Transition from meat eater to vegan

[Ktizzle7005]

Hello,

I’m on day three of vegan eating for ethical reasons and just wondering if anyone had any insight as to why I would feel nauseous every now and then? I’m tracking my food so I know I’m getting enough nutrients. I add nutritional yeast into my meals once a day trying to get an adequate amount of b12.
I don’t know if I’m nauseous from the full blown change ( I will not go slowly as I absolutely refuse to eat any animal product ), or becoming deficient in something? Any help would be appreciated. I’m also breastfeeding my 10 month old so I want to ensure I have healthy breastmilk for her. Thank you!

 

[Lou]

it is very unlikely that you have become deficient in something in just three days. Although I guess you could have already been deficient in something before.

I'm pretty sure that adding nutritional yeast to one meal once a day will not provide you with adequate amounts of B12. our bodies can easily store months worth of B12 so again it's unlikely you already have a B12 deficiency. But that might not apply to your baby.

The number one complaint among many new vegans is bloating as a result of all the extra fiber. but nausea is something different.

I would call your doctor and maybe schedule a check-up. With babies, you can't be too careful.

 

[Ktizzle7005]

Ok thank you.

 

[Thom]

Could the nausea be caused by anxiety? When we first transitioned to vegan, I remember being a bit anxious because of all the push-back we got from friends, family, and society telling us how our health would suffer. Once we did some of our own research we found our anxieties vanished, replaced by the confidence of knowing we were getting all the nutrients we needed to be healthy.

B12 / I think the B12 issue gets blown out of proportion. There is no reason to believe you're getting more B12 from a diet that includes animal products. If you weren't concerned about B12 before going vegan, then you have little reason to be more concerned after going vegan. We, too, worried about B12 when we transitioned to vegan, so we started and still add nutritional yeast to all of our savory meals and we buy fortified non-dairy milks. In general, we probably consume 2-6 tablespoons of nutritional yeast per day and 2-3 cartons of non-dairy milk per week. So far we haven't had any perceived or diagnosed issues with B12.

When in doubt go see the doctor. But keep in mind many doctors are not up-to-speed with the plant-based diet concept and may suggest adding animal products to your diet as a quick fix.

Something else that may seem very random -- Around the time we transitioned to vegan, my girlfriend would get nauseous and it would last for days. She'd eaten cashews her whole life with no problem, but for some reason, out of nowhere, she developed an allergy to them. Cashews are in a lot of vegan foods. Similarly, recent studies have shown people with latex allergies may have issues with jackfruit, another popular vegan food.

 

[Forest Nymph]

About two rounded teaspoons of Red Star Nutritional Yeast provide an adult serving of B12 for the day.

Also, it takes about three months to become deficient of anything besides calories.

It can take up to three YEARS to develop a B12 deficiency.

Possibly you arent eating enough or are eating too much of something that doesn't agree with you.

 

[Ktizzle7005]

Could the nausea be caused by anxiety? When we first transitioned to vegan, I remember being a bit anxious because of all the push-back we got from friends, family, and society telling us how our health would suffer. Once we did some of our own research we found our anxieties vanished, replaced by the confidence of knowing we were getting all the nutrients we needed to be healthy.

B12 / I think the B12 issue gets blown out of proportion. There is no reason to believe you're getting more B12 from a diet that includes animal products. If you weren't concerned about B12 before going vegan, then you have little reason to be more concerned after going vegan. We, too, worried about B12 when we transitioned to vegan, so we started and still add nutritional yeast to all of our savory meals and we buy fortified non-dairy milks. In general, we probably consume 2-6 tablespoons of nutritional yeast per day and 2-3 cartons of non-dairy milk per week. So far we haven't had any perceived or diagnosed issues with B12.

When in doubt go see the doctor. But keep in mind many doctors are not up-to-speed with the plant-based diet concept and may suggest adding animal products to your diet as a quick fix.

Something else that may seem very random -- Around the time we transitioned to vegan, my girlfriend would get nauseous and it would last for days. She'd eaten cashews her whole life with no problem, but for some reason, out of nowhere, she developed an allergy to them. Cashews are in a lot of vegan foods. Similarly, recent studies have shown people with latex allergies may have issues with jackfruit, another popular vegan food.

Thank you I think it is anxiety.

 

[TofuRobot]

Hello & welcome! ... My 2 cents - Depending on how drastic the switch in your diet is (are you eating strictly WFPB coming from a junk food carnivore?), there's a possibility that you are experiencing detox symptoms. It can take 2-3 weeks or so to fully adjust to a drastic change in diet. But I also agree it could be anxiety. If it were me, I would ride it out for a few days and just self-monitor how I felt. If it doesn't go away in 3 days or so, or if it gets worse or you start vomiting or something, maybe visit the dr. Nutrient deficiencies take a lot longer than 3 days to develop, especially B12.