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What Causes Elevated B12 levels?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

what do elevated B-12 levels meanQ. What causes elevated B-12 levels? My levels are high but none of my doctors seem to think it’s a problem. Should I be concerned? 

A. Elevated B-12 levels can be a sign of a serious disease, such as certain types of leukemia or liver disease. If your doctors are unconcerned about your high B-12 levels , it suggests that they have ruled out these other possibilities based other test results (such as white blood cell count or liver enzymes). You could ask them to be sure!  Certain drugs used for insomnia (specifically, chloral hydrate) can also cause elevated B-12 levels.

References
Ermens AA, Vlasveld LT, Lindemans J. Significance of elevated cobalamin (vitamin B12) levels in blood. Clin Biochem. 2003 Nov;36(8):585-90. Link

My SNAP Challenge

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

After Gwyneth Paltrow’s spectacular fail last week, I decided to try a virtual SNAP challenge of my own. Could I buy enough groceries to eat nutritiously for a week on $29?

Paltrow’s grocery haul was perfectly respectable in terms of nutrition. The problem was that it didn’t contain nearly enough calories to sustain an adult for a week.

I’m not saying that the following rations would win any gourmet awards. But it would supply 2,000 calories per day and meet 100% of almost all of your dietary requirements…for just over $4/day.  (Prices were sourced from my local grocery store, using their online shopping tool.) Continue reading “My SNAP Challenge” >

Can I get my veggies in a pill?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Q. “I’ve heard about capsules that contain powdered vegetable juice.  It sounds too good to be true. Wouldn’t the nutritional value of the vegetables get lost in the processing?”

A.  Some of the nutritional value of the vegetables would surely be lost by processing them into a powdered supplement – but certainly not all of it.  However, I don’t think that popping a few capsules of powdered vegetables is the best way to get your recommended 5 servings a day. Part of the benefit of eating a lot of vegetables is the nutrients they contain. However, there’s another equally important benefit.

Vegetables are very nutrient dense but not very energy dense. When you fill your plate (and your stomach) with vegetables, it leaves a lot less room for other less nutritious foods – like potato chips or brownies. People who eat more vegetables not only get more nutrients, they also tend to eat fewer empty calories.

Related listening

If you fulfill your vegetable quota by popping a couple of capsules of powdered vegetable juice, you’ll get some good vegetable nutrition. But those capsules aren’t going to take up any room on your plate or in your stomach…which may tempt you to eat more junk.  And if you are eating lots of fresh vegetables, taking powdered vegetable supplements seems like an unnecessary expense.

This post originally appeared on quickanddirtytips.com

Water: The Overlooked Ingredient

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

7417277818_24db95a92e_z[1]Remember when there were just two kinds of coffee: regular and decaf? Now, we’re invited to savor the subtle distinctions between coffee grown in the Andes versus beans from Ethiopia. It’s the same with chocolate, olive oil, wine…even salt! Down the street from my house is a store devoted entirely to salt, with hundreds of types from around the world. And it’s not simply about finding your favorite: one is perfect for fish, another for tomatoes, a third ideal for sprinkling over fruit salad.

Despite all the minute attention being given to ingredients these days, the quality of the water we use in our food and beverages is all too often overlooked. Click here to learn more.

[The linked article is part of a collaboration with PUR water filters.]

Cocoa cashew creme (aka “Notella”)

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

This delicious recipe comes from my good friend, Jed. Not only does it taste better than Nutella, it’s 30% lower in calories, 25% higher in protein, and has only a fraction of the sugar. If it’s not quite sweet enough for you, add a bit more sweetener or decrease the cocoa powder slightly. If you like a little heat, add a pinch of ground ginger or cayenne pepper. For a mocha variation, add 1/2 teaspoon of espresso granules.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup cashew butter, unsalted
  • 1/2  cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir with wooden spoon until well mixed and creamy. Store in the fridge. Makes about 1 cup.

Originally published at QuickandDirtyTips.com

 

Product Review: Tumeric turmeric-based elixirs

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

 

Tturmeriche good folks at Tumeric (no, that’s not a typo; that’s how the brand is spelled) recently sent samples of their turmeric-based juice drinks and power shots for me to review. Knowing my interest in diet and inflammation, I guess they figured I’d be impressed by a product-line based on one of the most anti-inflammatory spices in the world. They were right!

The traditional Indian ingredient is being heavily researched as a potential preventive for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer,  and other inflammation-related conditions.  And turmeric-based juices are a great new way to get more of this health-promoting spice into your diet.

The Tumeric brand elixirs offer a potent dose of fresh-pressed turmeric juice blended with traditional Indian herbs and spices.  My favorite is the original elixir, a spicy combination of turmeric, ginger, cardamom, and cayenne (!), lightly sweetened with honey. A 12 ounce bottle contains 70 calories and 15g of sugar–about half the sugar of orange juice.  The Golden Milk, made with turmeric, coconut cream, chia, and hemp milk, is more like a meal, with 270 calories, 11 g of protein, and 14 g of fat per bottle. (I’m not crazy about the taste of coconut cream, but if you are, this one is worth checking out.)

One advantage to the 3-oz, 70-calorie “PUREprana” shots is that they also feature black pepper, which enhances absorption of curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric.

At $6 per 12-ounce bottle, this is definitely a premium product but one that’s unique, well-formulated and a nice addition to the category.