My Blood Test Results

Today we’re going to take a look inside my body.

As you know by now, I am a firm believer that, given our food options today, the healthiest and best way to optimal, long-term health is by following a whole food, plant-based diet. So, as my annual physical was approaching recently, I thought it might be beneficial for anyone out there questioning the effects of plant-based eating to see how a plant-based diet has affected my health internally. I had faith that everything I had learned about the benefits of plant-based eating would prove to be true and that those truths would be reflected in the results of my blood test. So, I requested blood work for the first time since adopting a plant-based diet, with the intention of sharing my results with all of you.

One of the main reasons I thought this may be beneficial is because there are so many misconceptions out there that plant-based/vegan diets are inherently insufficient, lead to sickness, and need to be heavily supplemented. All of which are completely untrue.

Now don’t get me wrong, you can certainly be vegetarian or vegan and be unhealthy. Everything is on a spectrum. Just like some meat-eaters are healthier than others because of the types of foods they eat, the same goes for vegans and vegetarians. If you cut out animal products but still eat a diet made up of mostly processed foods, you won’t be very healthy.

That’s where the term “whole food” is key in a whole food, plant-based diet. Focusing on eating whole, plant-based foods from the earth is what’s health-promoting. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and nuts are key. The focus has to be not only on what you’re not eating (animal products) but also on what you are eating.

And as far as supplementing goes, I take only two supplements. Vitamin D and vitamin B12, as recommended by Dr. Lederman of Transition to Health. He was one of the lecturers from my plant-based certificate program. First, I take vitamin D because I live in a northern climate that has long winters. The majority of the vitamin D we absorb comes from the sun, which obviously is lacking during the winter months in NYC, and many other places around the world. Therefore, my supplementing vitamin D has nothing to do with my diet. Instead it has to do with the environment. It is recommended for meat-eaters in winter climates as well.

Second, B12 is the one vitamin I take to supplement my diet. People often mistakenly think that B12 comes from meat and therefore, since I don’t eat meat, I need to supplement B12 to be healthy. In actuality, vitamin B12 comes from micro-organisms that live in soil. Not from meat itself. So when you eat meat, you consume the B12 second-hand through the micro-organisms that your meat ate itself. When your meat eats, it doesn’t care about soil being on its food so it eats it up along with those B12 producing micro-organisms. But, the plants we eat from the grocery store nowadays have been so thoroughly cleaned that the B12 producing micro-organisms are no longer on them, and that is why I supplement B12. If I was growing my own veggies in my own garden I would probably be able to get adequate B12 from my food, and not need to supplement.

So with all this in mind, here are my blood test results after 1.5+ (almost 2) years vegan. The first part is verbatim the interpretation of the report that I got from my doctor. I have copied and pasted it here:

Hi Tedi,

• Your complete blood count (CBC) is normal, without signs of infection or anemia.
• Your blood glucose (sugar) and electrolytes are normal, and your liver, kidney and thyroid tests are all perfect.
• Your vitamin D level is within the normal range.
• Your iron and magnesium are within a healthy range.
• Your vitamin B-12 is elevated and it is recommended that you decrease your vitamin B-12 supplementation to once a week.
• Your lipid profile (a.k.a. cholesterol test) results are as follows:
  • Your total cholesterol level is at a healthy level.
  • Your triglyceride level is excellent.
  • Your LDL (“bad cholesterol”) level is at a healthy level (based on your calculated cardiovascular risk.)
  • Your HDL (“good cholesterol”) is at a healthy level.

Plus, here are three other results from my full doctor’s report regarding nutrients that people often think vegans lack:

• My protein level: 7.5 g/dL (healthy range= 6.0 – 8.5 g/dL)
• My calcium level: 9.9 mg/dL (healthy range= 8.7 -10.2 mg/dL)
• My potassium level: 4.3 mmol/L (healthy range= 3.5 – 5.2 mmol/L)

As you can see, there’s no anemia, no low iron, no low magnesium, no low B12, no low protein, no low calcium, etc. Notice that the only result that wasn’t within the normal range was my B12, which was elevated. (NOT deficient as people would think). And it’s no surprise that B12, the one nutrient outside the normal range, is the only food related nutrient in my diet that’s coming from a man-made supplement, versus whole foods straight from the ground.

I was really pleased with these results, as it was my first time getting blood work done since I started following a vegan diet. Everything I have learned about the amazing health benefits of plant-based eating has proved to be true for me. I hope this serves as an example that a meat-free, dairy-free, animal product-free diet, rich in whole, plant-based foods does in fact support good health.

Want to see more vegan blood test results? Check out this video by Kristina of FullyRaw. She has been eating a fully raw plant-based diet for over 9 years and her blood test results are stellar.

[Please remember, this is not intended to be medical advice. If you’re interested in adopting a plant-based diet, check out my list of must read books and must see documentaries regarding health and nutrition. These are the resources I used to change my diet and guide my food choices. Or look into plant-based/vegan physicians, nutritionists or registered dieticians in your area.]