Feeling Tired, Weak On New Vegetarian Diet

Proper vegetarian nutrition, vegetarian protein, vitamins

I've been feeling really weak and no energy, trying to transition to becoming a vegetarian.

I also need to lose weight. I've been eating mostly beans, eggs, milk and cheese for my vegetarian protein.

Is there anything you can recommend to get me through being tired and weak? Thanks for your help! - G. W.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice

Dear G. W.,

You could be detoxing, or not getting enough of the right nutrients, or not absorbing them well. It takes the body a while to adapt to a different diet.

Here are some suggestions:

1) Read the Savvy Vegetarian nutrition report, so you can get an idea what you should be eating.

2) Take a probiotic and/or digestive enzyme to help your digestion. Udo's Choice is a good brand, available at Vitacost.

3) Eat lots of fresh veggies and fruit, both cooked and raw, and juice them too, if you have a juicer.

4) Easy on the beans, eggs, milk and cheese - you may be overloading your digestion with too much of a good thing.

Investigate other sources of vegetarian protein, like nuts and seeds, tofu, and whole grains, and eat less protein, favoring fresh veg and whole grains. Read the SV article: How to Get Enough Protein in Your Veg Diet.

5) Drink lots and lots of water - 2 to 3 quarts a day, and no caffeine or sugar, carbonated beverages, etc.

6) Have blood work done to check the levels of these and other critical nutrients: B12, iron, Vit. D, iodine, folic acid. Take a nutritional supplement - Rainbow Light Vitamins makes a good food based one-a-day for women.

Here's an interesting B12 article: Vegetarians, Are You Getting Enough Vitamin B12?. And one on iron: Iron and Vegetarian Diet

Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian