Re: No poo and B12
Hi M,
It is fascinating, for me too. It will be a while before I know if my theory is correct. Right now, it feels slightly uncomfortable, but it is bothering me less. Maybe I have gotten used to it, maybe my skin and hair is improving. Too soon to tell yet.
It seems we may also be deficient in vitamin B12, particularly if we are vegetarian or vegan. That puzzled me too. It somehow just seems, well... wrong that we need B12 supplements or get it from animals. I mean, where do they get it from? They don't eat meat or take supplements. Anyway I did a bit of googling and found this...
http://www.healthmad.com/Nutrition/Why-Vegans-Shouldnt-Wash-Their-Vegetables....
- below is an extract:
"But how did the B12 get into the animals you might wonder? Simple, animals ingest B12 when they eat vegetables.
I guess that you're pretty confused now. After all vegans do nothing but eat vegetables. So how is it animals do get B12 from vegetables, but vegans don't?
The answer is simply that animals don't wash their vegetables. B12 is produced by bacteria that live in soil. Soil is on the leaves of vegetables animals eat and so enters their digestive tract.
It was in this way that humans first developed a need for B12. Man originally didn't wash vegetables so for many years there was plenty of B12 to go around.
But over the years washing vegetables became more common. And so eating meat or other animal products became a necessity. In fact eating meat might have become an evolutionary success factor simply because we started washing vegetables.
So is it possible to turn back the clock? Is it safe to eat unwashed vegetables? Sadly no. Washing vegetables has become a necessity because of the increased use of pesticides. Before you can safely eat vegetables the pesticides need to be removed thus making washing necessary.
An additional danger is contamination of produce with bacteria such as e-coli from contaminated water, manure or through improper handling. This of course is a bit frustrating for vegans since e-coli is a by-product of animal-husbandry.
Organic farming reduces these risks, but if you do want to start eating unwashed vegetables you should try and get some information about the source. Do they really not use pesticides? Is the fertilizer they use vegan or does it come from animal by-products? Is there any chance of e-coli contamination from other farms in the area? Where does the water come from? How are the vegetables transported? The best option might be to visit the farm in person and check it out.
Or you can keep things in your own hand and grow your own vegetable garden. In your own garden you can guarantee the soil contains no toxic elements."
So here we are again, back to basics, and everything works properly. Another quote, this time from http://www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html:
"Human faeces can contain significant B12. A study has shown that a group of Iranian vegans obtained adequate B12 from unwashed vegetables which had been fertilised with human manure. Faecal contamination of vegetables and other plant foods can make a significant contribution to dietary needs, particularly in areas where hygiene standards may be low. This may be responsible for the lack of anaemia due to B12 deficiency in vegan communities in developing countries."
Humanure! But if done properly as per http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.html
- there is no contamination. In fact here's another quote from "dave the knave" taken from http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/messages/messages/4/1062.html?1138673248:
Studies have shown that a common component of soil
is made by bacterial action on animal wastes"B12"
and that a deficiency of B12 is only found in the
so called developed world where humanure and other
manures are considered waste to be gotten rid of
rather than a resource to be used as fertilizer..
Those countries which flush these resources away
have wide spread B12 deficiencies and rely on
supplements,but anyone who is at least a little
connected via a garden or some houseplants will
touch the soil and be fortified..
So for me, it's go out into the garden. Get my vitamin D from the sun, B12 from the soil, and don't wash away the DHA.