Savvy Vegetarian
Bookmark and Share
Follow Savvy Veg On Twitter;
Join Savvy Veg On Facebook;




Savvy Veg Fans

"I gotta say again how much I love your website. It makes this new path so much easier and fun..."

"Wow, thank you so much for your input, it was very thorough and more than I expected. You rock! :)"

"I see you are passionate about this, that is why I know I came to the right person for advice."

"Thanks for the great advice Judy! You're a life-saver!"

"Thank you for the reports and encouragement ...all very much appreciated!"

"I saw lots of vegetarian sites, and yours was one of the best."

More Testimonials

Free Vegetarian Advice

Vegetarian Advice: 30 Yr Veg, Energy, Health Issues

Question: I would like to know what I need in my vegetarian diet to increase my energy level. I have had very low energy for about 15 years or more and have been a vegetarian for about 30 years - V.A

Savvy Vegetarian Advice

Dear V.A.,

I'm not a doctor or nutritionist, and know nothing about you or your diet besides what you've told me, so can't give a diagnosis. It could be any of a number of different things: a nutritional deficiency, such as - iron, magnesium, folic acid, B12.

Vitamin B12 is a major suspect, especially if you've been a vegetarian for 30 years, and you've been tired for 15, and that you would then likely be in your fifties?? But as I'm sure you know, nutrition is synergistic, so it could be a combination of factors.

Interesting Fact: From "Becoming Vegetarian" by Vesanto Melilna et al: 'doses of Vitamin C over 500 mg appear to be able to destroy Vitamin B12 by converting it to analogues' These analogues can't be absorbed by the body. For vegetarians who already eat lots of fruit and vegetables containing Vit. C, and have limited amounts of B12 in their diets, these high doses of Vit C could be particularly harmful.

Your fatigue could be also be hormone related, or it could be an illness. You should have blood tests done for deficiencies, and if that's not the problem, then consult a medical practitioner (your choice of what sort) to look at other causes.

Here are two SV articles which could be helpful:

Vegetarians, Are You Getting Enough Vitamin B12?

Magnesium is Critically Important to Your Vegetarian Health!

Let me know how it goes! Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian


More Advice Letters About Tired Vegetarians

Going Vegetarian Makes New Veg Sick and Tired

Long Time Vegetarian Tired, Craves Meat, Falls Off The Wagon

New Vegetarian Tired, Suspects Iron Deficiency

Raw Food Vegetarian Tired All The Time

Teen Veg Tired and Irritable From Her Unhealthy Diet

Teen Vegetarian Sick, Tired, Wants Meat

Transition To Vegetarian Diet, Overweight, Tired, Weak


Back To Advice Index

Savvy Veg Privacy Policy, Health Disclaimer, Publishing Policy

Send a link, resource, book, recipe etc. to Savvy Veg

Download Free Savvy Vegetarian Reports

Get Free Savvy Vegetarian Advice





New Recipes

Apple Crisp

Applesauce Cake

Basil Pine Nut Pesto

Cashew Fried Rice

Coconut Curried Veggies

Coconut Mint Chutney

Corn On The Cob

Fruit Smoothie

Indian Chapatis

Lemonade

Peach Crisp

Potato Salad

Rhubarb Crisp

Simple Fried Rice

Simple Mung Dhal

Spicy Bean Dip

New Articles

B12 Deficient?

Q&A On Vit. D

New Advice

Going Vegan Hard

Low Budget Vegan

Meat Cravings & Soy

Unhealthy Veg Diet

What To Do With Tofu?

New Blogs

AMA Goes Sustainable

Eco-Foodies

Leftover Food Safety

Paul Hawken Speaks

Vegan Myth & Truth