Question for knowledgable veggies

Hi, I've been a veggie for a year now, I eat a good balanced diet including many types of fruit, veg, meat substitues and dairy products but I was told by my doctor recently that I have levels of b12 vitamins and im currently experiencing a total lack of apetite and feeling of extreme coldness and fatigue. It strikes me as odd as I eat alot of cheese eggs and drink 2/3 glasses of milk a day, so I was just wondering anyone else had similar experiences?

 

B12 is one thing that is really hard for vegetarians to get from their diet. Taking a b vitamin supplement will help, NOT a multi-vitamin because you eat healthy and you don't want to run into toxicities.

The coldness and fatigue could be a number of things though, talk to the doctor more

 

nutritional yeast flakes? you can sprinkle them on most anything. they give foods a cheesy-like taste. high in B vitamins including B12.

 

The best B-12 supplement is methylcobalamin...There's many forms of it but apparently that is the most absorbable.

If your that far along into deficiency though, your doctor should be able to give you shots of it and those are very effective and beneficial. The only way to get it in IV is through your doctor though so you do have to ask for it. If you have compromised digestion or absorption isn't adequate even if your taking b-12 in, shots work very well.

Milk is pasteurized and so gluey and congealed that it's basically impossible for your body to actually open it up and absorb and assimilate nutrients from it. Milk is gluey and thick and viscous by nature to begin with, but pasteurized milk is even more congealed..

And eggs are not particularly rich in B-12 though they are a source, most people don't seem to chew eggs well and absorb the nutrients in them...things like stress deplete b-12 and it's depleted by toxic environments too, so the majority of the population, meat eating or not is deficient in this vitamin.

Eating more fermented foods like miso, unpasteurized saurkraut, organic kim chee, and anything cultured will increase good bacteria in your digestive tract which produce b-12 and lot's of other B vitamins and critical nutrietns, and increase your ability to actually absorb them. B-12 is also found in dirt and that is where most animals pick it up from to begin with. That's how vitamin supplements that are vegetarian make their b-12, they culture it, and methylcobalamin is the one to look for when your reading b-12 supplements in a health foo dstore.

 

Thanks alot for your replys, I am eating a good assortment of all types of veg everyday so maybe supplements is the way to go. The doctor took some blood and so when the results come back maybe they'll give me a shot or something. Meanwhile I'll take a peak in a health store for some of those supplements, thanks again (Y) I do eat alot of whole grain also so I dont think that could be mutch of a problem, I'm addicted to bran flakes, for instance. It's odd you mentioned digestion though, it seems to be something I have a problem with I often get stomach pains after only small meals.

 

Maybe you are allergic to dairy or wheat, or both.

 

FYI, there is absolutely no scientific proof that eating fermented foods will increase your B12 levels.

You say you are addicted to bran flakes. how much do you eat? Because you may be getting TOO MUCH fiber, especially if you get stomach pains after eating. Stomach pains may also be an allergen warning.

Your B12 should not be low as an ovo-lacto vegetarian, but if it is, you might want to consider taking a sub-lingual supplement. Sub-lingual supplements have the best absorption rate.

 

That's true it doesn't increase b-12 levels but bacteria do produce certain nutrients, hence the term "good bacteria" and they help assimilate the nutrients we do take in.

Many times people crave what there allergic too, so it's entirely possible you have a gluten intolerance....

 

By addicted I just mean I have em everyday for breakfast, nothing excessive!

 

Thanks for clarifying that.

It's really important for anyone new to being vegetarian that they get accurate information re. B12.

Ovo-lacto vegetarians should have no issues with B12 deficiency. If they do, then they need to work with their doctors to determine the root cause of the deficiency independent from dietary choices.

Vegans really should take a sublingual supplement. It's possible to get B12 from fortified foods, but B12 deficiency sucks, and I'm firmly in the "better safe than sorry" category. There are no natural vegetarian sources for B12. You cannot get B12 from algae, unwashed vegetables, mushrooms, or whatever else people may have heard of.

 

B12 is produced by bacteria. If that bacteria happens to be present say on your dirty hands and you happen to like to suck on your dirty hands then you can get B12. BUT that is not a reliable source as you are going to be washing your hands, hopefully, and you don't actually know if the bacteria to produce B12 is present on your hands or your unwashed vegetables, etc. To say that you can't get B12 from such sources is not entirely true. It is just that it is not a reliable source. You should find a reliable source of it to ensure proper health.

 

is that true? I eat really healthy and work out almost daily, but I drink and have a couple other vices. I take a multi. do you have any links or additional info to let me know whats what, if it's truely good or bad in that instance? I can always search on my own, but if you have easy access to some info it would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

If you are eating a healthy, varied veg*n diet then there is really no reason to take a multi-vitamin. Fruits, vegetables, etc are loaded with vitamins and minerals and are the main source of most of them for us humans whether you are vegetarian or omnivore. It would be better to take specific vitamins that you might be missing in your diet, such as B12. I don't recall which at the moment but there are some vitamins that can be toxic if you take too much of them. This is easier to do if you are taking suppliments.

 

I'm a pescy so I eat fish.

It just seems like to much to keep track of. Since I've been going to the gym and getting in shape I've read up on how to eat (not based on a vegetarian diet, usually) and they tell you to stay away from corn and peas. because I think it has starch in it, and you want to save that for your cocktails

and yes! they did say that on Fit TV.

It just overwhelms me so what I try to do is split up my plate in fours. 1/2 goes to veggies 1/4 protein 1/4 whole grain. I think it works well.

but yea sorry, I don't know much about vitamins and such.

 

It is really difficult, if not impossible, to OD on vitamins as they are found in food. Adding a multi-vitamin is not likely to push you over the edge. Vitamin toxicity is far more common with people who "mega-dose" on specific vitamin supplements.

Personally, I take three supplements: a pre-natal (I'm pregnant) multi, B-12 sublingual (which you can't really OD) and vegetarian DHA (again, because I'm pregnant). Normally, I take a Vegetarian support multi and B12 sublingual. Overall, I eat pretty healthy, but I also have days where I get busy with the rest of my life, and I end up eating Taco Bell for two meals. People who have the time and energy to make sure they are eating the right foods every day probably don't need a multi. But I'm not a "health" Vegan fulltime, so I know a multi isn't going to hurt me and might do me a lot of good.