August, 2010

Nutrition — 1 Comment
25
Aug 10

The Vitamin B12 Deficiency Myth

If you are a starting-out vegan, or even a seasoned one, one of the things that you’ll commonly hear is that a vegan diet causes a deficiency in vitamin B12 and some say you may need to take b12 shots. This is a serious allegation, because a deficiency in B12 can have serious health consequences.

Among others, a deficiency in vitamin B12 may lead to anemia and chronic fatigue syndrome. B12 is necessary for the synthesis of red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body. The oxygen is used to burn up food and thus provide energy and therefore a lack of it leads to fatigue and in more serious cases, anemia.

Deficiency in vitamin B12 can also lead to depression and over a long period of time, can cause brain damage. B12 is necessary for a healthy central nervous system, and thus its association with depression.

So where is the myth derived? For many years, B12 was believed to be only available in animal products like meat, milk, eggs and cheese. Anyone who did not take these therefore was considered to be lacking in B12, and any sign of anemia or depression was attributed to their diet.

Well, science has gone a long way to disprove this:

  1. B12 is a microbe or friendly bacteria, so no food really contains it (although it can be found on the surface of some foods). This microbe lives naturally in the human body within the digestive tract, and it’s triggered and absorbed by taking in of the right kinds of foods, not necessarily animal products. There are indeed many foods that vegans can take to trigger release and absorption of B12 into the blood stream.
  2. Studies over the years have revealed that non-vegans are more likely to suffer a B12 deficiency than vegans. Though not solidly proven, it is thought that this could be because of 2 reasons: meat eaters take in way too much B12. Over-intake of B12 causes lower absorption and therefore can lead to deficiency. The other argument is that because a meat eater’s diet does not allow the microbes in the intestinal tract to release B12, they may end up with deficiency. On the other hand, a vegan’s diet keeps their digestive tract healthy and clean and gives a conducive environment for B12 to thrive and be absorbed.
  3. Vegans are more likely to get B12 into their systems. Microbes that are on the surface of the food that we eat contain B12. During cooking, these microbes get destroyed and B12 gets lost along with that too. Vegans mostly eat food that does not require cooking. This makes them more likely to have higher levels of B12 than non-vegans.
  4. Naturally, people on a plant diet have cleaner digestive tracts that have healthier bacteria – probiotics – that encourage release and absorption of B12 into the body.

Whatever the arguments, the fact is that more non-vegans than vegans suffer a B12 deficiency. It could be attributed to the fact that vegans generally watch their diets more closely to ensure that they get all that the body requires.

Either way, if you are a vegan and would like to put the myth to rest once and for all, visit your GP. Through a blood test, he will tell you if you enough B12 in your body. Watch out for signs of lethargy and depression too – they can be as a result of lack of B12.

To learn more about sublingual B12, its benefits and its sources, click here.

Sources

  1. The Benefits of Eating a Plant-Based Diet: The Vitamin B12 Myth by Erin Brennan
  2. Goldman: Cecil Textbook of Medicine, 22nd ed., page 1056
  3. “Increased Urinary Methylmalonic Acid Excretion in Breast-fed Infants of Vegetarian Mothers and Identification of an Acceptable Source of B12″ (Specker B. Am J Clin Nutr 47:89, 1988)
  4. “Vitamin B12 and Seaweed” Van Den Berg H. Lancet 1:242, 1988)
cookbooks — No Comments
21
Aug 10

Vegan Cookbooks Dedicated to Desserts

Pies, crepes, cakes, cookies, brownies, muffins, puddings, vanilla ice cream and sorbets – oh, how lovely.  Even those without a sweet tooth could succumb to such temptation.  These are most people’s common coffee partners or their codas after a sumptuous meal.  And even if you have not an idea about baking, knowing that eggs and butter are their main components is a common given.  But having all these – sans the eggs and butter?

The vegan way of dieting has not been cruel to the sweet lovers.  Some of the best vegan cookbooks are dedicated to the sweet baking treats even without using a single drop of egg white or a thin slice of butter.  Vegan desserts are slowly capturing the hearts of people wanting to veer away from the excessive calorie count without crossing out the inimitable slice of cheesecake as a treat for a hard day’s work.  Others may be skeptical about trying it, either for fear that it won’t meet their taste buds’ requirements or they might end up over-stuffing because of the diminished calorie content and the satisfaction that they have derived from its taste that they thought was impossible.

A vegan cookbook sitting quietly on bookstores or on queue in online sites suddenly became a hit.  People used to brush them off and go straight to the more palatable covers that showcased treats rich in pure, decadent, dark chocolate and thick blobs of whipped cream.

While it may not be such a bad idea to have a dose of a “normal” sweet indulgence, the stricter vegans wouldn’t dare try.  If you can get the same satisfaction from “eggless” batters of bread covered with “butterless” icings without having to worry about calories and becoming overweight, then they would rather stick to the narrow road that has paved the way to living healthy.  Being in the pink of things these days is far more important than savoring thoughts of sinful scoops of ice cream and worrying about diabetes for the rest of your life.

tea / weight loss — No Comments
11
Aug 10

What Is Oprah Weight Loss Tea

Most people are wondering what this Oprah tea is. It is good to indicate that there is no such thing as an Oprah tea rather this notion arose from the fact that Oprah Winfrey of the Oprah Winfrey fame endorsed some kind of tea as healthy and good for weight loss. This tea was actually some kind of Chinese tea. This celebrity just spoke about her love for green tea but has never indicated that she herself has ever been on a tea diet no matter the kind.

There has been some useful information about green tea and Oprah weight loss tea from Oprah her self that is followed by thousands of her fans. According to her and some of the renowned experts it is recommended that one should add green tea to their diet for effective weight loss results. It has been shown that tea can be an anti-aging agent if used properly among some of its other benefits to the health of an individual
Some tea experts have suggested that green tea can aid an individual lose up to 10 pounds in just six weeks if the diet is followed appropriately. Tea can be a good substitute to coffee as unlike coffee the tea can help an individual suppress their diet. This helps a person control what they take especially if they are planning on losing weight in a healthy manner.

Some research was also carried out in Japan, which is the origin of all kinds of teas. This particular one brought to fore the calorie burning property of green tea. It is believed that tea has the capability to burn around 80 calories in a single day. This is mostly effective if the person is an a diet of about 4-5 cups of green tea a day. Most of these claims have not been substantiated by scientific proof but this should not be a reason for you not to include green tea in your diet. Apart from its weight loss properties tea is also good for your memory and it helps in keeping you fresh the whole day.

The origin of tea is believed to be in the Far East and can be dated back to around four thousand years ago. For all this time the origin countries have used green tea for medical purposes and it has proved to be successful.