Effects of Vegetarian diet

Question
Hello,
I am a 16 year old vegetarian (have been strict vegetarian since I was twelve- no meat, poultry seafood or direct animal products like lard or gelatin, but I do eat eggs and dairy products), and was wondering about the long term and short term effects of my diet. My parents tell me that unless I eat plenty of substitutes for meat, I am going to have some complications in the future. I am petite (5 foot two and 105 lbs), and I find I cannot eat the recommended substitutes. I have very little or no appetite, perhaps eating one large meal a day (usually lunch or dinner), and a small bite for breakfast (half a slice of plain toast, sometimes an egg yolk with a quarter of an orange), and I come nowhere near the recommended intakes in the canada food guide. I took iron capsules and tablets for a while (my iron levels are extremely low) but I don't want to take them forever. My mother is very good with my diet, making recipes incorporating soy, lentils, beans, etc. but my iron levels are only dropping (I am supposed to get another blood test to see if I am anemic or not). I have not grown at all since I was eleven (the time I became vegetarian), having sleeping issues and am VERY irritable. My eyesight is deteriorating, and I find that almost any noise will bother me (chewing, breathing loudly, chair squeaking, mumbling, ANYTHING) and my mother has suggested it is because I am low in something (though I take two multivitamins a day). It's not only my meat and alternatives food group that I'm not meeting though; I am low in the other groups as well. I find that if I attempted eating the recommended fruits and vegetables and grain products, I feel stuffed and bloated. I cannot physically eat all the servings that are recommended, I make myself sick if I try to do so. In addition to my other health problems, I have difficulty sleeping (but that was a problem prior to my diet change), and occasional memory loss (i.e. I go somewhere and forget why I am there, I am constantly getting lost, and cannot recall simple things like where I put something). My hair is getting thinner and I am very pale; occasionally I have "blackouts" (when I get up I can't see anything, like when after you stare at a lightbulb for a while you see an afterimage, except this blocks pretty much everything I see and lasts about 10 seconds), I have headaches regularly (above my eyes, I think its the sinus?), and I am also very cold (to the point where my hands and feet are purple and when I touch them lightly there is yellow to white on the point of contact that won't go away for like 15 seconds). I am almost certain most of these are related to my iron levels, so I want to know how I can make up for my lack of meat consumption (in addition to multivitamins, legumes, and iron capsules I already take).  

Answer
Hi Leia,

First of all, I'm going to say right off the bat that I really thing you need to work very closely with both your doctor and a local dietitian to help improve your nutritional and health status. I'm concerned that you state you have no appetite and are not able to eat much food at once - that's not normal for someone your age. I think you need to have a very thorough physical examination by your doctor -the problems you are describing such as lack of growth for the last 5 years go beyond the fact that you are eating a vegetarian diet.

It does sound like your iron intake is probably low, as well as zinc (this nutrient is really important for growth and could *possibly* be part of the reason for your lack of growth, but I don't think it is likely to be the sole reason). From what you have told me, it's likely you are not meeting your needs for a number of other nutrients as well.

You mentioned that you feel bloated if you try to eat the recommended number of servings of grains and fruits and vegetables. There are likely a couple of reasons for this: first, since you usually don't eat much, it's likely your stomach has shrunk and doesn't have the capacity to hold that much food at once; second, these foods are high in fibre, and increasing your fibre intake suddenly can lead to problems with gas and bloating.

There's really no "magic bullet" type answer as to how you can get around your lack of meat consumption. To have adequate nutrition as a vegetarian, you must regularly eat plant-based protein sources, such as lentils, soy, and beans. Those foods are all very "bulky" - some easier-to-digest alternatives would be eggs, and meat "analogues" like veggie burgers and soy deli slices.

Again, with all the complex issues you describe, I really feel you should be getting assistance from your doctor for your medical issues and a local dietitian who can do an in-depth assessment of your diet and help you to gradually work towards a more balanced diet.

Karen  

1. Prev:Balsamic vinegar
2. Next:dietician