I'm a vegan and it's starting to get hard.
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nykismile
Posts: 198
Good day!
Here's my dilemma. I've been recovering from an eating disorder. It's kind of hell, you see. I've gained ten lbs so far (went from being 105 lbs to 114 lbs), so I'm not dangerously underweight anymore. That's it's own kind of hard, but lately things are starting to get even more difficult.
I've been vegan for some time. A healthy vegan diet is completely possible. But when it comes to protein, I always fall short of hitting the daily recommended dose. Someone once looked at my food diary and told me that I eat enough protein to sustain a young child. They weren't wrong.
I've been striving to make improvements through veganism. I've been eating more lentils and tofu and beans and stuff. But eating too much of them makes me feel bloated and sick. I've been recovering for nearly three months and the entire time I've felt bloated and sick. I also eat nuts and nut butter in high quantities for the protein, but all the fat that comes with it gives me indigestion. It's not a good situation. I kinda feel like crap.
But what's worse is the constant binging. I binge because my body wants something. I don't know what it wants. It sucks and I feel fat and sick. I binged this morning.
I'm keeping myself awake by entertaining the idea of me incorporating meat or at the VERY least eggs back into my diet. I hardly remember what meat even tastes like. I just want protein, man, that's all I want. But it's so hard. I tortured myself with pictures and videos of slaughtered livestock and tortured animals and all those atrocities. Yes, the animals are already dead, but it's my fault that they are, as the consumer. I'm part of the problem if I give in. But I do value my health. I realize this now, at least tonight, given the circumstances of what I did.
I know I'll never eat dairy again, or refined foods, or artificial foods. I just want to eat a meal and not feel hungry twenty minutes later when the buzz from the carbs wears off.
Also. I have to see a doctor every week for this. It sucks. But she agreed that if I start eating at least eggs, we can make the appointments much less regular. This is actually the most convincing factor.
TL;DR: My body has been deprived of protein for years and the vegan alternatives make me sick if I eat them too much. Considering eating eggs and maybe meat, but I feel guilty for it.
Help?
Here's my dilemma. I've been recovering from an eating disorder. It's kind of hell, you see. I've gained ten lbs so far (went from being 105 lbs to 114 lbs), so I'm not dangerously underweight anymore. That's it's own kind of hard, but lately things are starting to get even more difficult.
I've been vegan for some time. A healthy vegan diet is completely possible. But when it comes to protein, I always fall short of hitting the daily recommended dose. Someone once looked at my food diary and told me that I eat enough protein to sustain a young child. They weren't wrong.
I've been striving to make improvements through veganism. I've been eating more lentils and tofu and beans and stuff. But eating too much of them makes me feel bloated and sick. I've been recovering for nearly three months and the entire time I've felt bloated and sick. I also eat nuts and nut butter in high quantities for the protein, but all the fat that comes with it gives me indigestion. It's not a good situation. I kinda feel like crap.
But what's worse is the constant binging. I binge because my body wants something. I don't know what it wants. It sucks and I feel fat and sick. I binged this morning.
I'm keeping myself awake by entertaining the idea of me incorporating meat or at the VERY least eggs back into my diet. I hardly remember what meat even tastes like. I just want protein, man, that's all I want. But it's so hard. I tortured myself with pictures and videos of slaughtered livestock and tortured animals and all those atrocities. Yes, the animals are already dead, but it's my fault that they are, as the consumer. I'm part of the problem if I give in. But I do value my health. I realize this now, at least tonight, given the circumstances of what I did.
I know I'll never eat dairy again, or refined foods, or artificial foods. I just want to eat a meal and not feel hungry twenty minutes later when the buzz from the carbs wears off.
Also. I have to see a doctor every week for this. It sucks. But she agreed that if I start eating at least eggs, we can make the appointments much less regular. This is actually the most convincing factor.
TL;DR: My body has been deprived of protein for years and the vegan alternatives make me sick if I eat them too much. Considering eating eggs and maybe meat, but I feel guilty for it.
Help?
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Replies
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Seitan, nutritional yeast, green peas, quinoa, chickpeas, edamame, spinach and broccoli, hemp, chia, and sunflower seeds, and soy milk are all good sources of vegan protein.0
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DancingMoosie wrote: »Seitan, nutritional yeast, green peas, quinoa, chickpeas, edamame, spinach and broccoli, hemp, chia, and sunflower seeds, and soy milk are all good sources of vegan protein.
I feel sick if I eat them too much, especially beans.0 -
Yeah, I feel sick if I eat too much of anything, too. I was just mentioning some foods that were good sources of protein. I didn't mean that they were all you should eat. If you want to be a vegan, fine, but if not, there are a lot of other options. I don't consider many of the foods I mentioned to be "vegan alternatives." Several of them are real, unprocessed produce (green peas, spinach, broccoli). Real dairy milk makes me feel sick, so I stick with soy milk instead. It comes in many flavors, even light/low fat, but I usually go for the organic unsweetened, and its only 80 calories and 7g protein per cup.0
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What access do you have to humanely raised eggs & meat? Would you feel OK about eating that?
Also, consider that you're sick and recovering. Would you take a drug tested on animals or with animal ingredients if there were no good alternative? This is really the same thing - you're adding things back to your diet for legitimate, serious health reasons. Meat especially is an excellent source of protein which you really need right now if your body is recovering. You can go back to being vegan when you're better.
Just remember to start with small amounts at first, to avoid indigestion.0 -
Beans and lentils probably make you feel bloated because while they're high in protein, they're also very high in fiber. You should increase how much fiber you eat gradually, drink lots of water, and eventually you'll adjust and you won't feel bloated anymore. I'm vegan as well, and I eat beans every day and usually get 70-90g of fiber daily. Even if you were to start eating things like eggs again, I would really recommend eating beans too, they're a great source of protein, fiber, and carbs.0
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The is my first day on My Fitness Pal. I've been lacto-ovo-vegetarian for 58 years. You would never get me to eat meat. So understand a bit how you feel about going back to meat.
Anyway, right here on my first day, its telling me I should have had 70 grams of protein, but I only got 59, i.e. 11 grams too little. For breakfast I had cooked oatmeal and soymilk, for lunch whole wheat spaghetti with a bunch of Helen's Vegeburger mixed in the sauce plus a salad, and for dinner I had a ton of cooked beans and a slice of serious whole wheat bread --- still too little protein they say. I'm not sure how a non-meat-eater can make their recommendations. So I hear you.0 -
I don't think you need to rush into eating meat.
I think its worth looking at why the beans and lentils make you feel bloated. Perhaps you haven't got good gut bacteria and you are struggling to digest them.
You can work on building your gut bacteria up with some probiotics. I don't know much about probiotics but i do not that gut bacteria is important for health.
If you haven't eaten meat for years, there's a chance that you don't have the enzymes in your system to digest it properly either so it would take a period of adjustment during which you may feel not so well in your gut.
I think you should gradually increase the amount of beans and lentil you eat and not just try to eat heaps all at once which is perhaps why you are having this problem.
If you keep these foods high and the other stodgier carbs lower in your diet you may find yourself feeling better.
Certainly you should be eating lots and lots of vegetables and fruit.
I would definitely recommend eating eggs. Of all the animal products, these are the food that causes animal least harm, so long as you select from an appropriate source?
Why not dairy? That sounds more like a dietary decision rather than an ethical one?
Anyway without dairy and fish/meat you really must eat more beans and lentils. There's really no other option for you to get adequate quantitates of protein. If you do resume eating meat, just choose meats that from ethical farms. Avoid anything factory grown. And don't eat too much. I personally mainly stick with fish and only eat free range chicken about once a year. Meat not so often. But i also eat dairy.
I think its important for you to figure out your gut health and eat beans and lentils. I think this is the best solution for health and animal welfare. Its probably just that your bowels are a bit temporally buggered up from your previous diet.
Also you don't say what you are binging on.0 -
humanely raised eggs= vegetable frittatas.0
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boca burgers the meatless chicken vegan patties and vegan protein0
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I'm slowly tilting toward going vegan but still cutting back on meat right now because I'm getting used to working with the new food groupings and there is a need for gut bacteria to ramp itself up. Some people don't take in plant-based forms of iron well, sometimes it's plant-based calcium that sucks, and sometimes the more common form of supplemented B12 doesn't do it for them. Yes, we have the technology to make other kinds without animals.
As far as protein goes, there is soy protein, rice and pea protein, and hemp protein is a little expensive but it's also something to look at.0 -
I use a product called Raw Meal, it has 17g of protein per scoop. It is vegan, soy free, gluten free and too boot organic. Now it does take a little getting use to the texture/taste but it has been so worth it, to me at least. Good luck and wish you much support and love on your road to a full recovery. ~Hugs and Smooches~0
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Giggity-1
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i'm pretty sure they have vegan protein powder. Hemp or soy based..0
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TL;DR: My body has been deprived of protein for years and the vegan alternatives make me sick if I eat them too much. Considering eating eggs and maybe meat, but I feel guilty for it.
Help?
Eat humane meat. You'll be supporting an industry that's an alternative to the one that does bad things, and you'll feel better.
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I used to be 95% vegetarian, and I experienced lots of bloating and sick feelings, on an almost daily basis. I have felt SO MUCH better eating a high protein diet (read: lots of lean protein) with a lot less fiber. I'm not saying that's what you "should" do, but just sharing my experience.0
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There are tons of vegan protein sources, but I understand how hard it can be to find ones that fit your taste and digestive system! I'm not sure of what everyone has mentioned so far, but nuts, seeds (such as pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower), and chia seeds are all small food items that are sources of protein. By small, I mean that they will allow you to eat more without feeling too full. Then, of course, there are beans, quinoa, chickpeas, tofu (though I'd generally avoid soy products, even if I weren't allergic), hemp, spinach, seitan, vegetarian baked beans, some whole wheat breads and bagels can have a lot, peanut butter, soy yogurt, lentils, soy milk, lima/pinto beans, veggie burgers (of course, only vegan ones), SimplyProtein Brand bars, GoMacro Macrobars, some Clif bars.0
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TL;DR: My body has been deprived of protein for years and the vegan alternatives make me sick if I eat them too much. Considering eating eggs and maybe meat, but I feel guilty for it.
Help?
Not a nutritionist, but... If whole beans/lentils/soy still don't agree with you after months of trying, I really doubt that consuming protein powders made from the same ingredients would help. I think the suggestion to research and buy humanely raised meat or eggs is a better one. Hope you feel better soon.0 -
I joined MyFitnessPal on Dec 14. I'm 80 percent vegan and 20 percent vegetarian and that's because I find it hard to give up cheese and dairy in my coffee when I am away from home. I too was worried about getting enough protein so I ate a couple of eggs one day after not consuming them for years and boy did I feel sick afterwards. I haven't done that since. I too suffer from bloating and weight gain after a hysto but am not going to give up just yet. Someone suggested seeing a naturalpath/nutritionist that's familiar with and has experience with the vegan lifestyle. I'm going to try that next.0
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I have been vegetarian for 20 years and I get about 120-150g of protein a day, so it's not impossible.
I use whey protein powder in my breakfast smoothies, but vegan protein powder is also available. It is isolated to the protein so should not give you the gastrointestinal problems that are caused by fibre or any other components. I can't eat most dairy because I am lactose intolerant, but whey and casein protein don't bother me at all. If it is a lack of protein making you binge, this should address it. If it doesn't, you may need to look into other possible reasons for your binges.
I also try to find higher protein grains (like quinoa or whole wheat) and fats (seeds and nut butters) to accompany my primary protein sources. It's an easy way to add 5-10g per meal on top of your tofu, tempeh, beans, etc.
Also consider that if you are healthy, eating at or near maintenance, and not trying to build additional muscle, the guidelines are not as high. 45-60g a day may be all you need.0 -
Here's my $0.02.
There is a such thing as humanely raised eggs and meat. I won't debate that here, as it is usually irrelevant to vegans. If you can find it, and it isn't at a premium price (I always balk at the price of grass-fed, pasture raised, humane beef because I KNOW how much money you save by raising it ethically) and you are comfortable with it, get some. Ask the farmers to tour their facilities. Most will allow it.
If that isn't an option, there are many, MANY raw and vegan protein powders that I enjoyed quite a bit when I was vegetarian. Try a few-they kept me from losing my mind and biting my dogs.
On an aside, I feel pushed to ask this, because I was vegetarian for 11 years....the sam 11 years I suffered from an eating disorder. Are you using veganism as an excuse to exclude certain foods? I could get out of any social eating event by simply saying, "I can't have any of this, I am vegetarian. But thank you." Everyone else would eat without questioning it. If you are recovering, please let your body get back to a healthy state (i.e. not bingeing because of some mineral lacking in your diet) and THEN pursue vegan eating, or vegetarian, or whatever makes you feel satisfied. If you're already deficient in something, you need to let your body heal. Consider having bloodwork done if it's an option.
I applaud you for taking steps to recover. I know how hard it is.0
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