What is so wrong about supplements?

[ThinkAboutThis]

It would take some serious cash to set up manufacturing, though.

True true.

[ThatNerdyScienceGirl]

Secondly, we don't generally as a group " have " to take any supplement unless we live in a sanitary first world country, then it behooves us to take b12.

I certainly hope this isn't the "You can get B-12 by eating dirty fruit" argument. You can get B-12 by eating poop, however http://nutritionstudies.org/12-question ... tamin-b12/

not recommended.

[brimstoneSalad]

Secondly, we don't generally as a group " have " to take any supplement unless we live in a sanitary first world country, then it behooves us to take b12.

I certainly hope this isn't the "You can get B-12 by eating dirty fruit" argument. You can get B-12 by eating poop, however http://nutritionstudies.org/12-question ... tamin-b12/

not recommended.

In third world situations, such as in much of the poorer areas of India, drinking water is extremely contaminated by feces. Think slumdog millionaire shit scene -- that was the same river people are washing clothes in, bathing in, and often getting drinking water from downstream.

[ThatNerdyScienceGirl]

Secondly, we don't generally as a group " have " to take any supplement unless we live in a sanitary first world country, then it behooves us to take b12.

I certainly hope this isn't the "You can get B-12 by eating dirty fruit" argument. You can get B-12 by eating poop, however http://nutritionstudies.org/12-question ... tamin-b12/

not recommended.

In third world situations, such as in much of the poorer areas of India, drinking water is extremely contaminated by feces. Think slumdog millionaire shit scene -- that was the same river people are washing clothes in, bathing in, and often getting drinking water from downstream.

It's kinda sad to know that the main way of getting B12 is by drinking and bathing in water contaminated with feces... sounds like something we should tell Paleo promoters about.

[brimstoneSalad]

It's kinda sad to know that the main way of getting B12 is by drinking and bathing in water contaminated with feces... sounds like something we should tell Paleo promoters about.

It's pretty terrible. Wild animals get it by eating feces -- including our closest relatives. You can find videos of gorillas and such eating feces in zoos. They seem to like it though.

[ThatNerdyScienceGirl]

It's kinda sad to know that the main way of getting B12 is by drinking and bathing in water contaminated with feces... sounds like something we should tell Paleo promoters about.

It's pretty terrible. Wild animals get it by eating feces -- including our closest relatives. You can find videos of gorillas and such eating feces in zoos. They seem to like it though.

[_Doc]

Not really sure what argument he's trying to make.

I say that supplements are fine to use. I just wanted to better understand the reasons behind people using supplements as a reason not to go vegan.

You would also want to get antioxidants and phytonutrients. But as long as you got all essential amino and fatty acids, and fiber, and every vitamin and mineral (in forms and dosages adequately absorbed), it should be fine.

I get all of those. Just found a good source of fatty acids.

You can get B-12 by eating poop, however http://nutritionstudies.org/12-question ... tamin-b12/
not recommended.

Well thankfully I get my B-12 from nutritional yeast and supplements. But, mainly nutritional yeast.

[Aramiss]

Some people don't like man made stuff (especially when "chemicals" are involved). It's fear more than anything I think, some people also want an easy excuse to dismiss veganism as unhealthy, or risky.

Some people get confused about bioavailability and hear that supplements just don't work so they think of them as a scheme to rip people off.

I just tell people they work really well and they make me feel a lot better (I've had some health issues). Its really hard to argue with that

[Heinechan]

If you could eat three processed food bars which were nutritionally deficient, they just equalled your total daily calories from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (in your preferred ratio), and you then get all your micronutrients from supplementation. What would be wrong with this?

Nutrition just isn't this simple. There's a lot we still don't know about optional nutrition and all of the health benefits of whole foods. We can concoct things that sustain human life, but then again people sustain themselves on nutritionally deficient things all day every day. And vitamins have limited effectiveness anyways. Certain compounds seem to be extremely healthy in foods, but don't translate well to pill form (I think carotenoids have been an example of this).

I certainly hope this isn't the "You can get B-12 by eating dirty fruit" argument. You can get B-12 by eating poop, however http://nutritionstudies.org/12-question ... tamin-b12/

not recommended.

No, definitely not. B12 deficiency is too serious to mess around with.