another friend in need

[veggiewoman]

thanks everybody , once agian I have a friend in need, she has been veggie for 8yrs and wants to become vegan , she is aneamic and is worried about how she will get VIT B and Iron, also the cost she thinks could be more expensive -finacially that is.
Anyway thats the gist of her post but here is her full post anyway , thanks for reading and any advice re iron, VIT B would be great , also if there are any vegans out there that are anemic btu manage to cope if they have any tips it would be great , thank you very very veyr much x


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Hi there,

I am thinking about becoming vegan. Are there any vegans out there who would mind letting me know how easy/expensive it is to be vegan?

I love dairy...but would give it up for the sake of the animals. Are there good alternatives and do they cost more?

If you're vegan do you HAVE to be vagan for everything (ie, shoes/bags, cosmetics and stuff) except for the obvious ones (eg bodyshop/nestle, etc.). I'm already vegetarian, but I do wear leather shoes, and I occassionally unknowingly buy a cosmetic product with an animal ingredient in as I'm not meticulous about checking. If I became vegan, is it excpected that I'd change in those ways too?

I really care about the animals and I try to avoid sauces and things that obviously have animal fat or something in them, and I don't buy products that are tested on animals...but I'm not meticulous about checking every single product I buy. I presently eat only free ranch eggs, but I'd obviously give up all dairy if I became vegan.

Basically I'd just like some more info from those of you who have already made the choice/change to became vegan. Is it simple to adjust from vegetarian? How do you get your protein? (I love cheese...are there good vegan versions?) I'm anaemic...would I have a problem with vitamin B and Iron not eating dairy and eggs?

I used to think that drinking milk didn't hurt the cows as they're not killed for it. That was before I read that they are made to reproduce at ridiculus paces to keep milk flow going, and the resulting calves, if male, are often culled when born.

One last thing (honest!): I'm doing Weight Watchers, and a lot of the WW products have eggs/dairy in them. What would I do instead? How easy is it to lose weight as a vegan? Has anyone any experiences?

I'm sorry for this ridiculously long post, I'm just explaining the information I'm hoping to get from you guys!! I'm still not sure yet, and I have to take family/job/money and things into consideration, but I want to be sure I have all the facts before making a decision.

Either way, I've been veggie for 8 years and I hope this has gone some way towards helping the animals who don't have a voice of their own.

Thankyou in advance for any and all replies!

[DianeVegan]

Veggiewoman,

In response to your friend's anemia it is important to know why she is anemic before giving her any advice. If she is a menstruating female and has very heavy bleeding then she may need supplementation no matter what she eats. And if she has anemia related to a B12 malabsorption syndrome then she may need B12 supplementation in spray or (probably) injection form.

It is imperative that your friend know why she is anemic before trying to treat it herself by supplementation or diet. The causes for anemia are varied and include: anemia of chronic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, hepatitis and any acute infection. B12 deficiency anemia (also called pernicious anemia) caused by lack of intrinsic factor in the stomach and folic acid deficiency (diet related or absorption related in the case of celiac disease) are also causes. Then there are the hereditary anemias - sickle-cell, thalasemia and hemolytic (which may also be an acquired anemia). Most physicians just give a diagnosis of "anemia" to young women of menstruating age without searching for other reasons.

It's true that most healthy women do have diet/menstruation related anemia and can therefore benefit from a better diet and/or supplementation. In this case, your friend is probably getting enough vit B12 since so many things are supplemented these days. If not, most multivitamins and B-complex vitamins contain adequate amounts of B12. (And B12 supplements are very cheap considering that you don't need to take them daily).

Please advise your friend that dairy products are poor sources of iron and actually inhibit the body's absorption of iron. And eggs contain the same form of iron as plant food (nonheme iron). Therefore, your friend will have the same issues getting enough iron on a vegetarian diet as on a vegan diet. I won't go into iron absorption, iron content of foods, bioavailability and concurrent intake of vitamin C in this thread but will look for and link to the iron thread (I'm sure we have one).

I hope this wasn't too complicated of an answer.

[veggiewoman]

wow thanks for that DianeVegan , thanks for taking the time to write all of that , I have passed on the information and she says a big thank you too

[DianeVegan]

You're welcome!

Here is a thread on iron intake anemia.

[DoveInGreyClothing]

I'd say take a 100% RDA a-z multivitamin like holland and barret for vegans or seven seas, plus a vegan omega 3 supplement (like vertese)to be on the safe side as she initially goes vegan. Also take fortified plant milk with b12, d and calcium. Try different brands of dairy replacements till you find what you like. Personally I love Alpro yougurt and lite milk, so sweet! I've yet to find a nice vegan cheese though!

As far as animal products go, keep using what you've got and replace them with vegan versions when the time comes. Lush and co-op are good for toiletries as they are clearly labelled as vegan/no animal ingredients. As are original source. She might also want a look at some of the many online vegan shops, I've got really into internet shoppoing since going vegan.

Since she's british, join the uk vegan society and buy an animal free shopper book too, and invest in a good vegan cookbook for meal ideas. It's only since going vegan I've got into cookery!

Hope some of that helps!