veganism: I constantly ponder the idea of vegetarianism/veganism. I recently read about a guy who is an incredibly fit athlete who dons a vegan diet. One would imagine a healthy, natural diet could be attained through food without the need for supplements. Is it that veganism isn't natural or is it that vitamin B12 isn't that important? Or option C. I don't know what that is yet. Input appreciated. Thanks.|||You are aware of the fact that cows get their B-12 from their diets, right? Cows are vegetarian. It comes from bacteria in dirt. (This is why grass-fed cows contain more B-12 than do grain-fed cows.) The same thing happens with primates and a handful of other animals out there, whose flesh is rich in B-12 but do not eat a lot of meat, or any dairy (after infancy). The option is C: meat and dairy are not the only "natural" sources of vitamin B 12. I also would dispute your claim that a diet is "unnatural" based on a single nutrient and the source from which it is derived.|||you get it through fortified foods like cereal, soy products, or like stated above, seaweed. "There is controversy over this, of course. Many people say that the only foods which contain Vitamin B12 are animal-derived foods. This also is untrue. No foods naturally contain Vitamin B12 -- neither animal or plant foods. Vitamin B12 is a microbe -- a bacteria -- which is produced by microorganisms. Vitamin B12 is the only vitamin that contains a trace element -- cobalt -- which give this vitamin its chemical name, cobalamin, which is at the center of its molecular structure. Humans and all vertebrates require cobalt, although it is assimilated only in the form of Vitamin B12. Strangely enough, though, if you are in the habit of eating unwashed veggies, these may contain small amounts of B12, as it is produced by microbes found in soil. If you want to take Vitamin B12, be sure you know how much you need for your body size and don't overdose on it. Get more information from a homeopath or from your medical doctor. However, it is possible to get Vitamin B12 from vegetarian sources, such as yeast and seaweed. It was thought that these foods contain a type of B12 that cannot be absorbed by the human body. However, new research indicates that humans can, in fact, absorb the types of cobalamin found in these foods. Recent research has also found out that the absorption of B12 from dairy and meat is much poorer than it was thought to be. As a result, a large part of the population is suffering from a B12 deficiency, even though they include plenty of animal-based foods in their diet." so just because you eat meat doesn't mean you are filled with B12 yourself ;)|||It's not natural as in it's not our natural diet. Humans evolved eating meat - we were eating meat long before we became modern homo sapiens. Before that we were a kind of ape but even apes eat insects and chimps hunt occasionally. However you can live perfectly healthily on a vegan diet. Before we starting farming grains and beans/lentils it wasnt really possible for humans to be vegetarian. 50% of people on a raw vegan diet (they only eat raw veg, fruit, nuts, seeds, coconuts, seaweed) develp health problems, children usually fail to thrive. There are exceptions who do well but they *are* the exceptions. However peope who replace the meat with cooked grains and pulses are extremely healthy. Grains and beans are not foods we would naturally eat, but so what? The aim of veganism is not to eat naturally, it is to minimise the suffering of animals. Some people do eat it for health reasons. The reason for that is that cooking meat, eggs and dairy creates very harmful toxins which are bad for you. So cooked plant foods are much healthier than cooked meat. Our natural diet was raw meat, which doesnt contain the toxins. B12 is extremely important. You do need to take B12 tablets. But thats no big deal is it? If you want to eat man's natural diet, eat raw meat, mainly organ meat, raw fish including heads, and raw eggs, but I think you would find a cooked vegan diet much more appetising.|||where do u think the animals get the B12 from? its not just naturally in there bodies ..they get it from the plants and dirt that they eat. before people got anal about washing there fruits and vegetables they got plenty of B12 right there. its made by bacteria, and ppl say they get it only from animals bc the animals eat the grass and dirt. flax seed also is a great source of B12, and omega fatty acids, and is totally vegan. but B12 is definitly naturaly from a vegan source, it just gets into the animals.|||B12 is very important for animals, but only bacteria can produce it. We used to take in a lot of germs with dirt and stuff - ehm, cecotrope reingestion - back in the days, but our food is all sterile now. Still I think I don't wanna go back, I prefer to use artificial supplements. :)|||If you are a vegan/vegetarian from birth your body naturally creates its own B12 because it has never come meat. But if you are an omnivore or changed to vegan/vegetarian midway through life, your body will stop naturally creating its own B12 because it has become too reliant on meat. That's why some people need to take B12 injections.|||Synthetic additives to various vegan foods Check http://www.vegsoc.org/info/vegan-nutriti鈥?/a> Vitamin B12 is very important - lack leads to pernicious anaemia which I have. I need B12 injection every 3 months|||animals are not the only source of b12. You can get b12 from fermented soya products, seaweeds, yeast, and algae such as spirulina. Also, you don't need much b12, only 1.5 mcg per day.|||We don't go to the bathroom where we eat anymore. If you eat vegetables grown in your own waste (much like fertilizer), they will have enough B12. Seriously.|||RedStar has a nutritional yeast that contains naturally occurring b12.|||Seaweed has B12 in it.|||B12 is important. You need it. You can get nerve and brain damage without it. B12 is produced by bacteria. Back before common food sanitary practices were used, you could easily get enough B12 by eating plants. The bacteria would be in the soil, get on the plant, you eat the plant, you get your B12. These days, because we really clean our foods, B12 isn't found on plants anymore. From a food perspective, it's only still found inside animals, which is why you can get it in meat/dairy products. It doesn't mean that veganism isn't natural, just that our industrialized society has gotten rid of B12 on plants. You don't need supplements to get B12. First off, humans are pretty efficient when it comes to B12. We can actually store B12 in our bodies over time and then partially recycle it. So if you've been eating meat/animal products your whole life and decide at age 18 to become a vegan, you've got a lot of B12 stored up. Even if you didn't eat any B12 at all, you wouldn't have problems immediately. If you didn't consume any for 10 years, then you'd probably have problems. You also only need very small amounts of B12 (in the scheme of things). For a consistent source of B12 you can get it by eating Red Star Nutritional Yeast (it's been added to it), fortified cereals (Kashi Heart Healthy brands have it), and some plant milks have it (again, fortified). You just have to check for it. Some people take supplements. I'm not a fan of vitamins/supplements, personally. I'd rather get everything I need from my food. Lastly, vegans are typically not the people who have B12 deficiencies. It typically happens to people where: 1.) Something is competing for your B12 (like parasites); 2.) Something is destroying your B12 (like cyanide in cigarettes); or 3.) Something is preventing the proper absorption of B12 (like inadequate production of intrinsic factor) Hope that helps! **Edit: for those who say you can get it from seaweed, the FDA has stated that it is not a consistent enough source to be counting on for your B12 intake.