B12 Deficiency?

[~Summer~]

I was told recently I need to get my ten year old son's B12 levels checked because he is not eating meat. He has autism and did have epilepsy until we started raw a year ago. Should I be worrying about his B12 levels since he eats mostly raw?

[Dimond]

It doesn't hurt to test to find out. Some say to supplement, some don't.

[Thick]

This link had a lot of interesting info.
http://www.animalsuffering.com/resources/articles/What-Every-Vegan-Should-Know-about-Vitamin-B12/

[pixie_333]

i agree it doesn't hurt to get it checked... but it's one of those vegan myths about b-12. there's more meat meaters deficient than vegans.
i became deficient on a mostly meat diet and have been for years unknowingly that this was the result of a few problems i've had. i bought country life vegetarian active b-12 dibencozide and basicaly immediately took care of the problems. on the label it just saids 1 daily for adults and no mention of kids, but i feel this is a waste to take daily.

there's a lot of threads on this topic if you care to search for it. also i'd look to see if any deficient symptoms relate to your child.

i just quickly looked at the link thck shared and it mentions some soy products have b-12. i strongly advise in my very strong opinion to ultimately avoid all soy products especialy for children. it's been discussed here on the forum if you care to search if you haven't learned the pros and cons if interested.

but really.. so many people throw out this huge fear factor about b-12... and most peoples levels are ok. it's like people want to say anything to keep you from being vegan. it's what i've noticed/gathered over the years.

[michigan roman]

ive seen too many smart people in vegan society say youve got to b12 suppliment ,
ECSPECIALLY IN GROWING KIDS , for me to go against them

the bottom line for alot of these mentioned bright people is that at minimum its great insurance that carries a very very low risk of being a negative

while at the same times theres been many thousands of serious b12 deficieny cases amongst vegans that have had very bad affects on people

[FreshStart]

How many vegans have died from b-12 deficiency?

[SevenKindsOfCookie]

I don't take supplements at all since I'm fairly sure that B12 deficiency has nothing to do with B12 intake.
However, if I had a child I would probably be a bit paranoid about the child getting all the nutrients. I think that it would at least be a good idea to check the levels on a regular basis.

[margoss]

My 7yo dd gets a B12 squirt daily. Ped was not happy she was veggie & never had cow's milk. He was surprised I had a reply for all of his concerns. Her last blood work was fine. I take it too.

[coco]

the thing about a b12 deficiency is that it can take years to show up and by then irreparable damage has been done. it's not that it kills you, just that it has a tremendously huge impact on your health forever after.

there is not a vegan source of b12 so strict vegans can supplement if they choose to do so. with kids i will go so far as to say that they should supplement. normally not a word i like to use very often but... in this case i feel it pretty strongly. to risk the development of a child because of raw dogma would be tragic indeed.

eta the raw food sources of b12 have all been debunked btw. algae, spirulina, sea veg, etc. have a b12 analogue that is not true b12 and can actually inhibit the absorption of it. so take care and check your sources.

[divajess]

ive seen too many smart people in vegan society say youve got to b12 suppliment ,
ECSPECIALLY IN GROWING KIDS , for me to go against them


I agree! My research, from several sources, has suggested that blood serum levels of B-12 do not adequately reflect B-12 levels, so even a blood test may not tell you what you want to know.

Here is a link to a VERY informative article by Gabriel Cousens about B12.

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/b12article.html

My kids and I both supplement with B-12. When it comes to growth and development, I am not willing to risk any kind of vitamin deficiency. I don't know if Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula Nutritional Yeast is raw, but it is vegan.