In a paper published in the journal, PLoS ONE, scientists at Wageningen University in The Netherlands proposed that eating mealworms is a more sensible way of acquiring protein in the diet than eating chicken, pork or cattle. Per the article:
Compared to a kilogram of edible protein in meat from cows, chickens or pigs, production of the same amount of mealworm protein emits fewer greenhouse gases and requires much less land to grow. The findings support the argument that environmentally conscious eaters may do well to include beetle larvae in their diets. "This study demonstrates that mealworms should be considered a more sustainable source of edible protein," the team writes in a paper published yesterday in the journal PLoS ONE...Among the things that the worm-like larvae have going for them, they don't emit methane. Also, they are prolific. Depending on the species, females release up to 1,500 eggs over a lifetime. Larvae develop quickly and they convert their food into protein efficiently, at a similar rate to chicken but better than pigs and cattle.
I already SAID that the only people who have an excuse for eating meat are living a subsitance lifestyle, usuallly in an extreme climate. B-12 comes from bacteria in the soil. The animal eats plants, which includes some dirt and gets the B12 from there. Meat is NOT a source of B12 directly. Humans get B12 from vegetables, but ours are so clean they may not be a reliably consistant source...so supplementation is a good idea....just in case. Algae is not the only source of Omega 3. And WHY are you trying to find excuses?? Except for extreme circumstances (arctic native, Massai in Africa) people are perfectly healthy on a vegan diet. Unless they are at starvation level there is NO issue with health. I only take B12 supplements on occaision....just in case. I take nothing else regularly. I take Vitamin D in the winter. Almost all Americans are vitamin D deficient in the winter. Veganism is NOT difficult, and it is healthier.
I only take B12 supplements on occaision....just in case.
The vegan dietician Jack Norris has a good webpage on B12. He's an RD, that's a science-based degree in nutrition. It sounds like you are highly at risk for B12 deficiency.
Jack Norris has recommedations for B12 supplements for vegans.
For people who haven't been taking B12 regularly, he says
If you have not had a regular source of B12 for some time, buy a bottle of 1,000 µg (or greater) B12 tablets. Chew 2,000 µg once a day, for 2 weeks.
then follow the recommendations for regular supplementation.
B12 deficiency may raise the risk of heart disease as well as cause neurological problems.
Jack Norris has suggestions for measuring your B12 status - he says the B12 blood level isn't a reliable test - but his main suggestion seems to be to just take the supplement as recommended.
There's a guy I see around town here a lot, a runner. He gets places by running :) I saw him in the supermarket, at the vegetable counter ... he said he was a strict vegetarian (vegan diet). This guy must be very healthy in many ways, but I noticed his head was wobbling - symptom of B12 deficiency. When I saw him some time later, I told him he might be B12 deficient. He said he took some B12 occasionally. I told him about the http://veganhealth.org website.
His head doesn't wobble any more. I can't be sure of why, but I like to think he took my suggestion. He was lucky, B12 deficiency can cause permanent neurological damage by the time one notices a problem.
Anyway, please take that B12 regularly, I don't want you to become a statistic.
I had my B12 checked two weeks ago...it was perfect. I eat a lot of Red Star nutritional yeast, and drink/use fortified soy milk. I only use sublingual tabs on occaision, because there is plenty of B12 in my diet. But thanks for your concern.
My parents are omnivores, but I have warned them to have their B12 levels checked as well. Since many people can't absorb B12 from food as well as they age. Many of us lose the ability. So I suggested testing and possible shots...or at least sublingual tablets.
And if this dietician thinkd B12 blood test are not reliable...what is he using as a guide to recommended dosage?? If he can't measure a supposed deficiency...how can he propose a correct dosage??
Right, he says the B12 blood test isn't reliable, which is probably what you got.
It sounds like you didn't read the webpages I gave. He mentions a test for B12 status that is reliable.
Jack Norris - along with Ginny Messina, also an RD, has much useful information for vegans on the http:/veganhealth.org/ website, not just about B12 but other nutrients of concern for vegans like calcium and the amino acid lysine. He's very helpful by email.
Yes, if the soy milk you drink has B12 added and you are using that regularly, then you do have a reliable source of B12.
If you take B12 every day, such as in fortified soy milk, then you don't need as much as if you just take it now and then. You could compare how much is in the soy milk to the table he gives of B12 requirements.
If he can't measure a supposed deficiency...how can he propose a correct dosage??
Because with B12 the toxic dosage is very high. So if there's any doubt about one's B12 status, taking the amount he recommends isn't going to cause harm, and it costs little.
Some people have a problem absorbing B12, you don't have to be vegan to have a B12 deficiency. I don't know if for them, Jack Norris' recommended dose would be enough. So there's likely still a place for B12 testing.
A few years ago I tried hard to convince a vegan woman to take B12. Like some vegans she had anti-supplement attitudes and was telling me stuff like "you get plenty of B12 from the soil" and if I gave her science citations to back things up she'd tell me I was thinking in a "typical Western" way ... blah blah. This sort of thing is scary, she seemed kind of anorexic and risking her long-term health at a very young age - I also unsuccessfully tried to convince her that weighing enough to have menstrual periods is important. I'm glad you're more reality-oriented!
I looked at it, but I am skeptical that he somehow knows that a blood test is unreliable when all the other doctors seem to think it is OK. Not that most doctors know much about nutrition. I take sublingual sometimes and a multi-vitamin sometimes (it only has 100% daily value) and the nutritional yeast I use has it and I sometimes eat Luna bars and they have it. Lots of foods marketed to vegans add B12. So I get way more than the 100% daily recommended amount on average. Which is why I don't really worry about it. I had it checked because I was going to have my D level checked anyway. I was pretty sure B12 would be fine and D would be low. I don't get much sun in the winter and work indoors. So I sentfor a nice high dose D3 made from lichen. I'm trying to get a bit more sun too, but I get to work before light and by the time I get home it is only light out for a couple of hours.
Unless that lady was getting nice dirty vegetables I would worry too. Since lack of B12 causes brain damage I don't want to mess around with it either. It was actually an omnivore athlete who first told me about the sublingual pills. Even omnivores have to watch their nutrients. I love how people with crappy diets always want to lecture me about my "unhealthy" diet!! Usually while I have a big bowl of kale in front of me.
Humans get B12 from vegetables, but ours are so clean they may not be a reliably consistant source...
This is also an unproven idea that's passed around by vegans. Jack Norris addresses this. One should NOT rely on B12 supposedly coming from plant sources. Vegans often neglect to get enough B12, and one should not cause or reinforce such attitudes.
After looking at the info you posted I have upped my B12 supplements. Like you said, it can't hurt. And there's no reason to even chance not having enough!! I also got my omnivore parents onto B12 sublingual supplements. Since I've gotten such great results from my lifestyle change, my mother is more likely to take my advise. She has no interest in going vegan but has cut down her meat consumption. When she visits I make her yummy vegan meals and she can't wait to try the recipes. She made veggie potpie stew for my father the day after she got home. Last time they were on a seitan kick for weeks after she went home. I even got her to eat brussel sprouts!! Little by little.
Hey guys, want to stay healthy? Can you say Glycemic Index? I eat foods from the first 2 rows (Out of 3). If you want to stay healthy without losing needed vitamins and minerals. To get the full benefits it is suggested that you stick to the index, For the Rest of Your Life! There are many combos. and substitutions to satisfy the meat lover AND the vegan! If you have to eat red meat,New York Strip Steak is the healthiest for you, in terms of fat. I know because I have a liver disease and MUST follow the glycemic index, to the letter!! If I deviate from my diet, I lose a lot of needed nutrition. Being overweight causes cirrhosis of the liver (not just alcohol). WATER is vital!! Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. I have to drink 15 glasses of water a day. Nearly 70 % of the WORLD population is dehydrated(I believe)! Many times if you are hungry, being dehydrated is the cause for feeling hungry and not food! Try drinking water before you eat. Meal worms sound great! I'll try almost anything once. Ants and grasshoppers are mighty tasty too! One thing some people eat that I won't is roadkill! If you prepare it properly, it is nutritious, and helps the environment. Also, it helps prevent the spread of diseases that are associated with rotting flesh!
Hey, Don't knock killing pigs! Without them, a lot of diabetics would Be Dead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't believe that there is any other way to produce insulin !? I could be wrong! their may be other ways to produce insulin, but I know of none.
Pretty sure they have a synthetic now. And if they hadn't used pigs, they would have come up with another way to do it. So sorry, I'll go on "knocking" the killing of pigs.
Hey, I just read up on Glucovera. Very Interesting. I am seeing my doctor in 2wks. I just might be altering my diet!!! This is soo kool!! Looks like I have a lot of data to print off to get ready for my appointment!! This makes my day!!!!
Wow..."Glucovera"...that doesn't sound too much like a scam. Magic pills don't make you healthy...eating healthy food makes you healthy. If it is made from aloe vera and you think aloe vera is good for you....just eat aloe vera...I believe they sell the juice in bottles. Once someone processes a plant and puts it in a pill, you've usually lost something valuable in the process.