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Thread: Not well - will a vegan diet help?

  1. #1
    Vinci
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    Default Not well - will a vegan diet help?

    Hi. I haven't been well for a long time now and I need to find the right diet. I hope some experienced members can help me here.

    I used to have a diet heavy in meat, carbohydrates and sweets. And I used to heavily drink and smoke. Over the past few years, my diet has jumped around, trying to find what works but I haven't yet got it.

    I was diagnosed with IBS years back, and have had many years of low fatigue, mood swings and anxiety amongst others. Firstly, I believe that I may have a strong case of candida and may have had it for quite some time. Because of this I put myself on a diet mainly of green leafy vegetables. This cleared my mood up but left me with a lot of trapped wind and occasional sharp stomach pains (which could be solved if drinking gallons of water). It also left me with occasional low energy, very poor circulation (hands+feet) and feeling hungry.

    To fix this, I occasionally ate meat (chicken breast, salmon - no fried oil), which gives me back my circulation, but the next morning I'd wake up feeling like I've been hit by a truck. Cannot get out of bed, achey, really bad mood etc.

    If I do actually have candida, then from what I've read, I need to stay away from fruits, root & tuber vegetables, dairy and starchy foods. I'm really feeling like I cannot eat anything, so if someone has a similar experience to me and has solved it, please share your experience. Thank you.

  2. #2
    Abe Froman Risker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not well - will a vegan diet help?

    Sorry if I'm being dense but can't you just go to your doctors?

  3. #3
    Vinci
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    Default Re: Not well - will a vegan diet help?

    I've never had a positive experience from going to the doctors, so I don't believe that it would give me anything other than stress and the wrong prescription.

  4. #4
    Abe Froman Risker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not well - will a vegan diet help?

    How about asking at a pharmacy? Less stressful? They're pretty clued up. I'm not too fond of visiting my GP either and have little faith in her, think I'll ask to change GP's soon.

  5. #5
    Vinci
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    Default Re: Not well - will a vegan diet help?

    They'll probably tell me to go and see a doctor . I really believe that I can get a grip on this with the correct diet. I just need a better understanding of it.

    I'm hoping that I can get what I need from a vegan or vegetarian diet. I just want to make sure that it doesn't cause me more issues down the road, like vitamin deficiencies.

    Do you know what food is good for improving circulation, if I'm also avoiding candida foods?

  6. #6
    Cacique's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not well - will a vegan diet help?

    Vinci, have you looked into a gastroenterologist? They specialize in digestive systems and their disorders. The only other thing I can think of would be a nutritionist, you could tell him/her about your conditions and what foods make you feel worse and they might be able to help you figure something out.

    I've had no experiences like this, these 2 types of professionals seems like the ones that might be able to help to me. For the whole circulation thing with the meat helping makes me wonder if you are lacking a few nutrients, perhaps a multivitamin could help? I wish I could give more info. Hope you find something that works for you soon. Good luck.

  7. #7
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not well - will a vegan diet help?

    A lot of people say they feel better after switching to a plant-based diet (physically as well as psychologically) but I don't think it's possible to say whether it would help you without knowing what's causing your problems. After all, they might not even be diet-related.

    However you haven't really got anything to lose by trying a well-balanced plant-based diet. A lot of people have problems digesting dairy so knocking that out could be a good move.

    I would definitely want to try and get a diagnosis if I were feeling the way you describe. (FWIW I suppose you know that the idea of candida overgrowth isn't widely accepted in orthodox medicine - it's discussed a bit at the bottom of this Wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candidiasis.)

  8. #8
    Ex-admin Korn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not well - will a vegan diet help?

    Quote Vinci View Post
    I just want to make sure that it doesn't cause me more issues down the road, like vitamin deficiencies.
    Hi Vinci, are there any particular reasons why you think/fear that the chance of getting a deficiency is higher on a vegan diet than on a standard diet?

  9. #9
    Vinci
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    Default Re: Not well - will a vegan diet help?

    Thanks for all your replies.

    Cacique: When I went to the hospital years back, I'm pretty sure it was a gastroenterologist that I was seen by. I haven't seen anyone since. A nutritionist may have been the best move, but I'd spent a lot of time thinking that there was no solution and I had unfixable problems. I guess it sent me into a state of denial or block-out, about many things in life actually. As long as I haven't done any serious damage, I definitely feel that I'll come out a lot stronger than before.

    Harpy: I've only been eating green vegetables again recently, and olive oil. No animal products etc. I'll introduce grains and other bits in future. Maybe you can recommend a well balanced plant-based diet (with candida in mind)? I'm feeling loads better again and positive. I feel the best thing for me is to keep going like this for as long as it takes, and to make sure that I get everything my body needs.

    Korn: Just infamiliarity and worry about doing more damage in future. I've always seen humans as natural carnivores or omnivores. As long as there are no deficiency issues on a vegan diet, I'm more than happy. Is there anything that I should look out for?

  10. #10
    Cacique's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not well - will a vegan diet help?

    That's quite a while to go with a condition without medical treatment. It's good that you have found things that have been working, but I would recommend looking for a trained professional that can help. Since you're not sure you saw a gastroenterologist, you could look for one to make sure you get the opinion on one, and maybe also a nutritionist. If none of these can help, looking for a different doctor should be the next step, and the ones you go see could easily recommend someone they think might be able to help. Denial/mental block-outs unfortunately hold us back tremendously, I'm in the process of dealing with a life long mental block out myself. It's ridiculous.

    As for deficiencies in a vegan diet, it all depends on what you eat, as omnivores can get them too. I myself could be doing a better job, something I need to work on, but from what I've researched you can find everything on a vegan diet. Hemp seed is great for protein and amino acids, legumes for protein as well, etc. I'm sure there's plenty of threads here with more in depth info.

  11. #11
    Abe Froman Risker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not well - will a vegan diet help?

    Dietitian btw - anyone can claim to be a nutritionist.

  12. #12
    Cacique's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not well - will a vegan diet help?

    Ah my bad, I wasn't clear on the terms. Thanks for clearing that up.

  13. #13
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not well - will a vegan diet help?

    This leaflet has some advice about a balanced vegan diet. I'm afraid I don't know about candida diets but I suggest if you think certain foods may be causing you problems you keep a diary for a while of what you eat and how you feel, then you may get some clues about what suits you.

  14. #14
    Vinci
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    Default Re: Not well - will a vegan diet help?

    That's very good to hear. Cacique, I'll take your advice if I don't see a good improvement over a certain period. I feel like I'm getting a good grip on my diet and health, and I'm feeling very positive about building it back up and getting back to good health.

    Harpy, thank you for that link, it's perfect, and reasssuring too.

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