Hey Everyone,
I was wondering if anyone has had to limit or exclude certain foods from their diets after being diagnosed with vitamin b12 deficiency? I've had to change my diet after being diagnosed with vitamin b12 deficiency and was wondering if anyone else experiences this as well.
Thank you for your responses. 
Emmalee045
I've not heard of the need to change diet unless eating restricted foods. In what manner has your diet had to change and what foods are considered worth changing from/to etc?
Can you site any references, perhaps?
Thanks
Thank you for your response. For example, I find whenever I eat beef that I get really bad stomach pain and heartburn. I get bloated for several days and my stomach feels off. So I've completely cut it from my diet.
Sorry no references, just my personal experiences as I'm just beginning to research this.
Great to hear more information. I was thinking maybe you'd been recommended to change your diet rather than it being an individual issue.
I've not heard of food issues in relation to Vit B12 Def but others may be able to help. Personally, I haven't noticed any differences on the food side.
I'm sure you'll get some further responses later. Wishing you well ...
I would say that if the B12 deficiency was caused by Pernicious Anaemia , then it’s quite possible for beef to cause stomach problems . P.A. results in low /no stomach acid . Beef needs plenty of acid in order to be broken down , so bad digestion is a result . I would think that other meat might cause a problem too . Fish is much easier to digest .
Thank you for responding. I do find fish really easy to digest. It took awhile but chicken is now easier than it was 6 months ago. I've had the antibody blood test for PA but it came back negative so my GP currently has me on high dose b12 pills instead of injections (1mg/day modified release), but it is working for me so far.
It's just glad to know that what I'm experiencing isn't me going crazy!
That Antibody Test for PA ( Intrinsic Factor Antibody Test ) is notoriously inaccurate . It’s OK if it comes up positive , but a negative one is about 50% inaccurate . But if you are benefiting from the pills , that’s great .
If you’re low on B12 you’re likely to have low stomach acid which effects your digestion
When your levels increase your digestion will get better.
I had this problem until I started injecting B12 and most stomach issues went away.
I self inject once every 2 weeks, before injections I had very bad digestion/stomach problems especially after eating.
Have you tried digestive enzyme supplements?
I developed an intolerance to gluten and dairy (casein protein) about the same time my B12D was diagnosed.
Don’t know which came first but I was on injections before investigation for food issues started. Dairy was straight forward and the gluten later. Never got a clear celiac diagnosis.
Also needed to supplement with folic acid and a daily multivitamin to support to metabolism with minerals and metals that got used up.
Hi Emmalee045 I see that having taken oral B12 supplements you have seen improvement yet you haven't been told a cause for the low level.
It may be that beef and your digestive system "do not agree" with each other so it's sensible to cut it from your diet, however we can only naturally source B12 from animal products so can you replace beef with liver, pork, chicken. fish, seafood, eggs and dairy produce?
It may also help to have a glass of water with lime juice or apple cider vinegar in it to increase acid levels in your stomach at meal times.
Nowadays, Vitamin B12 can be found fortified in some breakfast cereals and (of course) an old favourite of mine is Marmite.
As far as I am aware there are no foods which need to be excluded other than those you either don't like or find difficult to digest - like beef
I am not a medically trained person but I've had Pernicious Anaemia (one of just many causes of B12 deficiency) for more than 47 years.
I wish you well
Thank you for your response. It is a bit frustrating that I haven't found a cause for my low b12, but my GP doesn't really seem interested and to get any type of referral from my surgery takes at least a year. I fought with my GP surgery for at least this long before being referred to a neurologist so tingling and pins and needles in my feet and legs.
I do eat foods that naturally contain b12 such as eggs, chicken, seafood and dairy products on a regular basis with no issues.
Thank you for the lime juice trick. I'll have to pick up a bottle when I'm next at Tesco.
No I've not been given a reason either. Akso tested negative for PA. I've found I really have to be strict on meal times. Csn feel rotten if go more that 3 hours without food. I only eat very lean minced beef in small quantities. Do eat liver in small quantities too. I used to be very carbon dependant. Have less refined carbon now along with long chain carbon. I think that is to do either greatly reduced activity though. I bloat more easily but again I think it's because I can't ride my bike swim or walk a decent distance yet. I'm eating more dried fruit. Nuts and seeds. Have cider vinegar with meala. Also have more yoghurt and fruit juice daily which is needed. I'm suprised with the lack of proper exercise and the amount of food i get through I've not put on weight. Fruit juice is full of sugar. Infact I'm still 7 lbs below the weight before ill. Well within BMI. So I think body still healing. I do believe what you fancy eating is what you need.
I totally love apple cider vinegar in sparkling water at the end of a meal. Works a treat too 😉
I have become gluton intolerant since developing PA and also have trouble digesting beef, I have a small glass of lime juice with my evening meal and diluted orange juice in the mornings both seem to help my digestion.
Hi Emma, I understand totally what you have been going through. Before I found I had very low b12 I used to have heartburn stomach bloating feeling very tired if I ate foods containing gluten or food originating from animals except eggs. Now after nearly two years, I can eat anything without any problems, though I do limit gluten a bit. I now inject every six days with 1000mg of b12, tried doing a week but the weird neurological symptoms start again after a month. ATM all pins and needles in thighs have gone as has the jaw shutting without warning, often causing me to bite my tongue or cheeks. Also haven't felt so energetic for thirty years.
This is very encouraging thank you for the post. How long out of the 2 years did it take for your digestion to come back? Been 4 months of b12 injections 2x per week for me and my digestion is still challenged.
I started SI in April 2018 every other day within about six months I was able to eat a little of anything without gastric problems, though in the past three months, by bowels have been behaving how one would wish, perfectly. In my own case I reckon I have had a damaged ilium due to gluten, along with probable PA, though the doctors only ever confirmed my b12 was at a level of 176 in December 2017 after I had been taking sublingual b12 for over a month. A month later it was at 450 after continuing b12 tablets (many a day). Now it's off the scale.
Keep at it and I hope you get there. All the best Steve.
Thank you for the reply Steve. It is very encouraging and gives me hope. Thank you.
Yes I have had to limit my diet. And there is a good reason for that. The way digestion works is that when you start eating the partial cells in your stomach are given the signal to produce hydrochloride acid. If you have PA your parietal cells are damaged and either produce less or no acid. The acid is required to break down the proteins, fats and carbs in your food. The food then passes through the duodenum where the presence of acid in your food signals your pancreas to produce enzymes to further break down the food in your small intestines. If it is not acidic enough the pancreas can fail to add enzymes and this can lead to exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. If you are diagnosed with this you’ll need to take prescription enzymes called Creon. This has happened to me. Your small intestines should be sterile and the acid in your food keeps it that way. If the sterility is compromised due to a lack of acid then the pathogenic bacteria in your large intestine can get into your small intestine and cause horrible bloating and inflammation. You can get a text for SIBO to check if you have this. What all this means is that you need to create an acidic environment for your food and you may need digestive enzymes particularly if you have trouble eating protein (you can but non prescription ones over the counter).
To create an acidic environment I take Betaine HCL . Two with breakfast two with lunch and 3 or 4 with dinner. I have done this for over a year now. Others take lime juice, Vitamin C (which is ascorbic acid) and/or probiotic foods such as sauerkraut or kimchi. In addition I take a good quality probiotic. I also avoid sugar as much as possible as I ended up with a Candida infection- again due to low stomach acid. And I know all of this through my gastro doc, a functional medical specialist and having find through it myself. I don’t limit foods except sugar and meat. I hope this helps.
The problem I had with the betaine.HCl was getting the amount right. I found that a single capsule often wasn't enough and that two was often too much.
I don't think that Vitamin C would be a suitable agent. Both citric acid and ascorbic acid are weak acids, but ascorbic acid is weaker than citric acid. To get the same pH you need about three times as much ascorbic acid as you do citric acid. (A wortkthrough here - humblebeeandme.com/hive/top...
Lime juice contains about 4 g of citric acid per 100 mL. So, to get the same pH as I get from 24 mL of lime juice I'd need three high-strength Vitamin C tablets (as they contain about 1g ascorbic acid each).
being diagnosed with b12 def & p. a i like martin 2812 now have to take creon with food due to pancreatic insuficiency and have to be careful what foods i eat,my gastro consultant said that its more than likely due to b12 def/p.a that damages the way our food is digested and how our digestive system works,as the enzymes that digest fat is no longer produced by the pancreas,at first i found it difficult with foods to eat and foods to avoid and also how much creon to take with what food im eating,i lost lots of weight due to malabsorbtion but im now gradually getting back to some kind of balance even though its taken quite some time to get back to starting to gain weight,im on fortisips long term and creon for life,according to my dietician my pancreas wont repair itself,ive got to know the foods to eat and to avoid,ive stopped drinking anything with high caffeine,stopped drinking alcohol and stopped smoking(due to lung disease as well)and find things a lot easier than they were,i think as we get older and our bodies change the way it works we have to change with it if we want to try and avoid problems we may encounter regarding eating,drinking etc.
Less concentration due to b12 deficiency
Is this level of B12 low enough for treatment? 
Extremely low B12 level 
Daughter’s low B12 - what to do
Low B12 and issues with screens
