Bliss Warrior

THE GREAT VITAMIN DEBATE

Do you take vitamins?  I rarely - if ever - take vitamins. When I do, they often give me a stomach ache, and as I  become healthier, I listen to my body. If a food or supplement makes me feel sick, that tells me I should not eat it.

When you become vegetarian, everyone asks the same questions, “How do you get protein?” and “Are you taking enough vitamins and supplements?”  It is hard for many Americans to believe that one can stay healthy eating fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts alone.   When I tell them I get my protein from veggies and nuts and the occasional egg, and never take vitamins, they look at me like I am crazy.  “What about the B-vitamins?  Vegetarians have to take B-vitamins!”

SHOULD VEGETARIANS TAKE VITAMINS? 

A couple of years ago, I started going to a wonderful chiropractor in New York’s West Village. In the early 1980s, he participated in a longitudinal study researching the effects of vitamins on the body. After five years of medical doctors, researchers, and holistic practitioners studying patients and recording data, he said the only vitamin that the body absorbed in pill-form was Vitamin C. “Vitamins,” he told me, “are best absorbed into the bloodstream and the body when they come from whole, unprocessed food.”

Many friends I know swear by vitamins and say they give them more energy and make them more immune to colds and flus.  Many medical doctors say that it is always a good idea for adults 40 and over to at least take a multivitamin daily.

For my birthday, my man gave me a copy of Michael Pollan’s new book, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.  Pollan argues that prevailingly scientific research has not improved our health, but made us fat and diseased.  For decades, scientists have supported “nutritionism”; the theory that health does not come from whole food, but the individual nutrients within food.   It is not the orange that is good for you, but the vitamin C within the orange.  In “nutritionism,” then, vitamin C can be removed from the orange, be made into a pill, and be considered equally as “nutritious.”  But what if there is something else within the orange that helps humans to absorb the natural vitamin C?

IF I CAN’T GET VITAMINS FROM PILLS, WHAT SHOULD I BE EATING?

1. “Eat mostly plants, especially leaves.” From interviewing numerous nutritionists, Mr. Pollan says that the best place to get Vitamin C and many other nutrients necessary for vibrant health, is to eat leaves. Obviously, when he says “leaves”, he means salad: lettuce, spinich, kale, mustard greens, chard, mixed greens, etc. One thing scientists do agree on, he says, one can never eat too many greens.

2. Where do I get vitamin B12? Vegetarians need to be concerned about Vitamin B12 because the only natural source for it is in meat or bacteria. However, Mr. Pollan points out, humans need only a very small amount of B12  and vegetarians may get enough from eating fermented produce or fermented teas, like Kombucha. The Vegetarian Society disagrees with this statement and argues that  “the only reliable unfortified sources of vitamin B12 are meat, dairy products and eggs.”  They recommend that vegans eat food fortified with B12. One egg a week will supply a vegetarian with enough B12 to not need to take supplements.

3.  Juicing!   If you missed my blog, Drink Your Vegetables, I recommend checking it out.  Juicing fresh, organic vegetables is a great way to inject pure vitamins and minerals directly into your bloodstream.

DO YOU TAKE VITAMINS? 

Once again, many people have many different opinions about what vitamins you should take when.  I would like to hear from you, darling readers.  What vitamins are you taking?  Do you feel better than when you aren’t taking vitamins?   Let me know!

XOXOXOXOXOXO
BLISS WARRIOR

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IF YOU ENJOYED READING THIS BLOG, YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY READING:
THE ONLY ZERO CALORIE SWEETENER THAT WON’T CAUSE CANCER
GET SKINNY EATING DECADENTLY
BLISS, HELP US BECOME VEGETARIANS!
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THE DRUG-FREE SOLUTION TO HEADACHES

Darling Bliss Readers,

When I was in junior high school, I began developing horrible migraine headaches. This was not a surprise to me, as both my mother and grandmother suffered from frequent headaches. I quickly learned that if I did not take a painkiller before the headache was full-blown, I would get sick to my stomach and the only solution would be ice packs, darkness and sleep.

So, like my mother, I was prescribed a high dosage of Motrin (800mg) and began taking that or Ibuprophen every morning to avoid a potential headache later. Taking medication for the prevention of headaches became a norm for me.

In my early thirties, I became vegetarian and began researching natural health remedies. I slowly stopped using all headache medications and started a daily exercise routine. For awhile, the headaches seemed to be stopping.

At the time, I was attending UCLA graduate school full-time and was on the computer all day for the first time since college. By the end of work and class, I tended to have headaches. Since UCLA provided free health-care, I made an appointment with a doctor. Naturally, the doctor’s remedy was to give me a stronger painkiller than Motrin. I declined the prescription.

As I was leaving, the nurse who did my initial paperwork pulled me aside. “We’re not supposed to do this,” she said. “But I used to have terrible headaches and the solution was chiropractic.”

“Really,” I asked.

“Go to a chiropractor, sweetie. You won’t need any more painkillers.”

A friend recommended her chiropractor and I quickly learned the headaches I experienced were caused by the neck vertebra putting pressure on the nerves in the spinal chord. After a few adjustments, the headaches stopped.

Now, I only visit a chiropractor if I get a headache and those are rare.

Since I know the cause of the pain is in my neck, I have learned yoga stretches to stretch the neck muscles and realign the vertebra. Now, by stretching or by getting an amazing massage from my man, I can ease the pain myself. [Make sure to visit a chiropractor or yoga instructor before stretching your neck. The neck is fragile and you need to stretch it properly with supervision.]

So the next time you get a bad headache, reach for the phone instead of the medicine cabinet. Call a chiropractor and get healthy naturally!

XOXOXOXOXO
BLISS WARRIOR

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BLISS IS IN NEW YORK CITY TO CELEBRATE HER UPCOMING FIRST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!
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Thank you to all the marvelous girls who have offered to help beta test the new community site for bi-girls and their girl friends: Hotel Bliss.

As soon as the site is ready for testing, I will e-mail you an invitation to join the slumber party and check-in to Hotel Bliss.

Want to help us make Hotel Bliss the site to answer the question, How do I meet a bi-girl? Help us beta test the site.

E-mail me for more information at: BLISS@BLISSWARRIOR.COM.