Gone vegan, always ill

[spottygiraffe]

Thanks Blobbenstein -very interesting about the zinc and absorption. I hadn't read anything about vegan zinc levels before and I thought I'd left no stone unturned. Might have to have a browse through that blog -it looks really good.

I think the same about the dairy and the mucous -sorry if this is tmi but although I've been feeling very congested, when my nose has been running it has been quite clear and watery.

 

[PTree15]

What about sinus infections? Maybe you have some sinus issues that are causing these colds. What does your doctor say about your health?

This. Sinus infections can wreak havoc with the body.

Blobbenstein, when I sang in chorus in high school, our teacher instructed us not to have any dairy 24 hours before our performances. It does indeed lead to less phlegm.

 

[spottygiraffe]

PT15 -so I can blame it all on the sinuses then? That makes me happy! Thanks.

 

[ledboots]

Thanks Blobbenstein -very interesting about the zinc and absorption. I hadn't read anything about vegan zinc levels before and I thought I'd left no stone unturned. Might have to have a browse through that blog -it looks really good.

I think the same about the dairy and the mucous -sorry if this is tmi but although I've been feeling very congested, when my nose has been running it has been quite clear and watery.

That doesn't sound like an infection, more like an inflammation like allergies or a virus. Sometimes when your immune system is smacked by one virus, it can't fight off new invaders as well, so you catch a bunch of colds in a row.

Agree with the washing hands recommendation, and clean your home surfaces like doorknobs and tabletops often when anyone's sick. Vitamin C is recommended sometimes, as are the herbs echinacea and goldenseal, especially for sinus issues. Hope you feel better soon!

 

[spottygiraffe]

Thanks ledboots. I've taken your suggestion and got hold of some echinacea and also IS's suggestion about changing my toothbrush.

The latest in the saga is that this morning I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in my foot and before I even mentioned the 'vegan' word, the doc asked me if I'm getting enough calcium. I thought I was doing everything right but it looks like I might have a few deficiencies so maybe I'm not absorbing all of the good stuff I'm eating. I am definitely booking in for a blood test to see what's going on.

 

[SarahTates]

I've got to say I've never felt better as a Vegan. I had the start of a cold one day and the following day was back to normal - really odd and may not be down to my Vegan diet but as I said I'm ultra healthy.

 

[Virpukka]

I hope you are already through with this cold cycle but thought to share something with you specially since you do train regularly for things like marathon. The answer to your question was found actually from your own answer with training a lot. That is the best way to make sure that you stay sick and that it will get worse at some point. When I was dancing there was two ways to make your teacher seriously mad for you and those were to show up in class with not eating anything on that day or being sick.

Streching and training are both activities that hold the virus in your body and doesn't let it heal properly. That is why the cold doesn't seem to go away. But also when it is not allowed to heal you can actually make things heck of a lot worse for yourself. With training and not resting when you are sick you can actually drive the cold into your heart muscle and get infection in there and that is when things will go from bad to really dangerous. I had a dance teacher who's niece had that happen. She took classes while being sick with normal cold and ended up having pacemaker for six months and was out from training at least that long too.

So taking a break while healing is important. It lets your body time and space to heal.

 

[ledboots]

And get extra sleep when sick or beginning to come down with something, rest is good!

 

[Medha]

Hi Everyone

Sorry I haven't been around for a while, as the title of this thread might suggest, I have been ill!

I went fully vegan in September and since then I have had one illness after the other. I was previously one of those people who was 'never ill' so it has come as a bit of a shock to me. The pattern goes that I feel well for a week or so and then I get a cold or an infection that lasts for 2-3 weeks. I finished a course of antibiotics last Monday and actually felt on good form for a few days, but then this morning I woke up with another full-blown cold and am feeling really fed up now.

I think my diet is pretty perfect -I don't eat processed food, sugar or caffeine and I cook everything from scratch. No junk, everything 'whole'. I eat a huge variety of veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains and pulses and I take a supplement that includes iron, calcium and B12 just in case.

One of the reasons I went vegan was for health so I just don't understand what is happening and why it doesn't seem to be suiting me. There is no way I'm going back to eating any animal produce but I could do with a bit of support and to know that I will feel well again one day. Has this happened to anyone else? Is it just my body adjusting or is it not even related to my diet and maybe my immune system is a bit weak for another reason? Any thoughts would be wonderful -thanks in advance.

Sarah

I had same problem. Used to catch cold n flu every 2 months after going vegan. I had very low exposure to sun so started having vit d suppliment. Now its been more than 4 months I am fine now.