Going vegan this March

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Origem
Origem Posts: 8
in Getting Started
I'm challenging myself to go vegan for the whole next mont (giving myself a slack until the end of february).
Someone joining me? Some tips? I'll keep you (or just me, in case no one else is reading this) posted!

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  • samantharead
    samantharead Posts: 1
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    Good luck!! I've been vegetarian/mostly vegan for several years now and never felt better! You will enjoy many foods that you wouldn't normally eat and have fun experimenting in the kitchen!
  • threefancy
    threefancy Posts: 93 Member
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    Ohsheglows.com is one of my favorite sources for recipes
  • Origem
    Origem Posts: 8
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    Hey! Thank you guys!
  • LRoslin
    LRoslin Posts: 128
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    I was vegetarian from age 14 til my mid twenties, and then I was vegan for another ten years. I would caution you to be careful with your B12 and also supplement with carnitine. This sounds like something you hear about for weight loss, but it's actually a substance our bodies need in order to metabolize fats. It can be found in red meats and very little else--I think avocadoes have small amounts. Our bodies can synthesize carnitine if we get enough lysine--which is found in chicken and eggs.

    Now, the reason I always sound off about this is because after years of vegetarianism and then veganism, and three pregnancies, my body was completely depleted of carnitine. And since babies can't synthesize carnitine, they get it from their moms--well, I didn't have any, so my third baby was born with no carnitine and thus had a very hard start in life. He was first diagnosed with an inborn error of metabolism, and they told us he could die if he didn't eat enough. Then they thought to test me and found I had a carnitine level of 0.2; the doctor said he'd never seen anybody "walking around" with that little carnitine. Our hearts and other muscles need carnitine, as well, so heart damage is a concern.

    And nursing moms need carnitine as well, since their babies need it. We learned that baby formula always has carnitine added to it, because normally it's in the mom's milk. But obviously I didn't have any, so I had to use formula.

    You can easily supplement with carnitine, you can find it in health food stores. For my part, I went back to being an omnivore and am healthier for it. I do have vegetarian days in my diet, and even vegan days, but I keep a balance.
  • LTKeegan
    LTKeegan Posts: 354 Member
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    I'm vegetarian/pescatarian, but I am vegan more than 60% of the time, just by food preference. I love edible perspectives (oh she glows is good but not great, in my opinion) and I like to adapt smitten kitchen stuff as well.
  • Origem
    Origem Posts: 8
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    Thank you so much for your advice! It really made me think carefully about what superfoods to take if I decide to keep up for veganism for a little longer than one month. I'm pretty sure that Chlorella and Barley Grass will definitely have to become part of may daily B12 intake. But what is truly bothering me lately, as I get ready for the transition, is the idea that I might be purging some toxines that are now locked through breast milk. Should I wait until my kid is fully weaned?
  • Dom_m
    Dom_m Posts: 337 Member
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    If you're breastfeeding you should definitely pay extra attention to that sort of thing and consult a doctor, but getting toxins out of the body is the role of the kidney - they mostly go down the toilet. Mammary glands don't have a role in eliminating waste.

    I would guess if your body has less toxicity, then your milk will also have less toxicity. It doesn't sound right to expect milk toxicity to increase during a transition to lower body toxicity.


    You should check out some websites like: http://www.veganhealth.org/ if you're planning to do this while breastfeeding (all vegans should know about what they're doing, I'm pretty sure it's one reason we're generally healthier than the average person).

    LTKeegan mentioned carnitine. is a non-essential amino acid, meaning your body should make what you need as long as you're getting enough protein. Some people don't seem to make it as well as others - those people apparently often suffer migraines shortly after becoming vegan and the migraines go away with carnitine suppliments. I'm not trying to downplay LTKeegan's circumstances, but you shouldn't let it frighten you off adopting a healthy vegan lifestyle. High levels of carnitine is also associated with heart disease which is thought to be one of the reasons vegans have low incidence of that too.

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