Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Getting your B12

Some vegetarians believe that you can get B12 from seaweeds and soy, but it is pretty generally believed now that you can't and some of the algae can actually disrupt B12 metabolism. It's a hotly debated topic in vegan circles. Me, I shy away from the politics and we do what we do-we notice how our body feels.

We get B12 from animal proteins, eggs, and dairy. Hmmmm. And not yogurt apparently because of processing. You can look for B12 fortified foods, and if you notice they always talk about adding brewer's yeast to your smoothies-well that's because brewer's yeast has B12! Slick eh! It doesn't take much of it to make a difference by the way but it is vitally important.

B12 is for our red blood cells and our nervous system and cellular replication. All vital important things and we absolutely need B12. Now you could have been low for years but the raw experiment might be kicking in some symptoms or this totally may not be you. BUT if you aren't eating anything that will bring you in B12 read on.

SO if you have NOT been adding B12 specifically to your vitamins, you may want to do that. B12 helps your blood utilize iron, which then helps your body carry oxygen. So! If you are low in B12 here are the symptoms:

Symptoms of B12 deficiency are:
excessive tiredness
breathlessness
listlessness
pallor
poor resistance to infection
and:
a smooth, sore tongue or sore tender places on the roof of the mouth that come up suddenly without having hurt yourself
menstrual disorders
Anaemia

The body can store small amounts-in the liver, but if you have a stressed liver, it may be out of balance.
B12 is excreted in the bile, and then reabsorbed so you can recirculate the B12 for awhile if you aren't taking any in.
You can have a deficiency too because your gut isn't absorbing it the way it should because B12 and the good gut bacteria are parters in our health. If we aren't absorbing nutrients due to clogged intestines, then we aren't getting the B12 we need.

I like the drops from GNC. You squirt a dropperful in the back of your mouth in the morning and done! I also do drops for B complex. They are more readily absorbed into our system. You might try it and see if you notice a difference.

Monday, January 7, 2013

CARLSON'S FISH OIL-get your omega 3s

It's important to get the right fats in your diet. The brain needs those fats, especially if doing a raw or vegan change.

Your brain functions on good fats, so give yourself exactly what you need. I like the taste of Carlson's. Yep. That's exactly right-I LIKE the taste and drink it straight. Give it a try.

Omega 3 from flax seeds contain no DHA, which is essential for the brain. But! It does contain ALA, (alpha linolenic acid), which is what our body needs to create EPA, and then convert EPA to DHA. A lot of steps, and if the body isn't healthy, if it has a sluggish metabolism or has a health issue of some sort, or is low in vital nutrients, those steps might not get done in a speedy fashion, if at all. If it can't it won't.

What then happens, if the body can't use it, it's considered a toxin. It either has to flush it or shove it away, which both can be misinterpreted as allergic responses. GIVE your body the nutrition it needs to really do the job you want it to do.

If you are deficient in zinc, B6, B12, B3 or C you also might have trouble metabolizing the needed conversion.

If you are pyroluric, you have trouble retaining and properly using B6 and require more zince. If you ohave histapenia or histadelia you may have trouble metabolizing without higher B vitamins, specifically B3 (niacinamide), B6 (pyrodine) and B12 to offset imbalances in histamine due to high or low copper.

Get your omega 3 oils up, and get them in a fish oil form that has the necessary DHA already, and make it easier on your body. Once it gets the nutrients it needs, it will start operating better for you! It just makes good sense.

One more thing on fatty acids:

While Omega 6 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids, and cannot be made in the body, our Western diet tends to put us too HIGH in omega 6 in ratio to omega 3. That imbalance can contribute to all sorts of diseases. According to the University of Maryland, their list includes: heart disease, cancer, asthma, arthritis, and depression. An interesting list! Click below to read the full article.

"A healthy diet should consist of roughly 2-4 time more omega 6 than omega 3. The typical American diet tends to contain 14-25 times more omega 6 than omega 3."

Many researchers are beginning to point to this for the rise in inflammatory disease in our country. Why? What we know is that inflammation is a sign of toxicity, and if the body can't use it, and it can't process it out, it has to do something with it and it starts to put it in the fat cells. That's their job, and that's set up to save those vital things like your heart and liver.

Too much omega 6 fatty acids in the blood can slow it down. Omega 6's come from vegetable oils and are unsaturated. While we do need some, we don't need as much as was earlier thought. Remember: it's only true until it's not true. AND unfortunately with our food industry freely adding hormones to our meats, we are all getting too much estrogen-I question the efficacy of adding omega 6 for this reason.

The best sources for omega 3 oil are cold water fish, and wild is better than aquaculture. True!

Alt. Med / Univ of Maryland Med Ctr
Pyroluria