<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>kpickell</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
I've heard his latest editions do address the issue better, but I haven't looked to see exactly what he says now. He's the guy that originally advocated not washing your fruits to get the b12 you needed. In the seminar I attended (this was 5 years ago) when it was brought up in Q&A he said not to worry about it if you ever used to eat meat because your body stores it for 30 years.<br><br><br><br>
In fact, here's a website that uses McDougall's book to dispell myths including the myth that vegetarians need to worry about B12. <a href="http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/myths.html" target="_blank">http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/myths.html</a> .... And that's how the "don't worry about it" rumors got started.<br><br><br><br>
ETA: I found what he's now stating in new editions and on his website: "I tell pregnant and nursing women, and people following my diet strictly for more than 3 years, to take five micrograms of vitamin B12 each day to ensure that they are getting an adequate supply of the vitamin." /sigh.</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
I am doing a little poll over on the Health forum on this website about Vitamin B-12. I do not know exactly what the McDougall program entails, but if he allows cereal and soymilk that are fortified with vitamin B-12, you have the Vitamin B-12 issue covered, if not just take a daily supplement unless you are older and cannot absorb Vitamin B-12 and then you will have to get an injection about every 3 months or so.<br><br><br><br>
From what I have read, although Vitamin B-12 is essential, you don't need a lot and it can stay in your system a long time (although the time is different for everyone). Any excess vitamin B-12 will just go out of your system. I have heard the thing about not washing fruit, but in this day and age where farmers grow crops near beef, hog and chicken operations with large manure ponds which may spillover during heavy rains, I would not go that route. All fruit and veggies should be washed before eating even if grown on a tree because you never know who has handled the them. It is true that B-12 comes from bacteria that is everywhere, but you can't always separate the good bacteria from the bad bacteria. I also don't believe that you can make enough B-12 in your own gut to get by---at least I wouldn't want to take that chance. As I said in my other post about vitamin B-12, my mother-in-law is suffereing from dementia and they believe it is at least partially caused by her vitamin B-12 deficiency that was not diagnosed until it was irreversible. My own mother takes vitamin B-12 injections because she cannot absorb vitamin B-12 but they found out in time and she is doing fine. Both of them are omnivores by the way so it has nothing to do with a veg*n diet, but with their stomach not being able to absorb B-12. However, vitamin B-12 deficiency is nothing to take lightly esp. for the life-long vegan.
">
