Welcome to the Vitamin B12 blog! Find information on topics related to vitamin B12. This blog is dedicated to providing up to date research, news and resources pertaining to vitamin B12, general health information surrounding the benefits of vitamin B12. Learn from, and contribute to information on B12, vitamin B12 and other connected subjects. Feel free to participate in blog discussions and contribute your opinion on the related topics covered in the Vitamin B12 blog.
What causes Leaky Gut Syndrome? Scientists aren’t positive- could be Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, or any number of autoimmune disorders.
What is Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS), also called intestinal hyperpermeability, is a breach in the barrier that lines the intestinal tract. Leaky Gut causes damage to your digestive system, making it difficult for your body to digest nutrients, in addition to “leaking” bacteria, toxins, and undigested food particles from your intestines and into the rest of your body.
Scientists aren’t clear what exactly causes Leaky Gut Syndrome, but they have noted some strong correlations; conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, and gluten intolerance have a cyclical relationship with LGS, causing symptoms that cause further damage to the intestines, thus making Leaky Gut Syndrome even harder to control. Leaky Gut could result from a chronic disease, or it may signal the onset of life-threatening illness such as AIDS.
Doctors are hesitant to diagnose Leaky Gut Syndrome; it hasn’t yet been fully accepted as part of conventional medicine, and there are multitudes of seemingly unrelated illnesses that are theorized as being linked with Leaky Gut Syndrome. Not surprisingly, most doctors choose to treat each symptom separately, and rarely get to the root of the illness that might be LGS.
Below are some common symptoms associated with Leaky Gut Syndrome:
What diseases and are associated with Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia, or pernicious anemia
Fibromyalgia
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Crohn’s disease
Chronic depression
Arthritis
Psoriasis
Acne
Hives
Kidney disease
Liver disease
Pancreatic disease
Jaundice
Hepatitis
Unexplainable infections
AIDS
What can I take for Leaky Gut Syndrome?
If you are diagnosed with Leaky Gut Syndrome, your doctor might advise one or more of the following:
Glutamine
N-acetyl cysteine
Zinc
Vitamin B12 supplements
Long-term lifestyle changes are effective at preventing further occurrences of Leaky Gut Syndrome, including restrictive diet for Leaky Gut, probiotics, alcohol moderation, and weaning off non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Read more about autoimmune diseases and vitamin B12 deficiency:
Don’t let celiac disease or other food allergies like lactose intolerance keep you from enjoying major league baseball. Yummy gluten-free dietmenus for gluten intolerance are available at most ballparks. Find your favorite gluten-free beer, hot dogs with tapioca-rice hot dog buns, and more. Before you sit down to enjoy the game, check out this gluten-free food list for baseball fans.
Before you purchase anything from a gluten-free hot dog stand, or other concession cart, make sure that the food they’re offering really is celiac disease-friendly.
Only buy prepared food from vendors that are exclusively gluten-free, as opposed to simply offering a few menu items for people with gluten-intolerance among other non-elimination diet snacks.
Ask the food servers if they know what a celiac disease diet is, and the risk involved with gluten cross-contamination.
Packaged foods (gluten free chocolate chip cookies, potato chips) are okay, as long as you are the first person to open them.
Sufferers of celiac disease follow a gluten free diet, but many don’t add vitamin B12. People with autoimmune disease or gluten intolerance getB12 deficiency more often than not, according to health experts. Doctors advise sufferers of digestive diseases or pernicious anemia to supplement with B12.
Celiac disease facts:
“Alternative Names: Also classified as a disease of nutrient malabsorption, celiac disease is also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue and gluten-sensitive enteropathy.” –DiagnoseMe.com
Celiac disease (Gluten Enteropathy) is a digestive disease that causes severe damage to the small intestine’s lining.
Celiac disease is also an autoimmune disease. When any food containing gluten enters the body, the body proceeds to attack its own digestive system, harming the inner lining of the small intestine.
Gluten is a protein that occurs primarily in wheat, rye, and barley. All baked goods, snacks, or condiments that contain gluten are hazardous to patients with celiac disease.
Celiac disease patients have difficulty digesting vitamins and minerals from food sources, particularly vitamin B12, which can lead to severe vitamin B12 deficiency.
Some symptoms of celiac disease include diarrhea, stomach cramping, nausea, flatulence, blood in the stool, pernicious anemia caused by B12 deficiency, and stunted growth.
There is no confirmed cure for celiac disease. Physicians recommend lifestyle changes, such as following a gluten-free diet and supplementing with vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12 deficiency: What’s the connection?
“Since most B12 in our diets comes from animal products, vegans are at risk for B12 deficiency. Crohn’s and celiac disease, weight loss surgery, and chronic alcoholism can all interfere with a person’s ability to absorb enough of the nutrients they need. Seniors have more problems with nutrient absorption and malnutrition as well.” –WebMD
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble nutrient that occurs naturally in protein sources such as beef, chicken, fish, eggs, and milk products.
Your body needs vitamin B12 for the nervous system, building red blood cells, mental clarity, maintaining metabolism, and preventing dementia.
According to one study, celiac disease patients run a high risk of developing vitamin deficiencies. Out of over 400 celiac disease patients, 12% suffered folate deficiency and 5% were deficient in vitamin B12. Among men, 33% had iron deficiency, while 19% of women had low iron levels.
Scientists conclude that damage to the small intestine in celiac disease patients prevents them from properly absorbing nutrients, thus causing severe malnourishment.
Scientists also speculate that following a gluten-free diet might also contribute to vitamin deficiencies, adding that many gluten-free products lack sufficient B vitamins, calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, fiber or vitamin D.
Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms and treatment
Only a blood screening for low B12 can confirm if you have vitamin B12 deficiency.
Some symptoms of B12 deficiency include fatigue, depression, psychosis, memory loss, brain fog, tingling or numbness in the hands and/or feet, altered taste perception, and loss of balance.
In some cases, following a gluten-free diet is effective at maintaining vitamin B12 levels.
For people who exhibit celiac disease symptoms in addition to symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, doctors advise immediate supplementation of B12.
Vitamin B12 supplementation can include weekly B12 injections, and may follow up with sublingual vitamin B12 tablets.
For many, B12 shots cause bruising, and are extremely painful, as they require insertion into thick, muscular tissue. A popular option is to supplement with an alternative weekly over-the-counter (OTC) vitamin B12 supplement, which administers the same amount of vitamin B12 as the B12 injections, without the pain, and doesn’t require prescription.
Gluten FreeDiet-Safe Halloween Treats-Before buying Halloween treats for kids with Celiac disease symptoms, see our gluten-free candy list for October 2011. Following a gluten-free diet couldn’t be easier, even if your family suffers from autoimmune disease or gluten allergy.
Gluten Intolerance Symptoms
People with Celiac disease or other gluten intolerance symptoms must follow a gluten-free diet. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, is a common ingredient in most baked goods, snacks, and other packaged foods. Symptoms of Celiac, an autoimmune disease, include stomach cramps, diarrhea, bloating, constipation, and vitamin B12 deficiency.
Look no farther than the Jelly Belly candy display for the tastiest candy corn! Jelly Belly makes delicious assorted jellybeans and other candy confections that are (mostly) gluten-free, dairy-free, gelatin-free, vegetarian, and OU Kosher. For a list of Jelly Belly products to avoid this year, see Avoid these NOT Gluten-Free Halloween Candies, below. Get their Halloween Fun Pack for $4.99.
Gluten Free for Chocolate Lovers
The following chocolate bars and chocolate confections are safe for people with gluten intolerance and wheat allergies:
Baby Ruth bars
Butterfinger Original only
Hershey’s Kisses
M&M’s
Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins
Snickers bars
York Peppermint Patties
3 Musketeers bars
Gummy Candies, Jelly Beans, and Chewy Candies- Nom, Nom!
These stick-to-your-teeth candies are soft, chewy, and sticky-sweet. Best of all, no gluten!
Black Forest Gummies, including Gummy Werewolves and Gummy Vampires
Mike and Ike
Peeps Ghosts Marshmallow Candy
Starburst Fruit Chews
Tootsie Midgees
Skittles
Welch’s Fruit Snacks
Lollipops and Hard Candies
Which lollipops are okay for kids with Celiac disease? These hard Halloween candies are guaranteed to be free of gluten.
Charms Flat Pops
Spangler Dum-Dums and Saf-T-Pops
Lifesavers individual flavors
Avoid these NOT Gluten-Free Halloween Candies:
Chocolate Bars to Pass on
Nestle 100 Grand Bar
Nestle Crunch Bar
Original Milky Way Bar
Butterfinger: Butterfinger Crisp Bar, Butterfinger Giant Bar, Butterfinger Snackerz, Butterfinger Medallions, Butterfinger Jingles, Butterfinger Hearts, and Butterfinger Pumpkins
Mars Bar
Hershey’s Miniatures
Hershey’s Symphony Bar
Hershey’s Nuggets
Hershey’s Mounds
Hershey’s Almond Joy
Don’t Chew on These
Wonka Nerds (most flavors)
Jelly Belly- assorted bridge mixes, chocolate malt balls, and licorice buttons and pastels contain gluten.
Don’t stress over packing healthy, celiac-friendly school lunches that are gluten-free. Here are some easy, fun, and yummy ideas for bento box lunch meals.
If you read Part 1, Five Reasons to Go Bento on Gluten Free, then you already know that bento boxes are God’s gift to gluten-free dieting. Now, what are you going to do with that information? To start you off on the road to happy bento boxing, here are some tips from the experts:
Bento Lunchbox Tips
1- Make it gluten-free! Fortunately, bento box lunches marry well with gluten-free dieting. That’s because staple bento lunch ingredients include gluten-free foods like rice, eggs, and fish, in addition to fresh fruits and vegetables. Your only challenge- finding gluten-free soy sauce.
2- Make it fun!Buy a bento box that matches your child’s personality. Bento box themes range from Pokemon, space robots, and sports to panda bears, puppy dogs, and everybody’s favorite, Hello Kitty.
3- Make it hot or cold! Cold bento lunches are a snap to put together, but don’t forget those chilly winter school days! Many bento boxes come with insulation to keep your cold salads crisp, and your warm chowders steamy.
4- Make it personal!Let your kids help you put together their lunch ingredients. You supply the fixins, like carrot sticks, rice balls, tuna salad, boiled eggs, and cut fruit. Your kids can assemble the whole kit and caboodle.
5- Make it awesome!You don’t need to be a master at food artistry to concoct some cool-looking sides with real “wow!” appeal. Use common tools like cookie cutters, egg slicers, ice cube trays, and ice cream sandwich molds to whip up some unique, whimsical snack creations. Add sliced nori for “eyes,” or design healthy edible decorations out of egg sheets. Let your imagination run wild!
6- Make it economical! Bento lunch meals are cheap because they utilize inexpensive, basic staples like rice, eggs, fruits, and vegetables. Bento lunches are also practical, in that they use up leftovers and other single-serving snacks.
Here are a few recipes your family will love:
Tofu “sandwich bread”
Gluten-free breads are a popular alternative for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Here is a clever recipe that incorporates sliced tofu instead of sliced bread. Try it out, and let us know how it tastes! Low Carb Gluten-Free Freeze Dried Tofu Fried “Sandwich Bread”
Onigiri- it’s like sushi, only without the fish. Here are some instructions for making perfect onigiri rice balls.
Bento Bear
Once you’ve mastered the art of making perfect rice balls and molded boiled eggs, you might like to try this next adorable, yet edible teddy bear treat: Cute Bear Bento – Gluten Free Meatloaf Recipe.
Packing lunches for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance can be costly. Bento boxes are the perfect venue for restrictive gluten free diets.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes damage to the intestinal linings, specifically in the presence of gluten, a protein found in grains such as wheat, barley, corn, rye, spelt, Kamut and triticale. For that reason, people who suffer from celiac disease are required to follow a gluten-free celiac disease restrictive diet.
Gluten can lurk in many baked goods, packaged food items, and condiments. Although many food items carry “gluten-free” labeling, the best way to avoid accidentally consuming gluten is by checking ingredient labels carefully, checking also for gluten cross-contamination warnings.
Other people who follow gluten-free dieting are individuals who are allergic to gluten, and others who suffer from gluten intolerance. Also, many parents of autistic children find that gluten-free foods agree better with their children’s digestive system. Increasingly, more sufferers of fibromyalgiaclaim that switching to a gluten-free diet has alleviated many of their pain symptoms.
Why Go Bento?
Bento is the Japanese version of a brown-bagged lunch, only much healthier…not to mention, better for the environment. Bento boxes are easy to find, but if you don’t feel like ordering a Hello Kitty bento box for your celiac kiddo, don’t worry. In a pinch, you can utilize standard Rubbermaid or Ziploc brand containers for your bento boxing needs.
The many benefits of bento boxing are too numerous to count, but let’s try:
1- Perfect pair. Bento boxing and gluten-free dieting is a match made in heaven. Traditional Japanese cuisine already contains foods that are compatible with celiac disease dieting.
2- Portion controlled.The number one strategy for any diet is controlling the amount you eat. Bento boxes contain sectioned food trays, allowing for perfect food group rationing, for you portion control freaks out there.
3- Pleasing to the eye.Tasty food alone doesn’t suffice for your fussy eaters; it should look good, too. Studies prove that people “taste with their eyes” before they take that first bite. Popular bento treats include rice balls (onigiri) and molded eggs, formed with fun animal-shaped molds, and veggies or fruit in appealing cookie-cutter figures.
4- Planet-friendly. By using a bento box, you cut out a substantial amount of waste, including brown bags, sandwich bags, plastic forks, and paper packaging
5- Pocket-friendly.Let’s not forget, you save a ton of money when you go bento. Where a typical lunch may cost upwards of $20.00, a prepackaged bento boxed lunch will only run you a couple bucks, especially if you utilize last night’s dinner leftovers.
For many celebs, gluten-freedieting is not just about Celiac.
It’s a light, gentler diet: that’s what today’s celebrities have to say about gluten-freedieting, a food plan which eliminates all products which contain gluten, a protein which occurs naturally in wheat, rye and barley.
The gluten-free diet evolved as a treatment for celiac disease, a gastrointestinal disorder that affects 1 in 133 US citizens. It seems that today’s hottest entertainment A-listers have gluten intolerance; celebrities such as indie-star Zooey Deschanel and The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck have gone off gluten-rich breads, pastries and pasta in lieu of gluten-free specialty goods.
So, where do the rich and famous go to indulge in celiac-friendly treats? ToBabyCakes, which has branches in Los Angeles, New York and Orlando, and specializes in baked goods that are free of refined sugar, gluten, casein, soy, wheat and animal products such as eggs and milk.
Here are 15 celebrities who have shared their experiences about gluten-free dieting:
1)Zooey Deschanel once guested on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, demanding that contestants concoct a vegan gourmet meal for her that was also gluten-free and soy-free. Zooey has since given up the vegan lifestyle, but remains true to gluten-free living, given that she is allergic to the wheat protein.
2) Comedienne Jenny McCarthy believes that her son, Evan, developed autism from a rubella vaccine. She attributes his current well-being and decreased symptoms of autism to a gluten-free diet. “We believe what helped Evan recover was starting a gluten-free, casein-free diet, vitamin supplementation, detox of metals, and antifungals for yeast overgrowth that plagued his intestines,” said the outspoken activist to CNN.com.
3) Gwyneth Paltrow published her favorite gluten-free recipes on her website, Goop.com. Although she is not a sufferer of celiac disease or gluten allergy, Gwyneth claims that cutting gluten out of her life has helped her maintain a healthy weight.
4) The View‘s Elisabeth Hasselbeck spoke about her celiac diseaseand commitment to gluten-free living on Good Morning America, where she also pitched her cookbook, The G-Free Diet. When asked about her adjustment to what many consider a restrictive diet, she answered, “You’re not deprived… You’re more energized.”
5)Jennifer Anistonowes her slim waistline to the “Baby-Food Diet,” the short-lived weight-loss plan consisting of small jars of pureed, gluten-free vegetables and fruits.
6) Keith Olbermann, host of Countdown, chose a gluten-free diet after being diagnosed with celiac disease.
7) Victoria Beckhamis allergic to dairy, but also harbors a secret addiction to gluten-free chocolate cookies.
8) Rachel Weisz, star of 2010′s The Whistleblowereschews gluten because of herwheat intolerance.
9) Dana Delany of television’s Body of Proof declared that since she quit eating gluten products, she feels less “bloated and sluggish.” The former Desperate Housewives star, who was diagnosed as gluten-intolerant, told Prevention that she also skips meat, opting instead for fish, tofu and veggies.
10)Juliette Lewis has not come out of the closet as a celiac or gluten-intolerant patient, but it has been rumored that the upcoming Foreverland star favors non-glutinous noshes.
11) Chelsea Clinton’sgluten-free wedding cake was the talk of the town. Her 2010 New York wedding menu featured vegan gourmet main meals, gluten-free side dishes and grass-fed organic beef for the non-vegan guests. Her father, former president Bill Clinton, has also had his flings with gluten-free treats.
12) Not to be outdone by Chelsea, Madonna served gluten-free brownies at her 52nd birthday bash.
13) Discovering he has a gluten protein allergyhas been the best thing to happen to tennis star Novak Djokovic. Since swearing off pizza, pretzels and beer, the celebrated athlete has ruled the court.
14) Jennifer Esposito, multi-talented actress and star of TV’s Spin City and Samantha Who? has never felt better since she was informed she had celiac disease and proceeded to cut the gluten out of her diet.
15) Terence Stamp, who played Chancellor Valorum in Star Wars: Episode I, also joins the ranks of celebrities who have sworn off gluten products.
