Vegetarian - thinking of stopping?

Question

My family tells me that ever since I became a vegetarian I've been looking ill. Ineed, it seems that my dark circle problem has worsened since I became a vegetarian and my skin is quite oily. I also have symptoms of anemia and am seeing a doctor for a test on Monday.

Should I stop being a vegetarian?

Answer 1

why are you a vegetarian? i had  to ask myself the same question i was a veg from age 17 to about 25. i stopped eating meat because i just simply had enough of  it! but as i got older i found that indeed i do like meat sometimes and i incoperate into my diet on a regular basis although sometimes i wil not eat any meat for weeks at a time just because i dont feel like eating it!  i think its good to limit your meat but  if your body isn't responding well to just eating a veg diet you may have to start incoperating fish to start see how you handle that. do you like sushi? you could start there. anyway try reading a book called eating for your blood type. it helped me. good lcuk!!

Answer 2

Sigh. WHY do people answer questions in this section when they have no idea what they are talking about!? I try and only answer questions that I am sure about or have done research on, unless they are opinion questions.

Definitely get a test done for anemia and if you are anemic, they will be able to give you a supplement to take for it.  I've been on a vegetarian diet for 3 years and a vegan diet for 1 year and just had bloodwork done last week and am perfectly fine in all my nutrients.

You do NOT need to consume meat in order to get all your required nutrients.  You should be taking a vitamin, as should everyone in my opinion. It never hurts to supplement your diet with extra nutrients to make sure you are getting everything you need. Like I said, go to the doctor and if they say you need an extra supplement then take it and make sure you are eating a well balanced diet of whole grains, proteins, and fresh fruits and vegetables. If you are anemic or are lacking in any vitamins or minerals it is not because you aren't consuming meat, its because you aren't consuming the right healthy foods that your body needs.

Answer 3

Try taking a short break and eat meat again for maybe a week and see how you feel after that, if you feel better then eat meat. Nobody should force you to be a vegetarian, meat is an important part of any carnivour/ omnivours diet and you shouldnt stop it because others say to.

Answer 4

You are going to see a doctor? A doctor of what?

There are professionals that specialize in nutrition known as DIETITIANS. Doctors usually don't know their @ss from their elbow when it comes to nutrition, especially veg nutrition.

If you lost a significant amount of weight, it seems obvious that your dark circle problem would only get worse with less fat on your face. Oily skin definitely sounds like a problem caused by greasy food.

Only you can decide how to live your life, not stranger on an internet forum. It really doesn't sound like you did it for any reason other than to lose weight so what difference does it make. Eating meat isn't as bad as eggs and dairy anyway.

If you were actually looking for a better answer, you should have given some idea of what your diet is like. "I am a vegetarian" tells us just as much as "I have brown eyes" when it comes to quality of diet.

Answer 5

you don't have to eat meat, you just need to make sure you get protein and vitamins from other foods. include alot of beans, legumes, tofu, lentils, nuts, fruit, vegetables and oils in your diet so you have good variety.

Answer 6

We are omnivores, the dominant species of this earth... we have k9 teeth to tear meat & molar's for grinding veg/fruit, we were born to eat meat just as we were born to grow old and die.

Some people refuse to eat egg as it is a undeveloped chicken fetus and the red spot's inside the egg, cockrel s***n.

If you have a high frequency sound recording system you can hear a tree or plant "cry/moan" when it is cut down or hurt.

In my opinion being a vegan or vegiterian i see it as a sign of mental weaknes & caring emotionaly for a weaker species.

Answer 7

Take a multivitamin, see your doctor for a check up, eat more of a variety of vegetarian options, and go to meat.org and watch the video.  That's the real reason to continue your cruelty-free lifestyle- never mind the weight.

Answer 8

What you choose to consume is entirely your own business.

However, consuming fat, hormones and cholesterol never made anyone's skin less oily.  What will is to increase the amount of raw produce you consume.  Ever met a raw vegan?  They GLOW with good health, generally attributed to a digestive system running at super efficiency.  This greatly improves circulation, which improves every system in the body.

Answer 9

No, meat is an addiction, you're just suffering withdrawel symptoms as you would if you gave up heroin if you were a junkie.

Being a vegetarian, your eating a diet lower in saturates, and if your a healthy vegetarian eating soya, quorn, nuts, beans, lentils and other protein sources in a balanced diet, you'll be healthier than when you were a meat eater.

Also, think about it from the moral perspective as opposed to the health perspective. As if health weren't a big enough benefit from being a veggie, you'll also gain so much in terms of being more humane to animals, and free of guilt. Being a vegetarian is also more sustainable as a practice, and vegetarians immediatly contribute less towards global warming, as well as saving animals, reducing demand for the slaughter of animals.

It all tilts towards vegetarianism =)

See your doctor for a dietician if you feel unhealthy in what you eat, and they will be able to assist you in aquiring a healthy balanced veggie diet.

Good luck to you!

Answer 10

Dark circles are a sign of low iron levels.

A balanced vegetarian diet will supply you with all the iron you need. You don't need to stop being a vegetarian. Just remember 'balance'.

Check out this link. Make sure you are getting reliable iron sources in your daily diet. Wholegrains, fortified breakfast cereals, nuts, beans, etc.

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/iron.html

In addition to IRON, make sure you are getting enough Vitamin B2 (also called RIBOFLAVIN). Dairy products are high in B2, but it is also added to certain soy milks (check the label) and is found naturally in nuts. Here is a link that I hope you find useful:

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/vitmineral.ht...

Dark circles have many causes. They can take a while to go away, so I would strongly suggest a daily mulivitamin & mineral (with iron), a healthy diet, plenty of sleep, and water. If you follow these steps, the darkness should go away.

(I cannot emphasise enough the importance of a good night's SLEEP. Have you noticed that if you have a late night, you may wake up with dark, puffy eye bags? Lots of sleep will help enormously)

Anemia (spelt ''anaemia'' in the UK!) has a solution: a supplement. If you suspect anemia, get your iron levels checked, and supplement with a mulivitamin & mineral. It's an effective form of treatment, eating iron rich foods alone will only do so much.

I hope this helps, best of luck to you.

Answer 11

No, just take supplements and make sure you are eating enough protien and iron.

Answer 12

Go back to eating meat and adopt a balanced diet.

Answer 13

Humans are omnivores this means a mixed diet including meat so in my opinion yes. I see lots of thumbs down is this not true are humans herbivores then I best go and graze

Answer 14

People do not become ill due to a vegetarian diet unless all they ate was french fries and the like.  Meat does not make you healthy.

Answer 15

It seems to be a common misconception that Vegetarians are more healthy than "meat eaters".  That's just not true.  If you eat a balanced diet including all food groups, you get the nutrients, vitamins and health benefits you need without having to take supplements for iron and such.  I am glad you lost weight using the vegetarian diet, but if it has compromised your health, you can get back on track with a balanced diet and be healthy.  If you were successful in losing weight on this diet, it shows you obviously have will power and should be able to ease back out of being a vegetarian and maintain your weight with healthy choices. Food tastes so much better than those supplements.  Good Luck and God Bless.

Answer 16

Well if you want to eat a living creature that god made and that means you becoming a murderer...then go ahead and stop and be a murderer.

I suggest you stay being a veggie :)

Answer 17

No, I don't think you should.

You probable just need to take some vitamin supplements to replace what your not getting enough of. I hope you find a way to keep being a vegetarian.

Good Luck!

Answer 18

I'm exactly the same as you.

My family are all telling me that i need iron and stuff.

But it's my choice.

I still feel that the animals are suffering

And I won't eat meat no matter how ill I get.

It's your choice, really

If you want to eat meat then do so

But if you don't then carry on th way you are.

Answer 19

Its up to you whether or not you are a vegetrarian. Being a vegetarian shouldn't really cause illness because all the stuff in meat you can get it from other foods. But I decided to turn vegetarian about 2 months ago, it did make me feel a bit sick and slugish. I stopped it, it only lasted for about a month. Hehe. But your doctor will advise you on what is best for you to do. Don't feel forced to quit vegetarianism.

Answer 20

you should eat all these things if your a vegetarian:

http://www.vegetarian-diet.info/images/v...

Answer 21

^^ hmm... variety of food and meal planning is the key... iron/b12 vitamins deficiency are the usual cause of anemia in vegans. anyways iron is abundant in green leafy veggies.

ive been a strict vegan for 9 years.. never had a flu/cold/ cough/headache as in NEVER ..  and my skin looked great.. till the day i die ill always be a vegetarian..

Answer 22

Yes.  Vegetable diets are at risk of being deficient in essential amino acids.  Although it is possible to get all of these if your food choices include the proper vegetables; the odds are that you aren't doing so, and adding meat protein to your diet will fix this.  It will also give you vitamin B-12, a necessary nutrient not found in a vegetable diet.

Answer 23

How long have you been a vegetarian and how old are you?

If you're an adolescent...well, oily skin is pretty typical.  A lot of that is just genetics.  

Otherwise, I can't see how eating meat will stop the oily skin, since that's mostly grease and cholesterol.  

About looking ill, if you're a recent vegetarian, you might be having problems trying to balance a meal properly.  As with every type of diet, you have to know what you're putting in you and what you shouldn't be putting so much of.  A vegetarian diet is very healthy, even healthier than a typical American diet according to the American Dietetic Association.  

Here's a website from the USDA that can give you some more information:

http://www.mypyramid.gov/tips_resources/...

You shouldn't need supplements, I never take them and I've been vegetarian for 14 years now.  I am also a few months from getting my nursing license.  My dad is a gastroenerologist (digest system focus) physician, and he's a lacto-vegetarian.  I have a vegan friend in med school right now.  I think this shows that it is definitely a healthy lifestyle.

I hope you are able to figure out the cause of your illness, and I am pretty sure it has nothing to do with being vegetarian, but maybe you there are some other choices you have to make in your eating habits.  Feel free to e-mail me if you want more information!

Answer 24

No i would continue with the Vegetarian if it has helped your weight problem but you should be taking daily vitamins or supplements. Organic foods may also help you. But if you do decide to quit slowly adjust your body to meat products because abruptly changing your diet may also cause health problems such as stomach disorders (not anorexia or anything like that i mean pains)

Answer 25

Talk to your doctor, ask if there are any supplements that you can take and still be a vegetarian, but if your doctor says that you need to eat meat, then listen to him. Are you eating the right foods though? you need to get a sufficient amount of protein in nuts, legumes, fake meat, etc. and you should be eating plenty of vegetables and fruits, make sure you get enought carbs, but not too much, cut down on sugars. I was a vegetarian for a few years and i didnt eat right, i had bread for practically every meal and sugar, and not enough vegetables, then i started getting dark circles under my eyes, and was constantly tired, even though i was getting about 9 or 10 hours of sleep, i tuned into my body though and cut out gluten for about a month, cut out most dairy, and ate plenty of vegetables and fruits and i feel so much better.

good luck

veg <3

Answer 26

This is something only you can decide, with the help of your doctor and dietician.  Don't let anyone push their own personal belief on you, whether it is to remain a vegetarian or to resume consuming meat.  It is your decision.

Answer 27

Yeah the same thing happened with me, but i started to feel tired and down all the time. I decided, instead of stopping completely I would eat fish and take vitamins. Its really helped!

Answer 28

It was your decision to become vegetarian and yours to stick with it or not.

I am vegetarian, but will get oily skin if I eat too much oil, e.g. butter, oil-based spreads, fried foods.

Dark circles around the eyes is usually insufficient sleep, not diet.

Anaemia is an issue.  Eat whole grain bread and wholegrain pasta.  Don't drink tea or coffee at least 30 minutes either side of a meal as it interferes with iron absorbtion.  

I was vegan, but I am lazy and ended up eating a few eggs.  Healthwise I would rather eat meat than dairy.

If you want to be vegetarian you might have to put a bit more effort in.  Floradix is a good supplement.

Answer 29

You're not eating a balanced diet that's why.

But if you do stop, then only eat healthy meats, chicken, turkey that are hormone-free, and fish that is wild caught and not farmed fish.

Other than that, enjoy tons of organic veggies, limited amounts of fruits as they do have alot of sugar, and good carbs, whole grains, etc.

Answer 30

okay please don`t stop saving animals!!

but if you do... (please dont) try getting you meat from places that do not drug there animals or factoryfarms or any other place that isnt nice to there animals

ps. limit the meat if you do (please dont eat meat)

Answer 31

vegetarians are actually more prone to heart attacks that your normal healthy omnivore as vegetarians lack carnosine which reduces glycation....in which glucose molecules bind to your protein molecules making them useless..this is toxic.....but because carnosine is found in meat...omnivores dont suffer as much.

so there is a down side to being veggie