My blood test came back and I have both an Iron and Vitamin D deficiency. In
fact, the doctor says I'm very low in Vitamin D! Good News - My thyroid, B12, Folate,
and other tests came back in normal range. As far as the iron deficiency, I'm not yet
anemic but it is most likely the factor in why my nails and hair have been
compromised.
Is the vegan diet ALL to blame? I think it is a combination of my pre-menopausal age and not sufficiently including iron and Vitamin D fortified foods in my new diet. I haven't been in the sun much either this winter.
So now I at least have the area I need to focus on. Doctor has prescribed me 50,000 IUs of Vitamin D a week for 4 months. The pharmacist calls it Liquid Sunshine!
The high dose iron supplement my doctor suggested was not recommended by my local pharmacy, so I ended up spending $50 on some other supplements that are supposed to absorb easier and not have the bad side effects. It's a bit of a gamble not going with the doctor’s recommendation. I'll see how I feel after a week. All the reviews seem pretty encouraging. I'm taking a caplet of MegaFood Blood Builder in the morning and 10ml of liquid Floradix Iron + Herbs in the evening. It's been 3 days and no side effects. However I don't feel like jogging around the block yet either.
It's funny all this time I've wanted my energy level to improve and I thought the vegan diet was really going to help. I've read so many blog entries from others that say they have so much energy after going vegan, but I seemed to just be getting worse. I hadn't yet started exercising since I just didn't have the energy. Now it makes sense why! It wasn't until my hair started thinning that I finally took action and got my blood levels checked. Vanity puts the fire under me every time!
I'm not going to blame the vegan diet for the iron deficiency. I'm sure I must have had a little of it prior to my going vegan since I have pretty severe pre-menopausal cycles (without going into too much detail). I'm just thankful I got to the bottom of it now and I hope these supplements work and my hair grows back!!!
So bottom line, I'm not giving up on my 96% vegan diet, but the 4% is going to be iron-rich seafood three times a week. I have already increased my bean, broccoli, and quinoa intake (recommended by my doctor). I thought my doctor would say 'Go off the vegan diet immediately!', but she was pretty supportive and suggested high iron vegan sources. She even suggested dried apricots. I told her I have introduced fish back in my diet and she thought that was a good choice as well.
This journey certainly has its ups and downs, but the important thing is to listen to my body and take action! If I didn't ask for a Vitamin D blood test, the doctor would not have thought of it. I went in because of my hair thinning, but thought I should check my B12 and Vitamin D levels since I was having a blood test anyway and these vitamins are hard to get on a vegan diet. Thank goodness I asked!
Well, it is a sunny Saturday morning in Northern California, so I'm going to go out and catch some rays, baby!!
Is the vegan diet ALL to blame? I think it is a combination of my pre-menopausal age and not sufficiently including iron and Vitamin D fortified foods in my new diet. I haven't been in the sun much either this winter.
So now I at least have the area I need to focus on. Doctor has prescribed me 50,000 IUs of Vitamin D a week for 4 months. The pharmacist calls it Liquid Sunshine!
The high dose iron supplement my doctor suggested was not recommended by my local pharmacy, so I ended up spending $50 on some other supplements that are supposed to absorb easier and not have the bad side effects. It's a bit of a gamble not going with the doctor’s recommendation. I'll see how I feel after a week. All the reviews seem pretty encouraging. I'm taking a caplet of MegaFood Blood Builder in the morning and 10ml of liquid Floradix Iron + Herbs in the evening. It's been 3 days and no side effects. However I don't feel like jogging around the block yet either.
It's funny all this time I've wanted my energy level to improve and I thought the vegan diet was really going to help. I've read so many blog entries from others that say they have so much energy after going vegan, but I seemed to just be getting worse. I hadn't yet started exercising since I just didn't have the energy. Now it makes sense why! It wasn't until my hair started thinning that I finally took action and got my blood levels checked. Vanity puts the fire under me every time!
I'm not going to blame the vegan diet for the iron deficiency. I'm sure I must have had a little of it prior to my going vegan since I have pretty severe pre-menopausal cycles (without going into too much detail). I'm just thankful I got to the bottom of it now and I hope these supplements work and my hair grows back!!!
So bottom line, I'm not giving up on my 96% vegan diet, but the 4% is going to be iron-rich seafood three times a week. I have already increased my bean, broccoli, and quinoa intake (recommended by my doctor). I thought my doctor would say 'Go off the vegan diet immediately!', but she was pretty supportive and suggested high iron vegan sources. She even suggested dried apricots. I told her I have introduced fish back in my diet and she thought that was a good choice as well.
This journey certainly has its ups and downs, but the important thing is to listen to my body and take action! If I didn't ask for a Vitamin D blood test, the doctor would not have thought of it. I went in because of my hair thinning, but thought I should check my B12 and Vitamin D levels since I was having a blood test anyway and these vitamins are hard to get on a vegan diet. Thank goodness I asked!
Well, it is a sunny Saturday morning in Northern California, so I'm going to go out and catch some rays, baby!!
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