Hi there,
I got here from the Forks over Knives website, so I hope I'm in the right place.
I'm a 29 year old female, still breastfeeding my 15 month old son. I'm borderline underweight and most importantly not feeling well because of this (feel sick a lot, which makes me not want to eat... get dizzy spells etc. etc.)
I've been trying to gain weight for the past year or so, more seriously since about August 2017. It's not working.
I was dairy free (other than that a rather conventional diet) up to October last year. I added dairy back into my diet hoping that that would help me gain weight. But ehm, nope, doesn't do the trick.
I'm interested in a WFPB diet because: It makes sense and my dad (only 55) has been on statins since last year. We have a mutation (not just what the doctors say - I got my DNA tested via 23andme) that causes an added risk for high cholesterol and heart disease. My uncle got himself checked because of my dad's diagnoses and promptly had to have 4 bypasses
My cholesterol has been tested and was high normal - I don't have to go back to get it tested for 5 years, though (Ehm...? That doesn't make sense to me?! I'm 29 and it's already on the high side and I DON'T need to get back in for half a decade?!).
I could write a novel - I've been a vegetarian in the past, primal/paleo for about 1 1/2 years (now 5 years ago), back to a more conventional diet with semi-healthy habits (low in sugar, focussing on whole foods but by no means fully committed).
A dietician prescribed high caloric drinks to help me gain weight - basically sugar water with a tad of protein. 600 kcal a day on top of my normal meals. But they DO make you feel full so... It didn't work AND made me feel yuck. So now I'm here (via What the Health - then Forks over Knives) and getting pretty serious about it. Trying more vegan or at least vegetarian recipes (luckily I LOVE lentils, haha, good excuse to eat more of those
).
But how do I eat WFPB to GAIN weight, not lose it? I'm guessing oils won't be off limits for me for now?
Any tips, tricks and recipes are very very welcome
Baby is waking up... Thanks if you've made it this far and I'm looking forward to reading your replies!