getting enough B12

Q: Dear GreenSmoothieGirl, I was reading about how difficult it is for anyone to get B12.   Do you take any supplements? I’ve transitioned to a raw diet, and assumed all my needs are covered by the massive amounts of fruits and veggies I eat.

A:   You’ll be receiving Myth 4 any day now in your free GreenSmoothieGirl e-letter today (and it will be on the site as well).   To summarize it, I haven’t taken any vitamin/mineral supplements in four years.   Like you, I’ve shifted that spending to whole plant foods, a much better use of my money.

 About Vitamin B12: it’s made by microorganisms in the soil and in the intestines of animals (and humans).   Plants grown in healthy soil with enough B12 will absorb this vitamin, but of course we are mostly eating B12-poor plant foods, because of soil deficiencies.   However, the B12 issue is a much smaller one than the anti-vegans (and the meat/dairy industries) want to make it.   Colin Campbell, Cornell PhD and author/lead researcher of The China Study, says we hold a three-year store of Vita B12 in our bodies.   He says if you do not eat ANY animal products for three years or more, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, you “should consider taking a small B12 supplement on occasion, or [go] to the doctor annually to check your blood levels of B vitamins and homocysteine.”