Health Issues Arthritis on Long Time Vegan Lifestyle

MirrorMan

Newcomer
Joined
Oct 28, 2021
Reaction score
0
Age
114
Location
Earth
Lifestyle
  1. Vegan
I'm 65 years old, became low-dairy/no eggs vegetarian when I was 17, and totally vegan over 32 years ago. When the coconut oil vegan cheeses came to the fore, I consumed them for a while but have stopped altogether for the past year or more, and otherwise have always been eating a low-fat whole plant food diet.

So after all that I was surprised to learn from an x-ray that I have some arthritis on my hips, and I just now discovered a growth of arthritis on my baby finger. What could have contributed to it, and what I can do now to stop it?

I am slender and exercise every day and have no other health problems. What gives?
 
I'm 65 years old, became low-dairy/no eggs vegetarian when I was 17, and totally vegan over 32 years ago. When the coconut oil vegan cheeses came to the fore, I consumed them for a while but have stopped altogether for the past year or more, and otherwise have always been eating a low-fat whole plant food diet.

So after all that I was surprised to learn from an x-ray that I have some arthritis on my hips, and I just now discovered a growth of arthritis on my baby finger. What could have contributed to it, and what I can do now to stop it?

I am slender and exercise every day and have no other health problems. What gives?
Sounds like you mean osteoarthritis, which is more a mechanical wearing of cartilage rather than inflammation.
I'm 59 and have had nodule on my thumbs and fingers for a few years already. I've always done mechanical work, even more so now, so it's no surprise to me. The closest I stick to WFPB, and take tumeric/black pepper, the better I feel. Oils and sugars seem to be the worst offenders.
I also take vit D and algae DHA

Here's some well researched help:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Emma JC
What is your "whole plant diet"?.
If you are not consuming lots of leafy green salads, etcetera, you are missing minerals like calcium and iron.
To me, arthritis, etcetera are also indicating an acidic pH---when your pH should be above a 7 and alkaline.
If you consume some things that are vegan, they may be acidifying your pH-such as: soda/cola, processed vegan
foods, sugars, chocolate, tons of grains/beans, kombucha, coffee, tea, sports drinks, alcohol, cigarettes.......
Articles show we should consume 80% alkaline and 20% acidic foods. Try consuming 50% of your vegetables
and fruits in their RAW state--smoothies, salads, fresh juices with pulp, raw crackers, nuts, etcetera. SOAK
your grains (8 hours), beans (12 hours), and rinse before cooking them. SOAK your nuts/seeds for several hours
before eating them. Are you drinking enough healthy water?. Citrus fruits are alkaline in our body. Hope this helps.
cheers, rachel
 
I buy almost all fresh organic produce and bulk items, almost no non-organic.

Mostly I eat lots of tofu, brocolli, spinach, kale, green beans, sweet red pepper, tamari, curry spices (tumeric, cumin, coriander), limes squeezed onto my greens; mixed greens salad with oil-free dressing; almonds, walnuts, pecans, legumes, occasional multi grain sprouted bread, once in a blue moon rice (brown) or quinoa, alfalfa sprouts. Avocados, guacamole. Corn chips sometimes, but mostly corn tortillas with no oil.

Daily smoothies with oat milk that is is just oats, no added anything, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raw kale, chia seeds, monk fruit extract, lately some pure organic pea protein powder, no processed sugars. Occasional orange and apple, occasional raisins. In summer and fall practically fruitarian with tons of stone fruit and other berries.

I do use a little bit of organic extra virgin olive oil to stir fry, as I haven't been able to successfully stir fry with water or find nonstick pans that are safe and work right. I could be drinking more water during the day. More citrus fruits?
 
Last edited:
What is your "whole plant diet"?.
If you are not consuming lots of leafy green salads, etcetera, you are missing minerals like calcium and iron.
To me, arthritis, etcetera are also indicating an acidic pH---when your pH should be above a 7 and alkaline.
If you consume some things that are vegan, they may be acidifying your pH-such as: soda/cola, processed vegan
foods, sugars, chocolate, tons of grains/beans, kombucha, coffee, tea, sports drinks, alcohol, cigarettes.......
Articles show we should consume 80% alkaline and 20% acidic foods. Try consuming 50% of your vegetables
and fruits in their RAW state--smoothies, salads, fresh juices with pulp, raw crackers, nuts, etcetera. SOAK
your grains (8 hours), beans (12 hours), and rinse before cooking them. SOAK your nuts/seeds for several hours
before eating them. Are you drinking enough healthy water?. Citrus fruits are alkaline in our body. Hope this helps.
cheers, rachel
What does soaking nuts and grains do?
 
Sounds like you mean osteoarthritis, which is more a mechanical wearing of cartilage rather than inflammation.
I'm 59 and have had nodule on my thumbs and fingers for a few years already. I've always done mechanical work, even more so now, so it's no surprise to me. The closest I stick to WFPB, and take tumeric/black pepper, the better I feel. Oils and sugars seem to be the worst offenders.
I also take vit D and algae DHA

Here's some well researched help:
I take V D3, I bought a botle of algal oil and it tastes so terrible that it ruins everything I put it in.

 
I take V D3, I bought a botle of algal oil and it tastes so terrible that it ruins everything I put it in.
Algae oil? Ewww...I take capsules. I dislike sea tastes, and have tried many different ones. I now have Kates Naturals which have yet to even give me one burp.
You say you were surprised to find arthritis detected, so it sounds as if you aren't bothered. Why are you concerned?
Your diet is good, if you don't have any issues with movement or pain the wear is pretty much inconsequential as far as I would be concerned
Keep at it and do what you want to improve, both in diet and activity
 
Algae oil? Ewww...I take capsules. I dislike sea tastes, and have tried many different ones. I now have Kates Naturals which have yet to even give me one burp.
You say you were surprised to find arthritis detected, so it sounds as if you aren't bothered. Why are you concerned?
Your diet is good, if you don't have any issues with movement or pain the wear is pretty much inconsequential as far as I would be concerned
Keep at it and do what you want to improve, both in diet and activity
Well, my pinky knuckle has a large growth on it that I finally noticed today after feeling some painful sensation there. I have a younger sibling who has suffered from ever-worsening arthritis on their hands, and I want prevent going any further down that road.

(I also dislike all sea tastes, including seaweeds but naively thought the algal wouldn't have much of a taste.)
IMG_3735.jpg
 
What does soaking nuts and grains do?
Soaking grains, beans, nuts and seeds helps them begin sprouting and germinating. It creates more enzymes and also lowers
the phytic acid in them, which is believed to reduce minerals in our body. Sprouting/soaking also INCREASES the nutrition content
of everything that is soaked, versus simply, cooked. And soaking grains and beans before cooking them reduces the cooking time.
see these videos....r
sprouting
microgreens
sprouting more
 
  • Informative
Reactions: Emma JC and silva
Nothing wrong with sprouting beans and grains before cooking them. I haven't seen evidence that this is effective for treating arthritis, however.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Brian W
Nothing wrong with sprouting beans and grains before cooking them. I haven't seen evidence that this is effective for treating arthritis, however.
It isn't about specific foods, but a wholly nutritious diet, free of adverse foods. For inflammation Dr Greger points to eliminating animal products, oils.....and keeping your diet a variety of whole plant foods, with lots of spice and healthy fats
 
  • Like
Reactions: Emma JC
Soaking grains, beans, nuts and seeds helps them begin sprouting and germinating. It creates more enzymes and also lowers
the phytic acid in them, which is believed to reduce minerals in our body. Sprouting/soaking also INCREASES the nutrition content
of everything that is soaked, versus simply, cooked. And soaking grains and beans before cooking them reduces the cooking time.
see these videos....r
sprouting
microgreens
sprouting more

.
Not sure that I would recommend the first 2 videos. The presenter, known as "Fully Raw Kristina", discourages people from eating cooked foods. This is contrary to the recommendation of every major vegan organization. Cooked beans and grains are healthy.
.
 
.
Not sure that I would recommend the first 2 videos. The presenter, known as "Fully Raw Kristina", discourages people from eating cooked foods. This is contrary to the recommendation of every major vegan organization. Cooked beans and grains are healthy.
.
She believes in raw foods and it works for her. She gives a lot of good suggestions and you can eliminate what she says that you do not
agree with. I ate 100% raw for several years and am now raw but more flexible. I do believe everyone should consume at least 50% of our
foods in their raw state. If you ever try a healthy raw food diet, even just for a week or month you would notice a big change in your energy,
etcetera. As a counter, many vegans eat too many processed and fast foods that are not healthy, even Dr. Greger says that. Truly, cooked food
is addictive and takes our energy away. My experience taught me that. Beans and grains are acidic in pH, but many can handle them. Cheers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lou
She believes in raw foods and it works for her. She gives a lot of good suggestions and you can eliminate what she says that you do not
agree with. I ate 100% raw for several years and am now raw but more flexible. I do believe everyone should consume at least 50% of our
foods in their raw state. If you ever try a healthy raw food diet, even just for a week or month you would notice a big change in your energy,
etcetera. As a counter, many vegans eat too many processed and fast foods that are not healthy, even Dr. Greger says that. Truly, cooked food
is addictive and takes our energy away. My experience taught me that. Beans and grains are acidic in pH, but many can handle them. Cheers.
You sure do cherry pick Dr Gregers advice 🙄
Processed foods and fast foods are not the same as cooked food, which Dr Greger does in fact, recommend, not raw diets
 
  • Like
Reactions: Emma JC and David3
.
This kind of misinformation is not good for people. Your post has been reported.
Reported? yikes, how sad and defensive when you disagree with a fellow vegan. You would think I am on a paleo or carnivore chat. You have no experience with what I am talking about, and you have free will to eat whatever you choose to. Raw food contains enzymes and more nutrition than cooked food, this is common sense. Cooked food IS addictive, i have read this from other people and experienced this first hand. If someone else chooses to consume cooked food they have free will to do so. You believe what you want to and make your choices accordingly I never stated cooked lentils are "bad", you are taking my words out of context and again being really defensive. I am saying that uncooked or sprouted foods (such as lentils) have MORE nutrition, energy, and enzymes than those that are dead cooked foods. Cooking foods typically results in a loss of 75% of the nutrients, thats' a waste of money. Consume raw only food for a week or month, then consume only cooked food or mostly cooked food for the same time period and see the difference. Here is some information for those who are willing to read it:
 
Reported? yikes, how sad and defensive when you disagree with a fellow vegan. You would think I am on a paleo or carnivore chat. You have no experience with what I am talking about, and you have free will to eat whatever you choose to. Raw food contains enzymes and more nutrition than cooked food, this is common sense. Cooked food IS addictive, i have read this from other people and experienced this first hand. If someone else chooses to consume cooked food they have free will to do so. You believe what you want to and make your choices accordingly I never stated cooked lentils are "bad", you are taking my words out of context and again being really defensive. I am saying that uncooked or sprouted foods (such as lentils) have MORE nutrition, energy, and enzymes than those that are dead cooked foods. Cooking foods typically results in a loss of 75% of the nutrients, thats' a waste of money. Consume raw only food for a week or month, then consume only cooked food or mostly cooked food for the same time period and see the difference. Here is some information for those who are willing to read it:
and you are free to eat what you want, but you've been posting misinformation on a site that is responsible for many that are new to plant based eating. My concern in particular is referencing comments from trusted sources that are completely misconstrued, and can easily sway new members into false beliefs.
Too many people start eating vegan and fail because of so many mixed messages on nutrition.
Your websites are not scientifically based research.

 
You sure do cherry pick Dr Gregers advice 🙄
Processed foods and fast foods are not the same as cooked food, which Dr Greger does in fact, recommend, not raw diets
I can't remember what Dr. Gregar said but I'm pretty sure Dr. Fuhrman recommends about half our diets to be raw. Hence the Big Salad.

That being said there are so many good cooked foods. going raw just seems to be too restrictive. But I'm pretty sure done correctly and carefully its safe.

I did some research on Raw diets many moons ago. and I was suitably impressed with Kristina. However, I think the only way you can get adequate protein on a raw diet is with very high calorie counts. Ok with athletes. I think Kristina and Freebie were fitness instructors and their "what I eat in a day" videos were like 3000+ calories.
 
  • Friendly
Reactions: Emma JC