Does vegan often feel tired?

Question

My colleague is a vegan, she often said that she feel tired.

Answer 1

You do not need to take supplements at all with a vegan diet provided you eat well. She should get some blood work done to determine if it is lack of something. A vegan diet provides more than enough nutrients. Vegans generally feel much more energised and invigorated than a meat / dairy consumer when they eat well in my experience.

Answer 2

most likely she is not getting enough iron, I was anemic before becoming vegetarian and when i became things only got worst because I was so tired and exhasted alll the time, if shes vegan then she might not believe in taking medicines so recommend some kind of vitiam,

Answer 3

as she is vegan, she might not be getting the iron she needs which you would find in red meats. Lack of iron causes anemia. Tell her that she could take iron supplement tablets, which you can get in most health stores. I take these, but only half a tablet each day as one of my tablets is 150% of your needed iron, and too much iron can cause serious iron poisoning. half only has 75% so i take that and then get my other 25% from food or drink. I once tried taking iron water sachets and putting them in fruit juice..but i found that it tasted a bit like blood (there is lots of iron in blood).Dried fruit is an amazing source of iron, a handful of dried apricots or prunes are great for anemia. If she doesn't like dried fruit, she could whizz them up in a blender with other fruits to make a smoothie. A helpful fact is that iron is absorbed into the body much easier when swallowed with vitamin C. So she could try putting squeezed orange and dried fruit together in a smoothie or eating them in a fruit salad.

Answer 4

Being a vegan isn't a catch all for being healthy. You still have to do basic things to maintain a healthy life style.

Does your friend workout? Drink enough water?  Or perhaps they are a "junk food vegan" eating mostly pre-packed foods? Eating a well balanced diet consisting of whole foods from grains and legumes is your best bet and not relying on meat /cheese substitutes. Also, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables doesn't hurt for boosting ones energy levels. These are all things that anyone on a standard American diet would be told. The same goes for a vegan. Get plenty of water, work out or get some exercise, eat good foods several times a day. Taking a daily multi-vitamin daily and some Vit-B12 (500mg) three times a week would help.

Also, there are tons of variables when it comes to somebody being tired. Coffee, smoking, lack of sleep, kids, stress. All have nothing to do with your diet. But keeping healthy and eating good no matter if  your a veg or not will help with energy levels.  

They can always go to a doctor or naturopathic doctor and have their vitamin levels checked and see if they are imbalanced somewhere.

Answer 5

nope.

anyone with an unhealthy diet will feel tired though.

Answer 6

Just like meat eaters, some do and some don't.  It could be that she's not getting her nutritional needs met, it could be that she's not getting enough sleep, it could be that she's not getting enough exercise, it could be an underlying medical condition, it could be depression....

Vegans can meet all of their nutritional needs and be very healthy.  It's just not possible to blame her tiredness on veganism.  There are vegan athletes competing at the highest levels, for goodness sake.  I'm pretty sure Ruth Heidrich felt tired after winning her Ironman triathlons, but I'd be pretty surprised to find her complaining about feeling tired all the time.

Answer 7

I am vegan and I am bouncing off the walls today.  She must not be eating right, or perhaps she has some underlying medical condition that is affecting her energy.

Answer 8

I feel a lot healthier after going vegan. In fact, I'm much more energetic and feel fresh.

Ask her to check her diet and ensure she is eating a balanced vegan diet and she'll be good to go :)

Answer 9

She probably isn't getting the proper nutrients.  When your vegan you should take supplements to replace what your missing from not eating any meat, dairy etc.

Answer 10

No, I've been a vegan for past 5 year.

I've been passing my physical tests every year which most of my colleagues unable to compete me so far.

Answer 11

A vegan is just someone who does not eat or use any animal sourced foods or by products. It does not imply that one who practices it has perfect health. maybe she isn't getting enough of her nutritional requirements. Anyway, chronic fatigue is caused by a number of factors other than diet such as lack of sleep, excessive work or an illness. Tell her to visit a doc

Answer 12

She probably isn't eating healthy

Answer 13

I don't feel tired exept when its time for bed! She probably doesn't eat enough or something.