Going vegan, getting sick?
I only recently (past month or so) have gone completely vegan; I was a big cheese/egg eater for a long time and went back and forth for a while…since going totally vegan I got really sick. My tongue turned white, my skin broke out, I woke up sweating in the night, and my throat hurt really badly. The weirdest part was mouth sores that started near the back of my mouth but MOVED and crept around to the front of my mouth. (No, it’s not an STD.) I am feeling better now except I’m kind of stuffed up and have a bad headache. I know it could just be a random cold, but I never have had anything like this before and the timing was weird. I lost a few pounds as well, putting me on the border of ‘underweight’ for my height but I don’t know if that means anything.
Did anyone else get sick when they went vegan?
That doesn't sound right at all. Have you started eating anything new or different since you've gone Vegan?
Make a record of what you're eat, when you're eating it and how you're eating it (cooked, raw, food combinations) etcetera. If it continues, as well as the weight loss, see your doctor.
Sometimes extreme changes require your body to adapt. Breakouts and headaches can indicate that you're detoxing (I get like that when I try to detox from caffeine/sugar). Your tongue going white means you may be dehydrated and you might be producing more phlem or antibodies. The sores is another matter and might be too much.
sounds like a weird allergic reaction. i would go to the dr asap.
If the sores are like canker sores you are vitamin deficient. I would definitely see a doctor ASAP because it sounds unrelated to going vegan.
I hope you have read some of the information listed down the left of this board on how to be a healthy vegan. I applaud your decision to go vegan because a lot of vegetarians turn into "cheese balls" because they rely on that type of protein (and can have very high cholesterol as a result). Just be sure you have put the right other things in there to make up for what you gave up in protein. Vegetable sources of calcium are better so you won't suffer there.
Keep us posted.
What you have sounds a lot like what several kids and adults around here have right now - it may just be whatever is going around (I would see a doctor). You probably would have gotten it no matter what you were eating. The people I know here who have it are all omnis.
Good nutrition is necessary to good immunity. A good multi-vitamin/mineral is always a good idea. Additionally, protein is very important to immunity.
While is is true that science no longer advocates "protein-balanced" meals for vegans, we do still have to make sure that we get a variety of proteins in the course of a day. Pasta, cereal, bread and most veggies provide pretty much the same spectrum. That needs to be balanced out with the other category- nuts, nut butters, legumes, beans, tofu, and other soyfoods which provide the matching amino acids. That's a little simplistic explanation and better charts, etc, are out there (actually, there are more than two categories, but I find it easier to remember this way, and it works well for me) The bottom line is, make sure you are getting a wide variety of foods, and protein from many sources. That will help immunity, and as an added bonus,help control sweet cravings!
I have to agree with everyone else. Please go see a doctor! Even if it's a virus that's going around, you need to be sure. Sure that it's not an allergic reaction to something. Allergic reactions can get progressively worse and even fatal!
you could be sick ....however from extensive juice fasting a white tongue is a definite sign of detox and stuffy nose and headaches, cold sores, etc.as well
Its a good thing, as you stop eating dairy and cheese your body is cleaning itself out. I got the same exaxct syptoms when I started juice fasting and it passes after a while. People think oh I better start eating dairy, whatever again, but its a sign your body's cleaning ship.
google detox fasting to get an idea of what i'm talking about. i know your not fasting but its probably similar...esp. the white tongue
drink lots of vitamin C for the cold sores
I would tend to agree w/ noillusions. These are all signs of detox. If you were a big dairy drinker and went 'cold turkey' you body could be clearing out the gunk.
When I went veg about thirteen years ago I got really sick for a while but since going vegan I haven't been sick in years.
If it persists go to the doc. Some peoples bodies react stronger than others to detox. You might want to do a good colon cleanse as well.
I've never heard of detoxing causing a body rash and those other symptoms. But it could be.
Take a careful look at what you've been eating. Have you introduced a new vegan food or ingredient that might have caused an allergic reaction?
Sometimes a radical change is lifestyle, including diet is stressful on the body, even if it's a good change, so your resistence might have gone down and you picked up a bug.
If you're loosing weight and you don't want to, you're definatley not eating enough calaories, and this could also be a stressor.
Good luck.
Sometimes a radical change is lifestyle, including diet is stressful on the body, even if it's a good change, so your resistence might have gone down and you picked up a bug.
I would agree with what Tweety said. I think going from Omni straight to a vegan diet is a pretty radical change. I'm sure your body is adjusting to your new diet. Just like when I felt I had been "poisoned" by accidentally eating something with dairy or meat, your body is going through a pretty big change in a similar way. It is "natural" for your body to want to expel toxins. So many medications work in reverse. They cure symptoms by holding toxins and viruses back and suppressing them inside. The human body is an amazing thing. it wants to "naturally" rid the body of anything bad. Think of what goes in, and what comes out. We breath in oxygen and get rid of C02. We eat and drink...and you know how that comes out ::). Our body uses the good parts and gets rid of the bad stuff and what we don't need. That is why when we are sick we tend to sweat it out. Also when you eat something bad, your body's reaction is to "rid" it from your system as quick as possible...meaning vomiting :P. I do think your body is trying to "correct" itself in a way. I am so far from being a doctor. I've read and have a lot of my brother's medical books (why?....who knows...knowledge I guess). I just think if it keeps up you should see a doctor or consult with a nutritionist. One that specializes in a vegan diet. Go to www.pcrm.org. Feel free to write to them. They are really helpful, and will put you in touch with someone in your area...be it a vegan doctor, or a vegan nutritionist. There's a lot of great stuff for you to research about your diet at that site as well. I think a lot of us here can tell you that we went through changes when we became veggies or vegan. I know I did everything wrong and ate all the wrong stuff when I first became a veggie (way before I became vegan). It took me a while to figure it all out.
Good Luck, and keep us posted!
-dave
I've lost a few pounds too in the past month or so I've been phasing into a vegan diet. Not good. I'm already small-framed, a size 2, and don't need to lose weight. Any advice to keep me at my normal weight?
Thank you all so much for your replies!
These are all really, really interesting replies. The only real radical change is eating more veggies and fruits- I eat about 5-6 servings a day, as opposed to maybe 3. That and tofu- but I have had it before. I don't eat tons of it, lots of my diet is still the same; beans, rice, spinach...I do try to get the reccomended protien for my weight, but I'm sue I've been a little behind there as well.
I thought about detox. That's really an interesting idea. It occured to me when I was waking up sweating- that has never happened before, nor have the moving mouth sores. I will go to a doctor though (thanks for the link, Dave!), if things don't get better soon, and will def. start taking a multi.
I do think for a week or two I was not eating enough fat, hardly any at all. I bought some avacodos, started using a little more olive oil/Earth Balance.
I, too, am wondering if just gaining some weight might help. I just uploaded that photo (in my profile) from a year ago and I look a lot healthier in it- I weigh 10 lbs less than that now. I think, Saskia, maybe to be sure you also eat enough calories as well as enough protein! I've found that to be kind of difficult.
You all are really, really helpful....!