“Are you having a senior moment or could it be a vitamin B12 deficiency?” captioned a Brunswick News article authored by Catherine McCain, a consulting dietician who practices out of the Smythe Street SuperStore medical clinic.
I’ve had a few ‘senior moments’! Most recently, it was a case of ‘where oh where can the almonds be?’ I purchased ingredients for my Christmas fruitcakes - brandy flavoured mincemeat, sweetened condensed milk, walnuts, mixed fruit, flour, and eggs. I already had the glazed cherries. I purchased the almonds, too! They’re high in B12, if you didn’t already know! As I organised the ingredients on the kitchen counter, with the intention of baking 2 cakes, cooling them overnight, to be followed by the requisite wrap in booze soaked cheesecloth and other related steps involved in Christmas cake baking and gifting, I noticed something — no almonds!
That meant no fruitcakes and no B12! My schedule was totally messed up, so I had only one recourse - spend the afternoon set aside for baking to relax with movies instead. Life is good. Besides, watching a well written and acted whodunit is good brain exercise.
As I age with multiple disabilities, I am thankful that I am still very mobile, in spite of the awkward, shuffling gait of cerebral palsy. I attribute my ‘top shelf’ health and wellness to the proactive stance I adopted several decades ago. I knew in my 20s that I didn’t want to get locked into a cycle of prescription drugs to manage the implications of aging with since birth disability and those that would layer on top of it. Here I am at 62 years of age having no daily regimen of ‘doctor drugs’ to be taken. Instead, I focus on nutrition; what I eat, and what I don’t eat. I also take supplements to support my immune system, particularly during flu season, saying ‘no thanks’ to the flu shot.
B12 is a water soluble vitamin that helps maintain health of nerves, brain, and creation of red blood cells. Long term deficiency may result in nerve damage and may even lead to paralysis.
For me, it reasons that having a topped up vitamin B12 load is a good idea given that my brain was insulted in infancy, resulting in life-long spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Anything I can do to reduce the impact of age-related deficits, I will do. In my late teens, I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the thoracic spine. Also tied to the cerebral palsy is fibromyalgia, with which I was diagnosed in my 30s. Again, my choice was no drugs for the long term. I take prescription pain management medication on an ‘as required’ basis. Key to healthy living is to keep moving; exercise via routine housework along with range of motion exercises have served me well.
I also benefitted from taking B12 to reverse the effects of carpal tunnel syndrome, and was afforded considerable extended relief as symptoms went away. If symptoms recurred, I simply repeat the course, taking the tablets til gone.
Vitamin B12 has the benefit of boosting energy, reducing depression, decreasing sugar cravings, lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. It also reduces neurological and brain degeneration. It’s clear then, that Vitamin B12 is a very necessary supplement for me based on my medical/health profile. Key among symptoms of deficiency are fatigue, constipation, depression, weakness and anemia. Asthma is another consequence of insufficient B12.
Very often adjusting the diet resolves many health issues that compromise quality of life, though some individuals may require a more aggressive dosing schedule and need to supplement. However, since so many of us must make a dollar stretch, buying supplements would be the last thing on our ‘to do’ list — instead, there’s a better, and tastier method. Eat you way to stepped up levels of not just B12 but of other vitamins and minerals necessary for the top-performing body of you.
Don’t use that tired excuse that you don’t have time to cook. You do! If you have time to go to MacDonald’s, order the burgers and fries, wait for the order to be processed, sit inside to dine, or out in your car to eat, you have time to stay home and cook! Night time slow cooker prep with an overnight of the crock pot in the fridge. In the morning, set it and forget it. What a money savings! Don’t have a slow cooker? Check out Value Village!
Most foods have not only the B12 requirement but lots of other nutrients. Take squash for example; it’s high in A and C as well as the B12. So is cottage cheese. Sometime this week, I”ll be making not only squash pancakes, but also cottage cheese pancakes. and a salmon-spinach quiche. Very high in nutrients. Want the recipes? Get in touch!
I’m pleased to report I replenished the supply of almonds and the fruitcakes have been baked and remembered to give them the first slosh of ‘liquid refreshment’ before they’re gifted for Christmas.
Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her aging Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca
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