# Keep feeling light headed and dont have an appetite



## Christopher (Jul 30, 2008)

Lately I've been having a loss of appetite and get lightheaded every time I stand up. I am vegetarian so I don't know if they could be related. Anyone know anything?


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## finn (Jul 30, 2008)

...
That is the first stage to becoming a zombie, and soon you will become one of the hordes of the relentless undead that plague our lands.
...
Either that, or you have low blood pressure, which is probably being caused by your not eating enough because you don't have an appetite. But low blood pressure can be caused by many things, as can a decrease in appetite. Low blood pressure is not connected to vegetarianism, though if your diet is too low in salts, that could be a cause. Exercise helps regulate your blood pressure, and might help your appetite return. Anyway, it shouldn't kill you, unless you have the zombie virus, in which case I will have to go impale your brain or something.


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## Dameon (Jul 31, 2008)

Actually, vegetarianism has been definitively connected to zombiefication. Vegetarians just don't get enough of the right kind of proteins, which eventually means they starve to death and become the living dead. Denying themselves meat not only turns them into the undead, it gives them a craving for flesh, which is why they are so determined to eat it. Especially brains, which are very high in protein. Soon, you will join the legions of the damned and seek out the flesh of the living, all because you wouldn't eat cows while you were alive. I hope you're happy.

But seriously, do try to get more protein in your diet, and eat regardless of appetite. Be sure you're getting enough calories every day to make up for the amount of calories you're burning.


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## nobo (Jul 31, 2008)

ive been mostly vegan ( +roadkill occasionally) for about 6 years now and sometimes i would feel super lightheaded. i think its a combination of a lot of things. first of all, make sure youre drinking enough water. if i start to feel out of it, ill drink an emergen c and then a glass of water after and usually that snaps me back into reality. another thing is that a lot of a vegetarian/vegan diet is soy based, but not many people know that unless soy is fermented or sprouted its really hard for your body to digest so a lot of the protien, say in a block of tofu, will actually be used up pretty quickly just trying to digest the food. i would suggest eating miso or tempeh if those things are available. if not, eat some eggs and sprouted toast for breakfast, thats quick energy right there. also if you smoke cigarettes that could be a factor as it constricts blood vessels and inhibits blood flow. ok, well thats my two cents.

dr. nobo, phd


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## Ravie (Jul 31, 2008)

Eat meat.


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## kai (Jul 31, 2008)

eat whatever you want, just make sure you are getting the right balance of what your body needs...

cat tails are blooming right now and they are one of the highest protein containing plant foods availabe....pick them, then take the stalks and peel them, and go for the nice tender, hearts. They're like artichokes but free and wild!

I personally eat meat but having been both a healthy vegetarian and vegan before see no reason why you should have to change your lifestyle, just educate yourself on how to eat proper. Eat lots of veggies and greens and fruit, nuts and seeds, brown rice and almonds are a complete protein together. Beans and brown rice are also a good protein. Yogurt and cheese contain protein. There's other nutrients that you get from eating meat as well but there are alot of people who are totally healthy avoiding meat so why not you as well.

Another problem you could be having is that you aren't getting enough fat in your diet, which is important, you need fat, it keeps humans going. If you don't want it from meat get high fat cheeses like brie, high fat yogurt (nothing under 8 or 9 percent milk fat) and coconut and olives, avocados.

just don't rely on fucking soy to be the miracle food it's made out to be, cut that shit out altogether except tempeh and miso


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## Clean (Sep 15, 2008)

Dinty Moore beef stew cures all of lifes ailments.


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## Ravie (Sep 17, 2008)

once again, eat meat. obviously trying this vegan/vegetarian thing is not working. give your body what it wants. fuck what you think about animal rights or whatever is hindering you. if your body wants it that counts as natural order. Just like what would happen to any other animal. we have those sharp teeth for a reason


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## BrokeWhiteBoy (Sep 17, 2008)

Clean said:


> Dinty Moore beef stew cures all of lifes ailments.



This for sure. Was my breakfast this morning.


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## Mouse (Sep 18, 2008)

even a docotor would need more details to take a stab at this. it could be a million things


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## finn (Sep 18, 2008)

Since we haven't heard from Christopher in quite some time, I believe it's safe to assume that he is now one of the ravenous walking dead, shuffling about for his next victim. Remember- in order to stop him, you must cause severe trauma to his cranium. In other words, shoot him in the head.


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## aganthesk (Sep 18, 2008)

Reduced appetite and light-headedness in reference to a veggie diet sounds like zinc deficiency to me...


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## Ravie (Sep 19, 2008)

I say im no doctor and neither are any of you. plus, i doubt he will even read our wide selection of thoughts and opinions... it's obvious he is now a zombie. i warned him about those damn vegan diets!


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## finn (Sep 20, 2008)

aganthesk said:


> Reduced appetite and light-headedness in reference to a veggie diet sounds like zinc deficiency to me...



Emergen-C vitamin packets do have zinc in them, in fact, I never leave home without them...

That is, if I actually had a home...

Anyway, let's hope that Christopher isn't one of those running zombies- he seems like he'd be one of the slow ones though.


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## elokupa (Sep 22, 2008)

pffft meat is only supposed to make up around 15% of your diet anyway. and the only reason its there is to give essential stuff which can be found in broccoli, apricots and various nuts. oh yeah, and cheese is chocked full of proteins youll need.

dont want to start a huge debate here but most vegans i meet say they get mal-nutrition real easily on the road..


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## EaznaZ (Nov 25, 2008)

nearly everyone gets malnutrition more easily on the road. I think if we commonly grew up within vegan/vegetarian societies, more people would be health vegan/vegetarians. People just get confused about what to eat to gain the same nutrients that were in the diets they grew up with. (That is, hopefully you grew up with a diet that was nutritious to some degree.) 

Anyhow, 'tis true, this light-headed thing could be anything, including 'stress' although I think it's not just stress...but for me in Canada where health insurance is covered, I used to just get a blood test once in a while to make sure I wasn't anemic or hypoglycemic when I was vegetarian/vegan. (I had to tell them I was worried that I was anemic, or hypoglycemic because they don't like to do preventative medicine, only emergency rescue measures, but it was handy nevertheless to know.)


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## dVEC (Dec 2, 2008)

Yeah I'd say it's either blood pressure related or anemia. For the former, lots of fluids and salts, and for the latter, lots of iron (steamed kale/spinach/chard/beet greens/whatever DARK greens you can get). I always feel high as hell after eating a bunch of steamed greens, it's great.


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## Diagaro (May 8, 2011)

Stop smoking crack.


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## derailed (May 9, 2011)

Ravie said:


> once again, eat meat. obviously trying this vegan/vegetarian thing is not working. give your body what it wants. fuck what you think about animal rights or whatever is hindering you. if your body wants it that counts as natural order. Just like what would happen to any other animal. we have those sharp teeth for a reason


 
This is a load of bullshit. Vegetarianism/Veganism, is a sustainable, healthy, way to live your life. However, it requires planning and at least a base knowledge of what you're getting into. You need to be sure your body still gets the nutrients it loses when you cease an animal-based diet. This is doable, you just need to be smart about it.

I know this is an old post, but I think Ravie missed the point, and it's an important one. It's not a natural order, if it was natural, then every other species on the planet would be enslaving and consuming other beings as a commodity. That's a uniquely human trait.


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## Wolf (May 9, 2011)

You know, I had problems just like this BEFORE I became a vegetarian, then I became a veggie and started doing daily cardio. I had panic disorder and after the changes I made eventually worked through it to a livable level. While I do believe that meat intake is different from person to person, don't be so quick to assume not eating meat has anything to do with it at all. It's the same way some people can take a shit load of sleeping pills and not get tired (like myself), and some people can overdose on one. It's more likely there are other issues at hand then a meat free diet. However, like whats been said, unless you are looking to loose weight, you want to have enough calories in you to function properly, because you burn then off all day and it isn't really hard to do. But don't throw a crap load of doritos or cupcakes in you because they are high in calories, your body won't function well off of those. If you aren't eating right, or at least decent enough for what your body personally needs you can become irritable and even depressed, which would 'cause high anxiety and loss of appetite, high anxiety can force your heart to beat to fast which triggers the fight or flight response. If your body chooses flight, then you are probably going to experience something along the lines of being light headed, which if you are unaware as to why it's happening will cause fear, which of course will cause more anxiety and make it all worse (this is why people who experience a panic attack the first time believe they are dying). This can become a neurological problem. 

In short, take care of yourself, figure out what is wrong with you and then you can figure out how to combat the experience you are having. The only way to do this is to analyse your situation when the events take place, or preferably after you have gotten yourself feeling better again, after all you don't want to make it worse.

How much have you been drinking? These could also be after affects of alcohol.

Also, your body needs rest if you aren't getting enough sleep, this too can become a problem with the same side affects.


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## CardBoardBox (May 9, 2011)

Hemp seeds are an excellent source of protein and iron. They're great for your digestive system and will help your body metabolize food which will give you more energy and make you less likely to crash. Eat a big ol can of dark red kidney beans (or any darker bean) and you'll start to feel a lot better too. If you're into seafood, like a lot of 'vegetarians' are, oysters and muscles are the best source or iron you can find in a can, but be careful because too much of it can cause a heavy metal build up in your system.
Go to a grocery store and get raw peacans, walnuts, cashews, almonds, hazlenuts, pumpkin seeds, pistachios and dried cranberries or raisins and MAKE your own trail mix. Raw is better. free is better too, if you can get away with it. I find sunflower seeds to be a shitty filler for a lot of trail mixes and it just doesn't fill you the same way it does if you make your own.
Also, dried apricots are an excellent source of fiber and iron in a fruit. Avacados are super great too.
I've been vegetarian and anemic, and the spouts of lightheadedness and fatigue suck. EAT BEANS. lots of lots of beans. But remember to drink more water when you eat more high fiber whole grain foods or you'll have a hard time shitting and you'll get stomach pains from constipation.  
Serious about the hemp seeds though. They're miracle workers.


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## plagueship (May 9, 2011)

iron could be the key, it is the first thing i would guess, but i also strongly agree with mouse that you should seek more qualified medical advice than from a much of drunken hobos.

BUT i have to say in my own experience, sometimes one's ethics and one's body's needs don't actually go together. yes there is iron in dark leafy greens (and i happen to find them delicious as well) and legumes. there is not enough for everyone though! i was a well-educated vegetarian for years and i was simply not getting enough protein, and i didn't feel healthy. a lot of the information about vegetarian/vegan nutrition is from an ideologically biased perspective which is not a good substitute for the bias found in some mainstream nutritional ideas.

and yeah again also there is no reason that anyone should jump to the conclusion this is nutritional. it could be a fucking tapeworm for all we know (see illustration)


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