Any advice for vegetarian of many years? Sorry for longish post!

Hi folks,

I'm 32, and have been lacto-ovo-vegetarian for about 14 years. I'm trying to improve my health and fitness in general. I'm not overweight (BMI=22.9) but do want to drop weight a little (to a BMI=21.5 eventually) where I was most comfortable.

I have some issues that are bothering me:

• I get cold easily, especially my hands and feet. I think I've got bad circulation.
• Some days, I'm incredibly tired, especially in the mornings.
• Small wounds do not heal as quickly as they used to, and often leave scars.

I cycle between thinking I'm just getting old, I'm anemic or I'm just plain lazy!

I've not gone to the doctor for these specific concerns, but I have had my blood pressure taken. It is about 100/60.

I am taking a multivitamin for vegetarians, because I was concerned that I wasn't getting enough iron. I'm also taking flaxseed oil capsules, just in case. I'd been taking the multivitamins sporadically before, but recently I've not neglected to take them.

The question is, am I missing something?

I certainly eat a mix of veggies, fruit, legumes and grains. Not much tofu, but some small amounts of quorn products (every few days, not daily). I'm aiming for 1500 cals per day, not a big deficit (only about 300-400 cals, depending on my activity). I walk briskly for 20-40min daily.

I'm fit enough to walk 20 miles in a day, but I'm out of breath if I run more than 5 minutes. I don't enjoy cardio exercises at all. I don't know if I don't like cardio because I have no stamina, or vice versa.

Anyone else suffering from similar symptoms? They are not debilitating, just annoying.

Any responses gratefully received (unless the suggestion is to eat babies). I'm just a bit nervous about going to the doctor with these. Maybe I'm one of these sad hypochondriacs clogging up the NHS...

Thanks!

I find I'm cold alot, and when I forget about my Iron pills for a while I do notice that I feel much more tired.
Try keeping an eye on your iron intake, and consider how you feel then.

Your doctor can also do a blood test (which mine did for me) to let you know if your Iron levels are where they should be. If they aren't, the solution is to just take iron pills every day until your levels re-adjust to something more healthy!