Importance of B-12

[Guest guest]

I believe that B12 is important, and I know that the

elderly develop B12 absorption difficulties in a high

percentage of cases (12.5% is a high percentage, IMO).

But for those seeking " a natural diet " the use of

Brewer's Yeast has long seemed somewhat artificial.

 

I would be more inclined to define " a natural diet "

the way the " natural hygienists " do www.ANHS.org

and not the way the macrobiotics do www.macrobiotics.org

although I'm aware that large numbers of " macrobiotics "

are attracted to EarthSave because, unlike the

vegetarian organizations

NAVS www.NAVS-online.org

VUNA www.IVU.org/VUNA/

IVU www.IVU.org

EarthSave www.EarthSave.org

doesn't REQUIRE that people be vegetarians

to be extolled by EarthSave and to become its key leaders,

either in the local EarthSave groups or at the national level,

whereas IVU membership by local vegetarian societies

requires that " all key decisions be made by vegetarians " .

 

But the importance of B12 isn't in question.

 

Historically the resolution of the B12, protein, and calcium

issues were resolved EITHER by the inclusion of dairy products

(or dairy and eggs) or by the OCCASIONAL use of fish

(as in macrobiotics, but that would not be vegetarian,

except for the modern " revisionists " , who seem to rule

the world and its propaganda machines).

 

Nonetheless, the question that appeals to many vegetarians,

and perhaps to ALL natural hygienists AND macrobiotics

is whether or not the diet is truly " a natural diet " .

 

Oh, and that " natural hygienists " resolved the B12 and calcium

issues by recommending a nearly " all raw organic vegan diet " ,

which is truly and unquestionably " a natural diet " and which

seems to have provided sufficient B12 to fend off deficiency issues

in that community (which seems to have NOT been the case

universally among macrobiotics, since a number of medical

studies exist concerning B12 deficiencies in macrobiotic

families and their children, which the medical world has then

mistakenly or erroneously called " vegetarian " .

 

Some concern exists in the nutritional community about the

" extended use " of seaweed in the macrobiotic diet, or at least

in earlier macrobiotic diets (since that practice may have changed),

since the " false B12 " found in large amounts in sea vegetation

may actually block absorption of real B12 because the

B12 receptor sites seem to quickly receive the " false B12 "

found abundantly in sea vegetables.

 

If that's the case, the removal of seaweed, which may have

large amounts of B12 ALSO, from the diet might be one

measure needed to adjust the macrobiotic diet to

draw B12 from the rootlets in homegrown organic vegetables.

 

However, those of us interested in vegetarian dietary recommendations

as a public policy issue -- sufficient to recommend REQUIRING IT --

would be concerned with feasibility, since a logical truth of moral teaching

is that something which cannot be done cannot be required,

and something which cannot be done by the VAST majority of

a population cannot become a general rule for that population.

 

Thus, if a truly NATURAL veganism (without supplementation)

were physically impossible for the vast majority of the human population,

it could not (logically) be required. However, if only a rare minority

has difficulties with it, then it could be generally required, and the

RARE minority (if it is really that rare) could be " adjusted " with

some kind of supplementation with the nutritional compounds

that they require but would not otherwise receive from " a natural diet " .

 

Yet, if one wonders to what extent " veganism " (in any form)

can be required, the public debate among real practicing vegans

today seems to indicate that those vegans who have thought

about the Kantian " categorical imperative " would believe that,

to the extent that a vegan diet COULD be morally mandated

(not necessarily legally), it probably would not PROSCRIBE

nutritional supplementation, but for a variety of reasons:

 

1 - Not everyone knows how to be a vegan,

therefore " nutritional supplementation " is a " safety net "

which is humane, compassionate, responsible, ethical,

farsighted, and prudent.

2 - B12 requirements vary from person to person, so even

the most astute and nutritionally-savvy practicing vegan

could surprisingly end up with difficulty. Therefore,

nutritional supplementation seems prudent, if not fully

necessary.

3 - Westerners in high-stress lifestyles need more Vitamin B-complex

than those who are less stressed. Therefore, B-complex supplementation

would seem prudent, except that vegans in the West tend to have

high protein diets as a function of their participating in Western

culture

which consumes excessively high protein diets, and their " emulations "

or " meat analogs " are exceptionally high in protein, and their snacks

also tend to be or include nuts, seeds, and other high protein snacks.

4 - B12 supplementation without exploiting animals is widely available

in the technological West, so availability is neither an economic issue

nor a moral issue of " distributive justice " - everyone can have it at

low cost.

5 - Since animal-free B12 free of animal exploitation is widely available,

there is no OTHER ethical objection beyond the concern with the

fact that this supplementary modification of an otherwise " natural diet "

makes that modification NO LONGER " a natural diet " . The alteration

of this characteristic in what was otherwise " a natural diet " cuts the

legs off the theological and macrobiotic arguments for veganism.

(Examples of " theological arguments " would be those used by the

Seventh Day Adventist vegetarians, some Bible-believing Protestant

Christians who are Protestant Reformation classics, but who argue

that the vegan diet was given by God to the first humans in Eden,

when the first humans appeared. The fact that today, only HALF

or 40% of Adventists are vegetarian, and perhaps 1%-2% are vegan,

is something to " gulp " about, when we consider the confluence of

innovative contributions of Seventh Day Adventists to vegetarian

" food culture " - the veggieburger, grain coffee, breakfast cereal, etc.

Of course, once they began to " innovate " around food, they had

ALREADY DEFAULTED on the claim that their " Genesis diet "

is fully natural, but don't tell them I told you.)

 

Maynard

At 05:43 PM 9/20/00 -0600, Kat Makiah wrote:

>Brewer's Yeast has 200% of the RDA for B-12 in each serving.

>Is it natural, Maynard asks.

>

>Why is vitamin B-12 important?

>

>http://members.aol.com/Sauromalus/vegnutr.htm

>begin quote

>

> " Modern hygienic methods of food production eliminate soil-derived

>bacteria that produce vitamin B-12. Deficiency of this vitamin results

>in cognitive (thinking, memory) and other neurologic problems early on.

>Anemia generally occurs later. Only 2.4 micrograms a day of vitamin B-12

>is necessary for adults with normal digestive systems (slightly more for

>pregnant or lactating women). Fortified soy milk, cereals, or other

>foods can provide this amount. Otherwise, a supplement of 1,000

>micrograms weekly or 2,000 micrograms biweekly should be sufficient.

>Although eggs contain some vitamin B-12, it may not be as well absorbed

>as that derived from other animal products, so ovovegetarians should

>supplement somewhat as well.

>

>Some people, especially the elderly (1 out of 8 persons over age 65),

>develop vitamin B-12 deficiency because of gastrointestinal absorption

>problems, and this occurs regardless of what they eat. For them,

>injections or high oral doses under the supervision of a physician are

>necessary. "

>

>end quote

>

>

>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>http://www.vegsource.com/klaper/optimum.htm

>

>begin quote

>

> " It turns out that there is absolutely no nutrient, no vitamin, no

>mineral, no protein that is found in animal foods (in meats and dairy

>products) that can not be obtained out of plant-based foods, that

>includes vitamin B-12.

>

>One issue that we need to cover is vitamin B-12 and its roll in a vegan

>diet Vitamin B-12 is an essential nutrient that you need for healthy

>blood

>and healthy nerves. There is a prevailing feeling that only animal

>products

>contain vitamin B-12. Let me be very clear about this, cows do not make

>vitamin B-12. They never have, they never will. Pigs don't make vitamin

>B-12, chickens don't make vitamin B-12, no animal makes vitamin B-12.

>They never have, they never will.

>

>Vitamin B-12 is synthesized by single-celled microbes (bacteria) that

>live in the soils of the earth. And long ago when the earth and soils

>were healthy, before we put all sorts of chemicals on them, the surface

>of the earth was covered with vitamin B-12. There used to be lots of

>vitamin B-12 in our lives. Even if you were a pure vegetarian 300 years

>ago, you could open up the back door of your cottage and outside would

>be a beautiful organic garden. Every carrot you pulled out of the ground

>would have little particles of vitamin B-12 sticking to it. When it came

>time to get your water, you'd take a bucket of water out of the stream,

>and there too you would find vitamin B-12. There would be B-12 under

>your finger nails from working in the garden. There would be plenty of

>B-12 in your life, and since you needed so little of it, concerns about

>deficiency would not be an issue.

>

>We've become very isolated from the earth and we've lost our natural

>sources of B-12. Cows have B-12 in their muscles because they're eating

>grass all day and their pulling up clumps of dirt that have B-12

>producing organisms clinging to the root of the grass. They eat the B-12

>producing organisms who produce the B-12, which gets absorbed into their

>bloodstream, goes out into the muscles, and is deposited into their

>muscles and livers. But that is bacterial B-12 in the cow's muscle. The

>cow did not make it, nor did the pig or chicken.

>

>Those same organisms are now cultured in big vats, producing their B-12

>that is eventually separated out. It is then added to breakfast cereals,

>soy milks soy burgers, nutritional yeast, and vitamin tablets. It's easy

>to get vitamin B-12 without consuming animal products and I suggest if

>you really want to lighten up your diet, find a non-animal source of

>B-12. "

>

>end quote

>

>To put it clearly, B-12 is not present in meat, rather it is present in

>the BACTERIA of meat products. It's also in the soil, so don't sanitize

>your produce so much, quit peeling your vegetables and fruits from your

>garden, and enjoy natural B-12.

>

>Kat

>

>--

>desire + expectation = creation

>

>What are you creating today? Are you creating consciously in harmony

>with ALL?

>

>

>

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