It looks like you're new to The Community. If you'd like to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookOkay, I feel quite silly posing this, but I need to know what (vitamin) I must be missing! My boyfriend and I have both been vegan for quite a few years. Last night we were casually gabbing and we came onto the topic of admitting strange things. To make the story short, we have both been craving fish. We also both know when you crave something usually it’s the body telling us that we need a specific vitamin found in that particular food. Neither one of us are actually going to give in to our craving, so what is missing from our diets that we would both be craving this? The first thing I thought of was omega oils, but we eat plenty of hemp oil, hemp seeds, flax oil, flax seeds, and occasionally chia seeds.
Comments
Try eating some seaweed. Kelp, dulse or sea sphaghetti would do the trick. The only reason people say fish is good for you is for the facr that the fish live on seaweed. So go straight to the horses (or the fish’s!) mouth and get some for yourself. It is delicious!
I agree, seaweeds and sea veggies are very important. I love and eat raw nori all the time though and usually I throw dried dulse or kelp powder on either a salad or in a collard wrap or a mock sushi roll.
Zoe…I know you are strictly 100% really raw…what is the way to eat seaweed in it’s raw form?
When I have omega-3 needs, I eat a handful of raw walnuts. I find the results are superior than if I eat flax seed. Maybe the omega-3s in walnuts are more bioavailable? I don’t know; perhaps it’s just me.
Also, on the seaweed: I eat whole dulse, never the dried, chopped variety. I think it undergoes too much accidental heat while being chopped, and often the poorest quality is saved to be chopped.(same problem with dried, chopped herb and the tea in tea bags) If you buy “whole” dulse, the taste is fanTAStic, and it’s moister and fresher. I get mine in bulk from Maine Coast vegetables. It’s dried at low temp and incredible.
TomsMom, I Love Maine Coast! They most definitely do have the best seaweeds I have ever had! It’s also good to know the the bit on “scrap” seaweed too. Thanks for the info there. Also, I think the walnut idea is great, however, I’m very allergic to walnuts I love the suckers, but they make me very ill.
Hi chakra essence,
please note that I’m not trying to convince you to eat fish. But just wish to share with you some research data…. so here is some info from international health news…
http://www.vvv.com/HealthNews/fish_oils.htm
“The main component of flaxseed and walnut oils is alpha-linolenic acid
while the predominant fatty acids found in fatty fish and fish oils are (EPA) eicosapentaenoic acid and (DHA) docosahexaenoic acid.
The most beneficial and active of these fatty acids are (according to this source) EPA and DHA.
Alpha-linolenic acid can be converted to EPA and DHA in the body, but the conversion is quite inefficient especially in older people.
EPA and DHA
play a crucial role in the prevention of atherosclerosis, heart attack, depression, and cancer
EPA and DHA are also… Very good for the brain…
The human brain is one of the largest “consumers” of DHA. A normal adult human brain contains more than 20 grams of DHA.
Low DHA levels have been linked to low brain serotonin levels which again are connected to an increased tendency to depression, suicide, and violence.
A high intake of fish (because of these oils) has been linked to a significant decrease in age-related memory loss and cognitive function impairment and a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. A recent study found that Alzheimer’s patients given an omega-3-rich supplement experienced a significant improvement in their quality of life.
US National Institutes of Health recently published Recommended Daily Intakes of fatty acids. They recommend a total daily intake of 650 mg of EPA and DHA, 2.22 g/day of alpha-linolenic acid and 4.44 g/day of linoleic acid. Saturated fat intake should not exceed 8 per cent of total calorie intake or about 18 g/day”
Best of luck with your diet & your health! Cheers :)
I thought the conversion(with regards to flaxseed) was about 20 percent. I don’t think that’s ineffecient. I think a lot of us in the U.S. have been trained to believe that if a food does not give us 100% of any vitamin or mineral or whatever, then it is not “good”. It’s what a call a “multivitamin mentality”.
I’m not saying that fish oil is bad, but I do believe there is an enormous amount of industry propoganda with the health industry concerning omega-3s. If you listen to all the flack, you wind up believing that man evolved to need copious amounts of fish oil and vitamin pills, which is nonsense.
TomsMom – i agree with you and i too am skeptical regarding nutrition advice from the US government.
This particular study was not US based, but did utilize some of their data (US National Institutes of Health).
I don’t think anyone should immediately accept any health news without their own evaluation of it—as well as their own research into it.
This article (that I mentioned above) highlights findings from Danish and Greek researchers.
I’m a bit more biased in favor of foreign researchers because I believe (and I could be wrong here) that the US is the most corrupt as far as what they will let their citizens consume.
The EU won’t allow Frankenfood for one thing while the US Government could give a damn about the consequences to the unsuspecting consumers of the frankenfood we have here.
Anyway… we all must be our own advocate i guess.
probably vitamin D. vitamin D3 is found mainly in animal sources, primarily the liver of fish. Very few plant sources of D, and most are D2, which you need vast amounts more than D3 to be used by the body. It takes 6 weeks for the vitamin to start working. Even if you lay out in the sun all day, you do not get enough vitamin D. My doctor said everyone in America is deficient. When you get a blood test, the values are based on american averages. Well, it would say that your D levels are fine, because they are on target with all the other deficient americans! I would strongly recommend taking a vitamin supplement that includes D3. When you don’t get enough, you feel really tired and run down too.
great points chicory
Adequate Vitamin D is also essential for the body to properly absorb & utilize dietary calcium.
And you’re right – most people really do not get enough vitamin D.
It is probably the most ‘taken for granted’ vitamin.
My 2 cents: Look for a vegan DHA supplement. I use one from NuTru. It’s extracted from algae, and tastes “fishy”—and most importantly, I think it has the fatty acids you’re craving. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth it in my opinion.
Also: Most (if not all) vitamin D3 supplements are animal-sourced. D2 is usually vegan but less useful to the human body. There was an interesting study about mushrooms producing vitamin D when exposed to sunlight immediately after being picked; here’s an article on it: http://articles.latimes.com/2008/mar/31/health/...
you are so right. you need DHA not just EFAs. I started taking a vegan DHA this spring and I have been feeling a lot better. My husband takes it too. It’s from blue-green algae.
I also take a D2 supplement (not as good at absorbing as D3, but better than nothing). I sit in the sun at least 20 min a day (no sunscreen). I am getting my blood levels checked again and we’ll see how they are.
Okay…Great! Thanks EVERYBODY for the tips! These cravings are not cool, and I’ll do whatever I need to do to end them. So it seems like we need some D vitamins and DHA in our house. What about vitamin D injections? Do those exist? Maybe when I go to my naturalpath for B12 I can find out if he has D available in IM form.
greenghost, I think I sounded very snotty above. I didn’t mean to; I’m sorry!
You did get me to thinking about getting a better plant-based source of omega-3s, however. I have epilepsy and the only source I’ve tried so far that helps was the fish oil I took for a period of time. But the thing is, I’ve been vegetarian for many years and it does bothered me to take it. Plus, I believe it’s all technically cooked because of the heat for processing and filtering, so my tummy doesn’t handle it well at all. I love flax but need more omega-3, so I might try this chia seed. Hmmm.
You don’t need a DHA supplement, but sometimes I think people take it for ease of mind or because they have actually found out that their body doesn’t convert EFAs well. I disagree that anyone needs a vitamin D supplement as well. I think 30 min. in the sun is great.
You might be craving salt, fat. Who knows? It might even be emotional.
There is a new Raw food vitamin by Jordin Rubin that IS 100% raw. Matt Monarch is now talking about it for those people who don’t think they are getting what they need. Zoe or anyone…I have been mostly raw (90%) since January and in terrific health. I went to the DR. for several reasons. My hair is falling out and I have had to cut 10 inches off and I don’t understand what is happening. What on earth am I lacking??? My tests results show I am in perfect health….only that my white blood cell count is extremely low. I heard that raw foodist white blood cell count is low because it is not ‘attacking’ cooked food. Any comments on this? I have to go back this week for more blood work on that issue. Other than that I am doing good with a slight case of Anemia.
What do you mean when you say your hair is falling out? Most people lose 50-100 strands a day. Can you quantify it so someone might be better able to answer your answer?
thecavesman – I Love sea spaghetti with raw pesto all over it. Or mixed with salt, hemp oil and marinated mushrooms. That’s how I eat it.
chakraessenceAlso I forgot to say that craving animal flesh is a sign of not enough minerals – so eat more leafy greens!
rawkinmama, hair loss can occur as part of detox. I have heard of a few raw fooders who have experienced this, and then had rapid hair growth. I did have a bit of this recently, but along with some extra hair loss I have got loads of baby hairs sticking out all over my head! Your hair folices do detox too. Massage your head and look forward to some lovely new thick shiny hair.
TomsMom – no sweat! I didn’t think you sounded snotty, but I appreciate your consideration in thinking of me.
Sometimes I think I come off as rather gruff & I don’t mean to either.
This site is really great, but communicating in writing leaves out voice intonation, tone & body language. Sometimes an off-the-cuff comment can strike someone the wrong way.
Thanks again for your nod to me!
It made me smile. :)
PS: I wish you the best of health & good luck with getting enough omega-3’s. Cheers!
Sun is great for vitamin D if you live where you can get enough sun year-round. Colorado & north, the sun is not strong enough to give us the vitamin D in the late fall, winter, and early spring. I’m always low on it long before the next summer. Huge amounts of sunflower seeds have helped some, because sunflower seeds have vitamin D, but this next few weeks I’m trying to get LOTS of sun, and I’ve started eating sunflower seeds in larger anounts during the summer, rather than waiting until winter, to see if I can get away without a D3 supplement (fish-oil derived) this winter. I started yesterday with the sun goal, sitting out reading in the sun for over an hour. Thanks to all the greens I’ve been eating, I didn’t get sunburned, even though I was wearing shorts & my legs haven’t gotten a lot of sun yet this year!