Cosmopolitan

Health Q&A

Question:

I’m thinking of becoming a vegan for health reasons – I always feel tired and lethargic, and I have a friend who became a vegan and said it did wonders for her energy levels. Would you recommend a vegan diet? from Gina

Answer:

While vegetarian diets are extremely healthy if well balanced, eliminating all forms of animal products including diary, eggs and fish can make it far more challenging to get all of the vitamins, minerals and proteins that you need for optimal nutrition. If you do decide to become a vegan, you need to see an Accredited Practicing Dietitian who specialises in vegetarian eating patterns. www.sanitarium.com.au also haves some great resources and information

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Comments (6)

  • Posted 24 Apr 2009 by steven
    humans are mostly vegetarian anyway! we evolved from chimpanzees whos diet was 95% vegetarian! you'll need roughly 4 times as much food to get as much as you would from eating animal products.
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  • Posted 24 Apr 2009 by steven again
    STAY CLEAR OF SOY PRODUCTS, a lot of vegetarians eat soy products for their protein, it has many negative side effects, including fat gain, muscle loss, emotional instability, increase in tumor growth, etc, if you eat too much of it...since your turning vegan for health reasons and not moral, use meat just as a supplement in case you didnt get enough nutrition in any specific day!
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  • Posted 29 Apr 2009 by Niky
    If your doing this to get more energy i dont think it would be the best idea. Alot of my friends are vegan or vegetarian and 3 of them have had to go to vegetarian from vegan or quit it entirly because it was making them tired and lethargic even very weak. Im sure its not the same for all people but make sure your getting enough proteins.
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  • Posted 25 May 2009 by Clare
    Oh wow, I wouldn't eat 4 times as much food as a meat eater! Keep exercising to keep your energy levels up, & don't be too strict on yourself. Make sure you eat a nutritious, low GI breakfast to maintain energy throughout the day. I eat porridge w/ LSA, a 'nana & cranberries or blueberries. The most important thing for women is iron, so lots of leafy green veg w/ vit c, or take an iron supplement. A b12 supp is usually a good idea for vegans too: you can get them at the chemist & they're cheap. Easy!
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  • Posted 17 Mar 2010 by Tegan
    You don't need to see a dietition to be a healthy vegetarian/vegan. Nowadays if you're not already aware of healthy eating then the internet is great for research. Oh and soy products aren't the devil -though I wouldn't recommend a HUGE amount of it, just like I wouldn't recomment having huge amounts of anything really. Im vegan and I limit my soy intake to about a glass of soy milk a day. I just make sure to eat as many different vegies every day, and fruit, and to include lentils or legumes in my meals.
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