take my vitamins every day for a month

I don’t know if I want to do this any more. I’d rather adjust my eating so that I’m getting more vitamins from food. So for now I’m “giving up” on this until I decide if it’s really something I want to pursue or not.

I need to. Just need to.

Now that I’m in the habit, I will continue to take my vitamins as part of my bigger, detox thing.

Now that I’m in the habit, I will continue to take my vitamins as part of my biiger, detox thing.

Sometimes I forget to take these over the weekend, but other than that, I’m doing great with this thing. I’ll have to be more diligent on a couple Saturdays and Sundays, then I’ll mark it as complete

I was going to get a B12 supplement for me and my son, but now I’m not sure if I need it. My multi has, “Vitamin B-12 (as Cyanocobalamin) – 80 mcg – 1,333%” and his has “Vitamin B-12 (as Cyanocobalamin) – 6 mcg – 100%.”

So, we’re okay then, right?

I can’t help but acknowledge the fact that B12 only naturally occurs in animal products like eggs, meat, poultry, shellfish and milk products. It doesn’t sit completely well for me, knowing that because I don’t consume those animal products, I have to add a synthetically manufactured product to my diet. Don’t get me wrong, even if I did eat dairy and/or meat, I’d probably still take the multi-vitamin. It just doesn’t reconcile completely with my conscience that I have to take a synthetic pill to get an essential vitamin.

From WHFoods:

B12 and vegetarianism

The ability of a strict vegetarian diet to supply adequate amounts of B12 remains controversial, despite increasing evidence in support of vegetarianism and its nutritional adequacy. The controversy is fueled by two somewhat divergent schools of thought. One school emphasizes the fact that most animals, including humans, are capable of storing long-term supplies of B12.

In humans, these stores may last for twenty years or longer. Given this potential for storage, a daily requirement for B12 is regarded as highly unlikely.

A second school of thought, however, points to the unreliability of plants as sources of B12. For strict vegetarians who eat no animal products whatsoever, this unreliability may pose a problem. Since no plant is capable of making B-12, the amount of B12 in plant food depends upon the relationship of the plant to soil and root-level microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts, molds, and fungi) which make the vitamin. Cultured and fermented bean products like tofu, tempeh, miso, tamari and shoyu may or may not contain significant amounts of B12, depending upon the bacteria, molds, and fungi used to produce them. The B12 content of sea vegetables also varies according to the distribution of microorganisms in the surrounding sea environment.

Unfortunately, reliable nutrient analyses are often unavailable for consumers of these products, and labeling for B12 content is not required. In general, tofus, tempehs, and sea vegetables tend to be more consistent sources of B12 than misos, tamaris, and shoyus. Depending upon the medium in which they are grown, brewer’s and nutritional yeast can also be significant sources of B12 in a strict vegetarian diet.

What can I do to make that research happen? I’m sure if adequate testing was done, we could find a suitable and reliable plant- or microorganism-based source of B12.

Of course, there’s always this option:

“Human faeces can contain significant B12. A study has shown that a group of Iranian vegans obtained adequate B12 from unwashed vegetables which had been fertilised with human manure. Faecal contamination of vegetables and other plant foods can make a significant contribution to dietary needs, particularly in areas where hygiene standards may be low. This may be responsible for the lack of aneamia due to B12 deficiency in vegan communities in developing countries.” (source)

Or not… Ew.

so, here’s what I’ve learned via Wikipedia so far. The type of calcium I have on hand, calcium carbonate, is most likely to cause gas/constipation. taking it with magnesium (which is included in this one) lessens that effect. for best absorption, it should be taken with food. considering those two things, I’m going to make this a dinner time pill. finally, as you increase the amount of calcium in a pill, the amount you absorb is decreased, so they recommend not going above 500mg. however, calcium carbonate is only 40% elemental calcium, so taking 1000mg only gives you 400mg of calcium. these guys are 1000mg, so I’m going to take one a day at dinner time.

so I know I haven’t been eating the healthiest since we moved into the city. the least I can do is institute some vitamin supplementation. I’ve got a “B-complex 100” and “calcium/magnesium” here, so I’ll work with those. also maybe a vegetarian multi if j let’s me share his. if I remember to pick up some omega-3’s I’ll add those too, but I won’t consider them imperative to meet the goal. if nothing else, they can become next month’s goal:)

I’m doing this as part of my larger detox thing (http://www.43things.com/people/progress/mikaeladanielle/5939074).

I will be taking every day:
Omega-3/DHA liquid supplement
Alkaline greens powder
Women’s multi-vitamin
Calcium with D2 (twice daily)

Starting… tomorrow! :)

This is on hold for a bit because my B vitamins are aggravating some health issues and I don’t have any multivitamins at the moment.