VeganMoFo 9: Vegan news you can use (B12!) and the weekly-round up (10/9/11)

by JL Fields on October 9, 2011

What a wonderful Vegan MoFo week! In addition to posting every day (so far!) I’ve made a concerted effort to read hundreds and hundreds of Vegan MoFo posts.  I read many in the morning which led to some delicious breakfast decisions! Thursday morning I made pumpkin yogurt (it was like pudding, as I used So Delicious vanilla coconut yogurt) and Friday I enjoyed an apple pie smoothie.  Wednesday morning I read about a kimchi grilled cheese sandwich and had to make it that night for dinner.

So glad I did! It blew my vegan mind!

Reading MoFo blog posts is delicious. I have tagged over 60 recipes in my reader in just the first week. Be sure to check out the Vegan MoFo blogroll so you don’t miss a thing. By the way, if you don’t want to miss any of my posts, consider getting them delivered directly to your email box every morning!

This week’s vegan news you can use

The fall menu is now available at Candle 79 and Candle Cafe’s fall menu begins October 19. I love great NYC dining news!  Also in NYC a new, 100% vegan and cruelty-free cosmetic store has opened! Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (great name!) answers the question “why vegan?” on their FAQ:

What’s with the ‘Vegan’ thing?
In a time when many cosmetic companies make the claim that their products are “Cruelty Free” simply because Animal Testing has become unfashionable and less cost-effective, OCC felt it was necessary to raise the bar on this issue. We pledge never to use animal-derived ingredients (including Lanolin, Beeswax, Carmine and more) in our products and accessories. Beyond any personal convictions, we simply believe that it’s unnecessary, especially when there are alternatives that are just as readily available, and equally effective in the formulation of our products. Further, you need not necessarily be aligned with animal rights issues to reap the benefits of a vegan cosmetic line: animal ingredients can be amongst the most allergenic and skin reactive, and prevent makeup from being considered Kosher, Halal or otherwise compliant with various dietary (and sanitary!) regulations.

Go OCC! Hey, OCC is mighty close to Moo Shoes. I’m feeling the need for a vegan shopping excursion.

In other news, this week Jack Norris offered three posts on B12:

Last month Ginny Messina posted Vitamins B12 and D: Monitoring versus Supplementing.  Great timing! Last week I had to go back in for blood work because my B12 levels have slowly decreased. I’ve now dipped below 400.  The good news is that I do not have pemicious anemia (absorption issues) which means it’s about diet and how much I supplement. When I began eating vegan I did a little research and decided that I would use a sub-lingual B12 supplement–one, 3000 mcg lozenge a week.  Clearly, that’s not enough.  For now I will be treated with one B12 shot every two weeks through the end of November. I’ll have another blood test to see where the B12 level shakes out and go from there. I’ll keep you posted because I know many of my readers are interested in B12 issues.

Finally I wanted to fill you in on the FoodBuzz “situation.”  As you may have noticed, the ad is back.  You may also notice it’s the same ad every time you visit. That was the compromise. They were incredibly apologetic about the animal-based ads on my blog and, because they do not have a system to completely filter those ads out, they offered a static FoodBuzz ad.  I appreciated their effort to accommodate me!

This week on the blog

And on Stop Chasing Skinny:

Finally, how about a kitty picture?

Ernie has been with us for five weeks and he’s settled in quite nicely.

Hope you had a wonderful week, friends!

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Tagged as: b12, vegan mofo, vegan news, veganmofo, weekly round-up

  • http://profiles.google.com/glaucedge Glauce Lucas

    It’s great reading more about B12 cause I think it’s part of my small concerns during my pregnancy. My first blood tests were great and I’ll have the second one in the end of the month but all tips are welcome!

  • http://profiles.google.com/glaucedge Glauce Lucas

    Oh, just one question: have you ever tested your B12 before going vegan? I’ve noticed that many people who has a lack of B12 after going vegan have chances of having this since before this but have never checked or worried about this before…

    • http://jlgoesvegan.com JL

      Yes, I have had consistent blood work since my late 30′s when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. That’s why the doctor was able to detect the gradual but steady decrease in my B12 levels (after going vegan).

  • http://veggiev.wordpress.com/ VeggieV!

    Thanks for the blog love! Glad you enjoyed the Apple Pie Smoothie :-)

    Thanks for the info on B12 too. I ask my doctor to inlcude it in my blood work every year, but I’ve been lax on supplementing. Maybe I need to step it up! Sublingual seems to be the way to go…

    Love the kittie pic. I keep trying to talk the hubs into getting a cat (they were on sale – sad but true – at our local shelter last month), but since we’re technically not supposed to have pets in our rental (who’s going to know? ha!), he hasn’t agreed. Yet!

  • Anonymous

    That sandwich looks amazing!  Good luck with your B-12 issues, I have a spray bottle that I keep around for those days when I forget to take all of my vitamins.  I always feel better when I remember to supplment regularly.

  • http://www.etsy.com/shop/pandawithcookie Panda with cookie

    Yes indeed that sandwich looks good.

  • Elisa Camahort Page

    I’m not nearly as careful (or healthy) as you, but the only deficiency I seem to have is Vitamin D. Me and half the U.S. Some tendencies must be hereditary, don’t you think?

    • http://jlgoesvegan.com JL

      My vitamin D is excellent – -surpasses my omnivore husband’s! I do take a daily Calcium/Magnesium/Vit D supplement + I do most of my exercising outside.

  • http://vegangela.com Angela

    Hi JL! I’m finally playing catch-up on all my reading. Can you believe all the yummy Vegan MoFo action? I must have bookmarked 100 things so far!

    What type of B12 do you take? I’ve read a lot of negative things about the cyanocobalamin form, so I take 1,000 mcg of sub-lingual methylcobalamin everyday. I’ve read that the cyanide version can actually prevent your body from absorbing B12 naturally. And since that version is cheaper to produce, I suspect it’s the form used to fortify most foods..?

    • http://jlgoesvegan.com JL

      I take one 3,000 mcg sublingual. Most likely that will move me to a lower dose, daily. But I want to talk to my doc about b12 shots vs. supplements. I don’t mind needles and would not be opposed to a monthly shot vs. a daily vitamin. We’ll see!

  • Kate

    Thanks for the post on B12 and the kitty picture. Love the luxurious way cats sleep. They always look so comfortable.
    My B12 levels have dipped to just below normal after 4 years of veganism. I have been taking a high level B complex daily but that doesn’t seem to be enough. So, currently many blood tests and investigations as to why. I am now taking 2000 mcg of B12 daily to try to address this and am hoping this will do the trick. Not sure yet as to whether I will have to succumb to shots.
    Look forward to hearing your update.
    Kate

    • http://jlgoesvegan.com JL

      Kate, that’s very interesting. Did they test for absorption issues?

  • Pingback: My B-12 journey

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