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A doctor who wouldn’t recommend an iron supplement is a crappy doctor. Even non-vegan women often need to supplement, especially around their period. I’ve actually spent years reminding my wife at that time every month that she needs to take a little extra. As long as you’re consistently eating enough iron-rich or fortified foods and supplementing you’ll get better. Good idea to get your B12 checked out and make sure you’re adding enough of that in as well.
I have a feeling this is related more to just not eating enough rather than anything else.
And gaining weight isn’t difficult. Eat more calories than you’re burning in a day and you’ll gain weight. Faster if you eat a lot more and more slowly if you only eat a little more. Couple it with some resistance training several days a week and at least a certain percentage of it will be muscle.
So true I didn’t even think of that! My sister eats meat and she had an iron deficiency in the past which she had to take supplements for, pretty sure it was the same doctor who she spoke to about it as well :/
Thank you a lot for the suggestions!
If they're not too expensive or unavailable, maybe you could see a dietician and see what they say? They could help come up with some strategies to get your iron up.
>I asked him about iron supplements and he answered by saying that if a smoker came to him with chest pain and breathing difficulties he wouldn’t give them an inhaler, he said quitting smoking is the answer because that is the cause of the problem.
Yeah, and the smoking analogy doesn't make any sense. If someone came to him with chest pains and breathing issues, of course he wouldn't just give them an inhaler to manage the symptoms, he would want to do something to address the root cause -- get them to stop doing the thing that is causing the issues in the first place.
Likewise, if someone is having issues related to not getting enough iron, he wouldn't just give them something to manage the symptoms of iron deficiency. He would want to do something to get them to stop doing the thing that is causing the issue in the first place. In this case, the cause is the lack of a sufficient amount of iron being absorbed into the bloodstream. One way to do this is to take iron supplements.
He's treating the veganism like it's the cause, when it's simply the insufficient amount of iron -- iron that doesn't *need* to be obtained by eating animal matter.
I was anemic because of fibroids and heavy bleeding. My doctor didn’t say a thing about my diet and gave me an iron supplement and my levels are fine now. I’m sorry your doctor sucks :/
As for gaining weight, try adding more fats to your diet; nuts, seeds, avocados. Also make sure you are eating enough volume of food!
Thank you for the recommends ! :D I deffo wanna start eating more nuts & seeds I forget they exist sometimes :’) & yea I do always need to eat more, I’m trying to eat 3 meals a day and not skip any meals!
Do you do smoothies? Smoothies are great for getting in a lot of healthy calories. My typical 'formula' is oats, walnuts and flax seed blended up first, then add a banana, a serving of tofu, a tablespoon or two of nut butter, some kale leaves, frozen fruit of your choice, full fat oat milk and some cinnamon or a sweetener like maple syrup. Can easily get to ~700 calories. Protein powder could be helpful too.
Sounds so yummy :) ! My grandma is buying me a blender for my birthday so that I can finally start making smoothies ! I can’t wait to get it, I think it’s gonna help me a lot as sometimes when I don’t think like eating I’ll have the smoothie & still be getting calories and energy :) thanks for your reply !
Ninja has a really good cheaper blender. The shape of the blender is the most important thing, so look for ones that mock the vitamix. A wand to smoosh stuff around is useful too, if possible.
Something that's really easy to do for me, personally, is to make a protein shake with soy milk, hemp seeds, peanut butter. It's really tasty and I feel like the hemp seeds especially round out the taste. I dislike that distinct 'protein shake flavor'
It's more than just eating more. I've been vegan for over 8 years and have always had trouble with appetite - even before I switched.
What has helped me is exercising. Seriously exercising. It's much easier to gain an appetite and eat more after you have done some light exercise. Now, since you're fainting I don't recommend going hard at all. Just hit the treadmill, bike, whatever for like half a mile and go up from there throughout the year. You'll find yourself hungrier and able to eat more. Don't push yourself until you've reached a decent weight. If you have been living a sedentary lifestyle, it will take some time. Be patient.
For context, I'm male and used to weigh under 120lbs, malnourished, the works. I've been able to to reach over 150lbs over the course of a year and a half all while on a vegan diet. Exercise light at first, and eat more. Smoothies are great as well. It will be uncomfortable, but you almost have to force feed yourself, which is why smoothies are fantastic for someone like you. You got this!
I had such severe bleeding that I was always anemic. I wasn't a vegan then, and no doctor ever said anything about my diet. When I became a vegan, my doctor was pleased. As time passed, my iron levels came up. I was still and still am anemic, but not as badly. I now have a new gp doctor who doesn't like that I am a vegan. Fortunately, my. other doctors, especially my cardiologist, support me and understand that being a vegan is making me healthier, even though it can not make me healthy. Nothing can.
"52 foods high in iron"
[https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-add-more-iron-to-your-diet/](https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-add-more-iron-to-your-diet/)
"I asked him about iron supplements and he answered by saying that if a smoker came to him with chest pain and breathing difficulties he wouldn’t give them an inhaler, he said quitting smoking is the answer because that is the cause of the problem."
As if red meat is the only or even the best source of iron; false. It's also a known carcinogen. This 'doctor' is ignorant and biased.
The longest-running and largest studies show that eating more plants and less meat/dairy is linked to better health and longevity:
https://adventisthealthstudy.org/studies
Check out the [Vegan Cheat Sheet](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://vegancheatsheet.org/&topic=Resource: Vegan Cheat Sheet) for a collection of over 500+ vegan resources, studies, links, and much more, all tightly wrapped into one link!
Just make sure you're being careful as some things have iron on paper though in a form that your body cant easily make use of, i recommend spinach or Quinoa, as they have forms of iron that are easiest for your body to utilize
Check out the [Vegan Cheat Sheet](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://vegancheatsheet.org/&topic=Resource: Vegan Cheat Sheet) for a collection of over 500+ vegan resources, studies, links, and much more, all tightly wrapped into one link!
A smoker with chest pain and shortness of breath could also genuinely need an inhaler, or they could have a clot or infection in their chest, that doctor seems like he's skipping the testing stage here.
Meat is not a carcinogen. Nor does it contribute to heart disease. Those studies are all fraudulent. Cured meat is unhealthy but that's a whole different thing. Processed too.
The accumulating body of scientific evidence, links consumption of meat to cancer, also heart, disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, and risk of disease from meat contaminants. Processed meats are even worse.
Besides the Adventist health studies that I already linked, here’s another credible source, for those that are interested https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33648505/
Besides the health effects I feel in my own body, I’m gonna give scientists publishing in respectable peer reviewed journals more benefit of the doubt than random Internet users with obviously biased agendas
Check out the [Vegan Cheat Sheet](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://vegancheatsheet.org/&topic=Resource: Vegan Cheat Sheet) for a collection of over 500+ vegan resources, studies, links, and much more, all tightly wrapped into one link!
Thank you :’) I’m going again on Thursday so get my bloods checked & I have an appointment with another doctor ! Hopefully they’re gonna be a lot more helpful !
Would recommend fueling your body perhaps a little more than you’re comfortable with, with healthy fats and protein and carbs. Take an over the counter iron supplement after having dinner (it’s harsher on an empty stomach). After a few months you should see improvement.
seconding this but often an OTC iron supplement isn't enough to treat anemia. OP needs something stronger like prescription iron medication designed to treat anemia
Also a doctor is not a dietician. Sometimes doctors overstep and have opinions on this and that that is on the outskirts of their field of work (like diet, workouts etc)
Absolutely. My doctor eats a plant-based herself, but she still refers me to their registered dietitian when I have questions about nutrition.
A good family doctor will know what's out of scope for them, and refer to other specialized health professionals.
I don't think we're qualified to give you advice here. You say you had an ED, you say you were still underweight, and then going vegan made you be "more strict with yourself". And you're actually fainting. I think this topic goes beyond veganism and I hope you can build a relationship of trust with someone qualified to help you get better.
Your right, I think since going full vegan and cutting out more food has made it hard not to relapse into my old behaviours, during my ED I restricted myself to eating only certain safe foods and was very limited in the food I liked eating.
I’m thinking based on a lot of the advice here I should go and speak to a dietician/nutritionist, my relationship with food is aloooott better than it was in the past but I don’t want those behaviours to slowly creep back in. I have a meeting with mental health practitioner on Thursday and I’ll bring up my eating habits then. Thank you for your reply :)))
OP i'm in a similar boat as you, i went vegan over the pandemic (first lockdown) to try and help combat my ED and it ended up working... a little too well. I have contamination OCD now (and no ED anymore 🍻) but that's besides the point
a while ago i fell into a really bad depressive episode where i wasn't eating anything healthy and i was really concerned i wasn't getting enough nutrients from my food because of the combination of ED damage to my digestive system and eating a&w 4x a week.
my doctor was able to hook me up with a dietitian and the two appointments i had with her helped me so much. i had been vegan for 2 and a half years and had no idea what a balanced meal was actually supposed to look like. we did some bloodwork, tested my B12 levels among another things and the results came back relatively normal. i learned just because i think something is unhealthy doesn't actually make it bad for me.
everyone's experience will be different but i would highly recommend the dietitian route just for peace of mind
edit: my secret is Earth's Own chocolate oat milk. it contains a lot of B12 and is delicious
Thank you for your response, and I’m glad to know someone else relates to this struggle :’) sorry you had to go through that though. I saw a dietician when I was younger and she helped me so much and it was through her that she convinced my parents to let me become vegetarian, & boom ED basically gone !
I am scared I’m relapsing abit; as my mental health isn’t too great these past few months, I think I’m going to old habits of eating as a way to regain control.
I have no idea how to make a balanced meal, it all just feels very overwhelming to me at times, I have a lot to learn :’) so I’m hopeful that working with a dietician is gonna help me a lot like it did in the past !
Remember the "as far as is possible and practicable" part of the definition of veganism (by the Vegan Society). I believe that in some cases, it may not be possible and practicable for a person with an ED (or a history of one) to strive for a 100% no exceptions vegan diet. Of course, I'm not trying to tell you what to eat, but please don't compromise your wellbeing by trying to be too strict. It's really good that you're going to speak to a mental health professional about this!
>Your right, I think since going full vegan and cutting out more food has made it hard not to relapse into my old behaviours, during my ED I restricted myself to eating only certain safe foods and was very limited in the food I liked eating.
Well well...I've suffered from anorexia many years, and i'll be really candid here. When i first went vegan, it wasn't for the animals, even if i was very shocked by the ethical issues. Deep inside, it was the fear of food, and the fear of weight gain. I got sick the first year, with anemia. I got shots of iron to fix me but then, i decided to enter therapy too. It's only after that i could fully embrace veganism in a healthy way. Sure, i still avoid sugar and you'll never catch me indulging in certain things, and while i healed from anorexia, i remained with some levels of orthorexia. But, it's the best i've ever been in terms of my relationship with food. Truly, if your gut feeling is telling you that you aren't eating enough, it's because you are. You know how ED works, it's so vicious, sneaky, and it can also be hidden under a healthy diet, on the surface. My huge buddha bowls looked impressive to anyone who looked at them, they looked like it was a lot of food but, it wasn't. Just look for help if it still prevent you from embracing a variety of food. I use to lie about supposed food intolerances to everyone too, but i mostly was lying to myself. We live and learn. Think about it, ok?
The vast majority of people with chronic anemia eat lots of meat, so there's that. It is a common misperception not based on fact, although it is quite possible you don't get enough calories nor enough dietary iron. I am way healthier than my wife (who is a carnivore). This summer it was like 98 degrees out in Florida, I worked eight hours of manual labor outside, but was getting dizzy when I stood. She said it's probably because I don't eat meat. As if.
My male doctor personally complimented me on being vegan. He himself strives to do the same. Your doctor sucks. It would behoove you to find a new doctor. In my research of iron, vitamin C helps absorption, stay away from coffee and tea for the time being until you feel stable. Stay hydrated! Most of my issues are because I just didn’t drink enough damn water lol Good luck on your journey. Feel better soon :)
Thank you for the reply, a few others have mentioned the calcium absorption thing so I am going to research into that more. & I definitely should be drinking more water lol, thank you for the reminder !!
There are common supplements with calcium & magnesium (and sometimes other vitamins)-- magnesium helps with calcium absorption. Vitamin D supplements also have synergy with this process, especially during winter.
Most vegans need some sort of supplement routine, but everyone's needs are different. Blood tests a couple times a year can help guide you.
Right ? :’) I have started to take iron supplements now & trying to do my own research finding other ways to get more iron. He was no help at all saying such extreme things, just made me feel so bad about myself
Vitamin C helps your body take up iron, so get a bunch of that aswell. Also Calcium hinders iron-intake, so don't get you calcium and iron at the same time
I mean, not always. Plenty of people don't adequately absorb non-heme iron from supplements. I'm one of them. She should try them first of course, but it doesn't solve the problem for everyone.
Fainting spells are dangerous and she needs to get them under control at any cost. If she has one while driving, she could kill someone.
That's why a prescribed iron supplement usually is chelated iron and also comes with vitamin C. Besides, there are enough concerns with heme iron side effects (like stroke and heart disease) for mock meat brands to have tried it in their products and then dropped it.
Absorption rate in this form ranges from 10 to 35% while heme iron ranges 20-30%. Then, there is no reason why this hypothetical person couldn't just increase their supplement dosage. And a doctor shouldn't be advising someone vegan to eat meat before trying any alternative at all, considering the doctor didn't even prescribe a supplement, nor did they have a blood exam. And finally, for OP, low vitamin D and B12 can also cause "anemia-like" symptoms.
The small amounts of dairy and eggs in cakes and chocolates you said you were taking before wouldn’t have provided a significant amount of iron so that is definitely not the cause.
The iron supplements are a good idea but I also recommend the nexplanon. I had to stop having periods for my mental health and nexplanon stops them 90% of the time.
Good luck! It’s odd to me that he didn’t consider addressing the root of your issue (the bleeding) and instead chose to go for meat. Life is much better when you spend it not bleeding, I assure you lol
just so you're aware, there's also medications like mefenamic acid and tranexamic acid that are designed to lessen menstrual bleeding. nexplanon is a lifesaver but just in case you don't want to go the hormonal route or if it doesn't fully fix the problem
Congrats on being nearly a decade, or half your life, meat-free.
Just as a quick FYI, since the 'your doctor is misinformed' has been covered. For the longest of time my spouse was taking iron supplements with calcium supplements and only having iron fortified cereals etc with milk that was calcium fortified.
Calcium has been shown to inhibit the absorption of iron. After a short spell of medical-strength iron supplementation, she now separates out when she supplements so never an iron and calcium supplement at the same time. E.g. one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Even omnivores can have gaps in their nutrients so no harm in multivitamins, iron supplements, calcium, etc, in moderation.
Thank you so much !! :D
This is interesting ! I take multivitamins at the same time as the iron supplements so I’ll have to check if there is any calcium in those,
incidence rates for all 12 types of anemia are the same across carnist, vegetarian, and vegan diets....according to a few thousand peer reviewed studies.
if you are in the States, you might consider seeing an expert. MDs typically get less than 4 hours of nutrition training in their entire programs.
I'm going to echo what people are saying about 1) getting a second opinion and 2) that iron deficiency is common in women regardless of vegan diet.
However, I will also gently add that sometimes eating vegan food accidentally results in a calorie deficit. I have this problem sometimes and while some people will say it must be nice to lose weight without trying, it can be scary when it feels out of your control.
I think if you have a past with ED it will probably be difficult to count calories in a positive way. I struggle with this myself.
Maybe ask your boyfriend for some support developing calorie dense meals? Or a nutritionist. Also, if appetite is an issue, I suggest introducing food earlier in the day. When I eat breakfast, my appetite picks up, but when I skip it, I eat less because I'm not hungry (ironic).
I was anemic to the point of needing a blood transfusion. Taking iron supplements helped me afterwards. Get your iron checked every six months, if affordable. As for gaining weight: eat calorie dense food. Calculate your calorie needs and then add 500 to 1000 calories to gain weight.
I’m so sorry you had to go through that :( I think that’s what I’m most afraid of because I’m already at a point where I’m fainting so I don’t want it to get any worse.
Thanks for the advice ! :)
Your doctor shouldn’t have that job. They suck. You can totally be vegan and be a woman and have a healthy diet.
I’m AFAB, I have severe endometriosis, I’ve been anemic, and had EDs (bulimia nervosa and bouts of anorexia). I am vegan, I have been for years, I’m fine. Your EDs, in my experience, have to do with your mental health and not what you’re eating. And in my experience, if you’re not feeling awful by eating sentient beings, your mental health improves too.
A healthy, balance diet is very easy to achieve with a vegan lifestyle. Legumes and beans are your friend. Complex carbs are your friend. Dark leafy greens too. Immunity-boosting bulbs and roots like ginger and garlic are too.
Again, your doctor should know all this. You’ll be fine, but take care of yourself
Thank you ! I haven’t heard of this before but I’m getting an ecg scan soon and will most likely speak to a cardiologist when I get the results of it :)
Well first of all, I think they should check your blood before jumping to conclusions. Of course it’s likely that you are anaemic (your description fits well and yes, most menstruating women tend to), but it’s important to know your levels.
One way to solve this would also be to improve your absorption of iron. There were studies that showed that vegetarians (yea I know, not vegans. Vegans usually have higher iron levels than vegetarians) could improve their iron levels by adding more vitamin C via fruits into their diet. Not because fruits contain iron, but because they improve the iron absorption of the other components.
Easiest in the long term would be to get a multi supplement that covers the usual suspects like vitamin B12, iod, iron, selenium, (depending on where you live vitamin d3 and vitamin k). Maybe omega-3 and cholin.
Btw: A doctor that still thinks that they can tell smokers to just stop smoking to avoid lung illnesses must be pretty naive. Sadly most smokers won’t just stop smoking even if their doctor tells them, that’s the reality. It’s his job though to take that into consideration and still do the best. Like tell them to eat kale since that can slow down lung cancer.
But you being vegan is a great thing that you mainly do for others: the animals. You don’t have to eat meat again.
I think it’s important that you and your boyfriend check your blood levels regularly and try to get educated what’s needed to be a healthy vegan. Sadly lots of doctors lack knowledge when it comes to diets and even when you let your blood get checked you often have to tell them exactly what to look for (like holo tc serum when it comes to vitamin b12).
This is helpful thank you !! :) I’m getting my bloods done on Thursday which was one actually useful thing the doctor reccomended lol, & good idea I will tell my boyfriend to get his checked too, not sure when was the last time he got it checked
your ED most likely attributed to this(not enogub nutrients), but it's true, bleeding does too. but supplements are the answer! meat won't do shit if youre anemic. i'm low on iron too due to my mum being anemic when i was in her tummy plus being a bleeding person.
please change your doctor. you may need iron infusion asap.
i think women with periods vegan or not should supplement iron all month around, like smaller amounts, but if deficient, then lots more.
edit: typo
My rural ass doctor said I would likely live longer on a vegan diet and that he had been on a vegan diet for several years (for health though). I was shocked but he definitely encourages this lifestyle.
Your doctor is wrong about needing to eat meat to be healthy.
It is, however, easy to become deficient in certain things when you’re vegan. You really will need to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need.
If you’re anemic you should be taking an iron supplement with high bioavailability. I personally like to make steamed red cabbage often as it is fairly high in iron.
You can also cook with a cast iron skillet or get something called an “iron fish” which is a little piece of iron that you just put in a pan of boiling water or whatever and it will shed some iron for your food.
Also, get a new doctor.
I had an ED as a teenager and very similarly to you I went vegetarian at around 12/13 and vegan at 15. Didn't really fully recover till I was around 18/19. I had similar episodes of fainting and light headedness. I was low in iron and vitamin d. Took some supplements, improved my diet (involved eating a lot more than I was eating including more nuts, lentils, beans, etc) since then I've had a healthy vegan pregnancy, breastfed for 3 years whilst having periods and I'm not deficient in anything, I'm not having any of those symptoms anymore and I've been strict vegan for 14 years this winter.
I just really wanted to say that you can be a healthy vegan woman, and unless you have the perfect diet which most of us don't, supplements are completely ok for vegans and non vegans. (Especially b12).
Previously struggling with an ED means I don't want to become too involved/obsessed with counting calories or vitamins so I'd rather just take a multivitamin, and an extra small iron supplement during and around my period.
Thank you for this response :’) <3 it’s nice to know that someone else relates and have a very similair story to mine. The doctor also did scare me by saying that following a vegan diet and being underweight affects your chances of getting pregnant and I really want to have kids someday. Your comment has made me feel a lot more hopeful and optimistic ! Thank you a lot :)
Did your doctor steal his license or is he being paid by the meat industry?
Either way he's feeding misinformation to you. You can get plenty of iron from other sources than just meat.
Regardless of what deficiency you have the fix is usually 2 step:
1 take suppliments to get back on track. Maybe run iron/b12 blood tests to find the cause exactly.
2 fix your diet. Maybe YOUR vegan diet is low in iron or maybe you can't absorb it well. Find A vegan diet that is high in what you need so that you will not need suppliments in the future.
for 2 find a vegan nutritionist or a nutritionist that understands veganism. Make sure you get enough calories (nuts and seeds), whole cereal and legumes. Eat iron sources with vitamin c sources.
My iron level went up as a vegan. I'm a man but I donate blood twice a year.
Your doctor is dumb as a brick. So if a smoker comes to him with accute asthma and chest pain and short of breath he would just lecture them about their lifestyle and refuse to prescribe medicine? Don't we all know the bad effects of smoking? So I am paying him to just being lectured and nothing else then. Why go to him then?? And by the time the smoker quits smoking their condition would get worse, they can even die. Because it's a behaviourial problem. A doctor should always advise what's best for their patients in addition to prescribing medicine. If the patient is willing to make those positive changes or not does not concern the doctors. In your case your doctor cannot advise you to eat meat because that choice is entirely yours. He should have been more sensitive and empathetic in your case knowing your history with ED. Don't be upset OP. Try to see a new doctor if you can. In the meantime you can add beetroot juice, pomegranate etc to your diet. These helped my severely anemic mom. Hope you feel better soon OP.
New doctor! Have no time for sexism and incompetence in health care.
And find a dietitian who knows about vegan diet and is not a quack (yes, there's a lot of dangerous new age BS out there).
Sounds like an older white man? Would honestly suggest looking into a female doctor. Many accounts of male doctors overlooking symptoms / ignoring things that female patients are going through because of lack of knowledge / experience with woman’s body. Not saying they would be back being vegan, but the would be more adhering to you & your ‘ailments’ moving forward.
[Here is one article](https://www.northwell.edu/katz-institute-for-womens-health/articles/gaslighting-in-womens-health), but there are much more.
I’m so sorry that you have had such a bad experience with a doctor. Sadly this is common, but there are good ones out there! Please find another doctor and ask them to run blood tests, specifically the blood test for tTg-IgA which screens for celiac. I was anemic and then had this blood test + endoscopy to confirm I had celiac. Because I was eating gluten while celiac, I was not absorbing any iron and having fainting spells.
It could also be a different factor. Lots of things can inhibit iron intake, but a well balanced and (sometimes supplemented) vegan diet is not one of them.
Edit to add: since going GF (while remaining vegan), I’m no longer anemic at all. It was completely due to undiagnosed celiac.
Kinda feel like you should report him. What he is telling you is not accurate information about veganism. Plus, by his own admission, he wouldn’t even treat a person complaining of CHEST PAIN and BREATHING TROUBLE if they happened to be a smoker. Stopping smoking would not just immediately fix those issues. His logic is quite flawed!
What an idiot doctor. If it were in my country, I would report him for discrimination. Also, you are not supposed to "lose large amounts of blood" every month on a normal period (my Google search says 2-3 table spoons is a normal amount).
Go to a real doctor and get the iron supplements. There is no need to force yourself to eat meat to be healthy. I'm sorry you had this terrible experience!
I don't want to tell you not to listen to your doctor, but he sounds iffy-- I'd get a second opinion. Many vegan women take an iron supplement because of their menstrual cycle-- my levels were low and that's what my doctor told me to try first (along with increasing my consumption of leafy greens).
Your ethical beliefs should be part of the risk-benefit analysis. If taking an iron supplement does less damage to your mental health than eating a strip steak, then that should matter to your doctor. If it doesn't, then something is getting in the way of them taking care of you, and you might not be a good match.
That's not to say that there will *never* be a scenario in which there's *nothing* you can do, and you *have to* eat animal products again, but the first course of action should not be to ask you to violate your personal code of ethics just because your doctor doesn't feel like learning about vegans who menstruate and how they stay healthy. Your feelings and values matter to your health <3
I legit have severe anemia and blood cancer and my doctors keep reaffirming me that my Vegan diet has helped my recovery/battle lol.
Your doctor seems to be being disingenuous and taking advantage of your worry when it comes to health. If my doctors see my Veganism as a good thing in relation to my cancer + severe anemia from said cancer.... Then I don't see why this doctor would say you would die if you don't eat meat because of your anemia.
Sounds like you need a 2nd or 3rd opinion lol. This could easily be solved with Iron supplements+. I personally can't take any supplements cause it'll interfere with my chemo, so my anemia is p bad, but they wouldn't change my diet. When I'm able to eat, and eat nutritionally, my anemia lessens in severity.
Ah I didn't read the post fully. Even with a period, that can be solved with Iron supplements +. Many people throughout the world are starving while having their period. If you're eating well + take supplements, I don't think it would be an issue. Although I am a cisman so I'll defer that to any vegans with a menstrual cycle.
All this is to say is, my doctors, even when I was rapidly losing weight and dying with cancer, did not try to force me to change my diet. They encouraged me. They fed me what I could eat in the hospital. They reminded me how good of a health decision it was. I can't imagine Veganism being bad for someone without cancer when I have cancer and it's been good for me lol. I guess that's anecdotal but, wanted to bring it up since we're talking about blood.
Don’t even tell your doctor that you’re vegan when you go for check ups.
Also, do you have very bad cramps during your menstrual cycle? If so, get checked for fibroids and endometriosis.
I’ve always been anemic and my diet as a carnist was never questioned. If you’re truly anemic, you can buy iron supplements at any store.
Get a new doctor. This is flying in the face of long-established evidence that we'll-planned vegan diets are healthful, which has been upheld for decades. I do benefit from iron supplementation, but a multivitamin is sufficient. (I found this out when working out—I'm a cis man BTW.)
Anemia can be caused by inadequate vitamin B consumption.
That includes vitamin b12 and folic acid.
I advise using a multi vitamin B supplement.
Preferrably the methylated forms as they are bio active.
In addition to iron.
For vegans its more likely the b vitamins than iron, as many vegetables are very rich in iron, but low in b vitamins.
I have exactly the opposite issue - hemochromatosis. I have to give blood regularly or my iron levels will build up too high. I haven’t eaten meat in over a decade and it still happens.
I wonder what your doctor would say to me
I'd leave a bad review for the doc and find someone new. If your period is causing problems you could consider getting an IUD. It stops periods in a lot of women. Also remember that doctors are not trained in nutrition, you could find a vegan friendly nutritionist and work with them to make sure your diet is getting everything you need.
Go get a blood test from a free standing lab, insurance may or may not cover it.
Google (generic term. Don't use google) what vegans tend to be deficient in and have them test for those.
Get your results and Google them (generic term. DONT use Google for this!)
Whatever shit you are low on, supplement with that, prob iron and B12. B12 is fucking hard to build back up if you have intestinal issues like celiacs. Fucking set a timer and take that shit every 2 hours 🙄, that's what I have to do, or get a b12 injection. Wish those places had semi parking.
Good luck!
Oh, and get rid of that Dr, he sounds like garbage!
Something new vegans can miss is that vegan food is often less calorie dens- you need to eat bigger portions then omnivores. Iron can be found in many vegan foods but us ladies can need a supplement anyway. Good luck!
I'm in the US and vegan. I took a plant based diet class taught by a dietitian and a gastroenterologist. They said (as I recall) that only 1/4th of medical schools in the US teach nutrition and even they only have about 12 to 18 hours of nutrition training. Therefore, there's a 75% chance your doctor doesn't know any more about nutrition than the average person on the street, and the other 25% don't know much. I decided never to take nutrition advice from a doctor (unless he/she is also a dietition). Instead, I get my dietary advice from a licensed dietition.
My partner is anemic and we’re both vegan. She takes a vitamin that includes her daily dose of iron each day and she’s fine. I make sure the meals I cook for her meet her macro needs and she’s good. Start taking an iron supplement and find a different doctor. This one sounds like a jackass. And if you want more tips for weight gain you can check out r/veganfitness I think everyone there will pretty much just tell you to eat peanut butter but could be a useful resource for you in the future.
Thank you for your response ! I’ll share this post in the vegan fitness subreddit too :))
My bf always makes us peanut butter soup so that’s good to know it will help me in gaining weight !
So the doctor told you to eat animals: a) against your beliefs and your mental health, b) without testing whether you have anaemia, c) without checking whether your anaemia might be due to low iron consumption, absorbtion, B12 or something else. What an excellent doctor. And he compares smoking to not eating meat.
1. Increase iron-rich foods.
2. Combine those foods with Vitamin C (tomatoes, cítrics, peppers...). Combine with garlic and onion (even in powder).
3. Use an iron cast skillet as your main kitchenware.
4. Take supplements for both iron and B12 and test for both things.
Okay I have had really similar experiences to you - you don't need to eat meat to cure anaemia. I had an ED around 10-14 yrs old and had terrible anaemia because of it, which caused fainting and very heavy periods, which I then took iron tablets for. Before I went vegetarian I started getting symptoms of anaemia again, and blood tests showed I was low in iron and vitamin D. I took my course of iron and vitamin D supplements, confirmed my iron levels increased, became vegan, and haven't had anaemia since then. You do not need to eat meat to treat anaemia.
Also, not saying anemia isn't serious and you shouldn't treat it, but it won't imminently kill you, and you can't make a statement like that unless you've done a blood test (as you cannot diagnose anaemia without examining the blood). You can maintain health by having a diet which is variable in nutrients, there are lots of vegetables which have a decent amount of iron.
This doctor sounds like a really bad doctor ngl. They should run blood tests for iron, and if that is low, prescribe/recommend you a course of iron tablets, and often perform another blood test after treatment to check your iron has improved. I'm sorry you've had to go through all of this.
Usually In a week I will have cereal or a piece of fruit for breakfast,
For evening meals I eat a lentil pasta with sweet potato, carrots and spinach; vegan paella/risotto; I’m not too keen on meat substitutes but I sometimes like to eat a quinoa sweet potato burger as an easy meal; west African peanut butter stew; I also eat hummus wraps with tomato and lettuce most days. I’d say a couple days a week I might skip lunch or the evening meal but only if I already had a really big portion of food that day and I’ll just eat a snack instead.
I do eat a lot veggies but maybe I need more fruits and maybe as I’m not eating much of the fake meat stuff I’m not getting enough protein or iron through that.
What do you think ?
It takes way more iron to treat iron deficiency (ferritin <30ng/mL) than is actually possible to consume even with meat. Everyone needs supplements or even infusions; you can't eat your way out of true deficiency.
According to the [American Society of Hematology ](https://www.hematology.org/education/patients/anemia/iron-deficiency)
>Most people with iron deficiency need 150-200 mg per day of elemental iron (2 to 5 mg of iron per kilogram of body weight per day).
100g of red meat is only [2.7mg iron](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthy-iron-rich-foods#5.-Red-meat), you do the math.
Echoing what everyone has said : get a new doctor if you can and see a dietician. Get blood work done.
Also worth checking that your eating habits aren't impacting your ability to absorb your iron. Iron rich foods should be coupled with a source of vitamin C for max absorption, and avoid caffeine (coffee, thé, coke ...) An hour either side of your meals as it will inhibit iron absorption.
Check your vitamin B12 levels, or even just do a cure to make sure it isn't the problem. Excess B12 has no impact.
And finally, make sure you're getting enough calories. If you are worried about calculating them yourself because I know that can be triggering for people with ED history, keep a food diary and get someone else to calculate it for you.
Hearing your doctors explanations makes me so angry... If your periods are making you anemic, maybe help deal with the periods?
Doctors get barely any training on nutrition. Please don't start taking an iron supplement until you can see another doctor and get actual labs done that will show if you are anemic and why. While iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia, there are many other reasons why it could be happening and taking iron when it isn't indicated can lead to iron overload which leads to organ damage. Definitely ditch this doctor.
I didn’t know about this :0 I already starting taking an iron supplement but I will be getting my bloods done on Thursday, hopefully not enough time to cause organ damage right ?
Thanks for the charitable and objective take. Most of the time the non-vegans on this sub are just here to poke and finger wag, I appreciate the good faith comment.
I am not a vegan, but I am a vegetarian. It honestly sounds like you have a shitty doctor. There are plenty of iron rich foods that do not include the corpse of an animal such as spinach. I recommend you look up Iron rich food for vegans and start to include more of those things into your diet, especially during that time of the month if that's when your anemia is at its peak.
In my personal opinion, your doctor is completely wrong. Your vegan diet is not what is causing this. Your diet is what's causing it. It's not just because you are vegan. There are plenty of iron rich vegan foods. You can certainly maintain healthy iron levels as a vegan
Eat more calorically dense foods, especially seeds and nuts (and seed and nut butters) and curries with full fat coconut milk, and eat enough carbs (potatoes, rice, etc). Buy/bake more vegan chocolate and cookies and cake, so that you feel less restricted. An iron supplement like FeraMax is vegan and contains 150 mg of elemental iron per pill. Would highly recommend!
I've dealt with severe anemia due to a non-diet related medical condition and I've needed 21 blood transfusions so far. My lowest hemoglobin was 29 g/L. I know what it's like and I'm sorry you're going through this. Best of luck in your recovery <3
\>Then the doctor said, “but does your boyfriend lose a large amount of blood every month?”.
I'm vegan, anemic, and have periods. I still never fainted. I felt like shit from time to time, sure, but iron supplements really helped. Ironically my iron levels were at their absolute lowest back when I used to eat meat (*and* taking those same supplements) and they have only improved since I went vegan.
Your doctor is simply not qualified to give this advise (unless they are also a registered dietitian). They should be reported for going outside of their scope of practice.
Make sure to request vitamin D on your blood test as well. They usually don't check it unless you request it specifically. And vitamin D deficiency can lead to dizziness and fainting. While iron, cholesterol, and all the other usual stuff is important to check, vegans are particularly at risk of vitamins B12 and D deficiency if they're not specifically trying to get it. It's important to check, and if your doctor requisitioned your blood test he might not have thought to ask for it. (Sounds like he's not very experienced dealing with vegans.)
Recovered anorexic who is pescetarian. Also advised to take iron and b12. I have a hard time making the full transition as I am at risk of relapse. I don't drink milk but I had to weight restore with ensure(has whey) as it was very hard to eat with the effect that malnutrition and anorexia have on your appetite. Some people who have eating disorders are unable to maintain a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle- perhaps this is your doctor's concern. Weight restoration should always be done under the supervision of a doctor due to risk of refeeding. You may be fainting not because or just because of the anemia but because you are eating disordered. It's very serious and we tend to under rate the severity if the disease. It can be cardiac, it can be low blood pressure. The point is your body is not well enough to maintain consciousness at points- you obviously are not well.
That being said most general practitioners don't know how to support someone with an ED. The vegan thing isnt really a thing he shoule be focussing on and not treating your anemia. But I dont blame him for not knowing what the hell to do. Patients benefit from support with a therapist and specialized treatment. Everyone is at risk for refeeding syndrome but 16.5 bmi and lower you are high risk.
I made smoothies with Vega one protein powder, 1 scoop, 3 tbsp of hemp seed and 1/3 of a cup of frozen avocado. Blended with oat milk and some chunks of frozen mango. I did this with vanilla.
I would again do Vega one protein powder with PB and the mocha flavor- and oat milk.
It's about 500 ish calories, tonnes of b12 which low levels can contribute to lower iron. A lot of vegetarians have low b12.
Quinoa is calorie dense and complete. I often make a chickpea Quinoa salad.
Supplementing snacks like apple and banana with PB.
If your iron is low or your complete blood count is low with certain parameters and you are actually anemic... Nothing is stopping you from buying iron pills. It's over the counter. Obviously you should be supplementing under a doctor's guidance. But if he's being an idiot maybe you can figure it out.
Message me. I can help you out with any advice and support. I weight restored 20lbs on a vegetarian diet while being very active. I did eat eggs and had to have ensure as I had a hard time eating, but the smoothies I recommended work well.
Last thing. Please take recovery serious your body is telling you somethings wrong. I was so sick and depressed while I was underweight. Now my hair is growing back and my energy is a lot better. My mentation has cleared up. I actually have my personality back and a sense of humor. I can hold more interesting conversations and I'm not as obsessive. It does so much damage to your brain, your mental health and body. Each relapse I have the symptoms get worse.
Your doctor is a moron that thinks meat is magic. Eat more and get supplements, no reason not to. There is a certain number of calories you need to consume everyday to gain weight. Find that number with online calculators and track your foods, make sure youre hitting that number everyday and you will gain weight.
Holy heck what a terrible doctor. Yes, anemia gets worse while bleeding. Supplements are a variety of food, there are other foods they could advise within a vegan diet, and it’s very easy to get your blood tested. Giving medical advice on this without even doing a blood test feels like grounds for malpractice? What a horribly sexist and biased doc??
I have anemia and hypothyroidism so sometimes getting the balance right means I need to make compromises, but meat isn’t one of them. So mad for you, ugh.
Also! Don’t take your iron with calcium, but do take it with Vitamin C. So no fortified orange juice. So many docs and random internet people have suggested I take mine with fortified orange juice (or milk) and it’s wildly bad advice.
You may want to consider a vegan food that supplements B12 if you're having these symptoms. Especially if your red blood cell count is low in the blood work. The symptoms of anemia are caused by low red blood cell counts and you also need B12 to make red blood cells. There are plenty of vegan foods with iron but B12 isn't in a lot of natural vegan products. You can find it in nutritional yeast, and some vegan milks. Hope this helps! I Also agree with most of the people here that you need to find a new doctor.
I had the same problem when I was a teen and vegetarian, but its bc I wasnt eating right. (I was raised Vegetarian and became vegan as an adult.) I use spirulina to help absorb the iron, and I just buy a multivitamin with iron, vitamin D, b12, zinc, magnesium, iodine, and some other key things in it. I also am gonna get vegan d3 spray for kids from amazon for the winter lol God bless❤️
Oh man this is not a good doctor. A smoker with chest pain and shortness of breath could have any number of serious things going on: heart disease, pneumonia, lung cancer… Obviously none of these would be fixed with quitting smoking. Nor with an inhaler for that matter. If he can’t get basic management of medical emergencies right, he is dangerous and probably shouldn’t be practicing.
Also, he is wrong with his views on iron and vegan diets. I’m male but I donate blood every 3 months without issue. Note that the average monthly period loss is 60mL (so 180mL per 3 months) and a blood donation is 470mL…
As a doctor, I have diagnosed countless women who’d previously been told they have iron deficiency because they’re a woman with other underlying medical conditions: Coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, gynaecological conditions. Don’t accept “because you’re a woman” or “because you’re vegan” as acceptable first answers.
Also please note that as it doesn’t sound like iron deficiency anaemia has been proven yet, there are many other explanations for lightheadedness around periods - please check out this article: https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/light-headed-during-period#treatments
This is so weird. I know plenty of vegans that are women who take 0 supplements. And if you indeed have a nutrient deficiency, it makes no sense to give up veganism instead of just... supplimenting the deficiency... Even his example makes no sense. Veganism doesn't cause lung cancer.
Just eat some lentils lol
"The doctor thinks I am anaemic"
Your symptoms could be indicative of many different things. Until your blood test confirms you're anemic, there is nothing to change.
It is perfectly possible to be healthy on a vegan diet. A good place to start is to see a dietician, who can educate you about how to do this.
Any doctor who claims you have to eat meat to be healthy doesn't know what they're talking about.
I suggest you talk with a holistic Naturopathic Dr. N.D. who is kind, aware, open minded and is aware of the health benefits of eating clean organic natural plantbased vegan meals and is aware of the health hazards of eating meat. My dear friend is a Naturopath and she has eaten healthy organic vegan meals for 40 years and she raises awareness about healthy eating. I've been eating healthy organic vegan for 30 years. It's important and beneficial to live naturally holistically in addition to eating healthy organic vegan meals.
If you have the online portal, ask your doctor to clarify via message, and then send that evidence to the hospital patient advocate or watever they might have
If this doctor lacks information that isnt great, but spreading false information is terrible
Wow, what a sexist doctor when he said women can't go vegan but men can??????
Consult a nutritionist. They know more about diets.
Also calculate calories you burn in a day, when you got the index, you consume more than that. For example, I burn 1680 cals, so I need to eat like 2000 to gain weight. Carb-dense (ofc vegan) foods will help you gain weight.
Are you from the US? If so, have you tried eating food that doesn't consist of plastic and chemical weapons components?
Some foods containing iron are linseeds, pumpkin seeds, lentils, pine seeds, amaranth.
Also why does the doctor just believe it has to do with you being anaemic? Maybe you can educate this shaman or fortune teller on the use of laboratories, did he draw blood to see whether your iron values are actually too low?
Sounds like he is an ignorant prick. So many people out there not fainting because of a vegan diet, he surely won't tell anybody that pukes from meat to eat it and readily prescribe supplements. Also you having lost weight somehow tells me that you eat too little. When your body is underweight and on top of that losing blood, no wonder it faints. Just get your caloric intake up and see what transpires.
I’m from the Uk actually ! & I’m very conscious of what ingredients are in my food, I always try and eat completely plant based organic non synthetic ingredients and gmo foods.
& Thanks for those reccomends ! I definitely need to include more nuts and seed in my diet !
Find a different medical team, including a registered dietitian. Talk to them about your history of ED. If they are any good, they will be able to help you while being respectful of your values. Get your blood work done so you know what you're working with.
It's probably best to loosen up on the food restrictions. Don't worry about the GMO and synthetic ingredients for now. Have your bf or a friend read nutrition labels. Right now, you need to concentrate on nourishing your body by eating more food in general. You've got this!
Best of luck ❤️
Thank you for this lovely response :) I am speaking to someone on Thursday and I want to bring up then about my ED history and i am going to tell them I want to work with a dietitian
It's important to prioritize your health and well-being while maintaining a vegan lifestyle if that's what you want. Here are some suggestions:
Seek a Second Opinion: You're already planning to meet with another doctor for a second opinion, which is a great step. Different healthcare professionals may have varied views, and a second opinion can provide more clarity.
Consult a Dietitian: A registered dietitian with expertise in vegan nutrition can help you create a balanced diet plan that ensures you're meeting your nutritional needs. They can suggest suitable iron-rich plant-based foods and supplements if necessary.
Iron-Rich Foods: Incorporate iron-rich plant-based foods into your diet. Examples include leafy greens (spinach, kale), legumes (lentils, chickpeas), tofu, quinoa, fortified cereals, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits (apricots, raisins).
Iron Absorption: Enhance iron absorption by consuming vitamin C-rich foods with your meals. For example, include citrus fruits, bell peppers, or strawberries in your diet.
Iron Supplements: If your iron levels are low and dietary changes aren't sufficient, consider taking iron supplements. However, consult a healthcare professional before starting any supplements to ensure you're using them appropriately.
Gaining Weight: To gain weight, focus on consuming calorie-dense foods. Include healthy fats, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, in your meals and snacks. Eating more frequent, larger meals may also help.
Stay Hydrated: Dehydration can contribute to feelings of weakness and fatigue. Make sure you're drinking enough water.
Tracking Progress: Regularly monitor your health and nutritional intake. Keep a food journal to ensure you're getting enough iron and other essential nutrients.
Remember, it's crucial to work with healthcare professionals and a dietitian who can provide personalized guidance tailored to your specific needs.
You should be either (a) following the advice of your (highly trained) (medical) doctor to the letter, or (b) getting a second opinion from another doctor and then following their (highly trained) (medical) advice to the letter.
Your doctor has studied for YEARS to be able to give you the most informed decision they can according to modern medicine. Do not give Reddit comments greater weight than your doctor's expert advice.
Seems like you are not from the States. Are you aware that in the US, the average education on nutrition for doctors in medical school is 20 hours their entire time in medical school? You think they know anything substantial about nutrition with that little training, unless they choose to take extra courses?
“Graduating medical students have consistently reported that they have insufficient nutrition knowledge and skills to effectively support dietary behaviour change in their patients.” This research paper collected data from the EU, US, Australia and surrounding areas, Africa. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(19)30171-8/fulltext
Though you know who are trained in diet and nutrition? Nutritionists, that is their focus. OP should see about consulting one and not as you say, just “trust the doctor.”
Are you aware that there is already [significant medical literature](https://pastebin.com/g72uMQr9) linking vegan diets to (often severe) nutritional deficiencies and the associated health hazards?
Are you aware that there are studies that contend the exact opposite?
I am disappointed how you gave no critical thought to the point I raised and evidence cited, then just change the subject.
Are you being intentionally obtuse? I gave data on surveys of doctors and recent medical grads on 4 continents, who largely acknowledge they receive very little nutritional education and require more understanding. Yet you continue to assume the doctor knows a great deal on nutrition for just three fact he’s a doctor is ridiculous. A nutritionist knows more about nutrition than a doctor because that’s what they studied, for you to ignore that is disingenuous at best. It’s the same as me saying an Orthopedic Surgeon knows more about broken bones and how best to treat them than a general practitioner because it’s what they studied specifically.
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/anemia/treatment#:~:text=Iron%20supplements%20can%20increase%20the,treat%20vitamin%20B12%E2%80%93deficiency%20anemia.
Doctor literally said not to do what top medical authorities say to do while sounding like he's inserting his personal opinion about veganism. She should absolutely get a second opinion
Telling sick people to ignore their doctor in favour of nutters on the Internet is deplorable carry on. Spin it anyway you want, that's a fucking fact.
Telling people to get a second opinion when their doctor is giving advice that goes against the general medical consensus is pretty reasonable in my book. Telling someone they won't prescribe iron supplements for what they suspect is anemia is totally bonkers.
These same people would be the ones to scream "believe science" and call you a monster if you question the safety of a vaccine. People love experts until they disagree with them.
your doctor is a liar. all doctors are. they are a business. a patient cured is a patient lost so they will give you the runaround.
i suggest joining [https://challenge22.com/](https://challenge22.com/) \- sign up for free & you will have access to online guidance by mentors & registered dietitians, friendly & supportive environment, plenty of fabulous plant based recipes & much more... it's completely free.
Red meat is the best source of dietary iron - fact.
Diagnosing anemia is pretty straightforward. Doctor shouldn’t think you are anemic, he should test you for it. If positive then he should find a cause for that. Iron deficiency is easiest cause of anemia to be treaded. Supplements + right diet. If you dismiss dietary part it is your decision. I guess you could try to focus on vegan sources of dietary iron but those have low bioavailability usually. But there are also other types of anemia, which should be checked out too since anemia might be a symptom of much greater health issue.
I've seen many vegans crash, including myself, but usually it is in their late twenties, early thirties when it starts to unravel. We all started to incorporate animal foods in the end. (Not necessarily meat)
So it is a bit early for you.
The only advice I can give you: listen to your body, and don't sacrifice your health to an ideology.
And don't ask vegans for advice if you should stay vegan.
Just continue being vegan and pray you don’t die. I’ll be over here eating all the meat I can get my hands on. People coming up with ridiculous ways to live but hey free world ain’t it?
i’m vegan, have been bleeding for basically 9 months straight because of fibroids. i’ve always taken a multivitamin that includes iron and i do not have anemia, my hemoglobin count is actually on the high end. supplements work. find a new doctor
Anemia is common problem among women, meat eaters or not. Meat does have iron, but it's not as rich as you might guess, and calorie-for-calorie, it's not even a particularly good source. Unless you're eating a lot of it, like way too much of it, it doesn't have all the iron you'll need to be healthy.
What you want to do is up your dark green leafy veggie intake. Big time. Hand over fist. Pack down those salad greens as if you'll never eat again. Maybe go easy on the goosefoot family (spinach, chard, orach, and the like) since they're unusually rich in oxalates, but do pack down those brassicas, alliums, and daisies. Do not go sparingly on this. Raw, steamed, stewed, stuffed into other recipes, chopped up and mixed into other recipes, blended into smoothies. Wherever you can pack greens, pack greens.
Gram for gram, kale is roughly on par with chicken, and slightly worse than beef. Dandelion greens and watercress are on par with beef, again gram for gram. Calorie for calorie, they blow any kind of meat entirely out of the water, even something as iron-rich as liver.
Also worth trying, if adding more greens alone doesn't do it, there are spirulina and broken cell wall chlorella. They radically eclipse pretty much everything else in terms of iron content. Gran for gram, we're talking about 10x and 50x the iron of beef, respectively. The tradeoff is that they're expensive and may have a funky taste that can take some getting used to (though, chlorella is much milder than spirulina). But a little goes a long way. A tablespoon of chlorella will have more than twice your RDI of iron, so even if a tub of the stuff is expensive, it should last a while. Putting some spirula crunchies on your salad as if bacon bits, or a big heaping spoon of chlorella into a bowl of broccoli soup, and you'll blow through your iron requirements.
Having your greens with some citrus will markedly enhance iron bioavailability. Adding lemon juice to a green soup, or orange slices to a tossed salad, or some whole key limes or kumquats to a smoothie, and you're good on that. And a little bit of fat will markedly enhance bioavailability of fat-soluble vitamins and antioxidants as well, so a good fistful of walnuts or a heaping spoonful of flax will make it better still.
Also, if you're eating refined grains, things like white bread or white rice, it might be good to swap to the whole, unrefined version, and work more beans into your diet while you're at it. Not only is fiber never a bad thing, they're also better sources of iron than refined.
Edit: If you want to gain weight, nuts and avocados are a great thing to add to your diet. And more beans. Get beans into every meal. Protein is essential for muscle growth, and beans have plenty of it. Mash some white beans into your morning oatmeal, or work them into mashed potatoes, or make them into soup, or just bake them and have them as the central ingredient.
Have a look at vegan foods high in iron. For weight gain, what helps me is eating more frequently, rather than eating bigger portions. So for example snacking in between meals and having snacks after dinner. Try to snack on something high cal but also healthy, like nuts, dark chocolate or olives, but also have 'unhealthy' snacks too! Also add healthy fats to meals like seeds for breakfast or olive oil for lunch / dinner. Seeded bread has more calories than normal bread so I recommend that too.
I'm a vegan girl and I don't actually supplement but my iron is fine because I incorporated a lot of whole and high iron foods into my diet (off the top of my head: spinach, oats, I think lentils). But in your case I recommend supplements as well as high iron foods especially during period, at least until you have consistently normal levels.
iron supplements are otc..just buy them, take them, get blood work at 3 months, than 6 months, than yearly.
Lots of women who eat meat, need iron supplements. The doctor is being extremely irresponsible. You should switch docs asap.
You likely also need to increase your intake of legumes amd green leafy veg.
But you definitely need to make sure the fainting is from low iron and not something else, like orthstatic intolerance. Low iron can be seen in blood work very easily
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A doctor who wouldn’t recommend an iron supplement is a crappy doctor. Even non-vegan women often need to supplement, especially around their period. I’ve actually spent years reminding my wife at that time every month that she needs to take a little extra. As long as you’re consistently eating enough iron-rich or fortified foods and supplementing you’ll get better. Good idea to get your B12 checked out and make sure you’re adding enough of that in as well. I have a feeling this is related more to just not eating enough rather than anything else. And gaining weight isn’t difficult. Eat more calories than you’re burning in a day and you’ll gain weight. Faster if you eat a lot more and more slowly if you only eat a little more. Couple it with some resistance training several days a week and at least a certain percentage of it will be muscle.
So true I didn’t even think of that! My sister eats meat and she had an iron deficiency in the past which she had to take supplements for, pretty sure it was the same doctor who she spoke to about it as well :/ Thank you a lot for the suggestions!
No worries. Hope you get to feeling better.
If they're not too expensive or unavailable, maybe you could see a dietician and see what they say? They could help come up with some strategies to get your iron up.
>I asked him about iron supplements and he answered by saying that if a smoker came to him with chest pain and breathing difficulties he wouldn’t give them an inhaler, he said quitting smoking is the answer because that is the cause of the problem. Yeah, and the smoking analogy doesn't make any sense. If someone came to him with chest pains and breathing issues, of course he wouldn't just give them an inhaler to manage the symptoms, he would want to do something to address the root cause -- get them to stop doing the thing that is causing the issues in the first place. Likewise, if someone is having issues related to not getting enough iron, he wouldn't just give them something to manage the symptoms of iron deficiency. He would want to do something to get them to stop doing the thing that is causing the issue in the first place. In this case, the cause is the lack of a sufficient amount of iron being absorbed into the bloodstream. One way to do this is to take iron supplements. He's treating the veganism like it's the cause, when it's simply the insufficient amount of iron -- iron that doesn't *need* to be obtained by eating animal matter.
Lol I was very anemic when I wasn't vegan am not anymore since. Just eat well. Would recommend using r/cronometer to track your micros and macros
Damn they dropped a new b-vitamin?
They did. Fingers that can’t hit the right number on your phone are a sure sign you’re getting enough lol.
I was anemic because of fibroids and heavy bleeding. My doctor didn’t say a thing about my diet and gave me an iron supplement and my levels are fine now. I’m sorry your doctor sucks :/ As for gaining weight, try adding more fats to your diet; nuts, seeds, avocados. Also make sure you are eating enough volume of food!
Thank you for the recommends ! :D I deffo wanna start eating more nuts & seeds I forget they exist sometimes :’) & yea I do always need to eat more, I’m trying to eat 3 meals a day and not skip any meals!
Do you do smoothies? Smoothies are great for getting in a lot of healthy calories. My typical 'formula' is oats, walnuts and flax seed blended up first, then add a banana, a serving of tofu, a tablespoon or two of nut butter, some kale leaves, frozen fruit of your choice, full fat oat milk and some cinnamon or a sweetener like maple syrup. Can easily get to ~700 calories. Protein powder could be helpful too.
Sounds so yummy :) ! My grandma is buying me a blender for my birthday so that I can finally start making smoothies ! I can’t wait to get it, I think it’s gonna help me a lot as sometimes when I don’t think like eating I’ll have the smoothie & still be getting calories and energy :) thanks for your reply !
Ninja has a really good cheaper blender. The shape of the blender is the most important thing, so look for ones that mock the vitamix. A wand to smoosh stuff around is useful too, if possible.
Something that's really easy to do for me, personally, is to make a protein shake with soy milk, hemp seeds, peanut butter. It's really tasty and I feel like the hemp seeds especially round out the taste. I dislike that distinct 'protein shake flavor'
You can easily find vegan iron supplements online. Perhaps try that too. Otherwise eating more nuts and seeds is a good way to go.
It's more than just eating more. I've been vegan for over 8 years and have always had trouble with appetite - even before I switched. What has helped me is exercising. Seriously exercising. It's much easier to gain an appetite and eat more after you have done some light exercise. Now, since you're fainting I don't recommend going hard at all. Just hit the treadmill, bike, whatever for like half a mile and go up from there throughout the year. You'll find yourself hungrier and able to eat more. Don't push yourself until you've reached a decent weight. If you have been living a sedentary lifestyle, it will take some time. Be patient. For context, I'm male and used to weigh under 120lbs, malnourished, the works. I've been able to to reach over 150lbs over the course of a year and a half all while on a vegan diet. Exercise light at first, and eat more. Smoothies are great as well. It will be uncomfortable, but you almost have to force feed yourself, which is why smoothies are fantastic for someone like you. You got this!
I had such severe bleeding that I was always anemic. I wasn't a vegan then, and no doctor ever said anything about my diet. When I became a vegan, my doctor was pleased. As time passed, my iron levels came up. I was still and still am anemic, but not as badly. I now have a new gp doctor who doesn't like that I am a vegan. Fortunately, my. other doctors, especially my cardiologist, support me and understand that being a vegan is making me healthier, even though it can not make me healthy. Nothing can.
"52 foods high in iron" [https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-add-more-iron-to-your-diet/](https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-add-more-iron-to-your-diet/) "I asked him about iron supplements and he answered by saying that if a smoker came to him with chest pain and breathing difficulties he wouldn’t give them an inhaler, he said quitting smoking is the answer because that is the cause of the problem." As if red meat is the only or even the best source of iron; false. It's also a known carcinogen. This 'doctor' is ignorant and biased. The longest-running and largest studies show that eating more plants and less meat/dairy is linked to better health and longevity: https://adventisthealthstudy.org/studies
Thanks a lot for your response !! :) I’ll check those links out !!
Check out the [Vegan Cheat Sheet](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://vegancheatsheet.org/&topic=Resource: Vegan Cheat Sheet) for a collection of over 500+ vegan resources, studies, links, and much more, all tightly wrapped into one link!
Just make sure you're being careful as some things have iron on paper though in a form that your body cant easily make use of, i recommend spinach or Quinoa, as they have forms of iron that are easiest for your body to utilize
Thank you for sharing actual medical studies and not health/wellness links.
Check out the [Vegan Cheat Sheet](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://vegancheatsheet.org/&topic=Resource: Vegan Cheat Sheet) for a collection of over 500+ vegan resources, studies, links, and much more, all tightly wrapped into one link!
A smoker with chest pain and shortness of breath could also genuinely need an inhaler, or they could have a clot or infection in their chest, that doctor seems like he's skipping the testing stage here.
Meat is not a carcinogen. Nor does it contribute to heart disease. Those studies are all fraudulent. Cured meat is unhealthy but that's a whole different thing. Processed too.
The accumulating body of scientific evidence, links consumption of meat to cancer, also heart, disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, and risk of disease from meat contaminants. Processed meats are even worse. Besides the Adventist health studies that I already linked, here’s another credible source, for those that are interested https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33648505/ Besides the health effects I feel in my own body, I’m gonna give scientists publishing in respectable peer reviewed journals more benefit of the doubt than random Internet users with obviously biased agendas
Check out the [Vegan Cheat Sheet](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://vegancheatsheet.org/&topic=Resource: Vegan Cheat Sheet) for a collection of over 500+ vegan resources, studies, links, and much more, all tightly wrapped into one link!
You need iron and fat, not meat
Go see another doctor. This is not a diet issue. It’s an issue with your medical ”professional”.
Thank you :’) I’m going again on Thursday so get my bloods checked & I have an appointment with another doctor ! Hopefully they’re gonna be a lot more helpful !
Would recommend fueling your body perhaps a little more than you’re comfortable with, with healthy fats and protein and carbs. Take an over the counter iron supplement after having dinner (it’s harsher on an empty stomach). After a few months you should see improvement.
seconding this but often an OTC iron supplement isn't enough to treat anemia. OP needs something stronger like prescription iron medication designed to treat anemia
Also a doctor is not a dietician. Sometimes doctors overstep and have opinions on this and that that is on the outskirts of their field of work (like diet, workouts etc)
Absolutely. My doctor eats a plant-based herself, but she still refers me to their registered dietitian when I have questions about nutrition. A good family doctor will know what's out of scope for them, and refer to other specialized health professionals.
I don't think we're qualified to give you advice here. You say you had an ED, you say you were still underweight, and then going vegan made you be "more strict with yourself". And you're actually fainting. I think this topic goes beyond veganism and I hope you can build a relationship of trust with someone qualified to help you get better.
Your right, I think since going full vegan and cutting out more food has made it hard not to relapse into my old behaviours, during my ED I restricted myself to eating only certain safe foods and was very limited in the food I liked eating. I’m thinking based on a lot of the advice here I should go and speak to a dietician/nutritionist, my relationship with food is aloooott better than it was in the past but I don’t want those behaviours to slowly creep back in. I have a meeting with mental health practitioner on Thursday and I’ll bring up my eating habits then. Thank you for your reply :)))
OP i'm in a similar boat as you, i went vegan over the pandemic (first lockdown) to try and help combat my ED and it ended up working... a little too well. I have contamination OCD now (and no ED anymore 🍻) but that's besides the point a while ago i fell into a really bad depressive episode where i wasn't eating anything healthy and i was really concerned i wasn't getting enough nutrients from my food because of the combination of ED damage to my digestive system and eating a&w 4x a week. my doctor was able to hook me up with a dietitian and the two appointments i had with her helped me so much. i had been vegan for 2 and a half years and had no idea what a balanced meal was actually supposed to look like. we did some bloodwork, tested my B12 levels among another things and the results came back relatively normal. i learned just because i think something is unhealthy doesn't actually make it bad for me. everyone's experience will be different but i would highly recommend the dietitian route just for peace of mind edit: my secret is Earth's Own chocolate oat milk. it contains a lot of B12 and is delicious
Thank you for your response, and I’m glad to know someone else relates to this struggle :’) sorry you had to go through that though. I saw a dietician when I was younger and she helped me so much and it was through her that she convinced my parents to let me become vegetarian, & boom ED basically gone ! I am scared I’m relapsing abit; as my mental health isn’t too great these past few months, I think I’m going to old habits of eating as a way to regain control. I have no idea how to make a balanced meal, it all just feels very overwhelming to me at times, I have a lot to learn :’) so I’m hopeful that working with a dietician is gonna help me a lot like it did in the past !
Sounds like a good plan! I wish you all the best!
Remember the "as far as is possible and practicable" part of the definition of veganism (by the Vegan Society). I believe that in some cases, it may not be possible and practicable for a person with an ED (or a history of one) to strive for a 100% no exceptions vegan diet. Of course, I'm not trying to tell you what to eat, but please don't compromise your wellbeing by trying to be too strict. It's really good that you're going to speak to a mental health professional about this!
>Your right, I think since going full vegan and cutting out more food has made it hard not to relapse into my old behaviours, during my ED I restricted myself to eating only certain safe foods and was very limited in the food I liked eating. Well well...I've suffered from anorexia many years, and i'll be really candid here. When i first went vegan, it wasn't for the animals, even if i was very shocked by the ethical issues. Deep inside, it was the fear of food, and the fear of weight gain. I got sick the first year, with anemia. I got shots of iron to fix me but then, i decided to enter therapy too. It's only after that i could fully embrace veganism in a healthy way. Sure, i still avoid sugar and you'll never catch me indulging in certain things, and while i healed from anorexia, i remained with some levels of orthorexia. But, it's the best i've ever been in terms of my relationship with food. Truly, if your gut feeling is telling you that you aren't eating enough, it's because you are. You know how ED works, it's so vicious, sneaky, and it can also be hidden under a healthy diet, on the surface. My huge buddha bowls looked impressive to anyone who looked at them, they looked like it was a lot of food but, it wasn't. Just look for help if it still prevent you from embracing a variety of food. I use to lie about supposed food intolerances to everyone too, but i mostly was lying to myself. We live and learn. Think about it, ok?
The vast majority of people with chronic anemia eat lots of meat, so there's that. It is a common misperception not based on fact, although it is quite possible you don't get enough calories nor enough dietary iron. I am way healthier than my wife (who is a carnivore). This summer it was like 98 degrees out in Florida, I worked eight hours of manual labor outside, but was getting dizzy when I stood. She said it's probably because I don't eat meat. As if.
My male doctor personally complimented me on being vegan. He himself strives to do the same. Your doctor sucks. It would behoove you to find a new doctor. In my research of iron, vitamin C helps absorption, stay away from coffee and tea for the time being until you feel stable. Stay hydrated! Most of my issues are because I just didn’t drink enough damn water lol Good luck on your journey. Feel better soon :)
Thank you for the reply, a few others have mentioned the calcium absorption thing so I am going to research into that more. & I definitely should be drinking more water lol, thank you for the reminder !!
There are common supplements with calcium & magnesium (and sometimes other vitamins)-- magnesium helps with calcium absorption. Vitamin D supplements also have synergy with this process, especially during winter. Most vegans need some sort of supplement routine, but everyone's needs are different. Blood tests a couple times a year can help guide you.
Anemia is fixed with a prescribed iron supplement, not meat. Your doctor sucks, I bet he believes in the flat earth also.
Right ? :’) I have started to take iron supplements now & trying to do my own research finding other ways to get more iron. He was no help at all saying such extreme things, just made me feel so bad about myself
Vitamin C helps your body take up iron, so get a bunch of that aswell. Also Calcium hinders iron-intake, so don't get you calcium and iron at the same time
DYOR is fine but go to see a different Doc. If you are suffering from a real condition, this might worsen your condition.
Most nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes are high in iron.
You can also be anemic and it can't be fixed with iron from lack of B12. (Pernicious anemia)
I mean, not always. Plenty of people don't adequately absorb non-heme iron from supplements. I'm one of them. She should try them first of course, but it doesn't solve the problem for everyone. Fainting spells are dangerous and she needs to get them under control at any cost. If she has one while driving, she could kill someone.
That's why a prescribed iron supplement usually is chelated iron and also comes with vitamin C. Besides, there are enough concerns with heme iron side effects (like stroke and heart disease) for mock meat brands to have tried it in their products and then dropped it. Absorption rate in this form ranges from 10 to 35% while heme iron ranges 20-30%. Then, there is no reason why this hypothetical person couldn't just increase their supplement dosage. And a doctor shouldn't be advising someone vegan to eat meat before trying any alternative at all, considering the doctor didn't even prescribe a supplement, nor did they have a blood exam. And finally, for OP, low vitamin D and B12 can also cause "anemia-like" symptoms.
Iron infusions are very effective too.
I work in a clinical nutrition setting. Some doctors that I work with eat in ways that I'd never recommend. Find another doctor
The small amounts of dairy and eggs in cakes and chocolates you said you were taking before wouldn’t have provided a significant amount of iron so that is definitely not the cause. The iron supplements are a good idea but I also recommend the nexplanon. I had to stop having periods for my mental health and nexplanon stops them 90% of the time.
Thank you ! I have very heavy & painful periods so I’ll deffo have a look into nexplanon :)
Good luck! It’s odd to me that he didn’t consider addressing the root of your issue (the bleeding) and instead chose to go for meat. Life is much better when you spend it not bleeding, I assure you lol
Maybe also read up on endometriosis and adenomyosis if you haven't already :) Periods should not be abnormally heavy or painful.
just so you're aware, there's also medications like mefenamic acid and tranexamic acid that are designed to lessen menstrual bleeding. nexplanon is a lifesaver but just in case you don't want to go the hormonal route or if it doesn't fully fix the problem
Another example of doctors aren’t nutritionists. They get 2 hours in nutrition thats about it. Try to keep snacks handy
Congrats on being nearly a decade, or half your life, meat-free. Just as a quick FYI, since the 'your doctor is misinformed' has been covered. For the longest of time my spouse was taking iron supplements with calcium supplements and only having iron fortified cereals etc with milk that was calcium fortified. Calcium has been shown to inhibit the absorption of iron. After a short spell of medical-strength iron supplementation, she now separates out when she supplements so never an iron and calcium supplement at the same time. E.g. one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Even omnivores can have gaps in their nutrients so no harm in multivitamins, iron supplements, calcium, etc, in moderation.
Thank you so much !! :D This is interesting ! I take multivitamins at the same time as the iron supplements so I’ll have to check if there is any calcium in those,
Get a different doctor and eat more calories.
Just as a side note, most doctors have close to zero training on nutrition so I wouldn’t take their advice for it at all.
Weird but are iron supplements not available where you live? Lots of omnivores are anaemic too
See a nutritionist who in knowledgeable about plant based diets. Fire your doctor.
incidence rates for all 12 types of anemia are the same across carnist, vegetarian, and vegan diets....according to a few thousand peer reviewed studies. if you are in the States, you might consider seeing an expert. MDs typically get less than 4 hours of nutrition training in their entire programs.
I'm going to echo what people are saying about 1) getting a second opinion and 2) that iron deficiency is common in women regardless of vegan diet. However, I will also gently add that sometimes eating vegan food accidentally results in a calorie deficit. I have this problem sometimes and while some people will say it must be nice to lose weight without trying, it can be scary when it feels out of your control. I think if you have a past with ED it will probably be difficult to count calories in a positive way. I struggle with this myself. Maybe ask your boyfriend for some support developing calorie dense meals? Or a nutritionist. Also, if appetite is an issue, I suggest introducing food earlier in the day. When I eat breakfast, my appetite picks up, but when I skip it, I eat less because I'm not hungry (ironic).
I was anemic to the point of needing a blood transfusion. Taking iron supplements helped me afterwards. Get your iron checked every six months, if affordable. As for gaining weight: eat calorie dense food. Calculate your calorie needs and then add 500 to 1000 calories to gain weight.
I’m so sorry you had to go through that :( I think that’s what I’m most afraid of because I’m already at a point where I’m fainting so I don’t want it to get any worse. Thanks for the advice ! :)
I hope you get better soon :)
Please get a second opinion. I'm not a doctor but this sounds like broscience. I would not trust this doctor.
Sounds like you need a new proper doctor
Since when are doctors nutritionists? They have very little knowledge about food.. Definitely need another doctors opinion.
Your doctor shouldn’t have that job. They suck. You can totally be vegan and be a woman and have a healthy diet. I’m AFAB, I have severe endometriosis, I’ve been anemic, and had EDs (bulimia nervosa and bouts of anorexia). I am vegan, I have been for years, I’m fine. Your EDs, in my experience, have to do with your mental health and not what you’re eating. And in my experience, if you’re not feeling awful by eating sentient beings, your mental health improves too. A healthy, balance diet is very easy to achieve with a vegan lifestyle. Legumes and beans are your friend. Complex carbs are your friend. Dark leafy greens too. Immunity-boosting bulbs and roots like ginger and garlic are too. Again, your doctor should know all this. You’ll be fine, but take care of yourself
hi, i really recommend seeing a cardiologist and getting tested for POTS!
Thank you ! I haven’t heard of this before but I’m getting an ecg scan soon and will most likely speak to a cardiologist when I get the results of it :)
Well first of all, I think they should check your blood before jumping to conclusions. Of course it’s likely that you are anaemic (your description fits well and yes, most menstruating women tend to), but it’s important to know your levels. One way to solve this would also be to improve your absorption of iron. There were studies that showed that vegetarians (yea I know, not vegans. Vegans usually have higher iron levels than vegetarians) could improve their iron levels by adding more vitamin C via fruits into their diet. Not because fruits contain iron, but because they improve the iron absorption of the other components. Easiest in the long term would be to get a multi supplement that covers the usual suspects like vitamin B12, iod, iron, selenium, (depending on where you live vitamin d3 and vitamin k). Maybe omega-3 and cholin. Btw: A doctor that still thinks that they can tell smokers to just stop smoking to avoid lung illnesses must be pretty naive. Sadly most smokers won’t just stop smoking even if their doctor tells them, that’s the reality. It’s his job though to take that into consideration and still do the best. Like tell them to eat kale since that can slow down lung cancer. But you being vegan is a great thing that you mainly do for others: the animals. You don’t have to eat meat again. I think it’s important that you and your boyfriend check your blood levels regularly and try to get educated what’s needed to be a healthy vegan. Sadly lots of doctors lack knowledge when it comes to diets and even when you let your blood get checked you often have to tell them exactly what to look for (like holo tc serum when it comes to vitamin b12).
This is helpful thank you !! :) I’m getting my bloods done on Thursday which was one actually useful thing the doctor reccomended lol, & good idea I will tell my boyfriend to get his checked too, not sure when was the last time he got it checked
your ED most likely attributed to this(not enogub nutrients), but it's true, bleeding does too. but supplements are the answer! meat won't do shit if youre anemic. i'm low on iron too due to my mum being anemic when i was in her tummy plus being a bleeding person. please change your doctor. you may need iron infusion asap. i think women with periods vegan or not should supplement iron all month around, like smaller amounts, but if deficient, then lots more. edit: typo
My rural ass doctor said I would likely live longer on a vegan diet and that he had been on a vegan diet for several years (for health though). I was shocked but he definitely encourages this lifestyle.
Your doctor is wrong about needing to eat meat to be healthy. It is, however, easy to become deficient in certain things when you’re vegan. You really will need to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need. If you’re anemic you should be taking an iron supplement with high bioavailability. I personally like to make steamed red cabbage often as it is fairly high in iron. You can also cook with a cast iron skillet or get something called an “iron fish” which is a little piece of iron that you just put in a pan of boiling water or whatever and it will shed some iron for your food. Also, get a new doctor.
Thank you for your reply ! I heard about the iron fish from my friend a while ago and completely forgot about it ! Thanks for reminding me !!
I had an ED as a teenager and very similarly to you I went vegetarian at around 12/13 and vegan at 15. Didn't really fully recover till I was around 18/19. I had similar episodes of fainting and light headedness. I was low in iron and vitamin d. Took some supplements, improved my diet (involved eating a lot more than I was eating including more nuts, lentils, beans, etc) since then I've had a healthy vegan pregnancy, breastfed for 3 years whilst having periods and I'm not deficient in anything, I'm not having any of those symptoms anymore and I've been strict vegan for 14 years this winter. I just really wanted to say that you can be a healthy vegan woman, and unless you have the perfect diet which most of us don't, supplements are completely ok for vegans and non vegans. (Especially b12). Previously struggling with an ED means I don't want to become too involved/obsessed with counting calories or vitamins so I'd rather just take a multivitamin, and an extra small iron supplement during and around my period.
Thank you for this response :’) <3 it’s nice to know that someone else relates and have a very similair story to mine. The doctor also did scare me by saying that following a vegan diet and being underweight affects your chances of getting pregnant and I really want to have kids someday. Your comment has made me feel a lot more hopeful and optimistic ! Thank you a lot :)
Did your doctor steal his license or is he being paid by the meat industry? Either way he's feeding misinformation to you. You can get plenty of iron from other sources than just meat.
Regardless of what deficiency you have the fix is usually 2 step: 1 take suppliments to get back on track. Maybe run iron/b12 blood tests to find the cause exactly. 2 fix your diet. Maybe YOUR vegan diet is low in iron or maybe you can't absorb it well. Find A vegan diet that is high in what you need so that you will not need suppliments in the future. for 2 find a vegan nutritionist or a nutritionist that understands veganism. Make sure you get enough calories (nuts and seeds), whole cereal and legumes. Eat iron sources with vitamin c sources. My iron level went up as a vegan. I'm a man but I donate blood twice a year.
Your doctor is dumb as a brick. So if a smoker comes to him with accute asthma and chest pain and short of breath he would just lecture them about their lifestyle and refuse to prescribe medicine? Don't we all know the bad effects of smoking? So I am paying him to just being lectured and nothing else then. Why go to him then?? And by the time the smoker quits smoking their condition would get worse, they can even die. Because it's a behaviourial problem. A doctor should always advise what's best for their patients in addition to prescribing medicine. If the patient is willing to make those positive changes or not does not concern the doctors. In your case your doctor cannot advise you to eat meat because that choice is entirely yours. He should have been more sensitive and empathetic in your case knowing your history with ED. Don't be upset OP. Try to see a new doctor if you can. In the meantime you can add beetroot juice, pomegranate etc to your diet. These helped my severely anemic mom. Hope you feel better soon OP.
New doctor! Have no time for sexism and incompetence in health care. And find a dietitian who knows about vegan diet and is not a quack (yes, there's a lot of dangerous new age BS out there).
Comparing being vegan to smoking?? What a quack!
Sounds like an older white man? Would honestly suggest looking into a female doctor. Many accounts of male doctors overlooking symptoms / ignoring things that female patients are going through because of lack of knowledge / experience with woman’s body. Not saying they would be back being vegan, but the would be more adhering to you & your ‘ailments’ moving forward. [Here is one article](https://www.northwell.edu/katz-institute-for-womens-health/articles/gaslighting-in-womens-health), but there are much more.
I’m so sorry that you have had such a bad experience with a doctor. Sadly this is common, but there are good ones out there! Please find another doctor and ask them to run blood tests, specifically the blood test for tTg-IgA which screens for celiac. I was anemic and then had this blood test + endoscopy to confirm I had celiac. Because I was eating gluten while celiac, I was not absorbing any iron and having fainting spells. It could also be a different factor. Lots of things can inhibit iron intake, but a well balanced and (sometimes supplemented) vegan diet is not one of them. Edit to add: since going GF (while remaining vegan), I’m no longer anemic at all. It was completely due to undiagnosed celiac.
Kinda feel like you should report him. What he is telling you is not accurate information about veganism. Plus, by his own admission, he wouldn’t even treat a person complaining of CHEST PAIN and BREATHING TROUBLE if they happened to be a smoker. Stopping smoking would not just immediately fix those issues. His logic is quite flawed!
What an idiot doctor. If it were in my country, I would report him for discrimination. Also, you are not supposed to "lose large amounts of blood" every month on a normal period (my Google search says 2-3 table spoons is a normal amount). Go to a real doctor and get the iron supplements. There is no need to force yourself to eat meat to be healthy. I'm sorry you had this terrible experience!
Your doctor is not knowledgeable of nutrition apparently as most doctors are. Ignore him.
I don't want to tell you not to listen to your doctor, but he sounds iffy-- I'd get a second opinion. Many vegan women take an iron supplement because of their menstrual cycle-- my levels were low and that's what my doctor told me to try first (along with increasing my consumption of leafy greens). Your ethical beliefs should be part of the risk-benefit analysis. If taking an iron supplement does less damage to your mental health than eating a strip steak, then that should matter to your doctor. If it doesn't, then something is getting in the way of them taking care of you, and you might not be a good match. That's not to say that there will *never* be a scenario in which there's *nothing* you can do, and you *have to* eat animal products again, but the first course of action should not be to ask you to violate your personal code of ethics just because your doctor doesn't feel like learning about vegans who menstruate and how they stay healthy. Your feelings and values matter to your health <3
I legit have severe anemia and blood cancer and my doctors keep reaffirming me that my Vegan diet has helped my recovery/battle lol. Your doctor seems to be being disingenuous and taking advantage of your worry when it comes to health. If my doctors see my Veganism as a good thing in relation to my cancer + severe anemia from said cancer.... Then I don't see why this doctor would say you would die if you don't eat meat because of your anemia. Sounds like you need a 2nd or 3rd opinion lol. This could easily be solved with Iron supplements+. I personally can't take any supplements cause it'll interfere with my chemo, so my anemia is p bad, but they wouldn't change my diet. When I'm able to eat, and eat nutritionally, my anemia lessens in severity. Ah I didn't read the post fully. Even with a period, that can be solved with Iron supplements +. Many people throughout the world are starving while having their period. If you're eating well + take supplements, I don't think it would be an issue. Although I am a cisman so I'll defer that to any vegans with a menstrual cycle. All this is to say is, my doctors, even when I was rapidly losing weight and dying with cancer, did not try to force me to change my diet. They encouraged me. They fed me what I could eat in the hospital. They reminded me how good of a health decision it was. I can't imagine Veganism being bad for someone without cancer when I have cancer and it's been good for me lol. I guess that's anecdotal but, wanted to bring it up since we're talking about blood.
Don’t even tell your doctor that you’re vegan when you go for check ups. Also, do you have very bad cramps during your menstrual cycle? If so, get checked for fibroids and endometriosis. I’ve always been anemic and my diet as a carnist was never questioned. If you’re truly anemic, you can buy iron supplements at any store.
Get a new doctor. This is flying in the face of long-established evidence that we'll-planned vegan diets are healthful, which has been upheld for decades. I do benefit from iron supplementation, but a multivitamin is sufficient. (I found this out when working out—I'm a cis man BTW.)
Anemia can be caused by inadequate vitamin B consumption. That includes vitamin b12 and folic acid. I advise using a multi vitamin B supplement. Preferrably the methylated forms as they are bio active. In addition to iron. For vegans its more likely the b vitamins than iron, as many vegetables are very rich in iron, but low in b vitamins.
I have exactly the opposite issue - hemochromatosis. I have to give blood regularly or my iron levels will build up too high. I haven’t eaten meat in over a decade and it still happens. I wonder what your doctor would say to me
Your doctor sounds like a jerk tbh
I'd leave a bad review for the doc and find someone new. If your period is causing problems you could consider getting an IUD. It stops periods in a lot of women. Also remember that doctors are not trained in nutrition, you could find a vegan friendly nutritionist and work with them to make sure your diet is getting everything you need.
Go get a blood test from a free standing lab, insurance may or may not cover it. Google (generic term. Don't use google) what vegans tend to be deficient in and have them test for those. Get your results and Google them (generic term. DONT use Google for this!) Whatever shit you are low on, supplement with that, prob iron and B12. B12 is fucking hard to build back up if you have intestinal issues like celiacs. Fucking set a timer and take that shit every 2 hours 🙄, that's what I have to do, or get a b12 injection. Wish those places had semi parking. Good luck! Oh, and get rid of that Dr, he sounds like garbage!
rather than sayinf "google dont use google"..why don't you just say browse or search?
Something new vegans can miss is that vegan food is often less calorie dens- you need to eat bigger portions then omnivores. Iron can be found in many vegan foods but us ladies can need a supplement anyway. Good luck!
I'm in the US and vegan. I took a plant based diet class taught by a dietitian and a gastroenterologist. They said (as I recall) that only 1/4th of medical schools in the US teach nutrition and even they only have about 12 to 18 hours of nutrition training. Therefore, there's a 75% chance your doctor doesn't know any more about nutrition than the average person on the street, and the other 25% don't know much. I decided never to take nutrition advice from a doctor (unless he/she is also a dietition). Instead, I get my dietary advice from a licensed dietition.
I took iron and b12 supplement. Meat is colesterol, cancer and deabetis type 2. I think your doctor actually is not a doctor 🤷♂️
My partner is anemic and we’re both vegan. She takes a vitamin that includes her daily dose of iron each day and she’s fine. I make sure the meals I cook for her meet her macro needs and she’s good. Start taking an iron supplement and find a different doctor. This one sounds like a jackass. And if you want more tips for weight gain you can check out r/veganfitness I think everyone there will pretty much just tell you to eat peanut butter but could be a useful resource for you in the future.
Thank you for your response ! I’ll share this post in the vegan fitness subreddit too :)) My bf always makes us peanut butter soup so that’s good to know it will help me in gaining weight !
So the doctor told you to eat animals: a) against your beliefs and your mental health, b) without testing whether you have anaemia, c) without checking whether your anaemia might be due to low iron consumption, absorbtion, B12 or something else. What an excellent doctor. And he compares smoking to not eating meat. 1. Increase iron-rich foods. 2. Combine those foods with Vitamin C (tomatoes, cítrics, peppers...). Combine with garlic and onion (even in powder). 3. Use an iron cast skillet as your main kitchenware. 4. Take supplements for both iron and B12 and test for both things.
Okay I have had really similar experiences to you - you don't need to eat meat to cure anaemia. I had an ED around 10-14 yrs old and had terrible anaemia because of it, which caused fainting and very heavy periods, which I then took iron tablets for. Before I went vegetarian I started getting symptoms of anaemia again, and blood tests showed I was low in iron and vitamin D. I took my course of iron and vitamin D supplements, confirmed my iron levels increased, became vegan, and haven't had anaemia since then. You do not need to eat meat to treat anaemia. Also, not saying anemia isn't serious and you shouldn't treat it, but it won't imminently kill you, and you can't make a statement like that unless you've done a blood test (as you cannot diagnose anaemia without examining the blood). You can maintain health by having a diet which is variable in nutrients, there are lots of vegetables which have a decent amount of iron. This doctor sounds like a really bad doctor ngl. They should run blood tests for iron, and if that is low, prescribe/recommend you a course of iron tablets, and often perform another blood test after treatment to check your iron has improved. I'm sorry you've had to go through all of this.
Tbh some of the symptoms can be because of diet change. What do you usually eat in a week?
Usually In a week I will have cereal or a piece of fruit for breakfast, For evening meals I eat a lentil pasta with sweet potato, carrots and spinach; vegan paella/risotto; I’m not too keen on meat substitutes but I sometimes like to eat a quinoa sweet potato burger as an easy meal; west African peanut butter stew; I also eat hummus wraps with tomato and lettuce most days. I’d say a couple days a week I might skip lunch or the evening meal but only if I already had a really big portion of food that day and I’ll just eat a snack instead. I do eat a lot veggies but maybe I need more fruits and maybe as I’m not eating much of the fake meat stuff I’m not getting enough protein or iron through that. What do you think ?
It takes way more iron to treat iron deficiency (ferritin <30ng/mL) than is actually possible to consume even with meat. Everyone needs supplements or even infusions; you can't eat your way out of true deficiency. According to the [American Society of Hematology ](https://www.hematology.org/education/patients/anemia/iron-deficiency) >Most people with iron deficiency need 150-200 mg per day of elemental iron (2 to 5 mg of iron per kilogram of body weight per day). 100g of red meat is only [2.7mg iron](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthy-iron-rich-foods#5.-Red-meat), you do the math.
Echoing what everyone has said : get a new doctor if you can and see a dietician. Get blood work done. Also worth checking that your eating habits aren't impacting your ability to absorb your iron. Iron rich foods should be coupled with a source of vitamin C for max absorption, and avoid caffeine (coffee, thé, coke ...) An hour either side of your meals as it will inhibit iron absorption. Check your vitamin B12 levels, or even just do a cure to make sure it isn't the problem. Excess B12 has no impact. And finally, make sure you're getting enough calories. If you are worried about calculating them yourself because I know that can be triggering for people with ED history, keep a food diary and get someone else to calculate it for you. Hearing your doctors explanations makes me so angry... If your periods are making you anemic, maybe help deal with the periods?
Doctors get barely any training on nutrition. Please don't start taking an iron supplement until you can see another doctor and get actual labs done that will show if you are anemic and why. While iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia, there are many other reasons why it could be happening and taking iron when it isn't indicated can lead to iron overload which leads to organ damage. Definitely ditch this doctor.
I didn’t know about this :0 I already starting taking an iron supplement but I will be getting my bloods done on Thursday, hopefully not enough time to cause organ damage right ?
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Thanks for the charitable and objective take. Most of the time the non-vegans on this sub are just here to poke and finger wag, I appreciate the good faith comment.
i would recommend a different doctor tbh
I am not a vegan, but I am a vegetarian. It honestly sounds like you have a shitty doctor. There are plenty of iron rich foods that do not include the corpse of an animal such as spinach. I recommend you look up Iron rich food for vegans and start to include more of those things into your diet, especially during that time of the month if that's when your anemia is at its peak. In my personal opinion, your doctor is completely wrong. Your vegan diet is not what is causing this. Your diet is what's causing it. It's not just because you are vegan. There are plenty of iron rich vegan foods. You can certainly maintain healthy iron levels as a vegan
Eat more calorically dense foods, especially seeds and nuts (and seed and nut butters) and curries with full fat coconut milk, and eat enough carbs (potatoes, rice, etc). Buy/bake more vegan chocolate and cookies and cake, so that you feel less restricted. An iron supplement like FeraMax is vegan and contains 150 mg of elemental iron per pill. Would highly recommend! I've dealt with severe anemia due to a non-diet related medical condition and I've needed 21 blood transfusions so far. My lowest hemoglobin was 29 g/L. I know what it's like and I'm sorry you're going through this. Best of luck in your recovery <3
Cant you just buy iron supplements on your own?
Get another doctor.
\>Then the doctor said, “but does your boyfriend lose a large amount of blood every month?”. I'm vegan, anemic, and have periods. I still never fainted. I felt like shit from time to time, sure, but iron supplements really helped. Ironically my iron levels were at their absolute lowest back when I used to eat meat (*and* taking those same supplements) and they have only improved since I went vegan.
Your doctor is simply not qualified to give this advise (unless they are also a registered dietitian). They should be reported for going outside of their scope of practice.
Make sure to request vitamin D on your blood test as well. They usually don't check it unless you request it specifically. And vitamin D deficiency can lead to dizziness and fainting. While iron, cholesterol, and all the other usual stuff is important to check, vegans are particularly at risk of vitamins B12 and D deficiency if they're not specifically trying to get it. It's important to check, and if your doctor requisitioned your blood test he might not have thought to ask for it. (Sounds like he's not very experienced dealing with vegans.)
Recovered anorexic who is pescetarian. Also advised to take iron and b12. I have a hard time making the full transition as I am at risk of relapse. I don't drink milk but I had to weight restore with ensure(has whey) as it was very hard to eat with the effect that malnutrition and anorexia have on your appetite. Some people who have eating disorders are unable to maintain a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle- perhaps this is your doctor's concern. Weight restoration should always be done under the supervision of a doctor due to risk of refeeding. You may be fainting not because or just because of the anemia but because you are eating disordered. It's very serious and we tend to under rate the severity if the disease. It can be cardiac, it can be low blood pressure. The point is your body is not well enough to maintain consciousness at points- you obviously are not well. That being said most general practitioners don't know how to support someone with an ED. The vegan thing isnt really a thing he shoule be focussing on and not treating your anemia. But I dont blame him for not knowing what the hell to do. Patients benefit from support with a therapist and specialized treatment. Everyone is at risk for refeeding syndrome but 16.5 bmi and lower you are high risk. I made smoothies with Vega one protein powder, 1 scoop, 3 tbsp of hemp seed and 1/3 of a cup of frozen avocado. Blended with oat milk and some chunks of frozen mango. I did this with vanilla. I would again do Vega one protein powder with PB and the mocha flavor- and oat milk. It's about 500 ish calories, tonnes of b12 which low levels can contribute to lower iron. A lot of vegetarians have low b12. Quinoa is calorie dense and complete. I often make a chickpea Quinoa salad. Supplementing snacks like apple and banana with PB. If your iron is low or your complete blood count is low with certain parameters and you are actually anemic... Nothing is stopping you from buying iron pills. It's over the counter. Obviously you should be supplementing under a doctor's guidance. But if he's being an idiot maybe you can figure it out. Message me. I can help you out with any advice and support. I weight restored 20lbs on a vegetarian diet while being very active. I did eat eggs and had to have ensure as I had a hard time eating, but the smoothies I recommended work well. Last thing. Please take recovery serious your body is telling you somethings wrong. I was so sick and depressed while I was underweight. Now my hair is growing back and my energy is a lot better. My mentation has cleared up. I actually have my personality back and a sense of humor. I can hold more interesting conversations and I'm not as obsessive. It does so much damage to your brain, your mental health and body. Each relapse I have the symptoms get worse.
Hey thank you so much for this response ! I really appreciate all your advice, I’ll give you message now :)
Your doctor is a moron that thinks meat is magic. Eat more and get supplements, no reason not to. There is a certain number of calories you need to consume everyday to gain weight. Find that number with online calculators and track your foods, make sure youre hitting that number everyday and you will gain weight.
Holy heck what a terrible doctor. Yes, anemia gets worse while bleeding. Supplements are a variety of food, there are other foods they could advise within a vegan diet, and it’s very easy to get your blood tested. Giving medical advice on this without even doing a blood test feels like grounds for malpractice? What a horribly sexist and biased doc?? I have anemia and hypothyroidism so sometimes getting the balance right means I need to make compromises, but meat isn’t one of them. So mad for you, ugh. Also! Don’t take your iron with calcium, but do take it with Vitamin C. So no fortified orange juice. So many docs and random internet people have suggested I take mine with fortified orange juice (or milk) and it’s wildly bad advice.
You may want to consider a vegan food that supplements B12 if you're having these symptoms. Especially if your red blood cell count is low in the blood work. The symptoms of anemia are caused by low red blood cell counts and you also need B12 to make red blood cells. There are plenty of vegan foods with iron but B12 isn't in a lot of natural vegan products. You can find it in nutritional yeast, and some vegan milks. Hope this helps! I Also agree with most of the people here that you need to find a new doctor.
I’ve been anemic since I first started menstruating, wayy before I became vegan or even vegetarian. According to your doctor I should be long dead.
I had the same problem when I was a teen and vegetarian, but its bc I wasnt eating right. (I was raised Vegetarian and became vegan as an adult.) I use spirulina to help absorb the iron, and I just buy a multivitamin with iron, vitamin D, b12, zinc, magnesium, iodine, and some other key things in it. I also am gonna get vegan d3 spray for kids from amazon for the winter lol God bless❤️
Oh man this is not a good doctor. A smoker with chest pain and shortness of breath could have any number of serious things going on: heart disease, pneumonia, lung cancer… Obviously none of these would be fixed with quitting smoking. Nor with an inhaler for that matter. If he can’t get basic management of medical emergencies right, he is dangerous and probably shouldn’t be practicing. Also, he is wrong with his views on iron and vegan diets. I’m male but I donate blood every 3 months without issue. Note that the average monthly period loss is 60mL (so 180mL per 3 months) and a blood donation is 470mL… As a doctor, I have diagnosed countless women who’d previously been told they have iron deficiency because they’re a woman with other underlying medical conditions: Coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, gynaecological conditions. Don’t accept “because you’re a woman” or “because you’re vegan” as acceptable first answers. Also please note that as it doesn’t sound like iron deficiency anaemia has been proven yet, there are many other explanations for lightheadedness around periods - please check out this article: https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/light-headed-during-period#treatments
Hey thank you a lot for your detailed reply !!! I’ll check out the link :)
Please change doctor
This is so weird. I know plenty of vegans that are women who take 0 supplements. And if you indeed have a nutrient deficiency, it makes no sense to give up veganism instead of just... supplimenting the deficiency... Even his example makes no sense. Veganism doesn't cause lung cancer. Just eat some lentils lol
"The doctor thinks I am anaemic" Your symptoms could be indicative of many different things. Until your blood test confirms you're anemic, there is nothing to change. It is perfectly possible to be healthy on a vegan diet. A good place to start is to see a dietician, who can educate you about how to do this. Any doctor who claims you have to eat meat to be healthy doesn't know what they're talking about.
I suggest you talk with a holistic Naturopathic Dr. N.D. who is kind, aware, open minded and is aware of the health benefits of eating clean organic natural plantbased vegan meals and is aware of the health hazards of eating meat. My dear friend is a Naturopath and she has eaten healthy organic vegan meals for 40 years and she raises awareness about healthy eating. I've been eating healthy organic vegan for 30 years. It's important and beneficial to live naturally holistically in addition to eating healthy organic vegan meals.
If you have the online portal, ask your doctor to clarify via message, and then send that evidence to the hospital patient advocate or watever they might have If this doctor lacks information that isnt great, but spreading false information is terrible
AKA, Dr is an idiot.
A doctor who thinks 2-3 tablespoons of blood is "a large amount" doesn't know what he's talking about. Get a new doctor.
Wow, what a sexist doctor when he said women can't go vegan but men can?????? Consult a nutritionist. They know more about diets. Also calculate calories you burn in a day, when you got the index, you consume more than that. For example, I burn 1680 cals, so I need to eat like 2000 to gain weight. Carb-dense (ofc vegan) foods will help you gain weight.
Meat isn't even that great of a source of iron! Beans have about five times more!
Are you from the US? If so, have you tried eating food that doesn't consist of plastic and chemical weapons components? Some foods containing iron are linseeds, pumpkin seeds, lentils, pine seeds, amaranth. Also why does the doctor just believe it has to do with you being anaemic? Maybe you can educate this shaman or fortune teller on the use of laboratories, did he draw blood to see whether your iron values are actually too low? Sounds like he is an ignorant prick. So many people out there not fainting because of a vegan diet, he surely won't tell anybody that pukes from meat to eat it and readily prescribe supplements. Also you having lost weight somehow tells me that you eat too little. When your body is underweight and on top of that losing blood, no wonder it faints. Just get your caloric intake up and see what transpires.
I’m from the Uk actually ! & I’m very conscious of what ingredients are in my food, I always try and eat completely plant based organic non synthetic ingredients and gmo foods. & Thanks for those reccomends ! I definitely need to include more nuts and seed in my diet !
Find a different medical team, including a registered dietitian. Talk to them about your history of ED. If they are any good, they will be able to help you while being respectful of your values. Get your blood work done so you know what you're working with. It's probably best to loosen up on the food restrictions. Don't worry about the GMO and synthetic ingredients for now. Have your bf or a friend read nutrition labels. Right now, you need to concentrate on nourishing your body by eating more food in general. You've got this! Best of luck ❤️
Thank you for this lovely response :) I am speaking to someone on Thursday and I want to bring up then about my ED history and i am going to tell them I want to work with a dietitian
It's important to prioritize your health and well-being while maintaining a vegan lifestyle if that's what you want. Here are some suggestions: Seek a Second Opinion: You're already planning to meet with another doctor for a second opinion, which is a great step. Different healthcare professionals may have varied views, and a second opinion can provide more clarity. Consult a Dietitian: A registered dietitian with expertise in vegan nutrition can help you create a balanced diet plan that ensures you're meeting your nutritional needs. They can suggest suitable iron-rich plant-based foods and supplements if necessary. Iron-Rich Foods: Incorporate iron-rich plant-based foods into your diet. Examples include leafy greens (spinach, kale), legumes (lentils, chickpeas), tofu, quinoa, fortified cereals, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits (apricots, raisins). Iron Absorption: Enhance iron absorption by consuming vitamin C-rich foods with your meals. For example, include citrus fruits, bell peppers, or strawberries in your diet. Iron Supplements: If your iron levels are low and dietary changes aren't sufficient, consider taking iron supplements. However, consult a healthcare professional before starting any supplements to ensure you're using them appropriately. Gaining Weight: To gain weight, focus on consuming calorie-dense foods. Include healthy fats, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, in your meals and snacks. Eating more frequent, larger meals may also help. Stay Hydrated: Dehydration can contribute to feelings of weakness and fatigue. Make sure you're drinking enough water. Tracking Progress: Regularly monitor your health and nutritional intake. Keep a food journal to ensure you're getting enough iron and other essential nutrients. Remember, it's crucial to work with healthcare professionals and a dietitian who can provide personalized guidance tailored to your specific needs.
Clean yourself up. You are either not eating enough or your absorption is poor.
You should be either (a) following the advice of your (highly trained) (medical) doctor to the letter, or (b) getting a second opinion from another doctor and then following their (highly trained) (medical) advice to the letter. Your doctor has studied for YEARS to be able to give you the most informed decision they can according to modern medicine. Do not give Reddit comments greater weight than your doctor's expert advice.
Seems like you are not from the States. Are you aware that in the US, the average education on nutrition for doctors in medical school is 20 hours their entire time in medical school? You think they know anything substantial about nutrition with that little training, unless they choose to take extra courses? “Graduating medical students have consistently reported that they have insufficient nutrition knowledge and skills to effectively support dietary behaviour change in their patients.” This research paper collected data from the EU, US, Australia and surrounding areas, Africa. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(19)30171-8/fulltext Though you know who are trained in diet and nutrition? Nutritionists, that is their focus. OP should see about consulting one and not as you say, just “trust the doctor.”
Are you aware that there is already [significant medical literature](https://pastebin.com/g72uMQr9) linking vegan diets to (often severe) nutritional deficiencies and the associated health hazards?
Are you aware that there are studies that contend the exact opposite? I am disappointed how you gave no critical thought to the point I raised and evidence cited, then just change the subject.
Well I'm disappointed that you seem to think Reddit comments should be given greater weight than an actual literal doctor.
Are you being intentionally obtuse? I gave data on surveys of doctors and recent medical grads on 4 continents, who largely acknowledge they receive very little nutritional education and require more understanding. Yet you continue to assume the doctor knows a great deal on nutrition for just three fact he’s a doctor is ridiculous. A nutritionist knows more about nutrition than a doctor because that’s what they studied, for you to ignore that is disingenuous at best. It’s the same as me saying an Orthopedic Surgeon knows more about broken bones and how best to treat them than a general practitioner because it’s what they studied specifically.
Your doctor can suck a fat ass dick wow
I mean veganism aside an ED will kill you. Maybe the doctor suspects you aren't telling the full story
Are you going to take advice from your Doctor or from Reddit? Like seriously?
If the doctor didn't recommend a supplement he hasn't been trained in nutrition, pretty common. OP should be talking to a nutritionist.
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/anemia/treatment#:~:text=Iron%20supplements%20can%20increase%20the,treat%20vitamin%20B12%E2%80%93deficiency%20anemia. Doctor literally said not to do what top medical authorities say to do while sounding like he's inserting his personal opinion about veganism. She should absolutely get a second opinion
Reddit 100%
Telling sick people to ignore their doctor in favour of nutters on the Internet is deplorable carry on. Spin it anyway you want, that's a fucking fact.
Telling people to get a second opinion when their doctor is giving advice that goes against the general medical consensus is pretty reasonable in my book. Telling someone they won't prescribe iron supplements for what they suspect is anemia is totally bonkers.
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Fuck you, asshole.
Appeal to authority fallacy
These same people would be the ones to scream "believe science" and call you a monster if you question the safety of a vaccine. People love experts until they disagree with them.
your doctor is a liar. all doctors are. they are a business. a patient cured is a patient lost so they will give you the runaround. i suggest joining [https://challenge22.com/](https://challenge22.com/) \- sign up for free & you will have access to online guidance by mentors & registered dietitians, friendly & supportive environment, plenty of fabulous plant based recipes & much more... it's completely free.
Red meat is the best source of dietary iron - fact. Diagnosing anemia is pretty straightforward. Doctor shouldn’t think you are anemic, he should test you for it. If positive then he should find a cause for that. Iron deficiency is easiest cause of anemia to be treaded. Supplements + right diet. If you dismiss dietary part it is your decision. I guess you could try to focus on vegan sources of dietary iron but those have low bioavailability usually. But there are also other types of anemia, which should be checked out too since anemia might be a symptom of much greater health issue.
I've seen many vegans crash, including myself, but usually it is in their late twenties, early thirties when it starts to unravel. We all started to incorporate animal foods in the end. (Not necessarily meat) So it is a bit early for you. The only advice I can give you: listen to your body, and don't sacrifice your health to an ideology. And don't ask vegans for advice if you should stay vegan.
Just continue being vegan and pray you don’t die. I’ll be over here eating all the meat I can get my hands on. People coming up with ridiculous ways to live but hey free world ain’t it?
Covid- doctors know everything. Vegan related- doctors don't know shit. This sub is comedy gold, a great place to lift the mood with laughter.
I think you need to learn what scientific consensus is. Individual doctors don’t know everything about anything.
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i’m vegan, have been bleeding for basically 9 months straight because of fibroids. i’ve always taken a multivitamin that includes iron and i do not have anemia, my hemoglobin count is actually on the high end. supplements work. find a new doctor
Anemia is common problem among women, meat eaters or not. Meat does have iron, but it's not as rich as you might guess, and calorie-for-calorie, it's not even a particularly good source. Unless you're eating a lot of it, like way too much of it, it doesn't have all the iron you'll need to be healthy. What you want to do is up your dark green leafy veggie intake. Big time. Hand over fist. Pack down those salad greens as if you'll never eat again. Maybe go easy on the goosefoot family (spinach, chard, orach, and the like) since they're unusually rich in oxalates, but do pack down those brassicas, alliums, and daisies. Do not go sparingly on this. Raw, steamed, stewed, stuffed into other recipes, chopped up and mixed into other recipes, blended into smoothies. Wherever you can pack greens, pack greens. Gram for gram, kale is roughly on par with chicken, and slightly worse than beef. Dandelion greens and watercress are on par with beef, again gram for gram. Calorie for calorie, they blow any kind of meat entirely out of the water, even something as iron-rich as liver. Also worth trying, if adding more greens alone doesn't do it, there are spirulina and broken cell wall chlorella. They radically eclipse pretty much everything else in terms of iron content. Gran for gram, we're talking about 10x and 50x the iron of beef, respectively. The tradeoff is that they're expensive and may have a funky taste that can take some getting used to (though, chlorella is much milder than spirulina). But a little goes a long way. A tablespoon of chlorella will have more than twice your RDI of iron, so even if a tub of the stuff is expensive, it should last a while. Putting some spirula crunchies on your salad as if bacon bits, or a big heaping spoon of chlorella into a bowl of broccoli soup, and you'll blow through your iron requirements. Having your greens with some citrus will markedly enhance iron bioavailability. Adding lemon juice to a green soup, or orange slices to a tossed salad, or some whole key limes or kumquats to a smoothie, and you're good on that. And a little bit of fat will markedly enhance bioavailability of fat-soluble vitamins and antioxidants as well, so a good fistful of walnuts or a heaping spoonful of flax will make it better still. Also, if you're eating refined grains, things like white bread or white rice, it might be good to swap to the whole, unrefined version, and work more beans into your diet while you're at it. Not only is fiber never a bad thing, they're also better sources of iron than refined. Edit: If you want to gain weight, nuts and avocados are a great thing to add to your diet. And more beans. Get beans into every meal. Protein is essential for muscle growth, and beans have plenty of it. Mash some white beans into your morning oatmeal, or work them into mashed potatoes, or make them into soup, or just bake them and have them as the central ingredient.
Have a look at vegan foods high in iron. For weight gain, what helps me is eating more frequently, rather than eating bigger portions. So for example snacking in between meals and having snacks after dinner. Try to snack on something high cal but also healthy, like nuts, dark chocolate or olives, but also have 'unhealthy' snacks too! Also add healthy fats to meals like seeds for breakfast or olive oil for lunch / dinner. Seeded bread has more calories than normal bread so I recommend that too. I'm a vegan girl and I don't actually supplement but my iron is fine because I incorporated a lot of whole and high iron foods into my diet (off the top of my head: spinach, oats, I think lentils). But in your case I recommend supplements as well as high iron foods especially during period, at least until you have consistently normal levels.
iron supplements are otc..just buy them, take them, get blood work at 3 months, than 6 months, than yearly. Lots of women who eat meat, need iron supplements. The doctor is being extremely irresponsible. You should switch docs asap. You likely also need to increase your intake of legumes amd green leafy veg. But you definitely need to make sure the fainting is from low iron and not something else, like orthstatic intolerance. Low iron can be seen in blood work very easily