The Real Reason You Feel Sick & What You Can Do About It!

You wake up in the morning and you barely have enough energy to press the snooze button. You look at the alarm clock and get extremely annoyed at the thought of having to get up and get your day started. As you swing your legs out of bed, you notice that your toes feel funny. You don't fully feel your big toe on your left foot and your little toe on the right foot is tingling. You get up out of bed and have to quickly hold onto the nightstand because you need to catch your balance. You think to yourself: "Is today Tuesday or Wednesday?" You're not completely sure and your mind to too foggy to remember yesterday's events. You realize that you really have to go-I mean REALLY have to go and you barely make it to the bathroom in time. Relieved, you walk over to your sink and let out a loud belch. You look at yourself in the mirror and have a hard time recognizing the person staring back. Does any of this sound familiar?

Whether you are experiencing some of these symptoms or all of them, you are not alone. These are classic symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. B12 is essential for your brain, nervous system, and blood cells to all work properly. Vitamin B12 is abundant in high-quality animal protein, especially grass-fed/pastured beef liver. According to Paul Pitchford in Healing with Whole Foods, a large intestine  produces large amounts of vitamin B12, unfortunately it's the small intestine that absorbs it, so by the time it travels through your gut, it becomes compromised. According to Pitchford, since most people's digestive tracts are their weak spots, most people need to supplement B12.

Initially a B12 deficiency presents itself as a feeling of fatigue, upset stomach, indigestion. Other symptoms include pale skin, numbness in the fingers and toes, heart palpitations, anorexia, infertility, moodiness, paranoia, and other personality changes. Because the liver can store B12 for 3-6 years, a deficiency doesn't always present itself until the stores are depleted. Also, because folic acid and B12 have similar functions, sometimes it masks the true deficiency. Pitchford cautions that many people who eat a diet high in health whole grains, leafy greens, and vegetables are still often deficient in B12.

If you've taken birth control pills or antibiotics, consume alcohol, smoke, drink coffee, and have stress in your life, you are depleting your B12 stores. Vegans especially need to supplement B12 because of the lack of nutritional sources in their diet. In addition, if you suffer from leaky gut or any digestive issues, there is a big chance you aren't able to properly absorb the B12 in your food and even in your supplements. As part of my studies, I recently listened to a talk by Brenda Davis, author of Becoming Raw - the Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets (2010). She mentioned that we only absorb about .5%-1% of the B12 in our supplements and she recommends either taking 1,000 mcg twice a week or 29 mcg twice daily from supplements in addition to what you get from food. In comparison, the NIH recommends 2.4 mcg a day.

One of my favorite supplements of B12 is Chlorella and my favorite brand is Bright Earth Foods. 
Chlorella, an algae, has the highest concentration of chlorophyll of any plant, giving it a deep emerald-green color. Besides containing B12, Chlorella is high in protein, which makes it a great supplement for vegetarians and vegans. It also removed heavy metals, radiation, pesticides, herbicides and PCBs from body tissues. With all of the recent concern about GMO foods, Chlorella is a great supplement to help detox your body from the effects of non-organic food. In addition to supplying B12 and aiding detox, Chlorella has been known to reduce the symptoms of numerous types of cancers, diabetes, low blood sugar, arthritis, AIDS, candida, pancreatitis, liver cirrhosis, hepatitis, peptic ulcers, viral and bacterial infections, anemia, and multiple sclerosis. Bright Earth Foods Chlorella comes in chewable tablets that are sweet, salty, nutty and fun to eat because they make your tongue green. 3 grams of chlorella has 4mcg of B12.

I have been supplementing Chlorella for about 6 months and have noticed significant improvement in my digestive issues and mood. I was taking a different brand before Bright Earth Foods sent me their Chlorella. I like their Chlorella much more. It has a delicious earthy sea flavor reminiescnet of Sea Urchin to me. If you are interested in their product you can find it here: Bright Earth Food's Chlorella. 

Besides meats and fish, another source of B12 is nutritional yeast. This is not an ideal supplement for people with a tendency towards dampness and candida overgrowth. It's also important to make sure you are getting a high quality supplement that is naturally and not synthetically produced. If you are sensitive to MSG, like I am, pay attention to how nutritional yeast makes you feel. Personally, it make me very foggy and I can't consume it. If you are not sensitive, it's a great way to add cheesy flavor when you are dairy free.

 


In summary, if you are experiencing any other the symptoms I've mentioned, consider either testing your B12 levels or supplementing. You may hopefully start seeing improvement in 3-4 weeks. You deserve to feel your best everyday, what are you doing to make sure you do? Comment below, I want to hear from you!

Tangy & Tasty: How to Make Solyanka Without Nitrates

Growing up, my mom made two soups that I enjoyed very much. The recipe for the first, Borscht, I've already shared with you. The second soup is called Solyanka, a thick, spicy and sour soup. Solyanka can be made with fish or veggies, but at our house, it was always made with meat - and lots of it. My mom would freeze old cured meats for months in preparation for making a large pot. This soup brings me back to my childhood, to a start of a new school year and shopping for new pens and pencils. It's my "macaroni and cheese."

Nowadays, we steer clear of cured meats because of the dangers of nitrates and nitrates, but luckily there are plenty of uncured options available. In addition to cured meats, the soup is usually made with tomatoes and my mom used to make it with ketchup. Similarly to cured meats, we generally don't eat nightshades at home, since the hubby gets heartburn and it aggravates my arthritic pain. So I've developed a real food, tomato free soup that decreases the meat and increases veggies. I have also added sauerkraut to the recipe. I just felt like it would greatly add to the tartness of the soup, while adding bulk.

I'm also making my soup with Bright Earth Foods Himalayan Sea Salt. I'm a huge fan of Bright Earth Foods. I discovered them at my local co-op in San Francisco Rainbow Grocery when I was looking at unrefined sweeteners. Their mission of bringing wellness through nutrition really resonates with me. But honestly, they sell some amazing stuff. I'm going to be writing more about them in the upcoming weeks, but in the meantime check out their site.

Solyanka
Ingredients

Broth
1 lb pastured/organic beef bones (knuckles, marrow)
1 lb either pastured/organic short ribs or shank cross cut or brisket
1 onion
4 bay leaves
14 pepper corns
Bunch of parsley
1 tbsp Bright Earth Foods Himalayan Sea Salt 


Soup
2 cups sauerkraut (naturally fermented with just salt and spices)
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata Olives (make sure that they are made with just salt and come in glass jar to avoid BPA)
1/4 cup pitted green olives (make sure that they are made with just salt and come in glass jar to avoid BPA)
3 large dill pickles (naturally fermented with just salt)
16 oz uncured pastrami
2 beef franks (I used Fork in the Road)
1 large bunch of Swiss Chard (I prefer chard specifically vs. kale, I wouldn't recommend subbing with kale. You can also use Sorrel if it's in season)

Process:
1. Put all herbs and spices into a tea bag filter

2. Fill pot with about 6-7 quarts of filtered water and add onion, bones, meat, and salt

3. Bring to boil, then turn heat down to low and simmer for 24-36 hours

4. Let sit until cooled and fat hardens at the top. Skim fat with a slotted spoon

5. Once broth is cooked, remove meat from bones and discard then with the tea bag and onion

6. Set pot back on stove and heat

7. Cube beef franks, pastrami, and pickles and add to the pot

8. Slice olives and add to the pot (if they are small enough, you can just throw them whole)

9. Add sauerkraut to pot

10. Cut Swiss Chard in to small strips and add to pot

12. Simmer on medium low heat for 30 minutes

13. Enjoy!