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Month 2 of Veganism- common problems?
Started
by Diane Meynell
on March 5, 2010
Hi everyone!
Since becoming strictly vegan in late January, I must say it has been completely easy and hassle-free. London has many vegan restaurants and lots of health food stores to purchase vegan substitutes when a cheese craving hits (I was a mega cheese addict) although I have been really trying to eat lots of vegetables and tofu and whole foods like short grain brown rice and dried fruits and such...
ANYWAY some problems I have run into at my current stage:1. My skin is awful. I have an awful rash near my mouth (I think it's perioral dermatitis) Could this be down to too much soy products? I have lots of tofu. Or is it probably drinking alcohol? I drink practically every day (wine, cider, cava). I have to wear makeup everyday for work, by the way.
2. Whereas I have rarely had sweet cravings before (strange I know, but I was always a 'savoury snacker') I have mad, MAD sweet cravings. Last night I had a piece of whole grain toast with, I kid you not, like 4 oz of maple syrup. Now this is vegan but cannot be healthy. What is the healthiest sweet snack?
Any advice would be welcome. This is my first post!
Thank you, Diane
You and I started ou vegan journey about the same time, so I sort of understand what you are going through. The first few weeks of vegan detox can be brutal. Some people get crazy detox symptoms. Some don't. I for one have had extremely itchy arm pits. Sounds lovely, right? No rash or anything. Just really itchy. I read up that this can be a detox symptom for some since there are glands in our arm pits and they secrete toxins. I guess I had an overload of toxins! It's gotten better lately, though. As for the skin on my face, I've had one break-out after another and just in time to run out of make-up! This too is clearing up, but boy has it been inconvenient. I've always had a major sweet tooth and since going vegan I eat vegan dark chocolate, most of the time fruit-sweetened as I try to cut out sugar as much as possible. Dark chocolate is bitter enough that you don't want to eat too much of it, but sweet enough to enjoy. Try Endangered Species dark chocolate. http://www.chocolatebar.com I don't know if these are sold in London, but you can always buy online or look for something similar as far as vegan chocolate in your local health food store. Also, granola is a good sweet snack, especially if it has dried fruit in it. Be sure to read the ingredients and check the sugar content. I hope this helps! Hang in there! The detox will get better and go away :)
Hey guys, I am on month four and most of my little issues have cleared up. I had a mystery invisable itch also, which is gone now. I think it may have helped that I finally got my self together and picked up the vitamins I have known that I needed. I got B-12 and vitamin D (because I live in michigan and won't get enough from the sun in the winter). Deficiencies in both of these causes weird issues like this, so make sure you get those right away. About the skin, I got some blemishes which I attributed to detox because my skin got very clear after a few weeks of that. Omega 3s (like in flaxseed oil or ground helps a lot with skin issues. I don't think soy (especially tofu) would cause it unless you are actually allergic, which you probably would know because people eat processed soy all the time. drink a lot of water and eat clean food and your omega 3s and b12 and D and it should clear up. Dried fruit is really sweet and baked fruits, like an apple or pear along the lines of alicia's pear dessert are very sweet and good for you. Also sometimes I make a pseudo milkshake with almond milk, melted vegan chocolate chips and ground flaxseeds mix it up really well and pour it over ice and its thick and chocolatey and cold and good for you (add a gentle sweetener like brown rice syrup or maple syrup or stevia if you need it sweeter. Work on putting a little less sweetness on things than you think you need and you will gradually dial down your sweet tooth.
Thank you Claire, Anne and Laura!
It's nice to know things get better! I'm going to get some good quality vitamins and try that Lush moisturizer...and just wait out the detox knowing it's all for a great reason.
Also perhaps I'm going to look for a flaxseed-based dessert for a good-for-skin way to sweeten things up! xx
I am on day Day 10 of "cold turkey vegan" and about 4 days ago I started having the rash and itching in my arm pits too! It was really weird and of course gross. Though if felt very bumpy and rash-like when I would check in the mirror there was really no visible evidence of the rash. It just itched like hell! Which leads me to my question-- I switched from Dove Ultimate due to the aluminum in the ingredients (which I LOVE!). I bought Tom's deodorant for sensitive skin (as I still had the irritation at the time) but I find that it doesn't seem to control the odor all that well. I don't just "STINK" but I personally am able to detect a slight odor and it makes me crazy! Anyone have any other products that work well without the potentially harmful chemicals?
I am a massage therapy student. If you can get a massage it helps remove toxins from your body. It may be worth a try. I graduate April 7th!!!YEAH!!!!!
I am only two weeks into being completely vegan. My daughter had a birthday party and I made the cake. That was hard!!! I made myself vegan cupcakes out of the babycakes book and they helped me through!! I tried to make Alicia's brownies and it was a complete mess for me. I am also using the book "skinny bitch in the kitch" for recipes along with Alicia's book and there's a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that are to die for. I'm finding I need to lean on these while I detox and get my taste buds in order. Skinny Bitch also gives you a list of "junk foods" just in case that are vegan and man, the oreos are fabulous!! I find one or two gets me through.
I'm not having any weird rashes or itching yet........hope i don't. Good luck ladies!! So far I feel like I haven't given anything "up" but found great substitutes.
Diane, you gave me a good laugh when you were talking about your cravings for sweets and all that maple syrup. I was laughing because I am the same way about sweets right now. I just can't get enough maple butter or maple sugar. I also love those rice dream ice cream pies in chocolate, mocha or vanilla. Thanks for being so honest.
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