My grandma went to her doctor the other day and found out she gained a few pounds. My grandma is fairly overweight and she's been trying to lose weight for awhile now. My grandma is so fed up she told her doctor that she's gonna start being a vegetarian like "her granddaughter" (ME) and apparently the doctor told my grandma that it isn't healthy because everyone needs 6 oz of meat in their diet because there is a vitamin or enzyme of some kind that people need in their diets. I can't figure out what her doc was talking about. I've read tons of books and never ran into anything like that. Any ideas?
when they say vitamin , they are referring to B12...found mostly in animal products....easy to correct with a multivitamin and most doctors only have a few hours of training in nutrition....unless they keep updated with current research....that imfo can be decades behind....
i take the b12 you put under your toungue and its wonderful. i get injections too, which have strengthened my immune system dramaticly.
If you don't take a vitamin...is that bad? Can B12 be found in anything NON-animal? I have never taken a supplement, and I feel fine... but I suppose I could be deceived
here is an article taken from vegsoc.org about vitamin B12 Dietary Sources The only reliable unfortified sources of vitamin B12 are meat, dairy products and eggs. There has been considerable research into possible plant food sources of B12. Fermented soya products, seaweeds and algae have all been proposed as possible sources of B12. However, analysis of fermented soya products, including tempeh, miso, shoyu and tamari, found no significant B12. Spirulina, an algae available as a dietary supplement in tablet form, and nori, a seaweed, have both appeared to contain significant amounts of B12 after analysis. However, it is thought that this is due to the presence of compounds structurally similar to B12, known as B12 analogues. These cannot be utilised to satisfy dietary needs. Assay methods used to detect B12 are unable to differentiate between B12 and it's analogues, Analysis of possible B12 sources may give false positive results due to the presence of these analogues. Researchers have suggested that supposed B12 supplements such as spirulina may in fact increase the risk of B12 deficiency disease, as the B12 analogues can compete with B12 and inhibit metabolism. The current nutritional consensus is that no plant foods can be relied on as a safe source of vitamin B12. Bacteria present in the large intestine are able to synthesise B12. In the past, it has been thought that the B12 produced by these colonic bacteria could be absorbed and utilised by humans. However, the bacteria produce B12 too far down the intestine for absorption to occur, B12 not being absorbed through the colon lining. Human faeces can contain significant B12. A study has shown that a group of Iranian vegans obtained adequate B12 from unwashed vegetables which had been fertilised with human manure. Faecal contamination of vegetables and other plant foods can make a significant contribution to dietary needs, particularly in areas where hygiene standards may be low. This may be responsible for the lack of aneamia due to B12 deficiency in vegan communities in developing countries. Good sources of vitamin B12 for vegetarians are dairy products or free-range eggs. ½ pint of milk (full fat or semi skimmed) contains 1.2 µg. A slice of vegetarian cheddar cheese (40g) contains 0.5 µg. A boiled egg contains 0.7 µg. Fermentation in the manufacture of yoghurt destroys much of the B12 present. Boiling milk can also destroy much of the B12. Vegans are recommended to ensure their diet includes foods fortified with vitamin B12. A range of B12 fortified foods are available. These include yeast extracts, Vecon vegetable stock, veggieburger mixes, textured vegetable protein, soya milks, vegetable and sunflower margarines, and breakfast cereals.
B12 is found in most fortified foods, so if you eat commercial soy milk, fortified breakfast cereal, if you eat quite a bit of nutritional yeast, or if you eat Marmite, you are probably getting enough B12. I would still recommend a sublingual supplement, however. It's not a very expensive vitamin.
Thanks for the info and knowledge, it's much appreciated. I'll have to research the things I eat..the commercial products, and observe if it in fact contains any B12 or not... Sorry to ask another question, but is it possible to check through say like, a blood test if you're getting adequate amounts of B12...or not. I dont want to sound like a dumbfuck, but I never even really knew B12 was an issue until reading all of the recent threads on here... :-/
