So this is meant as a possible cautionary tale.

Long story short, I’ve been vegan almost a year. A few months ago I was feeling really tired and down. I got allergy tested and came back sensitive to wheat, soy, sesame, and peanut. That makes being vegan a little harder, but I’m up for the challenge.

I cut that stuff from my diet, and while I felt better, I still wasn’t feeling great. I got my B12, vitamin D, and iron checked, as I’ve read that we might need to be more careful with those three specifically being vegan. They all came back VERY LOW. So I started oral supplements then got tested again, and they were still low. I figured I might be having an absorption problem…

That’s when it clicked. I have a wheat allergy, and I’m not absorbing nutrients. Could it be celiac?

I’m getting tested so for celiac, which causes malabsorption of nutrients because it irritates the small intestine. In the meantime I’ve been taking vitamin B12 and D intramuscular shots and have been taking more iron pills and I have been feeling SO MUCH BETTER. I’m at 110% now

How does this relate to being vegan? If you or a friend is feeling down or sick after becoming vegan, DON’T GIVE UP!! Research! Get allergy tested and blood levels checked.

Me not feeling well may have been in part to diet, but there are ways to fix that. If I have celiac, then it wasn’t totally the diet any way. Going vegan and taking better care of my health has helped me tremendously.

Thank you for reading. Love you all