery.

    I understand with your serious health issues why veganism looks like a good approach, but I would say do either the weight loss surgery or veganism, but not both. After surgery, you have so much to think about...am I getting enough protein, can I keep my food down, etc. Many of us depend on whey-isolate protein shakes after surgery to get enough protein, and whey is a milk byproduct, so it is not even vegan. What with not being able to eat meat, eggs, or other animal products, your sources for the all important protein are very limited.

    I would definitely suggest talking with your doctor or a nutritionist/dietician to find out what they think.

    The best of luck to you!
  • Mangopickle
    Mangopickle Posts: 1,509 Member
    If you have end stage renal disease there are many vegetables that you should avoid. Please work closely with a nutritionist that specializes in renal disease. They will be able to recommend the best protein sources that don't stress your kidneys and give you a list of appropriate vegetables. Almost every bean is very high in phosphates and they are a big part of vegan diets. You can look up CKD diet to see the foods kidney pts should limit or avoid. Of course you shouldn't eat red meat with renal disease , that is only sensible. Please be careful to vet any advice here with your nephrologist. Good luck.
  • DJRonnieLINY
    DJRonnieLINY Posts: 475 Member
    You are going to need good, solid, protein in the months after surgery. Animal meats provide more protein per ounce than plant. Choosing vegan at this time for any reason other than an ethical objection might not be the best decision. Apply the KISS principle and keep it simple to set yourself up for success.
  • Peanut1074
    Peanut1074 Posts: 10
    Thank for your comments my question was more about vegans that have the sleeve .. My decision is made about if I want become I'm just looking other. Vegans that have had the sleeve. I have a team of three dieticians and. I was raw for a few years. Again thank for taking the time to comment . I'll try be more clear the next time I post.
  • juliebccs
    juliebccs Posts: 233
    I had my surgery in India and my nutritionist there wanted me to go Vegetarian (not true vegan I know). But I like meat, even if it is small amounts so I chose not to go that way. However the diet sheet she gave me has lots of nuts,fruits, vegetables, cereals etc. They are not as focused on VSG protein needs in India as western cultures seem to be. I was advised just to add albumen powder to some foods but not to worry too much about direct protein as my body would convert to protein from other sources. Coming from a country with many many vegetarians I can see they would know better than me.
    My Indian surgeons said that the stomachs of meat eaters are quite different than that of vegetarians,,,much thicker unheathier stomach wall in meat eaters apparently.
    So I can assure from their expertise that you certainly can go vegetarian with a new VSG, they even wanted no dairy included for me,,,but eggs and albumin powder were on the menu for sure so it was not true vegan.
  • Peanut1074
    Peanut1074 Posts: 10
    Thanks for awesome info I'll be looking into the powder:smile:

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