So I was B12 deficient.

[Chrissi]

So I went to the doctor's today in regards to a blood test I took two weeks ago. I wasn't in a hurry to get back to them, because I figured it was just like all my other blood tests - fine fine fine and fine across the board. But little did I know....

So I have to take 4 pills a day for 2 weeks to recover my B12 levels, and then 2 pills a day to keep them up to standards.

I won't say how low I was, just that I was dangerously low.

I was also slightly low in iron, but it wasn't a real cause for concern. She reccomended taking supplements anyway, but not nearly to the amount of the B12. One $3 bottle of iron supplements will last me about 3 months, but a hueg bottle of B12 which costs $8 will only last me 2 weeks and then 1 month at a time.

Now, I guess my body's B12 reserves suddenly ran out, because I have been getting blood tests at least once every two years and I've been vegetarian for about 7 or 8 years, and I've been fine until now. Then bam... I'm super low.

I guess it makes sense, because it was only recently that i've made an attempt to cut dairy out. (I'm not vegan - I just don't drink milk and I go low on the dairy) And as you probably know, there are zero plant sources of B12, except in miniscule amounts that do not affect dietary value at all.

So I guess this is a bit of a message to the vegetarians and vegans.... all your other nutrients can be derived from plant sources, and yes, you'll be fine for a few years if you go vegan, as long as you make sure you get enough iron. But vegans and stricter vegetarians need to either eat a lot of B12 fortified foods, or take B12 supplements, because your diet will not normally provide it.

Again, there are zero plant sources of B12. You can only find it in meat, eggs, dairy, and B12 fortified foods. Supplements should be vital for most veggie-heads.

If you're vegetarian or vegan or even if you just have a bad diet, go see your doctor and get your levels checked. Low B12 levels in the short term have some slightly annoying consequences like fatigue and tingling of the extremities, but over the long term it can cause neurological damage.

Also, she told me that many college students, due to bad nutrition, have low B12 levels - even the non-vegetarians.

I don't know if it was the overload of pills all at once or if it's just my regular bad sleeping habits, but I've been sleeping all day, and I think I'm about ready to head to sleep another 10 hours.

[Triplex72]

When I was really low on iron, I had to take 4 pills a day, then I just got to lazy and stopped before the bottle was half gone.

[Chrissi]

lol :\ iron deficiency is bad too. You should probably keep up with that one, unless you changed your diet.

[Triplex72]

Well, that was a few months ago, and I havn't died yet so I'm content for now.

[Chrissi]

That's not the way it works... you don't just stop taking them cause you feel fine.

I mean I felt fine, except that I thought I had carpal cause of the tingly hands... but I was dangerously low in B12 which would eventually lead to neurological problems.

I forget what iron does if you're deficient, but I know it's bad.

[Triplex72]

I think you can start to pass out, feel light headed and such.

[jewpinthethird]

Originally Posted by Triplex72

I think you can start to pass out, feel light headed and such.

Anemia.

Once I had a blood test, but I never got my results...they just took my blood and ran...or sold it to vampires.

[Squeek]

Suddenly vegetarianism doesn't seem like a good idea.

This just adds to the number of people who are vegetarians who I've heard of having major bodily problems. A kid I know at work has been a vegetarian for years now, and as a result, he's an insomniac. Gets about a collective total of 10 hours of sleep every two weeks or so.

This goes along with a study I heard during a presentation in one of my lectures concerning different sleep cycles and how one was only possible if you were a vegetarian.

So, no thanks. I know you like to try to convert people to vegetarianism, but srsly, the side-effects are too harsh.

[Chrissi]

I've never tried to get anybody to be a vegetarian. You like meat? Keep eating it.

I still think it's healthier, but I've changed my ideas about it. I always knew you had to watch your diet and make sure you keep your iron intake up. And, contrary to extremely popular belief, vegetarians rarely have problems with protein. It's the iron and B12 that get us.

I now think that vegetarianism is healthier as long as you either consume enough dairy/B12 fortified foods to keep B12 levels up, or take B12 supplements. Granted, everything I've said before still applies; you can't just "not eat meat". You need to make sure you are eating a healthy variety. But even a healthy variety of all the veggies in the world won't get you any B12.

[Squeek]

http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/...ad.php?t=42324

Never?

I never seriously considered it, but I did read that thread unbiased all the way through.

Oh haha I already posted all about this. Totally forgot.

http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/...5&postcount=49

Yeah. The main reason I won't become a vegetarian despite the animal treatment issues and all that jazz is simply because vegetables taste freakin' nasty. It takes loads of salt and butter to make them taste somewhat decent, and that's with the nose-plug trick to block out taste.

[Chrissi]

Originally Posted by Squeek

http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/...ad.php?t=42324

Never?

That was a plea for people to open their minds and take a second look at vegetarianism, not to become vegetarian themselves. I wanted people to actually understand my view for once.

And well, different people have different tastes. You think veggies taste nasty? I think meat tastes nasty and I always have. Even from the youngest ages, I wouldn't eat steak, liver, or anything else like that because I thought it was disgusting. Sometimes I'd try a bit, but it would still be disgusting. The only meats I liked were chicken, seafood, and the stuff they put in tacos, but that's because of the spices they use - the taste of the meat itself is disguised. You can flavour tofu the same way and it tastes pretty much identical. Oh and I LOVE vegetables. I ate nothing but raw vegetables for two weeks and was very enthusiastic about it. But my tastes swing all over the place.. right now I'm hooked on candy :\

I don't know if I've told this story before... but at first it was hard for me to give up chicken. I really did like it a lot. But I don't have a taste for it anymore. It tastes weird now. As would be expected. It could be my mindset, whatever....

but yeah, I understand different people have different tastes. Vegetarianism was very natural for me, as I've never in my life actually liked most meat. But for others, like, you said, vegetables are disgusting. Meh. Different people...

[chickendude]

I'm an indian and my entire family (except me) is vegetarian

so pretty much, whenever I'm at home, I eat vegetarian food. My diet is completely good. The thing I really don't like is when people think that vegetarianism involves only eating vegetables. At my house, we eat lentils/rice with almost everything and it's really good. You can mix it with almost anything (tomatoes, spinach, vegetables, mangoes(mmm) ) and it will taste good.

I guess regarding the B12, I get most of through milk because I do drink a lot of milk. I've never had any nutritional issues throughout my life. It's the best diet I've seen; nobody in my family has any major health problems caused by diet.

[duhh_]

i always thought that eatting plently of spinich helped with that...

meh, shows how much i know.

[Chrissi]

Spinach will get you iron. But spinach does not have B12. No plant does.

[duhh_]

heh, I learn something new everyday.

i knew it gave iron, but i always thought i gave of b12 as well. sort of an irrational idea on my part but, oh well.

i eat cereal just about everyday, so thats not really something im too concerned about. And as long as i get my bananas ( very healthy stuff ^^)
then im fine.

[jewpinthethird]

Originally Posted by Chrissi

Spinach will get you iron. But spinach does not have B12. No plant does.

But it could....with science.

[qualy]

Originally Posted by Chrissi

And well, different people have different tastes. You think veggies taste nasty? I think meat tastes nasty and I always have. Even from the youngest ages, I wouldn't eat steak, liver, or anything else like that because I thought it was disgusting. Sometimes I'd try a bit, but it would still be disgusting. The only meats I liked were chicken, seafood, and the stuff they put in tacos, but that's because of the spices they use - the taste of the meat itself is disguised. You can flavour tofu the same way and it tastes pretty much identical. Oh and I LOVE vegetables. I ate nothing but raw vegetables for two weeks and was very enthusiastic about it. But my tastes swing all over the place.. right now I'm hooked on candy :\

I don't know if I've told this story before... but at first it was hard for me to give up chicken. I really did like it a lot. But I don't have a taste for it anymore. It tastes weird now. As would be expected. It could be my mindset, whatever....

but yeah, I understand different people have different tastes. Vegetarianism was very natural for me, as I've never in my life actually liked most meat. But for others, like, you said, vegetables are disgusting. Meh. Different people...

I kinda know how you feel/felt. I've never been much of a meat fan in my life and I pretty much have only ever eaten chicken, turkey and seafood. I'm in a big meat-eating country now though (look at location: bolivia :P) right at the point where I am starting to not like that stuff. But as far as I'm concerned I don't really have all THAT much of a choice of what I eat... just the amount of said food that I eat... considering I'm living in someone else's house and all. >.< I still like dairy products and I probably will for the rest of my life. My body has never been accustomed to eating beef/pork/other meat like that all the time though and I'm having digestive problems because of it (plus the fact that almost every time I eat meat here it's at least a little red still most of the time... or a lot red sometimes >.<).

edit: ok I remember what else i was going to say now.

Since I got here (about 2 months ago now) I have had a pain in my right wrist when I move it up and down far enough, like a jabbing/stabbing pain (more the former than the latter). I looked up the symptoms for carpal tunnel and b12 deficiency (because your thread reminded me of it) and a bunch of other wrist problems but I couldn't find anything. yeah pretty pointless contribution but oh well

[YungYung]

Originally Posted by jewpinthethird

But it could....with science.

genetically modified tomatoes with salmon genes

ick.

[chickendude]

we need genetically modified grass with arm hair genes

[jewpinthethird]

Originally Posted by YungYung

genetically modified tomatoes with salmon genes

ick.

Tomatoes swim upstream.