Feeling tired all the time

See your doctor. Intense fatigue at your age is not normal and could be a sign of something very wrong.

the lack of fruit and vegetables could also be an element

Are you experiencing other symptoms of clinical depression?

Noddy is right. You must see a doctor. This is not normal.

iceman, Noddy made the best advise; see your doctor. You shouldn't take supplements without the approval of your doctor. Your eating habits and no excercise spells big health problems. See your doc before it's too late.

you need a blood test for anaemia amongst other things (like thyroid tests)

Also test for blood sugar.

i certainly agree with all the other contributors. have you looked at any of the websites(google) dealing with proper nutrition for vegans ? from what little i know about it, i understand that nuts : walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans (peanuts are not sufficient) supply many of the nutrients found in meat, eggs etc (IRON being one of the most important ones !). i certainly would not want to try and figure out on my own how to design a vegan diet. in canada one can phone a hotline maintained by the association of registered dieticans for advice. surely, there must be something like that available where you live. hbg

I cannot be vegetarian for the reason that when I'm lacking meat in my system I feel fatigued and weak.

While most people go for sugar or caffeine for energy, those things don't do much for me. But meat will do it (chicken, tuna, or beef, does not matter).

So my guess would be that you're lacking in proteins.

I agree with the others who said to see a dr.

Also, take a trip to your local library and find some books on vegetarian nutrition.

Hamburger is right about nuts. Almonds are also particularly good for vegetarians. Pumpkin seeds have a lot of good stuff in them, including iron.

Yogurt is good if you do dairy.

Tofu is a great source of protein.

Overall, it sounds like you get too much carbohydrate and not enough complete protein.

I would concur. You are probably not taking in enough protein. You should see the doctor though, and get some blood work done. If you are sensitive to sugars, too many carbs will cause your triglycerides to go through the roof, and back down (blood-sugar spikes), which would account for the fatigue as well. Have them screen you for diabetes or hypoglycemia, just to be sure.

Re: Feeling tired all the time


Your best bet is to see an MD and have a complete physical exam and blood analysis. It's impossible to know, based on what you're said here, what the problem(s) is. For sure, your diet needs to be improved, but I would suspect that , diet might not be your sole problem.

See an MD and report back to us.

I agree with seeing an md. On seeing D.O.s, yes, I can see seeing some of them, there were some sharp ones accepted in our old department of Rheumatology for residencies. (Reports may vary, however.) In any case, you have been eating poorly, as you describe, and could have one of the anemias or some other situation based on your nutrition, or something else entirely. As to a whole workup, that can get very expensive. First I would talk to the doctor, and he or she can evaluate what tests are necessary. They don't have to start with a whole swath of tests, they run the obvious ones first.

Good luck.

I just changed my diet to vegeterian a year ago and I went through that too. Found out that i was doing a shitty job of eating right and that I was low on iron.
More beans, more broccoli and http://www.drweilselfhealing.com/standard_pgs2.asp?iPageID=8.

I kid you not, just taking a few diet changes and using some of the herbs he recommends you will tell a diffrence in a few days. Try that while you are waiting to see your doctor. ;-)

I agree with Eva that you may have the symptoms of depression, which often manifests itself physically. However, you could have anemia from a lack of vitamin B-12, which you probably aren't getting from your diet, or some other problem.

A trip to the doctor—MD or DO—seems appropriate.

Eat less wheat.
it has been documented that the entire human race is somewhat intollerant to wheat products. Most people have a reaction so mild that it is unoticable. Others bloat, get heart burn, get tired, are unable to concentrate and finally get frustrated.
So if you are feeling any of these, do a bit of research on a relatively unknown seed that can be used where white flour and gluten are used. It is called SPELT flour. It is my number one food at the moment as I have no reaction to it. It has also been documented somewhere that neither do the rest of the world. I think it tastes better than white flour too. Good for pastas, soup, bread, pies. Anything that wheat can do, SPELT can do better.
My brother just realised a month ago that he has an intollerance to wheat. He has reduced it and feels great. I believe that there are som many people out there that feel tired and don't kow that they have a food alergy.

So, then, what IS SPELT?

Thanks,

General Tsao

As others have said, tiredness is sometimes plain old normal; it can be a symptom of depression or a sign of unhappiness with things without medical depression; it can be a sign of several kinds of anemia, of which, yes, b12 deficiency is one. (B12 deficiency can be from poor nutrition or it can be from pernicious anemia, which involves the immune system). Iron deficiency anemia is another.

It can be a sign of thyroid dysfunction, I think. It can be a result of lack of moving around and getting enough exercise, or some other nutrition matter, including perhaps a food allergy. Maybe just not getting enough protein and various vitamins from vegetables and fruit. There are probably various other possibilities.

Surely working very hard causes it, and stress and the resulting poor sleep habits can cause it.

A routine lab test screening should rule out some of those, and can be ordered by your physician.

And finally, I gather there is a wide variation in the optimal number of hours of sleep for various people.

Your diet sounds terrible. My husband and I have been vegetarians (almost vegan) for the last three years. I have better endurance than ever. The only supplement we use is B12, even though most foods are already fortified with it. Visit Vegpeople.com for more advice.

I've met people (two, to be exact) whose health leaves a lot to be desired in spite of being vegetarian because they live on pizza, soft drinks, and other junk food. There are reasons it's called "junk". Eat vegetables, eat fruits, chocolate covered frozen bananas, soy milk, soy yogurt (peach, raspberry, vanilla), drink plenty of water, and most important of all, buy a good vegetarian cook book. I've been cooking a new recipe every other day using a book called "1000 Vegetarian Recipes From Around the World". As a result, our diet is far more varied and flavorful than before becoming vegetarian. At this rate, it will take me nearly five years to cook everything in the book just once! Whenever people ask me "but... what do you eat?", I just point to my gargantuan cook book. :wink: Before buying it, I didn't really know where to start.

So, lay off the refined sugars and flours, get informed, and get better!

ok thanks to everyone who has posted a reply will sort it out