Organizations support a variety of nutrition plans
Yesterday I ate:
– 1 sliced apple, a few grapes, and 1 raisin scone with a little smear of almond butter
– 1 piece multigrain bread, toasted, then topped with hummus, tomato slices, and cheezy sauce, and broiled in the toaster oven. This was heavenly! I love toast but have been having difficulties in figuring out vegan toppings besides nut butters. I was going to try black beans on toast, but I tasted one black bean and it tasted awful, so that idea got scratched. I was very pleased with this hummus/tomato/cheezy sauce concoction of mine, though!
– Cauliflower with hummus
– Veggie and hummus sandwich from Soma Cafe (I had my doubts if the bread was vegan, but people behind the counter said it was vegan so I’ll believe them!) and 1 apple
– 1 calzone with chocolate milkshake (1 cup unsweetened chocolate Almond Breeze, 1 frozen banana, spoonful each of flax/wheat germ/PB2, kale, and cinnamon)
– Some grapes and more cauliflower with hummus (hummus is the new nut butter in terms of my obsessions, apparently)
What does the gym mean to you?
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More on Vitamin B12
The American Dietetic Association issued a paper this summer to support vegetarian diets. The ADA said that “well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all ages of the life cycle” (emphasis my own). In the paper, it details a number of nutrients and backs up its position with hard evidence.
This paper states that “No unfortified plant food contains any significant amount of active vitamin B12” (1269). All of the B vitamins are water-soluble, so that means that when we consume too many of them, the excess generally is simply flushed out of our bodies. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body; that’s why all of that vitamin A (a fat-soluble vitamin) from the excessive amounts of carrots I ate a while back was causing my skin to turn orange. It was a sign of toxicity.
There are some good things and some bad things about vitamin B12 being water-soluble. The good is that it is unlikely we will overdose on the vitamin, because the excess is flushed out. The bad is that we need to always replenish our stores of vitamin B12, because it doesn’t stay in the body. My friend was recently telling me how he was vegan for about five years before he developed symptoms such as fatigue and weakness and went to a doctor. After a few tests, it was determined that he was severely deficient in vitamin B12. The doctors gave him vitamin B12 injections on a regular basis and he found that his energy returned almost immediately after receiving the injections (he is now vegetarian rather than vegan and has no problems with fatigue, weakness, or other deficiency symptoms).
I have been unable to find a reputable source which states exactly how long vitamin B12 stays in our system for, but in one way that isn’t really so relevant: the point is that we need to consume vitamin B12 on a regular basis if we want our minds and bodies to function. Most resources seem to agree that 2mg/day of vitamin B12 is a good amount. Like all vitamins, consuming smaller amounts at regular intervals is going to be best absorbed into your body than having one large amount across lengthy, sporadic intervals.
I find it very interesting that the ADA is now encouraging vegetarian diets. My initial reaction to reading their paper was that perhaps it was endorsed by a vegetarian society, but it appears that, although there are certainly affiliations with some vegetarian organizations, this paper was respectably produced by the ADA on its own. A vegetarian food guide has been created by Dietitians of Canada as well. Although, like we talked about on Monday, there is some stigma with regards to vegetarianism, it looks as though these national health organizations are doing their best to accommodate for people on a wide range of diets.
I just found out more about B12 recently. My skin has been very troublesome for the last few years, and I have never really eaten much meat (my whole life). I started taking an MSM supplement that also has B12, and I have already seen a difference. It’s kind of shocking. I’m assuming that was my problem 😛 I can’t tell if it was the MSM (which is sulfur found mostly in animal products) or the B12… but something is working. Thanks for the info 🙂
Great info. Thanks! I definitely have to pay more attention to B12 more consistently…
Great post. I am doing a power point on vegetarian diets so the more I learn, the better! I will ahve to read the ADA position statement. It’s not new, right? This is a later edition?
Regarding the carrots turning you orange, it was actually the beta-carotene, an antioxidant that is called “provitamin A” that turned you orange. Vitamin A (preformed vitamin A) is only found in animal products.
I think the key phrase there was “Well planned vegetarian diet”. I’ve met a lot of people who don’t plan well and end up eating processed “vegetarian” foods.
As a confirmed omnivore who eats meat only on occasion, it’s interesting to me that a lot of people actually don’t get enough veggies. I don’t understand it! Veggies are so tasty!
B12 does make a difference. Make sure you take a suppliment if you are feeling weak. I’m on the low end of “normal” B12 and for years was tired and blechy and wasn’t quite sure why-apparently my B12 is low and I need more. I find I get tired and have digestive issues when my B12 levels get low. There’s lots of veggies and bean sources for it…as long as you keep the diet balanced you should be OK. It made a huge difference for me!
Maggie- that’s wonderful that you’ve managed to sort out the problem!
Andrea- I think we’re usually okay if we eat meat semi-regularly, or even just animal products regularly. It’s more something that vegans or mostly-vegetarians have to watch out for!
Gina- ooh I can’t wait to hear how it turns out! And I know about the beta carotene- but the vitamin A is a pre-cursor to that so I assumed that they work in conjunction in that way and had the combined effect. Is that right?
Meg- YES. Veggies are tasty. And good planning is essential!
Geosomin- thanks for your input! So glad that you’ve managed to keep a good balance.