For the past 13 months I've been on a high raw food diet. In early February I went completely vegan. My goal is to maintain a high raw vegan diet (about 85% raw). I went to my doctor for my annual checkup and absolutley aced the exam! NOTE*** BIG SMILE HERE. All of my blood work was better than it has been in 20 years!.... except for my B12. It was scary low (116). I have lost 72 pounds and my doctor said that I'm 40% healthier than most women my age. My blood sugar is well within normal limits, my BMI was cut in half, my ANA was just one point above normal as compared to last years results of being 400. My triglicerites were great, bad colestoral was down and good was up... all in all I was extremely pleased. My blood calcium and protien level were great and my blood pressure was even better than normal. The best surprise was that my kidneys (I've had problems with for years) were functioning not just well but great!
With results like these I am more firmly convinced that I'm on the right track with my dietary life. My one concern is the B12. Any ideas of good vegan sources in food? I am not good at taking suppliments and being honest with myself I know it's not the way I want to get my nutrients so please don't respond with a commerical pitch for the world's greatest B12 pill. I started this diet to avoid a future of having to take pills and I am convinced that there is a natural way to get all our bodies need.
Any thoughts? Thanks much...
The Bajan
Comments
eecho and powerlifer,
thank you both for your comments. It's disapointing to me. I really enjoy being vegan and I don't want to go back to consuming animal products (or by-products). Shots are an option I can consider and I already use some nutritional yeast in various recipes. I'll have to give more thought to how I will handle this.
Thanks again,
Cami,
Thank you. I also have experienced low B12 for the past 12 years... long before I began this lifestyle. I am concerned though about it b/c it is soo low. My doctor did give me a B12 shot during my appointment and I'm plannig to get another one in a couple of weeks but I did hope there would be an alternative. My mother has Lupus and has suspected that I have it for years. She's been bugging me to be tested and last year I finally was. You can not even imagine my surprise when it came up as positive. It explained a number of things I was trying to ignore. It's part of why I began changing the way I eat. Anyway... thanks for your input.
Thanks to you also, Powerlifer. I really appreciate your insight in so many of these posts.
Cheers,
Powerlifer,
I daily participated iin the "fast food marathon" here in America. Lots of meat, pasta, and dairy. Occasionally I ate a few vegtables and rarely any fruit. All the white sugar and dead bread I could stand. You're probably right about the absorption issue.
Thanks again,
Michelle