Cold Hands on Vegan Diet

Both things you're describing are indicative of a thyroid condition (the neck swelling, and cold extremeties).

Have you had bloodwork done?

My second guess (clearly not a doctor, but I AM hypothyroid), would be that you might be a little anemic due to the diet change.

Cold hands (and feet) are a sign of hypothyroidism.
And your thyroid is in the front of your neck.
The introduction of iodized salt in the 1920's helped to eliminate the formation of goiters in many parts of the country where they were common.
An endocrinologist might be able to help you figure out what is going on.

I doubt it's caused by the diet, but rather by whatever is also making your neck swell. You need to see a doctor for these things.

However, I am not supportive of a vegan diet in any case. We ARE designed to consume well balanced meals, which is almost impossible on a vegan diet unless you are willing to spend a lot of money, time, and effort. Your body DOES need protein! I've honestly (and this is just MY life, folks, no comments) never met a vegan that didn't look skinny (like, too skinny), washed out, wiped out, and have circles under their eyes.

my cousin gets cold because she has low iron. i typically have cold hands and always have but nothing seems to be wrong. i do now have hypothyroidism but havent always.

Hi S.,

I don't think the two are connected necessarily. You might have developed cold hands without switching to the vegan diet. My hands are always cold. It could be a circulation issue. Happens more as we age. Try massaging your hands frequently during the day, and wearing gloves more often. If you have small bones and not a lot of body fat, that can contribute to the cold feeling, too. It's fascinating that you haven't had the swollen throat since switching diets. Maybe your throat was "allergic" to the stuff they add to beef. ;)

"Grams"
from the Pocono Mts. of PA

Congrats on your diet change, and on the recent improvement to your neck. The change in eating can bring on cold hands, as can being slightly anemic. Since you've spoken with so many doctors, go to one more, a nutricianist, and make sure you get your vegan eating plan scrutinized. One of the B vitamins is particularly problematic and may require supplements.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

Well S.. weird, un-diagnosable condition that makes your neck swell, doesn't sound very good. If it is diet related, that may be secondary, to the neck swelling. Cold hands means many things. Mostly what comes to mind is low blood pressure. May be due to a drop in sodium, and other things. I would get it checked though. It means you have poor circulation in your hands. Could be totally none related to your new diet.

Did you see a doctor about the swelling? Or are you just self-treating? I suspect whatever was going on in the first place is probably still causing problems. It's probably best to see a doctor to be sure something very serious isn't being left untreated.

In the interim, for more "common" causes of cold hands such as you describe, possibilities include anemia or a drop in blood platelet levels. If you are not getting the right nutrients, you could cause yourself to become severely anemic. Menstruating women have to be very careful on vegan and vegetarian diets as cutting meats and certain proteins that are good for healthy blood production can bring on anemia. Supplementing these protein sources in a proper way is very important. I suspect this may be what is going on. That means, I don't think you've solved the swollen neck problem and may have created a new one by changing your diet. And by the way, anemia can get worse and there can be complications if left untreated. If your blood remains starved of oxygen caused by the anemia too long you can have heart problems and more.

A much more serious cause could be an undiagnosed heart problem or some type of circulatory problem.

Lastly, it is very possible, whatever ailment was causing the swelling in your neck, could be causing the cold hands too.

Have you considered a Thyroid problem? This can cause swelling in your neck, eyes and many other places if left untreated. A friend and an aunt had your symptoms, left them untreated, and both had complications. My aunt will forever look like Rodney Dangerfield. Her eyes swelled so much she doesn't look like herself anymore. They stick out of her head in a very unnatural way. My friend almost lost her ability to talk forever because she refused surgery on her Thyroid. Thankfully, after much therapy...and what I believe was a miracle, she is now able to speak again and her Thyroid situation is under control. But it was a scary two years.

Throat cancer, and an iodine deficiency could cause this as well. There are so many possibilities. I say go see the doctor and have some tests done. Don't rely on other people's maybes, including my post's suggestions and self-diagnose, if that's what you have been doing. I say get checked and be certain. If necessary, find a specialist or a new doctor.

And if you've already done so, I hope you get better soon. Sounds scary.

A vegan diet can be great . Unfortunately our food supply is not set up properly and it causes deficiencies vegan or not. Whatever you do don't add meat back to your diet, meat is not beneficial in any way.

There's no real way of knowing what may be causing your cold hands without knowing what you eat and how much and analyze it. You should log what you eat and compare it to nutritional guides to see where you stack up. Everyone should do this anyway .It could be as simple as the fact you've lost a few lbs. FAt is an insulator . Whenever our bodies are more cold so are our hands.