Yep... It was definitely my fault for doing the vegan diet "wrong", but it was also really easy to do it wrong on accident, which people need to be aware of.
I thought I was doing the right things. I was taking a multivitamin and supplementing my B12 according to common vegan recommendations. Nobody mentioned the possibility of kidney stones though!
Hey, that's okay. Maybe try it again with different aspects. I had a neighbor in the college dorms who went vegan without any research, and gave himself depression and other psychological/neurological problems (probably a lack of B12). I think it's wise to get blood tests after major dietary changes to be sure everything is good.
Personally, I'm a lazy vegetarian, not a vegan per se. I really want to give up dairy, but cheeses are soo darn tasty. I have a single 6 mm kidney stone from chronic high cortisol levels, not diet (according to doctors).
Other things I do:
- Gender-specific multivitamin
- Vegan B complex
- Vegan 10k IU avg per day D3 + K MTK-7 (once a week 50k IU + using up 5k I still have)
- Magnesium citrate (prevention of kidney stones and magnesium)
- No HFCS, limit sugary products, and not adding salt (semi-keto). I get plenty of I, Na, and Cl from other foods
- Unsalted pistachios
- Unsalted cashews (very few because oxalates and gas)
- Roasted, unsalted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- Omega-3 foods
- Cook using avocado oil or butter
- Fresh olive oil when added without cooking
- Water, lots of water (reverse osmosis water store subscription since I live in an apartment)
- Intermittent fasting (40 lbs. / 18 kg to lose)
- Veg like broccoli and plain potato
- Limit salt, spinach, sweet potato, chocolate, tea, some nuts esp. almonds (which are also the second leading cause of breaking teeth after ice)
- Excess vitamin C creates oxalates endogenously. Megadosing it is the surest way to kidney stones
There ought to be a book: Safer Diets and Fasting: What you need to know
I thought I was doing the right things. I was taking a multivitamin and supplementing my B12 according to common vegan recommendations. Nobody mentioned the possibility of kidney stones though!