Vegan Forum

i want to live and eat vegan. for six months i did. the problem is my body reacted poorly to the change. i'm a 36 year old female. until recently i'd eaten meat all my life.

i did my due diligence. researching online about sources of nutrition that aren't animal derived. drank soy and almond milk. ate lots of veggies and fruits. including many leafy greens like kale, spinach and mustard greens. plenty of nuts, beans and whole grains.

for four months all was fine. then i started to get swelling in my ear and was hearing weird sounds in there. i managed to figure out citric acid was one of the problems. so i cut way back on that. it worked for a while, but eventually things just got bad again.

after a few months of constant problems, in desperation i began consuming dairy products again. i've been eating milk and cheese and eggs for a little while now and the problem is almost gone. i can even eat more citric acid containing foods again.

i don't understand the cause behind this or how i can compensate. there are many healthy vegans in the world, i know, yet as much as i want to, i seem to be unable.

i tried vegan vitamin supplements. that made things worse. i tried to eat more b5 using avocado and fortified cereals. that didn't help at all.

the thing is, i'm not allergic really to any foods. i know because since i started eating dairy again i can eat most anything and my symptoms are almost nil and lessening everyday.

i just don't get it. i want to know if i am an anomoly or if i am doing something wrong.

Hi savatoons!

As I read your problem, I can't think of any good way but to talk to a nutritionists and ask for a good vegan meal plan... They might help you. Hope you can overcome your problem.

We're all I individuals. Eating vegan works well for me, but that is just mee. Your system is different than mine. I hope yell be able to find answers to your dilemma.

Having said the above, I must say that I approach being vegan not with an all or nothing attitude. For example, if someone invites me to eat at their home, I will consume dairy and eggs, though I will never eat any flesh. Or, if I get Indian food(oh, joy!!) which generally is full of ghee and cream, I will still eat it more than willingly. I have 2 vegan friends who are flexible in this manner. It makes life outside our homeS much easier.

And, yes, on occasion, I give into cravings. I will eat dairy icecream. And I've been craving a fried egg, lol... I wont beat myself up for my dietary lapses. Most days my diet is fully vegan. It's healthier for me, as well as more ethical.


In a perfect world, there would be only vegan food. And I'd be fine with that. Sci fi writer issac Asimov posited in one of the foundation series books that protein food in the future woukd be made of yeasts. I enjoy all vegan fare. And I make a lot of my own as the niche market products are so pricey.

The discussion above was meant to help you feel better about whatever you need to do to feel your best. It's not for me or anyone else to castigate others who aren't able to be a vegan purist.

Yey... that is nice snog... I thought that it is only me who craves for egg sometimes, lol... I sometimes dream of dairy icecream too...

That really is so nice to read Snog....I thought I was the only one craving that stupid fried egg...! I tend to have an all or nothing approach...but then I will beat myself up about stealing my kids Halloween chocolate. I guess I feel that if I give in to eating things with dairy in it now and again, it will creep back in to normal life.

Sounds like all the antibiotics in your dairy products were taking care of your swelling ear

When people first go veg they almost always blame their ailments on their recent diet change. You may possibly be consuming a fruit or vegetable that you hadn't previously and are now getting an allergic reaction.