Tera Warner

Calcium, Iron and Good Ol’ B12.

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monique_sm Well, Monique the Nutritional Diva is at it again, doing her thorough research and investigation into your burning questions about the raw food diet and healthy living.

Today, she’s cracking the case on the classic concerns many people have about getting enough Calcium, Iron and B12 in the Raw Food Diet.

“Hi!!! I’d like to ask you if, as a raw foodist, I need to take a B12 supplementation. And what about iron and calcium intake in a raw diet? Thanks.

-In love with raw.”

Monique cracks the case with another well researched answer that’ll knock your nutritional socks off:

Hi, “In love with raw”,

Ah the famous question. One that is still very much in debate. Some experts say that a vegan diet and raw/vegan diet can supply it if you are consuming certain plant foods.

Other experts say that you have to supplement if you’re on these types of diets. So you may start to wonder who’s right?

I so love to appeal to people’s logic, so before we decide who’s right, why don’t we take a look at a few facts and questions that we should ask ourselves.

iStock_000003691637XSmall Questions:

We are told that we can only get B12 from the herbivore animals that we eat. If this is the case, where are they getting their B12?

If animal foods are such a good source of B12, then why are meat eaters more deficient in B12 then vegans?

We could ask a lot more questions than this, but for now, let’s just take a look at these two and answer them.

Answers:
Herbivores get their B12 in small amounts from the grasses and plants that they consume, as well as from the bacteria in their digestive tract (if their digestive tract is healthy). Meat eaters become deficient in B12, when their digestive tract becomes compromised. Their bacteria can no longer produce B12 as a byproduct of food. Therefore the B12 they consume may not be absorbed. Some people in this situation end up having to get B12 injections, as does a friend of mine.

I thought you would also find this interesting. In the 17-18 years that I’ve been a vegan, not once did I take a B12 supplement. Even when I was pregnant the doctor said my blood showed that everything was fine, and she had checked my blood for everything including B12, as she was not familiar with my type of diet/lifestyle.

That said, if your digestive system is healthy, then the bacteria in your intestines will take care of things. However, if you are not sure that it is in good shape, then take a supplement and try to eat foods that are good sources of this vitamin. Remember we only need 3 mcg a day, which is not much. Even though this is a small amount, it is still very important that you get your B12 daily.

Its major functions are:

  • The formation and maintenance of a healthy nervous system
  • Blocking nerve cell degeneration
  • Essential for growth in children
  • Forming red blood cells
  • RNA and DNA synthesis
  • Aiding carbohydrate metabolism
  • Necessary for a healthy pregnancy

     

    Below you’ll find a list of foods that supply B12 on a raw/vegan diet:

    bananas 2 Barley grass, wheat grass, bean sprouts, also other sprouts including alfalfa, clover, sunflower, buckwheat lettuce, bananas, grapes, papaya, peaches, almonds, peas, comfrey, burdock, white oak bark, cayenne pepper, catnip, chickweed (wild edible), dandelion, dong quia, eyebright, fenugreek, ginger, ginseng, hops, licorice (the real kind, not the candy), mullein, red clover, sea vegetables (kelp, dulse, sprulina, chlorella) and finally, nutritional yeast.

    So make sure you are getting some of these foods in your diet each day.

    As for the calcium and iron, we could ask the very same questions. Where does a cow get its calcium and iron? I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a grown cow getting milk from another cow or animal (for that matter), in order to get their calcium. As for iron, I don’t see them or any other herbivore (on a farm or in the wild), eating another animal in order to get their iron or anything else that they need. So where are they getting it? You’ve guessed it – from plant foods. Greens, grasses, alfalfa, etc. Below you’ll find a list of foods that contain calcium and iron. Remember that according to the RDA we only need 10-18 mg of iron a day and 800 mg a day of calcium, this of course is based on a meat centered diet (SAD diet). As you can see from the amounts below, if you eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouts, you are getting much more then the RDA recommends each day.

    Compare dairy milk (which they say is the best source of calcium) with some of the foods below. It has only 295 mg per cup, and guess what? Our bodies can’t even use it. That’s right, instead of helping us build strong bones, it robs our bodies of the calcium and other minerals found in our bones, all in an effort to neutralize the acid build-up caused by the foreign milk. The body fights very hard to get rid of it. So much for “Does a body good”, not to mention the allergies it causes in children and adults.

    The REAL food that “Does a body good” (in 3 1/2 oz) are:

    Isolated almonds Sesame seeds – 1160 mg. Sesame seed milk (1 cup) – 1125 mg.
    Kelp – 1093 mg.
    Dulse – 296 mg
    Almonds (soaked) – 234 mg. Almond milk (1 cup) – 604 mg.
    Dried Fig – 126 mg
    Broccoli – 103 mg

    Other really good sources:

    iStock_000002786877XSmall Turnip greens, Beet greens, Kale, Swiss Chard, Parsley, Spinach, Fennel, Cress, Celery, Cabbage, Zucchini, Yellow squash, Pumpkin, Buckwheat, Brussels sprouts, Brazil nuts, Hazelnuts (Filberts), Apples, Bananas, Dates, Peaches, Pears, Prunes, Raisins, Raspberries, Strawberries, etc.

    There are so many to choose from! I Hope this has given you a good idea of how easy it is to get these important nutrients in your diet every day.

    Here are your Iron stars:

    Dulse – 150 mg
    Kelp – 100 mg
    Sesame Seeds – 10.5 mg
    Dried organic Apricots (not sulfur dried) – 5.5 mg

    Other sources include: Sprouted mung beans and lentils, etc.; Dates, dried Peaches, Prunes, Raisins, Pumpkin, Sunflower seeds, Almonds, Brazil nuts, Coconut (esp. dried), Filberts, Walnuts, Irish moss, Spinach, Squash, and many other foods.

    1ed6024128a03eaf72896010.L You might like to read Diet for a New America by John Robbins.

    This book provides wonderful documentation of the ill effects of the standard American diet and describes how healthy a plant-based diet is. Also, when dealing with the opinions of family and friends, remember that you don’t take medical advice from your insurance broker, so don’t take advice about diet from anyone that isn’t an expert and even then, remember that some have an agenda that isn’t you’re health, if you know what I mean. Hope this answers your questions!

    Take Care,
    Monique