Posted on February 8, 2016July 20, 2017 by Kelly Gibson — Leave a comment

Do Vegans Need Vitamin B12?

By: Cheyenne W, vegan blog writer for Kelly Athletics. Revised by Kelly Gibson – Do Vegans Need Vitamin B12?

Have you heard the argument that vitamin B-12 is absent from a plant based diet and that vegans are deficient? Many of these arguments have spread propaganda such as “If you only eat a plant based diet, you will be deficient in B-12. Therefore you need meat and other animal products in order to survive.” But all this that has been said is completely false. It can be possible for anyone to be deficient of B-12 regardless of what they include in their diet. Often health problems such as gluten intolerance can lead to a B-12 deficiency. So, the question arises, do vegans get Vitamin B12 from their diet or should they supplement?

What exactly is Vitamin B12? B12 belongs to the B complex of vitamins. B vitamins are necessary for energy metabolism and other biological processes. The B12 vitamin is essential for the replications of DNA, the formation of red blood cells and maintenance of the central nervous system. Vitamin B12 in fact is derived from a bacteria in the soil that grow the plants we eat. So, do vegans need vitamin B12 or is it in our plant-based diet already?

Extensive use of pesticides and sanitation to the soil in which we grow our produce has diminished the soil of essential nutrients, which has lead to an absence of B-12 in plant sources. The amount of B-12 a person needs every day is very minimal and a person who eats animal products gets far more than they actually need. The recommended weekly allowance of B-12 is believed to be 2,000-2500 microgram. Like any other vitamin, too much B-12 has been found to be very harmful rather than helpful so moderation is important. There are many much healthier sources of B-12 that are free from unhealthy animal products and should be incorporated into a person’s diet.

One option is to take a B-12 supplement, best absorbed with methylcobalamin as pictured below. Cyanocobalamin can release cyanide into the bloodstream which can be harmful to our bodies. Be sure to get vitamins that are suitable for vegetarians and vegans because often the capsules are made from gelatin, which is derived from the connective tissue and bones of livestock.

Many vegan foods are fortified with B-12 such as foods made from wheat gluten and soy beans and other vegan meat substitutes. Make sure though that the meat substitutes are in fact vegan because often they contain eggs or milk, such as the morning star brand. Always check to see if they are vegan and fortified with B-12. The most famous of the foods that are fortified with B-12 is nutritional yeast. Brewer’s yeast and nutritional yeast are often fortified with B-12 and added to various foods as a source of this vitamin. Another great source of B-12 are fortified plant milks such as fortified soy milk.

Eating vegan foods fortified with B-12 at least three times a day have been found to give the full needed daily amount in place of supplements. B-12 supplements and foods that are fortified with B-12 are healthy sources that do not contain any of the unfortunate health consequences from animal derived foods. With careful planning and knowledge of nutrition, you will get every nutrient you need to live a healthy life from a plant based diet.

Looking to learn more about vegan vitamins or plant-based nutrition? Contact Me for More Info:

References:
eCornell Certification in Plant Based Nutrition, Course: Principles in Practice, Lecture: The Role of Supplements.

Posted on April 3, 2013July 20, 2017 by Kelly Gibson — Leave a comment

Do Physicians Recommend a Plant-Based Diet

If you’re Concerned about how your diet impacts your health…

You might be wondering, Do Physicians Recommend a Plant-Based Diet?

According to Kaiser Permanente, a well-known company that publishes medical journals to physicians, has encouraged medical doctors over the past year to reconsider the types of diets they recommend to their patients. Specifically, this article discusses proper diet MD should recommend for diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. They say “Healthy eating may be best achieved with a plant-based diet, which we define as a regimen that encourages whole, plant-based foods and discourages meat, dairy products, and eggs as well as all refined and processed foods.” The article discusses the positive effects of eating a plant-based diet to reduce cholesterol, BMI, high blood pressure, and glycated haemoglobin (a protein with red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body.) The vegan diets used in this study included nutrient dense plant-based foods, encouraging lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts, lentils, peas, seeds, and soybeans, among other beans. It was amazing to read through the results found in a 16-week study, showing that plant-based diets improved ALL of these medical issues better than a combination of medication and exercise. So, do physicians recommend a plant-based diet or are they neglecting to stay up to date on current nutritional research? Turns out, there are quite a few MDs recommending a plant-based diet including the President of the American College of Cardiology! Here is a list of other plant-based doctors.

In this article by The Permanente Journal, I concur with their conclusion that those on a vegan diet need to focus on planning, reading labels, and discipline. As a Vegan Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach in Phoenix area, I am sometimes overwhelmed (in a good way) with the abundance of new vegan options at restaurants and health food stores. But then, I become stumped at the majority of restaurants and grocery chains who still offer 98% animal-based products. I just took my first trip to Winco Foods in Gilbert AZ today, hoping to find yummy vegan grub, but I left with none other than avocados, green tea, oil-free frozen hash browns, gluten-free cupcake mix for Halloween, and Gardein vegan chicken for my husband to try. I read every ingredient on the labels and leave behind anything containing animal products (this definitely takes discipline.) No worries though, we are fortunate to live in Chandler where there are loads of great vegan options at health food stores, and nearby vegan restaurants in Tempe & Phoenix. As always, we have the world wide web to find a plethora of homemade plant-based recipes to try.

Written by Kelly Gibson, October 12 2014

Considering a plant-based diet? Contact Me for More Info on my Plant-Based Nutrition programs:

Source: http://www.thepermanentejournal.org/issues/2013/spring/5117-nutrition.html, photo from www.natural-health-cafe.org

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Posted on November 20, 2012July 20, 2017 by Kelly Gibson — Leave a comment

Get Fit For The Holidays

Get Fit For The Holidays!

Making Better Choices to Get Fit for our Health

The first step to eating better is shopping smarter. It starts from the grocery store to your kitchen. Take a look at what you have in your kitchen and re-evaluate your grocery habits. Foods that are easily accessible are the foods you will most likely eat, so get rid of the junk food now and start filling your cabinets with food you know is good for your body. Below are some tips for making small adjustments that will help you get fit and lose weight.

1. Always make a shopping list. If you don’t plan what to eat, you plan to cheat! The extra effort it takes to plan ahead is well worth your time. Take a few minutes once a week to find healthy recipes that you want to make, and write down the ingredients that you need to buy. Don’t forget to include on-the-go snacks such as nutrition bars and trail mix, plus healthy recipes that are quick to prepare. This will prevent you from going to fast-food restaurants for a quick fix. Instead, save yourself the calories. 2. Look at the ingredients. If you are unsure what an ingredient is, don’t buy it. A lot of the long-winded words in processed foods are chemicals, preservatives, or genetically modified ingredients. Examples include hydrogenated oils, sodium benzoate, and maltodextrin. If your body does not recognize a substance in the body, your immune system will treat it like a toxin and try to fight it off. These added stresses on the body may negatively affect your metabolism, which may lead to weight gain. 3. If you really are craving sweets, eat a piece of fruit. Chances are, your craving will be satisfied. However, if you still can’t get over your craving then limit yourself to an individually packaged item that is one serving size. Don’t buy the whole cake, a dozen cookies, or a liter of soda. It is not worth the discount on bulk items if they will cause you to gain weight. Having these items sitting around in your house will tempt you to consume it! 4. Limit attending events based around eating food. Most events like birthday parties, potlucks, and banquets have an abundance of desserts, burgers, pizza, and/or soda. Those are all the foods you should be avoiding in order to lose weight. If you do attend events, however, bring a healthy dish or eat a meal right before leaving your house. That way, you will not be hungry and are less likely to indulge in junk food.

Tis the season to be slimming! Don’t use the holidays as an excuse to eat junk. You can still mingle with family and friends without making poor eating decisions. When the holidays roll around, try new healthy recipes and change up the tradition a little. The choices you make will influence those around you – give the gift of positive change this season! Eating healthy doesn’t mean giving up your favorite foods, but changing how you prepare them to get fit. Happy Holidays!

Contact Me for More Info on How to Get Fit:

Kelly Gibson has certifications from NASM, Precision Nutrition, eCornell, over 3 years experience as a Coach and Trainer, a lifelong athlete, and has earned a Biological Engineering degree from Penn State University. If you need to calculate your calories, macros, and other weight loss goals, Kelly is your go-to trainer for Plant-Based Nutrition.