Vegetarian.. low energy

KaylaBlu2019

I am a vegetarian of about 2 years. I have found that recently (in the last 6 mos or so) I just feel very low on energy! I do work a lot and am a full time student so that will inevitably take it's toll but I feel like I need to change something about my diet. I have heard that many vegetarians are quite unbalanced so I have always tried to keep a good protein/carb/fat ratio going to keep that under control.

Lately I have been considering switching to a more Paleo based diet and am wondering if there are any veggies out there that have gone paleo? I would start with fish and eggs fish, then work up to chicken. I think that it might help me with my energy levels to cut out grains & gluten and get more sustenance in my protein.

Thoughts?

taintedsilver

Hi

I'm a veggie, and my dad is on a paleo diet... Not that I am, but I have some experience observing one ahaha.

I don't know about giving up your vegetarianism after 2 years! But then again, I do it for the animals, not for the health ^^;

But if you want higher energy levels, try adding some more carbs right before you're about to go somewhere, as carbs are fairly instant energy... Maybe right before and after school? Do you eat oatmeal or kous kous? They're both grains with fair amounts of protein.

If you're really set on the paleo, go for it! My dad is a runner and he runs 12 miles at once, sometimes. He has plenty of energy ahaha.

suziecue66

I am a vegetarian of about 2 years. I have found that recently (in the last 6 mos or so) I just feel very low on energy! I do work a lot and am a full time student so that will inevitably take it's toll but I feel like I need to change something about my diet. I have heard that many vegetarians are quite unbalanced so I have always tried to keep a good protein/carb/fat ratio going to keep that under control.

Lately I have been considering switching to a more Paleo based diet and am wondering if there are any veggies out there that have gone paleo? I would start with fish and eggs fish, then work up to chicken. I think that it might help me with my energy levels to cut out grains & gluten and get more sustenance in my protein.

Thoughts?

Maybe check you are not anemic.

bathsheba_c

Some people just don't take to a vegetarian diet. I had a cousin who tried going vegetarian, had low energy, and was told by his doctor after a year to have fish once a week.

As for giving up grains, a lot of people on MFP report that they had lower energy levels when they tried that. The carbs give you quick energy; that's why they're on the bottom of the food pyramid.

LinaBo

See your doctor and have your iron and B-vitamin levels assessed, in particular. Tell him/her about your symptoms in general, in case I'm missing any other possible causes, but those two are the key ones that I'm aware of, for energy, and vegetarians are prone to deficiencies in them. I wouldn't immediately start taking an iron supplement before first checking with your doctor, but if it takes awhile for you to see one, I don't see the harm in starting a B vitamin complex (I take a B-50 complex that gives me 50mg of all of the B vitamins, plus inositol and choline). It takes a very big dose of any of the B vitamins before you reach toxicity (the RDI is really just the bare minimum of what you should be getting, from what I've heard). To my knowledge, overdosing on iron is much more easily done, with nastier consequences, which is why I recommend not taking any iron supplement without the advice of a doctor.

Supplements are probably the easier route for you, with your lifestyle. It is totally possible, however, to get all of your nutrients on a vegetarian or even vegan diet (and in case you think I'm a biased veggie, I'm not. I am a total carnivore). Broaden your understanding of plant foods, try new grains/legumes/seeds, study the bioavailability of the nutrients they provide, and you can totally be a healthy, energetic vegetarian