Guest guest Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 I have not eaten any meat now for almost six weeks. I have started taking B12 once a day...the second pill Im supposed to take makes me ill. So, even with all this I feel like I am missing something. Not missing meat itself, I ate very little anyways. More like a nutrient. My husband is under the impression it is Iron which I have a hereditary lack of to begin with. Iron pills make me ill also and I am not ready to go that route yet. I dont expect a medical answer just a though as to what I could try before spending the extra on looking for a medical answer. Thanks, Jenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 Jenn, If it is hereditary or if you do have anemia taking a pill will not work. Try the ones that go under your tongue, not sure if that will help either. Speak with your PCP, about injections. Due to the fact that vit b 12 when is causes by anemia will not digest like other things sos your options is to have shots. Even eating meat will not raise your levels. Please also take in count that if your levels are between 200-400 can cause some neuor damage such as anxiety, heart paplations. Just some food for thought. ---- Jenn Parry 01/08/08 14:47:23 looking for some ideas.. I have not eaten any meat now for almost six weeks. I have started taking B12 once a day...the second pill Im supposed to take makes me ill. So, even with all this I feel like I am missing something. Not missing meat itself, I ate very little anyways. More like a nutrient. My husband is under the impression it is Iron which I have a hereditary lack of to begin with. Iron pills make me ill also and I am not ready to go that route yet. I dont expect a medical answer just a though as to what I could try before spending the extra on looking for a medical answer. Thanks, Jenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 Cooking with a cast iron skillet is suppose to adds iron to your diet. Also eating foods high in iron like beans and spinach can help. Just a couple of thoughts. Hope it helps. Ernie , " Jenn Parry " <jpsunshinedaiseys5 wrote: > > I have not eaten any meat now for almost six weeks. I have started > taking B12 once a day...the second pill Im supposed to take makes me > ill. So, even with all this I feel like I am missing something. Not > missing meat itself, I ate very little anyways. More like a nutrient. > My husband is under the impression it is Iron which I have a hereditary > lack of to begin with. Iron pills make me ill also and I am not ready > to go that route yet. I dont expect a medical answer just a though as > to what I could try before spending the extra on looking for a medical > answer. > > Thanks, Jenn > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 B vitamin supplements can make you nauseous if you take them on an empty stomach. Greens are great sources of iron: kale, collards, broccoli, bok choy. Also many beans. There have been lists posted here I believe. Oh yes, sea vegetables are great sources of iron and other nutrients too. Good luck, and remember, eat something before taking the vitamins, this should help. Cabrita @ los Angeles , " Jenn Parry " <jpsunshinedaiseys5 wrote: > > I have not eaten any meat now for almost six weeks. I have started > taking B12 once a day...the second pill Im supposed to take makes me > ill. So, even with all this I feel like I am missing something. Not > missing meat itself, I ate very little anyways. More like a nutrient. > My husband is under the impression it is Iron which I have a hereditary > lack of to begin with. Iron pills make me ill also and I am not ready > to go that route yet. I dont expect a medical answer just a though as > to what I could try before spending the extra on looking for a medical > answer. > > Thanks, Jenn > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 PLEASE read some of the many great books on where to get your vitamins/minerals/protein....it is really not that difficult. I would suggest " Beconing Vegan " by Davis & Melina or " The Idiots Guide to Vegan Living " by Bennett & Sammartano. They are both easy reads with a ton of great information. Iron? Can you add a spoon of Blackstrap Molasses to something? It is loaded with iron. Or just a simple pot of beans, black beans are my favorite, and again, loaded with iron. Your headed in the right direction....don't let an unnecessary fear slow you down. P.S....meat is not nutrition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 I TAKE b12 SHOTS and get them every 3 weeks as they only last that long. We found out our family has a B12 issue My brother, mother, my daughter and me...so we get it every month but mine is every 3 weeks. Jana Chuurch ps the pills simply did not do enough for the problems so thats why I choose a simple needle Worry is the senseless process of cluttering up tomorrow's opportunities with leftover problems from today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 If you consume dairy, vitamin B deficiency is not that common. If you are vegan, the only nutrient you can't get through normal food is B12. (You can get it through nutritional yeast or brewers yeast.) But it takes a long time to develop a B12 deficiency - much longer than a few weeks. You don't want to go there, because it can cause permanent damage to your health. The next time your doctor wants to do blood work, ask him to also check your B12 levels. I take a B vitamin, though not every day. And I add nutritional yeast to my smoothie on most days. And remember to eat your greens!!! I eat kale/chard/boy choy/collards and beans EVERY DAY. :-) Sharon Inga McFadden wrote: > PLEASE read some of the many great books on where to get your > vitamins/minerals/protein....it is really not that difficult. I would > suggest " Beconing Vegan " by Davis & Melina or " The Idiots Guide to > Vegan Living " by Bennett & Sammartano. They are both easy reads with a ton of great information. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 I have started to be concerned about B12 since becoming vegan and unfortunately B12 is not included in the contents of the nutritional yeast I can buy here in Scotland - Engevita. It is present in marmite but there is a limit to the amount of marmite one can eat at a serving. I am going to start taking B12 supplements. Christie , Sharon Zakhour <sharon.zakhour wrote: > > If you consume dairy, vitamin B deficiency is not that common. If you > are vegan, the only nutrient you can't get through normal food is B12. > (You can get it through nutritional yeast or brewers yeast.) But it > takes a long time to develop a B12 deficiency - much longer than a few > weeks. You don't want to go there, because it can cause permanent > damage to your health. The next time your doctor wants to do blood > work, ask him to also check your B12 levels. I take a B vitamin, though > not every day. And I add nutritional yeast to my smoothie on most days. > > And remember to eat your greens!!! I eat kale/chard/boy choy/collards > and beans EVERY DAY. :-) > > Sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 Hello Jenn, I just joined the group and have been a casual, but fascinated observer for the past week or so. Forgive me everyone for jumping in, but your message rang a bell for me. I have been a vegetarian for over 25 years; my first five as a vegan. I found that no matter how well I tried to balance my diet and no matter how much tofu, beans, brown rice and green leafy vegetables I consumed I still had serious vitamin, protein, and iron deficiencies. I finally realized that it had very little to do with my diet and more to do with genetics. Feeling like a failure at first, but accepting reality later, I had to incorporate dairy products into my diet. For a while I still had problems getting enough iron. There was no formulation of it that did not make me ill except a in a multivitamin. I finally purchased a great cast iron set and used it religiously. When you use cast iron for cooking the iron leeches into the food for an extra iron boost. Eventually my body adjusted to the changes and I rarely have problems. I still take a multivitamin daily along with a high potency " B " complex vitamin. I can actually tell the differency if I go off of the B complex for a while. I am not sure if any of this helps, but I hope you find something useful in my message. Kind regards, Joycelyn , " Jenn Parry " <jpsunshinedaiseys5 wrote: > > I have not eaten any meat now for almost six weeks. I have started > taking B12 once a day...the second pill Im supposed to take makes me > ill. So, even with all this I feel like I am missing something. Not > missing meat itself, I ate very little anyways. More like a nutrient. > My husband is under the impression it is Iron which I have a hereditary > lack of to begin with. Iron pills make me ill also and I am not ready > to go that route yet. I dont expect a medical answer just a though as > to what I could try before spending the extra on looking for a medical > answer. > > Thanks, Jenn > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 I have been vegan for over twenty years. During that time, my body has gone through many stages. Within a couple of years of becoming vegan I developed a B-12 deficiency which led to an outbreak of shingles. Nothing was getting rid of the shingles until the doctor started giving me daily B-12 injections. Within 24 hours, the shingles started to disappear. I took the injections for several months. My body stabilized and I took them several more times over the next several years whenever a shingles outbreak was iminent. The shingles would disappear immediately. Then about five years ago, I developed a protein deficiency. I was eating so much protein, it was more like a meat based diet and my muscles continued to get weaker and I continued to decline. FINALLY, a doctor explained that since I had developed this problem, my intestines could not absorb the protein molecules because the intestines were damaged and the molecules too large. Without the protein, the intestines could not heal and I would continue to decline. He suggested a special fish supplement that had smaller easier to digest molecules. No one knows why the deficiency developed, the intestine may have been damaged by a virus or something else, not necessarily diet related. You had to get past the terrible smell but within several weeks, the intestines began to heal, my muscles were less flacid. I took them for about a year and then I could get all the protein I needed from food again. It can be a challenge to discover why you have a deficiency and sometimes it takes somehing you would not normally do to bring the body back to balance or a place of healing. However, each person must do what is right for them. Some people can take supplements, others need something more radical. Some people respond to homeopathic medicine, some to accupuncture and sometimes, it must be western medicine. Everyone is different and must find their own path. To me, the important thing is keeping an open mind and being willing to try different things until you find what will work for you. Good luck on your journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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