Re: The vegan way??? Let's quantify the animal meat involved

goodsamaritan55,

If I really thought that you were all ears, I would write you and your 3 beautiful children a book. Not for one minute do I think you take the nutritional needs of your family lightly. I am sure you take your responsibilities as a father very seriously and that you put much research and study into the vegan diet before you chose it for three precious little souls who look up to and depend on you for guidance. I will answer you with the following: Remember this is my story.

I will talk about two of my many deficiencies that developed from my vegetarian/vegan diet.

1)B12: I took B12 supplements and even B12 shots. It did not make any difference. I read that it could be obtained from plant sources or soy products. Then I read it could not be, so to be safe I took B12 supplements. When I became severely deficient, I took B12 shots. I am sure you know that one of the things that B12 is needed for is neurological development. Shortages result in permanent damage.

The following was taken from the Weston A. Price Foundation website:
"The Myths of Vegetarianism ."
http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html


Myth #2: Vitamin B12 can be obtained from plant sources.
Of all the myths, this is perhaps the most dangerous. While lacto and lacto-ovo vegetarians have sources of vitamin B12 in their diets (from dairy products and eggs), vegans (total vegetarians) do not. Vegans who do not supplement their diet with vitamin B12 will eventually get anemia (a fatal condition) as well as severe nervous and digestive system damage; most, if not all, vegans have impaired B12 metabolism and every study of vegan groups has demonstrated low vitamin B12 concentrations in the majority of individuals (11). Several studies have been done documenting B12 deficiencies in vegan children, often with dire consequences (12). Additionally, claims are made in vegan and vegetarian literature that B12 is present in certain algae, tempeh (a fermented soy product) and Brewer's yeast. All of them are false as vitamin B12 is only found in animal foods. Brewer's and nutritional yeasts do not contain B12 naturally; they are always fortified from an outside source.

There is not real B12 in plant sources but B12 analogues--they are similar to true B12, but not exactly the same and because of this they are not bioavailable (13). It should be noted here that these B12 analogues can impair absorption of true vitamin B12 in the body due to competitive absorption, placing vegans and vegetarians who consume lots of soy, algae, and yeast at a greater risk for a deficiency (14).

Some vegetarian authorities claim that B12 is produced by certain fermenting bacteria in the lower intestines. This may be true, but it is in a form unusable by the body. B12 requires intrinsic factor from the stomach for proper absorption in the ileum. Since the bacterial product does not have intrinsic factor bound to it, it cannot be absorbed (15).

It is true that Hindu vegans living in certain parts of India do not suffer from vitamin B12 deficiency. This has led some to conclude that plant foods do provide this vitamin. This conclusion, however, is erroneous as many small insects, their feces, eggs, larvae and/or residue, are left on the plant foods these people consume, due to non-use of pesticides and inefficient cleaning methods. This is how these people obtain their vitamin B12. This contention is borne out by the fact that when vegan Indian Hindus later migrated to England, they came down with megaloblastic anaemia within a few years. In England, the food supply is cleaner, and insect residues are completely removed from plant foods (16).

The only reliable and absorbable sources of vitamin B12 are animal products, especially organ meats and eggs (17). Though present in lesser amounts than meat and eggs, dairy products do contain B12. Vegans, therefore, should consider adding dairy products into their diets. If dairy cannot be tolerated, eggs, preferably from free-run hens, are a virtual necessity.

That vitamin B12 can only be obtained from animal foods is one of the strongest arguments against veganism being a "natural" way of human eating. Today, vegans can avoid anemia by taking supplemental vitamins or fortified foods. If those same people had lived just a few decades ago, when these products were unavailable, they would have died.

2) I also developed a protein deficiency, even thou I ate what was considered a complete protein through food combining. Not until I started eating protein from animal sources did this deficiency resolve itself.

These are two of the many deficiencies I developed from eating a vegetarian/vegan diet.

You, as an adult, can listen to your body and make changes where needed. A 2, 3, and 6 year old is not capable of this. I think you are an awesome father for being involved in your children's nutritional needs.

I doubt that I convinced you of anything. For I have read the vegan literature too.
I now see vegetarian/vegan way of living as no more than a fad diet that is greatly lacking. I speak from my own experience. I am a Master Gardener that grows her own organic foods/herbs. I live on a self-sustaining ranch. My husband and I raise organically fed cattle, sheep, chickens (eggs) and milking goats. I go many days without eating meat, but almost daily I eat goat yogurt and raw egg yolks. I juice. At this time I eat a plant based diet with small amounts of fruit and use meats as a condiment. It works for me.

I will close with the following: I copied this off of a Mercola webpage quite some time ago.

A famous writer and ex-vegan by the name of Upton Sinclair, the activist who forced the meat-packing industry to clean up its act many decades ago when he wrote The Jungle, found he couldn't maintain his work levels on a vegan diet.

Writing sadly that he hated to give up veganism, Sinclair did so nonetheless because he found his brain just wouldn't function at an optimal level on fruits, vegetables, juice, nuts, and seeds. He turned to Salisbury steak as his answer.

Although Upton Sinclair was nearly crucified by his vegan friends for changing his diet and writing about the positive results from the change, he maintained that he went where the truth led him.

I feel the same way.

I wish you and your family abundant health.