[Fwd: Calcium and B-12 Precautions for Vegans]

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Fri, 25 Jun 1999 19:55:45 -0400

Noma Petroff <npetroff (AT) bowdoin (DOT) edu>

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Calcium and B-12 Precautions for Vegans

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Noelene Hawkins wrote:

 

> [Text 2427843 from COM]

>

> This is the conclusion reached by the director of Food for Life, Priyavarta

> Prabhu

> who has decided to be conditional vegan, consuming only the milk products

> from PROTECTED cows. Its not difficult, I am more or less doing it myself

> without any inconvenience.

 

Hare Krsna dasi

***************************

 

The success of this program definitely depends on how much devotees are

determined to support our farmers so they can protect the cows and keep the

oxen

productively engaged. If there are no protected cows, and a person decides to

become a complete vegan, then it is a proposition which should be undertaken

with utmost care and precautions.

 

I personally do not to the idea of veganism. It is a doctrine, which

if widely practiced, would simply lead to the extinction of cows. If everyone

in the state of Maine became a vegan this year, there would be no more cows

left

in Maine within 2 years. Any philosophy which is so destructive when broadly

applied must have something fundamentally wrong with it.

 

I can sympathize with the sensitivity of the vegans. To me, however, it seems

like a sensitivity which is often lacking in intelligence. Furthermore, I

often

find with them a sanctimonious "holier than thou" attitude which I do not

believe will lead to cow protection.

 

Rather, the vegan - in spite of Srila Prabhupada's constant instructions about

how milk is necessary to build a brain for brahminical understanding - believes

that he has found the solution for how to live without cows. **This will not

lead to cow protection.** And, once petroleum prices shoot sky high, and the

farmer can't afford to fuel his tractor, our vegan will find that without the

ox, there is no means of growing grain to offer Krsna. However, this may take

some years or even decades to manifest.

 

But, these philosophical, sociological and economic issues aside, the most

immediate problem for the vegan is that it is not an easy diet to adopt, but

one

which requires conscientious handling of different nutritional requirements.

The most important points of risk in the vegan diet are likelihood of

insufficient Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Vitamin D and calcium.

 

Consider calcium for example. How will the vegan get enough calcium? Why not

eat spinach -- the vegetable most abundant in calcium. One serving of frozen

spinach provides 10% of your daily requirements. A box contains 3.5 servings,

or 35%. So, if you eat 3 boxes of spinach a day, you will have 100% of your

daily requirement. That's a lot of spinach to eat, but you can do it. Okay --

but just one problem -- spinach contains oxalic acid, which binds the calcium

and makes it unavailable to the human consumer. Okay, let's go for the next

best

option, how many boxes of kale will you need to eat every single day...?

 

The problem with calcium is that if your diet is a little short, you'll

probably

be able to go on for many years until you suddenly have a serious problem:

 

Calcium intake is commonly listed among the vegan's problem nutrients, and our

own experience tallies with this. One of our good friends avoided dairy

products for fifteen years until he discovered that his bones had deteriorated

with severe osteoporosis. **As is often the case with the disease, there was no

sign of a problem until trivial stress on a bone resulted in a painful

fracture.

** [Emphasis added.] He was under forty years old at the time, very active

physically and very well informed about nutrition. While aware that his

calcium

intake was low compared to the RDA, he had believed that this low intake would

be adequate.

 

Laurel Robertson, et al., *Laurel's Kitchen.* (Ten Speed Press: 1986) p. 400

 

 

Vitamin B12 is found naturally only in animal sources and certain foods

produced

by fermentation such as miso and tempeh and certain types of yeasts [but not

nutritional yeast]. Again, a deficiency can take a long time to show up. A

deficiency in vitamin B12 may take as long as five to ten years to manifest,

but

gradually it leads to "unsteadiness, poor memory, confusion, moodiness,

delusions, overt psychosis and eventually death." [Laurel Robertson, et al.,

*Laurel's Kitchen.* (Bantam Books: 1978 edition) p. 476]

 

Vitamin D and Vitamin B6 deficiencies also pose dangers for the vegan. The

only

safe "vegan" diet is one which includes supplements for critical vitamins and

minerals. How is that natural? How can I be sure that the chelated calcium I

purchase for my vegan husband really *is* from a non-animal source?

 

*********************

 

Conclusion: The lacto-vegetarian diet is a natural diet. It was demonstrated

by

Lord Krsna and is followed by millions of people. The vegan diet is not a

natural diet. Until the present decade, very few people followed the vegan

diet. Since it is not a natural diet, those who practice it must be very, very

careful that they are getting proper nutrition. Otherwise, there health may

seem fine for many years, but then they will face sudden bone breakage - or

worse yet, psychotic symptoms. Anyone who is publically advocating the vegan

diet at least owes it to his public to let them know about the extra

precautions

that one must take to maintain health over the long run.

 

Srila Prabhupada stated that milk is essential for building fine brain tissue

to

understand spiritual topics. Indirectly, the scientists agree with Srila

Prabhupada. For a vegetarian, without the vitamin B-12 found in milk, your

brain cannot develop properly.

 

Therefore, at the very least, the vegan devotees should regularly take a

vitamin

B-12 supplement or eat miso or tempeh. The objection may be raised that

fermented foods are in the mode of ignorance, but under the circumstances, it

would be the mode of ignorance not to take any B-12 and to risk the

deterioration of our precious brain, which is meant to analyze spiritual

topics.

 

Below are some of Srila Prabhupada's statements on the importance of taking

milk

in the diet. Some people may say that modern milk does not fulfill the

qualities that Srila Prabhupada describes. I cannot agree with that idea.

Fortunately, I live in Maine, where farmers do not use BST, but even in areas

where BST is used, the milk still contains, calcium, vitamin B-12, vitamin B-6,

and protein. And it is quite digestible if processed into cottage cheese,

yogurt or hot milk. My formula is: Offer the cow's milk to Krsna, build my

brain by taking the prasadam, and pray to Krsna that by using my intelligence I

can find ways to promote cow protection so that her sons and daughters can be

used directly in Krsna's service.

 

your servant,

 

Hare Krsna dasi

 

***************************************

 

 

Prabhupada's Lectures Bhagavad-gita 1973 730724BG.LON

 

But if you cannot give them cows' milk, the children will be rickety, not very

healthy. They must drink sufficient milk. So cow is therefore considered

mother.

Because one mother has given birth to the child, the another mother is

supplying

milk. So everyone should be obliged to mother cow, because she is supplying

milk.

 

So according to our sastra there are seven mothers. Adau mata, real mother,

from

whose body I have taken my birth. Adau mata, she is mother. Guru-patni, the

wife

of teacher. She is also mother. Adau mata guru-patni, brahmani. The wife of a

brahmana, she is also mother. Adau mata guru-patni brahmani raja-patnika, the

queen is mother. So how many? Adau mata guru-patni brahmani raja-patnika, then

dhenu. Dhenu means cow. She is also mother. And dhatri. Dhatri means nurse.

Dhenu dhatri tatha prthvi, also the earth. Earth is also mother. The people are

taking care of mother land, where he is born. That is good. But by the by they

should take care of mother cow also.

 

Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1: Chapter Eight, Text 5 :PURPORT

 

2. The protection of cows maintains the most miraculous form of food,

i.e.,

milk for maintaining the finer tissues of the brain for understanding higher

aims of life.

 

 

Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 3: Chapter Five, Text 7 :PURPORT

 

The cow is the most important animal for developing the human body to

perfection. The body can be maintained by any kind of foodstuff, but cow's milk

is particularly essential for developing the finer tissues of the human brain

so

that one can understand the intricacies of transcendental knowledge.

 

 

Light of the Bhagavat:

Cow's milk is also called gorasa, or the juice from the body of the cow. Milk

is

the most valuable form of gorasa, and from milk we can prepare many important

and valuable foodstuffs for the upkeep of the human body. The killing of cows

by

human society is one of the grossest suicidal policies, and those who are

anxious to cultivate the human spirit must turn their attention first toward

the

question of cow protection.

 

If we really want to cultivate the human spirit in society we must have

first-class intelligent men to guide the society, and to develop the finer

tissues of our brains we must assimilate vitamin values from milk. Devotees

worship Lord Sri Krsna by addressing Him as the well-wisher of the brahmanas

and

the cows. The most intelligent class of men, who have perfectly attained

knowledge in spiritual values, are called the brahmanas. No society can improve

in transcendental knowledge without the guidance of such first-class men, and

no

brain can assimilate the subtle form of knowledge without fine brain tissues.

For such important brain tissues we require a sufficient quantity of milk and

milk preparations. Ultimately, we need to protect the cow to derive the highest

benefit from this important animal. The protection of cows, therefore, is not

merely a religious sentiment but a means to secure the highest benefit for

human

society.

 

 

Prabhupada's Lectures Srimad-Bhagavatam 1972 720614SB.LA

 

Foodstuffs should be given, nice footstuff be given to the particular person

for

developing nice brain. Milk is a foodstuff which can develop your finer tissues

of the brain so that you can understand higher philosophy.

 

 

Prabhupada's Lectures General - 1968 681204LE.LA

 

You see. Even after death. While living, he gives you nice milk. You cannot

reject milk from the human society. As soon as there is a child born, milk

immediately required. Old man, milk is life. Diseased person, milk is life.

Invalid, milk is life.

 

So therefore Krsna is teaching by His practical demonstration how He loves this

innocent animal, cow. So human society should develop brahminical culture on

the

basis of protecting cows. The brahmana cannot take any other food except it is

made of milk preparation. That develops the finer tissues of the brain. You can

understand in subtle matters, in philosophy, in spiritual science.