Help! Low b12, low protein intake and lactose intolerance

B12 is very easy to supplement. As you experiment with your diet to include more variety, a supplement could help ensure you don't become deficient.

Have you ever considered vegetarian meat substitutes? I'm not sure why fish and chicken are the only meats you eat, but it might be worth trying a vegetarian substitute to see if you like it. Many of them are higher protein.

Protein powder doesn't have to just be used in shakes either. I've added it to granola and oatmeal, people make protein pancakes by adding it to the pancake mix, people use it for "protein fluff" (I don't have a recipe, but you should be able to Google one). If you don't like it in shake form, it may be worth trying one of those options to see if you like it better.

I agree with taking a supplement and eating more meat.

Is the egg thing a mental thing? Not liking cake because of eggs is odd since you can't taste them (and cake can easily be made without eggs).

What about Lactaid milk? It's lactose free. They also have OTC tablets/chewables/drops that contain lactase.

Can you get B12 shots? Have you been checked for pernicious anemia? I would get lactose-free milk and yogourt. I have great results with lactose-free stuff (as long as it isn't sweetened with say xylitol, sorbitol, etc).

I wish I didn't like cake. Give tempeh a whirl.

I do b12 injection. Some times the body just won't absorb b12. Just out on curiosity do you have problems with fatigue or tingling in your hands or feet, momory (foggy brain - i call it).

froogal wrote: »

The doctor wants more tests, booked me in for another blood test in 4 weeks. He's also ordered other tests along side the b12 level test. In the mean time im upping my protein levels to see if that fixes the problem as at the moment I feel terrible all the time.

Good! Don't take ANY supplements, vitamins or other stuff until then as this will mess up with the results.

if you are deficient in B12 not due to eating too little meat, but due to not absorbing it then taking any supplements before further testing with not give you a proper diagnosis. B12 from tablets ends up in the blood enough to raise levels, but it needs to be converted to active forms to keep your nerves healthy. People who don't absorb also don't convert too well usually. the only thing that helps is lifelong injections as only this will give you enough B12 that your body needs.

If you have neurological problems like swollen tongue, pins and needles, your leg giving way when walking then you need injections. Tablets will not do anything as the absorption and conversion rate is too low.

One more thing with B12: For proper conversion your folate levels need to be high enough, preferentially in the upper third of the range. If it's too low after all the testing ask for 5mg of folic acid on prescription. Otherwise buy some over the counter stuff. In the UK Aldi and Lidl sell 400mcg folic acid for less than 1 pound. You just need to take 12 of those instead of one big one. But again, only start after all the testing as folic acid has an influence on your blood count, and this might convince your doctor you don't need treatment even if you might need it.

I'm lactose intolerant but there are degrees of intolerance;yours may be worse than mine. I use lactose free milk,yoghurt and cheese (almond milk is ok but for me it's too low in calories and calcium) and find I'm OK with unflavoured whey isolate powder. You can mix it with oatmeal if you don't like the texture but I find it has very little taste so fairly easy to get down.
I also use a b12 supplement which is lactose free and is designed to dissolve under the tongue - apparently it's more readily absorbed that way but idk if that's true!

Some people just are simply not able to absorb b12 from their diet. It takes a specific enzyme called the "intrinsic factor", named by the scientist many years ago who'd been researching the cause of b12 deficiency. Its complicated.

The enzyme should be present in our slaiver, so it is to coat the b 12 in the mouth, before it passes through the stomach to the duodenum where it is absorbed, by the something of Langerhans. Low stomach acid can be a contributory factor.

My doctors never got past my good haemoglobin results to find as with many people, particularly vegetarians, I need b12 and folate. I know of a product which contains b12, if and folate, its made a real difference. B12 does so many jobs in the body.