Hello Kind Lifers,

I have been vegan for close to two months now and I feel good. I do have a lot of "tummy issues" here and there but I think that's normal and have heard this will pass.  During my transition, like many of you I'm sure, I have been doing a lot of research on how healthy a plant based diet is and I just have a few concerns and questions. Hoping you all have some insight!

Most of my diet consists of fruits, nuts, hummus, beans, veggies, whole wheat breads and tortillas, quinoa and rice, safflower and coconut oil (for cooking) and of course some desserts here and there (almond ice cream is my favorite).  I also have enjoyed a lot of greens (kale and spinach) and green smoothies.  After researching the last few days I found a few resources that said "avoid smoothies and ALL oils" and also to "avoid flax and chia seeds."  It was my understanding that these things were good for me! I also continue to take a multivitamin (just to cover the basis) and have heard that's bad too. So frustrating. who do you believe?! Hoping some of you Vegan Vets have some insight.

The only thing I can comment on is the smoothies thing, and that could be because smoothies usually have hidden things in them, other than fruits. Another reason is because its much better to eat the fruit whole than in a juiced form, you get more fiber when you eat it whole. If you're getting smooties from Jamba Juice (or other places) then you're getting unneccesary sugars from the juices that they use to make them.

I have the occasional smoothie, but all I put into my smoothies is a banana, a handfull or two of frozen fruit, and a cup or two of water. Sometimes I'll mix it up and throw in some cinnamon or cocoa, and sometimes a little apple sauce.

Hi Mandy,

What kind of tummy issues are you having?  I know that I had a really hard time digesting breads and nuts.  But occasionally I eat them anyway becuase they are very yummy.  But what I do is maybe the next day eat brown rice porrdige throughout the day to give my intestines something whoe grain and easy to digest.  Every person is different so try and pay attention to what you eat and how you feel right afterwards to see if you can find a trend of what works and does not work for you :)

(www.themacroveg.blogspot.com)

Hi Beverly,

Thank you! I am trying hard to pay attention to when my stomach acts up and like you said, it seems to be when I eat nuts which is weird.  I have also been eating a lot of beans so that would make anyone's stomach act up! ha.

Overall I feel great, I just want to make sure I'm getting adequate nutrients by what I'm eating! I continue taking calcium/vit D suppliments just in case. 

Hi there! Sounds like you are doing really well in your vegan diet so far. Congrats!

Tummy issues can be atributed to the detox process. Animal protein consumers carry around several pounds of undigested meat and it can take up to a year to pass it all completely. Plenty of fiber should help this along.

This stuff is amazing:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Breakfast/recipe?id=8128149

I start almost every day with it and I couldnt live with out it :)