The Vitamin B12 Bomb Scare
My son doesn’t eat meat. He rarely eats dairy. Therefore, how does he get his vitamin B12? Sometimes I really second guess myself about raising my son vegetarian, worried that he doesn’t get all the nutrients that the meat lovers get, and that this deficiency will somehow turn him into a spindly little skeleton with an underdeveloped brain. That would completely contradict my belief that humans are meant to be vegetarian.
I’m not a vegetarian, by choice. I’d like my son to decide on his own whether he wants to introduce meat into his diet.
I came across this article, which dispells the vitamin B12 myth. Supposedly, B12 is found in animal derived foods. Many other sources claim that vegans and vegetarians might not get enough B12, and it’s this big scary deal if your toddler is lacking in that area. Well, calm down ya’ll. Here is one important excerpt from the find: “All of the Vitamin B12 in the world ultimately comes from bacteria. Neither plants nor animals can synthesize it. But plants can be contaminated with B12 when they come in contact with soil bacteria that produce it. Animal foods are rich in B12 only because animals eat foods that are contaminated with it or because bacteria living in an animal’s intestines make it.” From The Vegetarian Way: Total Health for You and Your Family (1996) Virginia Messina, MPH, RD, & Mark Messina, PhD p. 102
I also came across an article that referenced a study that was done on developing nations that have a large population of vegan diets. There is no B12 deficiency there thanks to the fertilizer being used on their plants. This “not enough B12″ thing is just another scare to make people think you really need meat in your diet. You don’t.
There is a lot of “scare” factors on the internet that try to make it seem like a vegan or vegetarian diet for a toddler is inadequate. I’m glad I came across that website, it really put my mind at rest.
