Plant Shift

love ♥ living ♥ vegan

London

Following a plant-based or vegan lifestyle, is about food, drink, clothes, shoes, body treatments, hair products and more. 

It's a conscious decision to think, walk and possibly, talk a better lifestyle. 

I support individuals who are thinking about making the shift, as well as, those who have already begun their plant-based journey.

Filtering by Tag: intake

Does the NHS recommend a vegan diet AND can you follow a vegan diet if you're pregnant?

March 25, 2013  /  Heena

Pregnancy

As for being pregnant; this is a precious and often emotional period of time for mums-to-be, so I wouldn't feel comfortable telling anyone that they should be vegan whilst being pregnant. BUT this is only because I haven't done it myself! Thus how could I say it with conviction? This video has solved that for me; because there's a healthy mum-to-be who talks about how great she feels being vegan during her pregnancy, as well as, how she feels after the birth of the baby.

Vegan pregnancy

The video covers 2 main things. You'll meet someone who's worked for the NHS for over 15 years who recommends a vegan diet to those who have health issues and you'll hear from a mum who was vegan whilst she was pregnant.

Whilst watching the video, can you spot any information that helps you answer the following questions?

  1. Which three conditions do vegans suffer from LESS?

  2. Do vegans need to worry about Calcium or B12 intake?

  3. Is Vitamin D something that only vegans need?

  4. Can mums-to-be remain on a vegan diet without putting their unborn child/children at risk?

  5. What about infants? Will they get what they need on a vegan diet?

  6. Does being vegan help babies suffer less?

More about this film...

The entire film lasts 30 minutes. It explores the benefits of being vegan. Some of these are: -

  • an exciting lifestyle

  • eating delicious food

  • consuming healthy food

  • tackling the ethics behind making this shift

  • global challenges that we face now and in the future.

It was produced by The Vegan Society. Will you make the connection and become part of the solution?

"I think and speak clearer since I cut the dairy out. I can breathe better and perform at a better rate, and my voice is clearer. I can explore different things with my voice that I couldn't do because of my meat and dairy ingestion." Common (hip-hop musician)

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categories / Health
tags / B12, babies, calcium, health problems, infants, intake, Irritable Bowel Syndrom, mums-to-be, NHS, pregnant, vegan, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D

What every vegan needs to know about Vitamin B12

December 27, 2012  /  Heena

When I first told my friends and family that I was going to follow a vegan diet, I was faced with questions like 'What about B12?'. I felt put on the spot and the underlying tone of the conversation made me doubt whether I had made the right decision. You see, I decided to go vegan after watching a video about dairy production. It was a decision based on emotion. I hadn't done any research but was adamant that I didn't want to go back to a vegetarian diet. Nevertheless, many would say that a decision based on emotion is a foolish one.

Everything has turned out just fine, but I wouldn't want a 'new' vegan to be experience what I did; so I'm sharing the following information, which is from the Vegan Society.

Once you have got your head around what you need to know; any conversation about what you should or should not consume will hopefully be plain sailing.

The Vegan Society has published the following information about Vitamin B12: -

Very low B12 intakes can cause anaemia and nervous system damage.

The only reliable vegan sources of B12 are foods fortified with B12 (including some plant milks, some soy products and some breakfast cereals) and B12 supplements.

Vitamin B12, whether in supplements, fortified foods, or animal products, comes from micro-organisms.

Most vegans consume enough B12 to avoid anaemia and nervous system damage, but many do not get enough to minimise potential risk of heart disease or pregnancy complications.

To get the full benefit of a vegan diet, vegans should do one of the following:

  • eat fortified foods two or three times a day to get at least three micrograms (μg or mcg) of B12 a day or

  • take one B12 supplement daily providing at least 10 micrograms or

  • take a weekly B12 supplement providing at least 2000 micrograms.

If relying on fortified foods check the labels carefully to make sure you are getting enough B12. For example, if a fortified plant milk contains 1 microgram of B12 per serving then consuming three servings a day will provide adequate vitamin B12. Others may find the use of B12 supplements more convenient and economical.

The less frequently you obtain B12 the more B12 you need to take, as B12 is best absorbed in small amounts. The recommendations above take full account of this. There is no harm in exceeding the recommended amounts or combining more than one option.

To be honest, I don't analyse my food and intake so thoroughly but I am fairly good at 'reading' my body and I also, request a blood test once a year. So far, my B12, Vitamin D, Calcium and Iron levels have been good or better than 'normal'.

“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
— Maya Angelou
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categories / Health, Tips
tags / diet, fortified, intake, supplements, vegan, Vegan Society, Vitamin B12