Hi Peter!

Thank you for the B12 article.  Since on the other raw list the problem of B12
intake seems to be easily dismissed as not very important, I have found myself
crossposting lots of what I find over here.  At this point I know to expect a
couple of swift and predictable replies, but I assume that at least some
people will have maybe read what I posted and might be encouraged to think a
little more critically about what they hear from some of the supposed
"experts."

I preceded the article with some of my own words of caution, which I am
including here since I'm thinking it might provide a little relief to some of
you who have been exasperated by so many years of battling on your own.

Lots of Love!   Love Liza
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am sending below a copy of an article from "Vegetarian Times, September
1991," which was posted on the "other" raw list, regarding B12 deficiencies on
an all-plant or fruitarian diet, sent by Peter Brandt, the moderator of that
list.  The article is prefaced by a few of my own comments about the problem
of B12, and a word of caution to "newbies."
====================================

A reminder: - although there are many bogus claims that B12 intake is adequate
on a raw vegan diet, both long-time anecdotal experience and scientific
evidence show fairly conclusively that dangerous B12 deficiency problems
develop long-term unless some animal products are eaten, or,  B12 supplements,
injections, or IV drip is administered.

This problem of B12 being virtually unavailable on a fruitarian or vegan diet
can only make one wonder about the claims promoted by some that humans are
meant to eat only fruit, or only plants.

To the "newbies" - in this world of various health-food diets, you will hear
many, MANY, theories about a particular diet being "THE" Diet, or "Nature's
First Law," or claiming to be the final solution to the problem of what we are
supposed to eat.  The field of human nutrition has a long history of being
FILLED with pretend scientists, crank scientists, ego-trips, religious-
missionary type people, folks selling magic cures, loads of people selling
their latest idea of the diet that will make you never get sick, or never get
old, or never die, or whatever, and LOADS and loads of opportunists pretending
to care, who are REALLY only out to make an easy buck. That is the heritage of
this particular alternative "culture" of health-seekers or whatever you want
to call us.

So - if you are new to the pursuit of health and the search for the right diet
- just be advised that you will find LOTS of books and booklets to read, and
they will all contradict each other, and you will hear LOTS of theories, and
they will all contradict each other, and you will discover MANY people who
like to see and promote themselves as gurus and enjoy all the money and
attention they can get this way, and each of them will have a different
"theory" about whether we should eat only raw animal fats, or fruit only, or
blood-type eating only, or Ayurvedic body-type eating only, or instincto
eating, or herbal preparations,  - on and on and on - it is limitless.

So, CONSIDER THE SOURCE!!!!! Check on credentials. There are a LOT of snake-
oil types in our crowd, a LOT of dishonesty and cheating, and a lot of
confusion.

With that said, here's the article on B12: