Vegetarian/Veganism: How bad are small lapses?

[mikew]

Hi,

I'm doing a 30-day trial of vegetarianism (incl. no dairy, no eggs). It's going well!

I was just wondering: sometimes eating 'within the rules' is almost impossible. (I'm at a boarding school in the UK, and don't get to cook my own meals!) How bad is it if I have, say, the occasional bit of cheese? (Today I had to scrape the top off a pizza... eugh!)

Do even tiny lapses make a big difference, or is it a matter of proportion?

Thanks for your advice...

Mike

[NotesMaeve]

Mike, I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian, and my feeling is that as an underaged student, you have limited control anyway. Less animal exploitation at the end of the day is good enough for me. :-)

[mikew]

I'm actually doing it more for health/energy than ethical reasons... :-)

(Not that animal exploitation is good in any way.)

[NotesMaeve]

Any reason you do it is good enough for me! If you're not taking B12 supplements, a little cheese may be a good thing!

[bdp]

Lapses have had affects on me. The last time I had dairy I got some mucus buildup for a couple of hours and the next morning I had a few pimples.

I had a pretty big chicken breast a few months ago and I felt a bit sluggish for a little while and my next bowel movement wasn't as easy as usual.

[Rose of Cairo]

I feel small lapses immediately. But I'm very sensitive when it comes to nutrition. I feel vegan lapses badly too, like greasy fried potatoes or white bread Other people have a very robust body and can eat nearly everything without feeling bad.

Depending on how sensitive your body is, you'll notice it, or not. Why don't you just listen very carefully to your body, it'll tell you. (observe digestion, skin and fitness, but also mind clarity, concentration, energy, mood, and how you smell)

[mikew]

I only realised how my body 'responds' to the food I eat about a year ago: that was when I drank a bottle of coke and woke up with my face covered in pimples the next morning!

Thanks very much for your advice, everyone. I think observing digestion is particularly telling in my own case.

Are there any other supplements (B12 etc.) I should be taking as an almost-vegan?

[Minsc]

Originally Posted by mikew

Are there any other supplements (B12 etc.) I should be taking as an almost-vegan?

I'd recommend D and B12 to anyone(it's common to be deficient in those)...
(although I'd recommend the animal form of D(D3), but I guess D2 would work)

You should be able to get everything else from your diet(although you could look into nori for iodine and sea salt for sodium if you want dietary sources of those).

[Rose of Cairo]

yes I agree, unrefined, unwashed seasalt instead of common salt, and some seaweed, like wakame or nori. Generally, I recommend whole, organic food. Contains much more nutrients than normal food. Not only for vegans


edit: Mike, I only noticed how bad my digestion was after I went vegan and noticed the difference... Before that, I thought it was all normal. Now I know it wasn't.