A Vegan Life...Or not so much :(

Sometimes in life, things just don't work. I know I get frustrated when I want something to happen and I just can't make it work, even when I try - really, really try - hard and so it goes for me and the vegan diet.  Now, I am not saying that I am abandoning the idea completely because I am not.  I want as much of our diet as possible to come from plants, and plants alone and I will keep working on that goal but I will share some of the issues that I have begun to endure after a few months on eating just about 100% vegan.  I will also share how I tried to adjust to deal with these things and I apologize in advance if you came here looking just for a recipe and instead were subjected to my chatter about my body's rejection of being vegan.

First up, mouth sores.  Lots of them.  I had ulcers all the time.  I changed my toothpaste, toothbrush, etc because I couldn't get rid of them.  Then, by chance, I came upon an article about B12 deficiency in vegans and vegetarians leading to mouth ulcers.  I got a B12 supplement and the ulcers were gone in 2 days and haven't returned....problem solved, right?  Well, not exactly because...

My body hates taking vitamins.   I usually just get sick.  But on B12...I became an irritable, grouchy monster with zilch for patience.  It was like the time I couldn't be on estrogen replacement right after my hysterectomy.  Nobody wanted to live with that - I didn't continue to subject my family to that version of me then, and I wasn't interested in doing it now.  And being vegan meant a whole realm of vitamins that needed to be taken to compensate for everything my body wasn't getting via the food. Calcium, iron, and now B12 in addition to my daily estrogen and multivitamin.  I mean, isn't the point of all of this to eat well and let the body work naturally?

The need for processed foods.  Okay, so maybe, just maybe, there is a way to do this without vitamins or processed foods containing the vitamins, but I seriously couldn't find a way to make it work.  I'd love (civil, please) thoughts and ideas on this.  So, if I don't want to take B12, I need to buy soy milk fortified with B12 instead of drinking my homemade almond milk that I love.  Hmm.  Things like that just weren't making sense anymore.  I don't want to use veganaise if I can make my own mayonnaise here and eat something unprocessed.  Or give up a healthy drink like almond milk because I need to get B12 from something that it's been fortified with in a factory.  I think you know what I mean.

So...is there a way to live vegan and eat only whole foods and still be able to keep up a running and biking schedule and have no vitamins or supplements?  For me, at least, the answer is no.  And I have to do what's best for my body.  So I will add an occasional egg or some milk to a recipe and not try to strip everything down to the plant essentials and see how I feel.  Maybe, just maybe I can find that perfect balance. I am still not interested in eating any meat and I've been a vegetarian for so many years that I know my body well enough to know what it needs.

First big step last night...



Quinoa Burgers...and they have egg and cheese in them.

Quinoa Burgers

Makes 6-7 patties

Ingredients

• 2 c cooked quinoa


• 3/4 c bread crumbs


• 2 eggs


• 1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese


• 1/2 t garlic powder


• 1/2 t onion powder


• 1t seasoning salt

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients well until mixture is holding together - it will seem crumbly but will firm up in the pan while cooking


2. Preheat pan lightly coated in oil to medium high and put patties in pan.


3. Cook for about 5 minutes the first side, or until browned, and then flip and cook the other side until browned.


4. Serve alone or on a bun.

These were a nice re-entry into eating non-vegan because they were still whole foods that I made.  I'm looking forward to retaining as much of the vegan recipes as I can but being sure to add in enough sources of iron and b12 to better support my lifestyle.  I am doing this to be healthy, and whatever that means is the direction I'm headed in.  :)