From what I understand, one can get sufficient B-12 from the soil ones vegetables grow in -- particularly root veggies such as carrots, and green leafies. The B-12 is synthesized from herbivorous animal waste by bacteria that live in the soil. Also, the body can retain B-12 for at least 5 years. Does deficiency occur with some people? I've no doubt. But do people really need to be concerned for their lives? I doubt it. Nevertheless, I take a sublingual B-12 every day, just as I take lots of other supplements. They may not be necessary for my survival, but if there's even a reasonable chance that they might enhance my health and/or can prolong my lifespan, I see no harm in them.
ditto'd... one of the problems we have in our society is that because of the application of pesticides/ herbicides, we've changed the microbial activity in the soil (basically killed off most of it), so we don't get as much B12 action when we grow plants. cows have to be given B12 shots because they can't get enough from grass anymore.
i read one study of a vegan community in the 3rd world that got sufficient B12 because they fertilized the soil with human manure, and weren't as thourough washing veggies as we are- so there was B12 on/in their veggies.
Yeah, that bit about the "3rd world" countries always came off as colonialist/racist claptrap to me: "Backwards non-white savages that eat their own faeces."
I'd be very interested in seeing any info you may have on vegan communities in non-western countries, though.
Humanure is used in the west as well, but we don't usually use it on food products even though it can be perfectly safe (you usually compost it for roughly 7 years first... urine, also quite nutrient rich, can be used much quicker).
Part of the plans that I have for my new farmhouse include a composting toilet system with the end goal of using the compost on plants that I may eventually eat (most likely I will start with things like fruit trees).
The thing about B-12 is that it isn't a big deal, unless it is. So why gamble when there are so many ways to supplement? Especially when we're talking about children. Give them one of those vegan gummy vitamins with a billion percent of the USRDA of B-12, just to be sure. They think it's candy
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In the old days, we used to get B12 from the soil still on vegetables. That's where herbivorous animals get it still. Cows eat grass that has been faecally contaminated by their own poo.
Then germ theory became popular and we became scared of germs, so now we wash our veggies very thoroughly and don't get B12 from them.
That's why we now need to take B12 in supplement form. Yes, need. It's either that or eat plenty of veggies from feacally contaminated/enriched soil, without washing them. The latter is unadvisable, however, because although you'd be more likely to consume B12 this way, you'd also be more likely to consume such food-poisoning bacteria as Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus, which are commonly found on dirty veggies, even organic ones.
By the way, I think you should consider whether you're successfully matching your language to your medium. This is an online forum of, for the most part, non-academics, and the language in your original post is undeniably academic in style. It's important to match the right language style to right audience/setting. Otherwise you might turn people off, basically.
I'm not conversant with the idea that B12 can only be got from animal sources except as something newcomers to veganism sometimes believe as a result of growing up in a culture which does not support this lifestyle. B12 is created by bacteria, and is available in certain forms of nutritional yeast (in the US, the Red Star Vegetarian Formula nutritional yeast), in Marmite, etc., widely available to vegans in the global north
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i read one study of a vegan community in the 3rd world that got sufficient B12 because they fertilized the soil with human manure, and weren't as thourough washing veggies as we are- so there was B12 on/in their veggies.
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I'd be very interested in seeing any info you may have on vegan communities in non-western countries, though.
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Part of the plans that I have for my new farmhouse include a composting toilet system with the end goal of using the compost on plants that I may eventually eat (most likely I will start with things like fruit trees).
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In the old days, we used to get B12 from the soil still on vegetables. That's where herbivorous animals get it still. Cows eat grass that has been faecally contaminated by their own poo.
Then germ theory became popular and we became scared of germs, so now we wash our veggies very thoroughly and don't get B12 from them.
That's why we now need to take B12 in supplement form. Yes, need. It's either that or eat plenty of veggies from feacally contaminated/enriched soil, without washing them. The latter is unadvisable, however, because although you'd be more likely to consume B12 this way, you'd also be more likely to consume such food-poisoning bacteria as Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus, which are commonly found on dirty veggies, even organic ones.
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GT's kombucha says 20% RDA, some brands of prune juice, higher.
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