Happy Sunday! I hope you enjoyed the extra hour of sleep this morning. I was so delighted to have my eyes pop open at 5:00 a.m. and to feel completely rested. Especially after a fun night out with friends that involved many glasses of wine. Dave and I made a return visit to Haven Restaurant in Pleasantville. Last month I shared a post in which I gushed about the chef and his inclusion of vegan options on the menu. He adjusted the menu for the fall and it was fabulous. You can check out a quick summary, and photos, of last night’s meal on my Facebook page.
I really enjoyed reading the comments to my post Friday, in which I talk about my B-12 issues and realized I should clarify a few things because it’s such an important issue.
Yes, I do take multivitamins regularly (a women’s multi-vitamin and a calcium-magnesium-zinc-vitamin D tab, both daily) In addition, I take probiotics. I also eat a mostly balanced, healthy diet — regardless of what it may look like on my blog! I eat far less soy curl sandwiches than one might think (and if you follow me on Twitter you’ll read about my morning juices and smoothies, healthy food bowls for lunch and tofu and grain dinners). No, I haven’t ever really focused on purchasing items that say “fortified with B-12.” Yes, I have nutritional yeast on hand and probably eat it a few times a week. (Did you know that nutritional yeast is a source of B-12 only if fortified with it? I was using a brand of nutritional yeast flakes for a year before realizing it had no B-12! I subsequently purchased a nutritional yeast powder that is fortified with B-12.) Yes, I have spirulina in my cupboard — I hate it — and there is room for debate as to whether it is a reliable source of B-12. Yes, I have been tested for pernicious anemia to see if this is an absorption issue. My test came back negative.
I’m laying this out for you because you need to know that these B-12 issues don’t scare me or make me think that eating vegan is a problem. We are all different. We do not have to be a “perfect vegan” in which we get everything we need from whole, unprocessed plants. I think when we talk openly about these things some vegans get nervous — thinking non-vegans will use this as an argument opposing veganism. I’m not going to eat meat or animal products because I’m having trouble with my B-12 (and, thankfully, my doctor never, ever suggested doing so), rather I am taking charge of my health and realizing that for me, in my case, I will need to be diligent and supplement my diet. There is nothing wrong with this. I urge you to read Ginny Messina’s post: Vitamins B12 and D: Monitoring versus Supplementing. I always trust her honest approach to nutrition, and veganism, and her uncompromising compassion for animals and humans alike. Needing a B-12 supplement isn’t a vegan character flaw nor does it mean that I’m not “doing it right.” I just need a little help. I’m always willing to ask for help.
In other news, here are a few items I found interesting this week:
- ‘I Am an Imperfect Vegan‘ Hands down, my favorite article of the week.
- Vegetarian Diet, Exercise, Reduces Diabetes Risk In African Americans.
- Vegan-raw-diet.com Introduces a Raw Food Pyramid Promoting Raw Food Diet for Better Health and Vitality. Raw and high-raw readers: I would love your opinion on this!
- Vegan from Floor to Ceiling
- A Thanksgiving Feast, No Turkeys Allowed Once again The New York Times offers a month of vegetarian recipes ideas for Thanksgiving.
- Vegetarian Lunches Banned in French Schools?
- Our Hen House Episode 90: “Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway. While this podcast is from last month, I just listened this week. I met Robert Cheeke in Portland in August but didn’t really get a chance to get to know him. That all changed when I listed to Jasmin and Mariann’s interview with him. Robert is truly inspiring and deeply, deeply compassionate.
My posts this week:
- MONDAY: VeganMoFo 31: The End
- TUESDAY: World Vegan Day + The Vegan Pie in the Sky Winner
- WEDNESDAY: Intuitive Mushroom Gravy (over tofu and hearty grains)
- THURSDAY: John’s of 12th Street, NYC: Traditional Italian…with an additional vegan menu!
- FRIDAY: My B-12 journey
- SATURDAY: Erawan Thai Cuisine, Bayside (Queens), NY
As ever, thank you for reading and thank you for commenting. The dialogue on this blog is so helpful to me on my vegan journey and I hope you find it helpful, too.
11 thoughts on “More thoughts on B-12 + Vegan news you can use (11/6/11)”
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I thought we had to take B12 because there is no reliable food source. I take one pill a day, or bulk p on several at once. But the good news is that my numbers were great, and so once you get your levels up, you shouldn’t have to do the shots again. Also, my grandmother had shots when she was younger and she ate meat everyday!!! Glad your doctor worked with you on the issue!
Thanks for this post, JL! I just want to clarify that there isn’t actually any room for debate about spirulina. There is no evidence that it contains active vitamin B12. Also, I want to emphasize that *all* vegans need to supplement with B12 (or use fortified foods). So, you are absolutely right that taking a B12 supplement is not a vegan character flaw.
Your blog is always an inspiration.
Ginny, thank you for jumping in — I was hoping you would!
i love that you answered these. so many people think that supplementing means evidence that being vegan isnt “right” for our bodies, but there are just as many if not more people eating non-vegan diets who lack proper vitamin and mineral levels. i actually recently switched to an extra b12 supplement because after much research i found what you did – that nooch and seaweed arent actually reliable sources.
do you listen to colleen patrick-goudreau’s podcasts? they are GREAT and i think youd love them. you can get them on itunes (vegetarian food for thought) but her site compassionate cooks is also so great.
I really appreciate your honesty, I have seen some vegan bloggers claim that they do not take any B-12 supplements, which is not only dangerous for them, but it’s dangerous to pass on the idea that vegans don’t need to supplement or that there’s something wrong with taking vitamins.
I really appreciate your upfront attitude about the B-12 issue, and also your effort to fix the problem as a vegan. While I think everyone has to make the best choices for themselves, and I don’t think less of anyone who decides that plant-based nutrition doesn’t work for them, it’s really great of you to share this information.
Thanks, Andrea. I don’t mean to sound judgmental about people who leave veganism because of “health” I just think that often that’s any “excuse” as opposed to simply saying “it’s not for me.” Just my opinion, of course!
I use a KAL B12 spray and LOVE it! I even buy extra ones to give to friends (even non-vegans who are over 50 or vegetarians who don’t do a lot of eggs/dairy).
I was given B12 shots as a child for anemia, I remember hating them, but they were a necessity at the time. I take a multivitamin that has B12 in it, but I’ve also never had my B12 levels tested before. I should probably do that.
I love your attitude on supplementation. I think too many vegans and non-vegans have a perception that the vegan diet needs to be perfect. I think it is the best, but I don’t think any one diet is perfect for any large number of people. Some of us need certain supplements, others don’t! I think the thing to remember is that eating vegan is best for us, the environment, and most importantly the animals, and sometimes we just need a little help.