Tried a vegan diet and stopped eating meat for a couple days and started to feel sick,ate meat and felt better

Question

I'm seeing a licensed dietitian and she helped me out with a vegan diet. I tried it for a couple days and started getting headaches and felling really lousy. I eat good plant sources of protein and make sure I have a source of vitamin C to help absorb the iron. What am I doing wrong? Is it my body?

Answer 1

If your beliefs are telling you to eat vegan, then you have a responsibility to put more effort into it than a couple of days. Of course you will feel a little bit weird during such a change, but it's well worth it. What's better, feeling good but contributing to the suffering of billions or to feel a little sick for a short while, whilst living with a clear conscience and spreading a beautiful statement which someday will stop the slavery of all nonhuman animals.

Answer 2

Your body is just reacting to a "staple" part of your diet being eliminated.

I'm not sure how old you are, but chances are, you've been eating meat all your life. Of course your body is not going to know what to do without it...for a while anyway.

When people go on detox diets, that is often what happens. Their bodies start feeling funny and reacting in strange ways when the TOXINS are being eliminated.

Yes, that's right. Meat is toxic. Give yourself more time. Two days is not enough time for your body to adjust to the absence of meat.

As you make the transition, make sure you are well-hydrated. Drink a lot of water and some herbal teas here and there. Bolthouse juices are chock-full of nutrients, depending on the flavor and your need.

Vary your diet and don't get too hung up on combining foods and all that jazz. Just eat a well-balanced variety of fresh fruit, veggies, beans and legumes. You should be fine. Just give your body a chance. You'll feel awesome soon.

Answer 3

Humans are omnivores, NOT herbivores, and as such they need animal protein to sustain a healthy life.

BTW, if you look at the 'natural' world, it is the _herbivore_ who is prey and the carnivore/omnivore who is predator.

That's the way it is.  Which would you rather be .?.

Answer 4

you are used to eating meat...it will take more than a couple of days for your body to adjust. what's wrong with meat anyway? god...the best thing in the world is nice juicy steak!

Answer 5

First, I have never met ANYONE who ate meat one day, then became vegan the next, nor would a "licensed dietitian" recommend that.  

Usually people cut out red meat, then poultry, then seafood, then eggs, then dairy products.

Why does this question make me think you're a troll?

Answer 6

Its like your doing a detox... your body is going to go through withdrawls. Take it one day at a time and you should be fine.

Answer 7

You are suffering from what seems like withdrawal symptoms. The same thing would happen if you tried to wean yourself off sugar, caffeine or most other addictive food stuffs.

Maybe you should take a gradual approach to veganism rather than going cold turkey.

Not trying to be offensive but I've seen similar physical and psychological changes in domestic animals when they've been put on restrictive diets in the past. It will pass but as I've already said take a more gradual approach and it'll be a much smoother transition for you.

Answer 8

He's right; the first part anyway.

If you're commited to not eating meat, give your body time to adjust, but stick with the dietitian's advice.

Just curious, though, do you wear leather shoes?

Answer 9

Probably because you went directly from eating meat into trying a vegan diet. A lot of people make the transition slower than that, they start off by cutting out red meats out of their diet, then cutting out chicken and fish, then cutting or dairy and eggs, etc...  

Besides, you've got to stick to your new diet more than a couple of days for you to start feeling the positive benefits of it. Sounds like you are going threw some sort of meat withdrawal (not sure if there even is such a thing). I know whenever I stop drinking coffee for a few days I get headaches and feel pretty lousy, I imagine it could be similar for you and your meat eating diet.

Answer 10

Some people adjust faster than others, but what you are ingesting likely just isn't enough for you. You are feeling sick because you just aren't getting the same levels of protein, iron, and fatty acids that your body is used to functioning on. I would try taking an iron supplement and some fatty acid supplements at least for a few days to keep those levels up - it does sound like you are fine on your protein levels.