Another vegetarian question

[Stephanie0523]

Ugh!!! Suzanne!! I am not going back to the store!!! Been there every day this week already!! But, wow that sounds yummy!!

I'm addicted to the cocoa-dusted Emerald almonds. Oh my!

 

[story1267]

I have weeks like that too! Do you have a Trader Joe's? Because if you like the Emerald almonds then you will love Trader Joe's almonds - they have a few different kinds but the one type I go back to over and over has cocoa, plus a bit of sea-salt. "Dark Chocolate Almonds" is the name. Fab.u.lous!

 

[Bobbi-B]

Regarding sublingual Vit B12, last year I took them daily for a while and I noticed that I started to bruise very easily. Bruises all over my legs for no good reason! It was a very big dose, though I'm not at home right now so I can't check the bottle to say exactly what the dose is. I know it's way bigger than the daily RDA.

Anyway, I cut back to taking them once a week, and I still bruised easily. I stopped taking them, and the bruising problem went away. Once in a while I take one, and for a week or so afterwards I have the bruising problem. So I've stopped taking them. I'm vegan, so B12 is often recommended, but I figure I get enough from fortified foods.

Not sure if this is common or relevant to anyone else, but I thought I'd put it out there in case anyone notices mysterious bruising upon starting B12 supplementation.

 

[Stephanie0523]

Hi Bobbi,
I did a little reading online and found that bruising is a sign of B12 deficiency. Oddly enough. From About.com:
"Symptoms of B-12 deficiency and B-12-related anemia include:
Feeling tired or weak
Pale appearance to the lining of lower eyelids
Palpitations, fast or irregular heart beat.
Faintness and breathlessness.
Hair loss
Bruising that occurs without reason
Dizziness
Long or unusually heavy menstrual periods"

I've been having SEVERAL of these symptoms lately. I asked the pharmacist this morning if I could get too much of it and if I did if it were toxic, and he said no. He said that B12 is tough for the body to absorb. (Don't know how much he knew about it.) I did read that though it is considered VERY rare to overdose, the symptoms of a B12 overdose are numbness of the extremities.

Suzanne--Those almonds sound delightful! We don't go to Trader Joe's that often because there isn't one near us, but when we do go, I consider it a treat. LOVE that place!!

Oh, and PS, I hate dried apricots. Yuck. The texture is awful! Felt like I was chewing on someone's ear. Blech!! Maybe I'll chop them up and put them in cous cous with some almonds. I might could stomach them that way.

 

[cindi1]

I don't like Apricots either but here's a charoset recipe I really like that has them. You could swap out the walnuts for almonds and then you'd have that 1-2 punch.

Ingredients:
1/4 c apple juice
1/3 c pitted dates
2/3 c dried Mission figs, chopped
1/2 c golden raisins
1 1/3 c walnuts
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t cayenne
1/4 t cardamom
1/8 t ground ginger
2/3 c dried appricots

Directions:
Soak dates in apple juice for about 30 minutes to soften, drain. Coarsly chop all ingredients.

 

[kathryn]

Stephanie,

Dried apricots can be very chewy, depending on the batch. The healthiest ones (the non-sulfured ones that are darker colored) can be quite tough.

I suggest making a "compote" : chop up dried fruits (apricots, figs, raisins, for example) and soak them in just enough water to cover (or o.j.) for a few hours. Eat both the fruit and the soak water. You can also add spices like cinnamon or cardamom.

Or soak the apricots and blend them with some almond milk as the base for a smoothie (I'd add frozen bananas to mine...but you might not want to.).

 

[Bobbi-B]

Hi Bobbi,
I did a little reading online and found that bruising is a sign of B12 deficiency. Oddly enough. From About.com:
"Symptoms of B-12 deficiency and B-12-related anemia include:
Feeling tired or weak
Pale appearance to the lining of lower eyelids
Palpitations, fast or irregular heart beat.
Faintness and breathlessness.
Hair loss
Bruising that occurs without reason
Dizziness
Long or unusually heavy menstrual periods"

I've been having SEVERAL of these symptoms lately. I asked the pharmacist this morning if I could get too much of it and if I did if it were toxic, and he said no. He said that B12 is tough for the body to absorb. (Don't know how much he knew about it.) I did read that though it is considered VERY rare to overdose, the symptoms of a B12 overdose are numbness of the extremities.

Stephanie, thanks for sharing this info. That IS odd! My blood work has never shown B12 deficiency, I've had it checked yearly for the past several years. I don't have any of those symptoms (except like I said, bruising when I take B12.)