Vegan Nutrition with Jill Nussinow, MS, RD

Jill Nussinow is a Registered Dietitian, culinary educator, cookbook author, speaker and consultant and all around proponent of a plant-based diet. She teaches vegetarian and vegan cooking at Santa Rosa Junior College in California and other places around the US. She has a son who is almost 15. One of her greatest joys is sharing her enthusiasm for vegetables and pressure cooking with anyone who will listen.

I've been vegetarian for most of my life-but became a full-fledged vegan at the beginning of the year. I've been feeling normal until about two weeks ago. First my body was just terribly tired. My knees ached. Sometimes this is entirely normal. I'm a waitress. But the past couple of days-I've been constantly hungry. I've been getting a strange taste in the back of my mouth. I brush my teeth and tongue-and it comes right back a bit later. I usually have very good skin. It's become miscolored and it keeps breaking out. I don't heal from cuts very fast. I take a vegan multivitamin-and try to keep my diet based around vegetables and whole grains, with additions of tofu from time to time. I try to avoid processed foods. I've been reading about copper toxicity and am wondering if this could be it? Unfortunately all the information seems really biased against vegans-so of course blames the diet entirely. The only suggestions it really has are to go back to eating meat. I can't do that. I find meat repulsive-morally and physically. What could be going on-and what can I do?

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I certainly hope that you are feeling better by now. Without a lot more information I probably can't help you all that much. When you mention having a diet based on vegetables and whole grains and tofu from time to time, it makes me wonder what you are not eating. While it is possible to get enough protein this way, including some good sources of protein such a beans, lentils or tempeh each day is important. If I were you, I'd seek out a vegan-friendly doctor and present your symptoms. At that time, explain that you don't want to change your diet but improve it so that you can improve how you are feeling.

Visit Jill's website TheVeggieQueen.com and her blog theveggiequeen.blogspot.com.

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Disclaimer: The advice given here is for eductional purposes only. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.
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