Hello im Christen

[christen_g]

Vegan here; been on and off being strict vegetarian for quite some time, always quitting because i was not feeling well (and not talking to a doc or nutritionist about it ).
Im in a much better place now: Im getting treatment for PCOS. I have a GI and found i react badly to FODMAPs and have since changed my diet. I have discovered i have the APOA2 rs5082 double SNP, and have been keeping my sat fats VERY low. Since all this, being vegan has been something i can stick to for more than two months. Hasnt been hard at all (the weaning off the sat fats tho...).

The only trouble i have now is adjusting to a whole foods diet. I do really well with sugar in my diet but i want to make sure i get enough micronutrients in the long run and save my teeth. Whole foods has been hard because i dont really respond to the stretch receptors in my stomach. And i know from experience that it takes around two weeks to get used to a new diet so im giving it time but UGH. So hard to stick to when i know i can just grab a rootbeer or a lager But im still excited about the future and enjoying the food.

Please feel free to ask me any questions or give me any advice

 

[silva]

What led you to get tested for that genetic (?) trait?
I looked up- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/apoa2
I definitely have high cholesterol, and LDL. I should keep a check on my saturated fats. I have eaten wfpb, no oil or sugar, and know it's the best way, but have a very hard time.
Have you followed Dr Esselstyn?

 

[christen_g]

What led you to get tested for that genetic (?) trait?

Got the ancestry+health package from 23andme as a gift.

Have you followed Dr Esselstyn?

No, i dont even know who that is. Why you ask?

 

[silva]

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=prevent+and+reverse+heart+disease+by+caldwell+esselstyn&crid=3WWK3XGUKXK2&sprefix=prevent+and+re%2Caps%2C153&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_14

https://esselstynfamilyfoundation.org/ef-content/uploads/2022/06/PB-jumpstart-guide.pdf

A very strict diet of all whole plant foods, no sugar or oil, and as very very minimal fat -- designed for those with heart disease. I guess it doesn't apply to you. I have known a man whose life was literally saved by following this way of eating.
Basically the wfpb diet that Dr Greger advocates, without the healthy fats.

NutritionFacts.org | The Latest in Nutrition Related Research

The latest in nutrition related research delivered in easy to understand video segments brought to you by Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

nutritionfacts.org

 

[Lou]

Welcome to the Vegan Forum

I have a couple of suggestions.

Getting the right amount of nutrients and micronutrients might be challenging for someone with PCOS and is vegan.

You should check out CronOmeter. It's a website and an app. Its free.
It takes all the math, research, and guess work out of monitoring your nutrition. After inputing all the food you eat it calculates everything and makes color coded graphs. Using it you can very easily see if you have any nutritional deficiencies and also if you need to change things up.
There is a bit of learning curve and also it takes a bit of time to record everything. But it's not rocket science and once you get the hang of it you can do the imput part of it in just a few minutes.
Anyway, once you get going on CronOmeter you can probably determine what supplements are necessary.
vegans usually supplement B12, and D. But you may need more.

Cronometer: Eat smarter. Live better.

Track nutrition and count calories

cronometer.com

You probably should have your doctor recommend a Registered Dietician. In many cases, your health care plan will pay most if not all your RDs bill. there is a lot written about people who control their PCOS symptoms with a vegan diet, Plus its not like you have to have a lot of appointments. Sometime just 2 - 3 are enough. Also an RD might be able to hook you up with a support group. Now-a-days a lot of support groups meet up on Zoom.

Vegan Guide to PCOS — Angela Wortley Nutrition - Intuitive Eating and Nutrition Counseling

Clearing up common nutrition myths and misconceptions about veganism and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Learn how to manage PCOS as a vegan.

www.angelardn.com

PCOS and a Vegan Diet | OnPoint Nutrition

Learn whether a Vegan Diet can help alleviate PCOS symptoms and improve your health.

www.onpoint-nutrition.com

https://www.ginsen-london.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/IBS-and-PCOS-friendly-meal-plan.pdf

And it probably would be a good idea to go to the library or bookstore and get out a couple of books on these subjects.

 

[christen_g]

Oh! Do you have PCOS and IBS too?

 

[Lou]

Oh! Do you have PCOS and IBS too?

no, but a friend has IBS. we have traded stories about diets. (she is a retired nurse)
I'm generally interested in nutrition .
And I like to give advice to new vegans.

I've heard stories from vegans about RDs who are not vegan-friendly.
But I think that is a thing of the past.
I think the RD community is now Pro-Plant Based.

But you really should be seeing someone about a PCOS diet anyway. And I think one would help with your concerns too.

Don't be disappointed if an RD wants you to revisit FODMAP. For IBS that is where they like to start. With IBS it's a bit of a guessing game. You start highly restrictive and then just add foods one at time and see what happens.

A Low FODMAP diet is not all that compatible with a plant based diet. but it can be done - something an RD can help with. But the common practice is to just do Low FODMAP for a month or two and then start adding things.

 

[Lou]

I just did a search for IBS in the Vegan Forum. Mixed results but one piece of advice that kept popping up is taking a probiotic. I'm pretty sure that is bad advice. The problem is with the intestines. An oral probiotic probably can't survive the stomach acids. also most of the probiotics just don't have enough variety. But something to ask your doctor about - maybe there are some better ones now.

 

[Tom L.]

Welcome, @christen_g ! I went vegetarian back in 1972, but started cutting back on milk and egg in the 1990s. So far, I don't think I've had problems with FODMAPs, but I do have to be careful about excessive sugars (and refined flours, to a somewhat lesser extent) because of my risk for Type 2 Diabetes.

 

[KLS52]

Hello and welcome!

 

[christen_g]

A Low FODMAP diet is not all that compatible with a plant based diet. but it can be done - something an RD can help with. But the common practice is to just do Low FODMAP for a month or two and then start adding things.

I think it depends on what foods you like. In my experience, there have been tons of foods that are low or no FODMAP that i really enjoy, and a lot of the foods i dont enjoy are high FODMAPs (sometimes i wonder if my body has been keeping score). Maybe the whole "low FODMAP diets are very restrictive" thing came from a time where theree was way less info about this stuff (Monash is adding foods to their list every day) and docs were possibly blanket banning foods. It does take getting used to, but once i got into the swing of things, i hardly notice im on a diet. The only time it feels restrictive is looking at new foods or going to restaurants (which i need to eat less of anyway).

 

[Emma JC]

hello and welcome to the forum

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Lou]

i dont enjoy are high FODMAPs (sometimes i wonder if my body has been keeping score). Maybe the whole "low FODMAP diets are very restrictive" thing came from a time where theree was way less info about this stuff

There are many High FODMAP foods that I really enjoy and even think of them essential

Some of the high FODMAP items that I would not like to give up is: Most of the veggies, legumes, wheat, grains....
Giving up dairy is not an issue.

 

[christen_g]

There are many High FODMAP foods that I really enjoy and even think of them essential

Some of the high FODMAP items that I would not like to give up is: Most of the veggies, legumes, wheat, grains....

Que?
I thought you were gonna say something more specific. You def dont have to give up most of those things.
Most people get upset because they basically have to cut out garlic and onion but i got used to that really quickly and you can get around that rule by buying infused oil or pickling your onions if you really need them that bad.

Legumes are def the toughest to deal with and i will admit i dont eat much except edamame and tofu but thats mostly because im lazy and dont like measuring out food if i can just eat something else especially since opening a can of beans and only removing a little at a time... I guess i could do it since i have can savers... I should probably try it. But yeah i can eat black beans, pinto, chickpeas, pretty much any legume whenever i want.
Actually just bought some fava beans today, really excited to prep and cook those. I'm testing my fructose:glucose tolerance this week so i can use as much of these in a dish that i want since they arent a concern in the other FODMAPs.

I also eat tons of wheat in the form of sourdough bread, which i dont have to measure. (Non-sourdough is fine if its only a slice at a time.)

And veggies? Oh my lord i eat so many veggies. Carrots, peas, okra, celery, peppers, tons of herbs, kale, spinach, asparagus... I'm sure im missing a bunch. I just learned that oyster mushrooms i dont have to measure, very stoked, been avoiding mushrooms for a while.

 

[christen_g]

Oh and grains.... only a couple you have to watch out for. Wheat and rye are the ones that come to mind.
I get a lot of my carbs from bread so i stick to sourdough or gluten free.
For boiled grains, i do rice, quinoa, oatmeal, and buckwheat most days.

 

[PTree15]

Hi Christen, and welcome to VF!