Sick and Tired - No idea where to turn. *food sensitivities*

Sashiku

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Hello everyone. I have been told by a doctor that I have meat sensitivities as well as dairy sensitivities. I have been struggling with stomach issues my whole life because my family are meat lovers to the extreme and all we ever eat is meat, pasta and a bunch of dairy. Dairy makes me physically sick, while meat causes me indigestion, bloating, and nausea. I am so tired of feeling sick all the time. I love vegetables and Legumes but some I can't eat because of my hypersensitivity to textures due to my low vision and Asperger's. I was born with something called *Optic Nerve Hypoplasia* and because of that, I have many health issues. I weighed 108 pounds up till age 25 when I developed Hypothyroidism and now I'm always tired and have gained substantial weight. I am just so tired of how I feel all the time. Bloated, nauseous, heavy, tired, etc. And honestly? I never really liked the taste of meat in the first place. I have been avoiding it since childhood. I did do better on my grandpa's cows though, since he raised them himself, but still disliked the taste/texture. I can only imagine what is in store bought meat. The problem I'm having going vegan is:

A: No support from my family. I moved in with my mom when she got cancer to help out, but we are both on disability. I have been since birth since I'm nearly blind. I've had odd jobs, but for the most part nobody wants to hire me. That being, we have VERY little income. All my mom wants to eat is meat... *Like bloody meat EWW* Which makes me sick. I have been forced into eating meat or nothing at all most times. Otherwise I live on junk food and feel like my body is lacking vitamins. I just can't get them to understand. Even though the doctor said so, mom is sure I don't have any meat issues. So, I barely eat and when I DO eat, it's whatever I can find. I even ate pork last night and nearly threw up because of how bad it made me feel 20 minutes later or so. When we had our garden I ate much better, but we were unable to this summer due to my hypothyroidism + Back troubles and Her chronic pain. My brother does absolutely nothing around here unless he's dragged there. So in other words, nobody cares that I have to eat a vegan diet. They think it's dumb and just buy what they want. Then when i ask them to buy something I need, they complain saying we don't have the money. Like lately, all we have is HAM AND CHEESE. Neither of which I can eat.

B: Vegan food is expensive. As much as I'd love to drink almond milk and eat food that doesn't make me feel sick, it's nearly impossible when you're on food stamps. Mind, I do sell art now and then for extra food money. So right now, My kitchen is virtually empty aside from some frozen peas and black eyed peas. Oh, and some rice sides, because rice is really easy to cook with.

C: Dislike for *squishy* textures. Like tomatoes. I love them when blended in with food, but I can't eat big chunks or eat them by themselves. Same goes for cooked spinach. I like it raw but I hate it cooked.

So, I am here for suggestions, advice, and perhaps some support. Be gentle. :/
 
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Hi, would love to help you out!

There are lots of vegan foods, you may not like some, but should like others.

Try replacing meat with legumes (chick peas, lentils, soy, beans etc).

Try a plate of pasta or rice or noodles mixed with veg and peppers.

Look online for recipes and other ideas.

You said you moved in with your Mom, do you still live with her now? I suggest you offer to do some of the shopping, some of the cokking yourself, and things like that.

There are lots of cheap vegan foods so I don't agree that vegan food is so expensive, but it depends what you buy.
 
Hi, would love to help you out!

There are lots of vegan foods, you may not like some, but should like others.

Try replacing meat with legumes (chick peas, lentils, soy, beans etc).

Try a plate of pasta or rice or noodles mixed with veg and peppers.

Look online for recipes and other ideas.

You said you moved in with your Mom, do you still live with her now? I suggest you offer to do some of the shopping, some of the cokking yourself, and things like that.

There are lots of cheap vegan foods so I don't agree that vegan food is so expensive, but it depends what you buy.

Thank you for your reply. :) I already do eat plenty of legumes. I pretty much like all of them. I also eat rice in a variety of ways which is why I love it. The possibilities with rice are endless. ^_^ And yes, i still live with her. I can't move out because she can't support herself. It bums me out though because I miss being able to be alone and have things quiet. I'm rather introverted you see. And I would do the shopping but I cannot drive and nor do I have the money to afford public transport So I don't have much choice.

I do some of the cooking as well but mom doesn't like the meals if meat isn't part of it. So when I cook nobody eats it and I never have food to be able to cook for only myself.

And by *expensive* I mean fresh/raw veggies. I have a love for them but they don't sell them in low enough quantities and nobody eats them but me.
 
Check out The Starch Solution by Dr. McDougall. I am not really advocating this diet, but it is cheap, much cheaper than junk food and meat. Legumes, Potatoes, whole grain pastas, rice and squashes are pretty cheap. And you will get plenty of calories this way. Make sure to get your greens though. Get frozen veggies, they will last longer. You can buy frozen spinach, Kale etc. Also look for sales on the vegan mock meat and vegan cheese. Just buy when they are on sale.

Look up Plant Based Diet on a Budget!!! Best wishes to you dear.
 
Should be easy enough to go to vegan diet if you love all the legumes. Make sure you get B12 supplement, and a source of iodine, omega 3 and calcium.

It sounds like your relationship with your Mom is the real issue. Perhaps you can cook your own food separately or maybe another solution you can both find is going to be the best for you. Best of luck and happy Christmas!
 
Check out The Starch Solution by Dr. McDougall. I am not really advocating this diet, but it is cheap, much cheaper than junk food and meat. Legumes, Potatoes, whole grain pastas, rice and squashes are pretty cheap. And you will get plenty of calories this way. Make sure to get your greens though. Get frozen veggies, they will last longer. You can buy frozen spinach, Kale etc. Also look for sales on the vegan mock meat and vegan cheese. Just buy when they are on sale.

Look up Plant Based Diet on a Budget!!! Best wishes to you dear.

Sure thing~ I will check it out. And yes, of course I do eat a lot of greens. Kale and Spinach are great but I only like them raw. The only problem I have getting any "Vegan" labeled food is that we don't shop at a store that sells such things. We only shop at warehouse market or Walmart and neither of those really carry much if any. My favorite stores are fresh market and Whole foods. My mom says frozen veggies are too expensive and will only buy canned.
 
Should be easy enough to go to vegan diet if you love all the legumes. Make sure you get B12 supplement, and a source of iodine, omega 3 and calcium.

It sounds like your relationship with your Mom is the real issue. Perhaps you can cook your own food separately or maybe another solution you can both find is going to be the best for you. Best of luck and happy Christmas!

I have thought of taking supplements before. And yea, my mom and I are pretty much polar opposites on food and personality.
 
Oh Sashiku, poor you. It's so hard to cope when you feel so tired all the time and have disabilities as well as people dependent upon you. You are doing really well. In a way you need to put yourself first where you can. Don't feel guilty if you need to rest.

I don't think there is anything wrong with canned vegetables. How do you feel about soup? You could put the canned veg into a saucepan with tomatoes and beans and potatoes, and cook them up with nice seasoning and give them mash and make them into a thick soup which you could then freeze in portions. Then when your mum and brother eat their meat you could have a nice bowl of soup, and maybe share their veg. I have some very thick homemade soup for tea tonight into which I'm going to mix cooked rice, I haven't tried this before but I'll see how it goes and report back.

You might do better eating just rice and veg and see how you feel, just for two days maybe don't have any meat or dairy. Only drink water and give your body a rest. Sugar makes you very tired, if you can cut that out for two days you will very likely find you sleep better and have more energy. Do you have a doctor where you are who can monitor you? Parents often think their children are just being awkward, but if your mum saw that you were responding well to a vegan diet she would probably be very supportive, I'm sure she wants the best for you.

Vegetarian International Voice for Animals are great: www.viva.org.uk

They have lots of information on health, foodstuff, vitamins and minerals and, of course, animal welfare.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year and a transforming 2017.
 
Sure thing~ I will check it out. And yes, of course I do eat a lot of greens. Kale and Spinach are great but I only like them raw. The only problem I have getting any "Vegan" labeled food is that we don't shop at a store that sells such things. We only shop at warehouse market or Walmart and neither of those really carry much if any. My favorite stores are fresh market and Whole foods. My mom says frozen veggies are too expensive and will only buy canned.
 
Walmart is really coming along with vegan food. Check the frozen food section for Gardein brand. And Walmart even carries a vegan cheese now, check by the tofu!!!
 
Hello Sashiku, Happy New Year. I hope you are getting along a bit better with the help of this forum. I did put my rice in my thick soup and it was delicious. Like a risotto but nicer. I don't like risotto very much.

I make a soup/stew of tinned tomatoes, tinned mixed beans and a tin of chickpeas. I use a saucepan that holds about 2 pints and fry an onion in oil, salt, pepper, turmeric (not essential to taste but really good for you apparently) and a vegetable stock cube. Add to that the tomatoes, beans and chickpeas, plus tomato puree and I use French mustard, but anything you like that gives it a creamier texture, then boil it up and let it simmer for ten minutes. Then take it off and leave it to cool, that way all the flavours come together more. You probably know all this. Then I heat it up every evening and have some with rice, some with potatoes, some with toast. I add to it baked beans and it lasts for a few days. I quite often have strange meals which consist of my vegan stew with whatever I can eat of my non-vegan's husband's meal.

Fresh veg loses a lot of it's goodness by the time it gets to the shop. Many times it has been frozen and artificially ripened, so often there is no flavour. If you have just a window box you could grow lettuce, rocket, etc. Otherwise frozen and tinned vegetables are absolutely fine, I was raised on tinned veg, mostly carrots and peas. The rest was usually frozen other than potatoes.

Let us know how you are getting on. xx
 
Hey all. It's been a while. Well, I finally have some relief! It turns out I had Chronic Cholecystitis and had to have a rather immediate gallbladder removal surgery. My doctor suspected I've had it since my childhood. This explains so much! All the nausea, discomfort and hate for anything touching my stomach. *why I wore only dresses*. My stitches have healed and 5 days ago I made the choice to start doing a 15 minute beginner workout every day. So, I'm exercising again for the first time in 12 years. I feel great now too! No more nausea! I still have issues finding a way to get vegetables into this house though. Which is why I am going to plant a garden in the next few days. I do still experience some difficulty with meat, but it it nowhere as bad as it was. And yep, I still plan to stick to eating mostly vegetables till I move.

I also decided it's time to move. Mom has roommates and my brother is finally working and doing things around here so I feel it's my time to go and explore the world. I've had extreme wanderlust for years but knew my health was too bad to act on it. Now? I am going to make sure that dream comes true. I don't have much money so I may not see but one other state, but that is fine. Oregon is a beautiful place. I do want to see Alaska one day though.

Anyway, let me respond to you some of you now.

Sally: Thanks for all the support. I have yet to really fully stop eating meat due to our budget and constantly empty cabinets. I plan on doing that once I move to Oregon. My friend there also gardens and eats lots of vegetables. I believe she will be supportive.

Also, your suggestion for soup is nice, only I don't like tomatoes unless they are turned into liquid first. I can't stand chunks. Love the rest though. Mmm chickpeas. Now I'm craving hummus. hehe. :)

Thanks to everyone who commented. I'll keep marching forward and hopefully keep seeing change. I wish you all the best. <3