Friday, November 12, 2004
Day 27/28 - B12 - the mystery is still unsolved :o)
No sport yesterday? ;o)
Dinner: a not so raw hazelnuts bar + 2 parsimmons
Breakfast: the smoothie created by Kaleah: orange juice + banana + almond milk + 1 Tbs almond butter
30 minutes yoga
Lunch: 1 HUGE watercress salad with sunflower seeds and pistachios, 1 pear
4k jogging on flat track
Snack: 1 pear, grapes, almonds
Dinner: wild smoked salmon, huge arugula salad, 2 parsimmons, 1 ginger chew
This morning:
breakfast: a smoothie like Kaleah created...veyr yummy yummy....
30 minute jogging + 30 minute strength/yoga
lunch: arugula+micro greens+pinola salad, antelope stew (4 baby pieces), grapes
7k jogging: interval speed training (very intense)
snack: 1 avocado, 2 slices raw bread + walnut/cilantro pesto
Dinner: Arugula/micro greens/pinola salad with pesto (walnut and ciantro very yummy yummy)
1 slice raw bread with raw almond butter
grapes and grapes and grapes
ok...now to the B12 MYSTERY.......there were a few exchanges between Kaleah and one of our research assistant (who is already vegetarian).....
Hereafter a summary of the latest medical research:
Donaldson, MS. Metabolic vitamin B12 status on a mostly raw vegan diet with follow-up using tablets, nutritional yeast, or probiotic supplements.Ann Nutr Metab. 2000;44(5-6):229-34.
In summary:
1) True cobalamin (precursor to B12) is not found in any significant quantity in plant foods (this has been researched and documented). It's true that plants contain all the amino acids we need, and it is helpful to think of amino acids as building blocks used to make more complex substances. However, our bodies need blueprints and only know how to combine amino acids in certain ways using specific enzymes. There is no evidence that our bodies know how to take the necessary amino acids and make B12 out of it. That's like saying that I could give you all the metal you need to make the Golden Gate bridge (without any workers or tools or blueprints) and expect you to build it.
2) One study reported that B12 can be synthesized by bacteria who live in the small intestine (this bacteria was isolated from a few volunteers in Southern India). This has been the basis of claims that raw foodists do not need B12 supplementation. Also, dehydrated cereal grasses were found in one study to contain a very small amount of B12.
3) In contrast, every single other study of vegetarian and especially vegan populations has shown that a substantial proportion of the tested group had B12 deficiency or high MMA (related biological marker). There are about 11 of these studies, listed in the references to the above article.
4) In the study cited above, it was hypothesized (based on #2 and #3) that raw foodists consuming a diet based on carrot juice, fruits and veggies, and dehydrated barley grass juice might be able to avoid B12 deficiency. This hypothesis was incorrect. Like previous studies, they found about 50% of their subjects developed B12 deficiency.
On the side of raw food, not everyone in these studies developed B12 deficiency and it's not clear why some people do while others don't. However, most of these studies are short term and one longitudinal study concluded that all vegans studies eventually developed B12 deficiency. In my personal opinion, a long-term commitment to a raw food diet should be coupled with B12 supplementation - it's not a certainty that you will develop B12 deficiency, but it's a gamble you are taking. Also, the signs of B12 deficiency take a very long time to develop and signs are quite subtle at first.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Best
Valerie in the Raw Food Diet World
www.MyPrivateCoach.com
dinner: aurgula salad + Micro greens,
Dinner: a not so raw hazelnuts bar + 2 parsimmons
Breakfast: the smoothie created by Kaleah: orange juice + banana + almond milk + 1 Tbs almond butter
30 minutes yoga
Lunch: 1 HUGE watercress salad with sunflower seeds and pistachios, 1 pear
4k jogging on flat track
Snack: 1 pear, grapes, almonds
Dinner: wild smoked salmon, huge arugula salad, 2 parsimmons, 1 ginger chew
This morning:
breakfast: a smoothie like Kaleah created...veyr yummy yummy....
30 minute jogging + 30 minute strength/yoga
lunch: arugula+micro greens+pinola salad, antelope stew (4 baby pieces), grapes
7k jogging: interval speed training (very intense)
snack: 1 avocado, 2 slices raw bread + walnut/cilantro pesto
Dinner: Arugula/micro greens/pinola salad with pesto (walnut and ciantro very yummy yummy)
1 slice raw bread with raw almond butter
grapes and grapes and grapes
ok...now to the B12 MYSTERY.......there were a few exchanges between Kaleah and one of our research assistant (who is already vegetarian).....
Hereafter a summary of the latest medical research:
Donaldson, MS. Metabolic vitamin B12 status on a mostly raw vegan diet with follow-up using tablets, nutritional yeast, or probiotic supplements.Ann Nutr Metab. 2000;44(5-6):229-34.
In summary:
1) True cobalamin (precursor to B12) is not found in any significant quantity in plant foods (this has been researched and documented). It's true that plants contain all the amino acids we need, and it is helpful to think of amino acids as building blocks used to make more complex substances. However, our bodies need blueprints and only know how to combine amino acids in certain ways using specific enzymes. There is no evidence that our bodies know how to take the necessary amino acids and make B12 out of it. That's like saying that I could give you all the metal you need to make the Golden Gate bridge (without any workers or tools or blueprints) and expect you to build it.
2) One study reported that B12 can be synthesized by bacteria who live in the small intestine (this bacteria was isolated from a few volunteers in Southern India). This has been the basis of claims that raw foodists do not need B12 supplementation. Also, dehydrated cereal grasses were found in one study to contain a very small amount of B12.
3) In contrast, every single other study of vegetarian and especially vegan populations has shown that a substantial proportion of the tested group had B12 deficiency or high MMA (related biological marker). There are about 11 of these studies, listed in the references to the above article.
4) In the study cited above, it was hypothesized (based on #2 and #3) that raw foodists consuming a diet based on carrot juice, fruits and veggies, and dehydrated barley grass juice might be able to avoid B12 deficiency. This hypothesis was incorrect. Like previous studies, they found about 50% of their subjects developed B12 deficiency.
On the side of raw food, not everyone in these studies developed B12 deficiency and it's not clear why some people do while others don't. However, most of these studies are short term and one longitudinal study concluded that all vegans studies eventually developed B12 deficiency. In my personal opinion, a long-term commitment to a raw food diet should be coupled with B12 supplementation - it's not a certainty that you will develop B12 deficiency, but it's a gamble you are taking. Also, the signs of B12 deficiency take a very long time to develop and signs are quite subtle at first.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Best
Valerie in the Raw Food Diet World
www.MyPrivateCoach.com
dinner: aurgula salad + Micro greens,
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