How Do Vegans Get Their Calcium, Iron, Vitamin B12 & Vitamin D?
Where do vegans get their nutrients is a question asked by many concerned relatives and friends. Calcium, protein and Vitamin B12 are the nutrients that most inquirers are interested in. All the while, they’re chowing down on burgers and fries, fritos and coke. It’s very interesting.
As with all diets, you need to be conscious of the balance of foods you eat to be sure you get all the nutrients your body needs to thrive. Such is true of veganism as well. Many people tell me that they eat any they want as long as it’s vegan. That’s a good way to get yourself into trouble. A poorly planned, unbalanced vegan diet puts you at risk for deficiencies of several vitamins and minerals, just as a poorly balanced omnivorous diet does.
Greens need to be the cornerstone of any diet, and this is especially true of vegan diets. Sea greens are exceptional sources of minerals that have become depleted in our soil an deficient in many land vegetables. The way greens are prepared is especially important for nutrient balance and absorption.
Trevor Justice of the Vegan Mastery Program is offering a new e-book called “How Vegans Get Calcium, Iron, Protein, A, B12, & D” and it’s packed with good information, like the importance of fermenting, sprouting and germinating to enhance absorption of these key nutrients, what good vegan sources of these nutrients are and how to combine foods and nutrients to get best absorption.
If you’d like to thrive on a vegan diet and avoid being vulnerable to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, thus guide is a great resource. When you request the guide, you’ll also get access to a recording called “Balancing Raw and Cooked Whole Foods” plus a few other reports and articles.
To get your complimentary copy of the new e-book from the Vegan Mastery Program “How Vegans Get Calcium, Iron, Protein, A, B12, & D” simply follow this link.
http://www.drritamarie.com/go/veganmastery
Love, Health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: vegan, veganism, vitamin B12, Vitamin D, vitamins and minerals, whole foods
Posted in Articles, Vegan Diet, Vitamin D, Vitamins and Minerals
Day 14 of the 30 Day Fun and Sleep Challenge: Exercise, Vitamin D and Antidotes for Chronic Fatigue
What do chronic fatigue, belly fat, depression and hormone imbalance have in common?
Exercise, sleep, fresh air, sunshine (vitamin D) and fresh foods. A deficiency of any or all of these can create imbalances in hormones and blood sugar irregularities that lead to persistent belly fat, fatigue and depression. So what do these have to do with the 30 day fun and sleep challenges? Plenty! Most people I talk with feel fatigued much of the time and would like more energy.
Lack of sleep is only part of the equation, but it can make you fat. Researchers have found that lack of sleep can cause decreased leptin levels. Leptin is a hormone that regulates your appetite. As a result of not getting enough sleep, you’ll find yourself more hungry and you’ll find it challenging to control the amount you eat. This leads to blood sugar imbalances, insulin resistance and increased belly fat. Insulin resistance results in fatigue after eating, rather than increased energy, which means you’re less likely to exercise. It’s quite the vicious circle.
While I have not been as good as I had planned at writing these blog posts daily, I am pleased to admit that the reason why I haven’t had the time to write the blog posts daily is that I have been fulfilling my commitment to get to bed as close to midnight as possible. Thus, I am sleeping more. As a result of sleeping more, I’ve also been exercising more. A double win! There have only been a couple of later than midnight bedtimes, and that was because I chose to sit in the sauna before bed.
If my lack of posting has in any way effected your commitment to the 30 Day Fun and Sleep Challenge, my apologies. I am committed to resuming writing daily, and have it scheduled in my calendar.
Our weather in Austin has finally become warm and sunny! I’m very happy about that. The mornings have still been cool…40′s, but the afternoons are in the 70′s and 80′s. So I have been out for a run in the sun most days this week. It feels great.
I am usually very consistent with exercise…as consistent as I am with food. When the weather got so cold and cloudy for so long, I got out of the habit of running first thing in the morning, and some days, time and obligations got away from me and I found my exercise dwindling.
In addition to getting your daily dose of vitamin D on sunny days, exercising in the fresh air offers so many benefits. Exercise is super important for hormone balance, weight management, increasing your energy and overcoming fatigue. It’s also good for your heart, your mood and your immune system. Fresh air and exercise are a dynamic duo, so get outside and move as much as you can.
My blog post back in the fall about exercise and burst training is a good one to review for some tips.
My report card for the last few days:
1- getting to sleep at or around midnight: Excellent
2- exercise: excellent
3- writing my blog posts: fair
4- Having fun – good. I’ve spent a lot of time with family and have had some friend fun too.
My commitments for Monday:
1- bed by midnight.
2- finish writing a few projects that are close to completion
3- fun time with kids, who are off school for spring break
4- running in the sun
Commitment for at least one day this week: Get to bed by 10 PM and see if it is really as good as it’s cracked up to be!
What about you? What are you committed to?
Post below in the comments section.
This week we’re having a contest. I’m offering a prize to whoever posts the most this week…genuine commitments and report cards. I’ll post the prize on Tuesday.
Wishing you lots of Love, Health and Joy (and sleep, too)
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, chronic fatigue, depression, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, Exercise, Exhaustion, fatigue, fatigue symptoms, Living Foods, livingfoods, Raw Foods, raw foods diet, raw foods recipes, sunshine, Vitamin D
Posted in Articles, Fatigue Treatment, Fitness, Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free recipes, Sleep for Vibrant Health, Vibrant Health, Vitamin D
Flu Prevention:Healthy Diet and Lifestyle Choices to Build A Strong Immune SystemChoices
With so much talk of flu epidemics and questions about the efficacy and safety of vaccines, I feel it’s important to offer another perspective on how to take charge and fortify your immune system against disease. The following article was written by my herbal mentor and teacher, David Winston, RH(AHG).
The Herbalists and Alchemists line of herbal products that he formulated is top of the line. I’ve used many of these products with my patients and family. I love his Audio tape series, which is how I got started with him before taking his 2 year Herbal Practitioner Program. He also has more advanced herbal and health condition topics on CD
While David and I don’t see eye to eye 100% on dietary recommendations, his approach to herbs is the best I’ve seen. He combines extensive scientific research with spiritual connection to the plants and formulates highly targeted and effective formulas.
Winter Health & Immune Support
The immune system is amazingly complicated; in fact there not one tissue in the body that does not have direct or indirect effect on the immune function. Overall, strengthening the immune system with adaptogenic herbs is a smart move. Also critical is a healthy diet. Eat garlic, onions, carotenoid rich foods, sulphur containing foods, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, dietary bitters, healthy fats, organic meats in moderation, and wild fish. Avoid fried and junk foods, and refined carbohydrates. Low vitamin D strongly increases risk of catching viral diseases which is why the most serious outbreaks occur in the winter when people’s vitamin D levels are their lowest; many Americans are Vitamin D deficient. And make healthy lifestyle choices: sleep 7-8 hour a night, exercise, wash hands frequently, get sunlight, avoid smoking and reduce stress.
The following Herbalist & Alchemist products are useful in immune support:
- Immune Adapt
- Seven Precious Mushrooms
- Adrenal Balance Compound
- Sinus Support Compound
- Immune Balance Compound
- Alterative Compound
- Burdock/Red Root Compound
- Echinacea/Goldenseal Compound
- Astragalus/Echinacea Compound
- Ultimate Echinacea
- Ginseng/Schisandra Compound
- VX Immune Support
- Healthy Kid’s Compound
- Herbal Re-Leaf Throat Spray
- Lung Re-Leaf Formulas (Hot/Dry, Hot/Damp, Cold/Dry,Cold/Damp, Antispasmodic)
- Amla
- Holy Basil
- American Ginseng
- Honysuckle flower
- Andrographis
- Huang Qin
- Ashwagandha
- Hyssop
- Astragalus
- Isatis
- Blueberry Solid Extract
- Lemon Balm
- Bupleurum
- Licorice
- Cat’s Claw (Una de Gato)
- Lomatium
- Chinese Salvia
- Maitake
- Codonopsis
- Osha
- Cordyceps
- Reishi
- Echinacea
- Rhodiola
- Elderberry Solid Extract
- Schisandra
- Elderflower
- Thyme
- Eleuthero
- Turmeric
- Ginseng
- Unprocessed Rehmannia
- Goldenseal
- Yarrow
- Ground Ivy
David Winston, RH(AHG) is an ethnobotanist and internationally known lecturer and author, who, for over 35
years has been studying, practicing, teaching and researching Cherokee, Chinese and Western herbal medicine. He can be reached at http://www.herbalist-alchemist.com
There are so many things you can do to support your immune system. You need not take all of the herbs mentioned above. Choosing the right herb for you may take some detective work. Use formulas that are tried and true before attempting to experiment with single herbs, unless they are recommended or you.
Sign-up HERE for a FREE downloadable audio presentation on flu prevention and immune system enhancement and learn what Dr. Ritamarie and Dawn Aubrey, CCN do.
Stay Healthy!
Love, Health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: building strong immune system, David Winston, flu preventon, flu protection, flu vaccine, Herbalists and Alchemists, immune system, sugar and immune system
Posted in Immune System Support, Vitamin D
Is Sunscreen Increasing Your Risk of Cancer?
Perhaps you’ve been brainwashed by the media about the dangers of the sun and how important it is to wear sunscreen every time you go outdoors. My son was told in health class that he should NEVER go outdoors unless he’s wearing sunscreen, even at night, because the UV light can “Get Him” even in the dark. Being a saavy health information consumer, he argued with the teacher, explaining to her the importance of daily sun exposure for adequate Vitamin D production. She, of course, wasn’t buying the information, especially since the source was a fifteen year old.
Perhaps she’ll change her tune if she watches the following videos from reputable sources…MSNBC and the University of California Medical School. Maybe some of the references below from medical journals will be convincing. According to Dr. Cedric Garland of UC Medical School, about 50,000 cases per year of breast cancer and and 51,000 cases of colon cancer can be prevented by maintaining adequate blood levels of Vitamin D.
How do you get adequate blood levels of Vitamin D? Daily sun exposure is the best way. When you can’t get sun exposure, a vitamin D supplement is prudent.
Everyone who uses sunscreen or spends most of the day indoors should get a vitamin D blood test. Based on Dr. Garland’s Research, the ideal blood level of vitamin D for cancer prevention is between 50 and 60 ng/dl.
For details about how Vitamin D and sunshine work, watch this very entertaining video by Dr. Michael F. Hollick, an MD researcher from Boston. His slides are humorous, his presentation style fun and his information sound. I disagree with drinking 3 glasses of milk a day, but most of the other recommendations make a lot of sense. His website http://www.vitamindhealth.org/ is a wealth of information.
Another good source of Vitamin D research is Dr. Mercola. I particularly enjoyed the research that linked washing with soap and sunlight exposure through windows to Vitamin D deficiency.
Finally, there’s the issue of the safety of sunscreen. There have actually been studies that report an increased risk of cancer with the use of sunscreen because of carcinogenic compounds like benzophenone or its derivatives (oxybenzone, benzophenone-3), found in most sunscreens. Benzophenone is one of the most powerful free radical generators known to man and it’s activated by ultraviolet light. For more info about the link between sunscreen and cancer, visit
http://www.vvv.com/healthnews/dsunscre.html
If you’d like to really get into the technical details and cancer statistics, as well as the proposed mechanism by which Vitamin is believed to prevent cancer, take a look at this video by Dr. Cedric Garland http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PsyaYNX1dw
Here are a few medical research papers that support the Vitamin D cancer connection
[1]Annals of Epidemiology April 14, 2009 Dr. Cedric Garland
[2] Annals of Epidemiology July 2009, Volume 19, Issue 7, Pages 468-483
[3] Science Daily, “New Model Of Cancer Development: Low Vitamin D Levels May Have Role” May 26, 2009
[4] The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology March 2007; 103(3-5):708-11
[5] American Journal of Clinical Nutrition June 2007; 85(6):1586-91.
[6] American Journal of Epidemiology October 12, 2007
Here are some of Dr. Joe Mercola’s Vitamin D articles and videos
[1] Mercola.com “Daily Sunlight Can Keep Cancer Away” August 7, 2008
[2] Mercola.com “Lack of Sunshine Causes One Million Deaths a Year” August 24, 2007
Let me know where you stand on the issue. Do you get enough sunshine? How do you plan to get your Vitamin D levels into the optimal range and protect yourself? Comment below!
Tags: cancer prevention, sunshine, Vitamin D, vitamin d testing
Posted in Articles, Cancer, Vitamin D, Vitamins and Minerals
