Dont eat meat anymore,feel weak alot... - Diet & Nutrition Message Board

sabrinarose · 06-02-2004, 05:22 PM

I always used to be an avid meat eater,I was raised to eat a plate that usually consisted of steak(or some other kind of red meat) Potatoes,beans and salad.But I rarely eat meat anymore,I dont really know why but I just dont anymore.I sometimes will eat subways ham sub and a sandwich with lunch meat at home but not hardly at all.Ive noticed that since I havent been eating meat that I feel alot weaker than before,especially during my period,I think thats because I lose quite a bit of blood and theres iron in blood (Im pretty sure anyways) I was wondering if this weak feeling could be because of my not eating meat and if anyone one else has felt this.Are there other things I can eat to make myself stronger or some sort of iron supplement I could take.I guess Im pretty much a vegetarian now so are there any other vegetarians that had this feeling when they stopped with the meat? I need to know if the lack of meat is causing this.

Please,any imput would be great....thank you

muppetcat · 06-02-2004, 06:55 PM

You are most likely iron deficient. The best way to know (other than feeling weak) is to look at the flesh inside your lower eyelid. If you have enough iron in your system, it will be a nice warm pink, if not, it will be whitish-pink. You can take pretty much any iron supplement for this, but you want to be careful not to take it too much, or you'll get some temporary stomach issues.

If you don't want to take iron supplements, then I suggest eating spinach, as this is a great source of iron.

Good luck!

auntjudyg · 06-03-2004, 07:45 AM

Yes, spinach . . . and greens in general are good, plus they have so many other nutrients. Legumes are good . . . some have significantly more iron than others, though. Blackstraps molasses is also quite high (and in calcium and potassium).

Jogaholic · 06-03-2004, 09:15 AM

You probably do need more iron, as everyone else has said. I would suggest taking a Centrum vitamin every morning, as it is very high in iron. Also, being vegetarian now you'll need to keep up on your protein. You may try protein shakes or something. Are you exercising more than usual? If you are, make sure you are getting enough calories for the amount of activity you are doing - lacking carbs during exercise would cause you to feel weak.

Magpiezoe · 06-03-2004, 01:49 PM

Hello, The iron idea is a good one. Other ideas might be that you are dehydration or not eating enough calories. You might want to try drinking more fluids including fruit juices and eating more starchy foods like bread, pasta, or rice. Also make sure you eat a balanced diet that includes proteins like nuts, eggs, dairy, and beans. Make sure you take vitamin B-12 as well as iron.

Still another idea for the weakness just before your mensus is PMS. My guess that if it were due to anemia, the weakness would be during or after your mensus. When you loose a lot of blood, you also loose a lot of iron.