There is a sizeable community of people who practice raw veganism near where I live and these folks are hard core. Needless to say, these folks love the green smoothies diet.
This is easy to understand as those who embark on raw veganism typically feel fantastic for quite some time while eating this way. Â Raw veggies are extremely detoxifying! For several months or even a year or two, increased energy, clear skin and resistance to infection may be observed.
Is this because raw veganism is the right way to eat long term? Is the vegan Netflix film What The Health really on to something big?
Far from it.Â
Raw Veganism is for Cleansing the Body, Not Nourishing It!
Raw veganism is really a cleansing diet which helps to detoxify the body. It does not optimally nourish the body long term, however.
The raw, whole foods that vegans consume are certainly a huge leap forward from conventional processed foods and anyone would initially feel better eating raw vegan if he/she had been eating the Standard American Diet previously.
Over time, as the body becomes depleted of minerals, serious health issues start to emerge if raw veganism is continued.
This is because the fat soluble activators A, D, and K2 – only found in animal foods – supercharge mineral absorption and without these critical nutrients in the diet, mineral depletion and ill health is the inevitable result.
The bottom line? You can eat loads of mineral rich foods as a raw vegan and still be mineral starved.
Nutritional Deficiencies Rapidly Occur on a Raw Vegan Diet
Watch this 3 minute video below where Maria, a former fan of raw veganism and the creator of the Green Smoothie Challenge discusses her abrupt conversion to nutrient dense animal foods due to the health and tooth challenges she experienced after two years as a raw vegan. Her vegan catharsis came after reading Rami Nagel’s book Cure Tooth Decay.
You will be shocked how rapidly her health challenges resolved after she began to consume nutrient dense animal foods such as cod liver oil, raw butter, and organ meats.
If you know any folks that practice raw veganism, please forward this video.  Folks who follow veganism are in serious denial about how this way of eating is going to eventually destroy their health if it hasn’t already and a testimonial from a former hard core vegan may be just what they need to realize that humans are not designed to subsist purely on plant foods.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
More Information
Angelina Jolie says veganism nearly killed her
12 Year old vegan has bones of an 80 year old
I think you’re right, Sarah, with your statement which says something to the effect of raw vegans NOT changing their ways. They won’t. You get people like Mikey Adams touting raw veganism and everything else raw (except milk – he doesn’t use dairy products, of course, even though they are best used raw) and people buy it hook, line and sinker. Even smart people like former Pres. Clinton, as you pointed out. I saw a photo of him recently – he looks terrible and to me he seems to have aged a lot in the past year. Of course, he’s not getting any younger, but I think some of it or maybe a lot of it has to do with his newly adopted eating habit. I’m pretty sure the poor dude is on probably 3 – 4 medications, too. It’s a set-up for disaster.
I have a friend who keeps asking me if cooking foods diminishes the nutritional value. I’ve done the best I can to explain it to her, but if you have something I could add I’d be grateful. She’s convinced that if she makes beef vegetable soup she should not let it simmer for hours because the nutrition will be gone. Arrggghh.
Yes, President Clinton looks absolutely awful. From Dunkin Donuts to veganism. From the frying pan into the fire basically.
After all of his heart troubles, I don’t think LOOKS were what was most important to him. He says he FEELS tons better, with more energy and mental clarity, etc. THAT’S what is most important, over LOOKS. How unkind to even mention that.
@ Dawn: I haven’t heard him say a WORD about how he feels. And yes, looks are always a telltale sign of how he really feels. Those suitcases under his eyes are unmistakeable. I was not being unkind, I was being truthful. If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.
The pictures I saw he looks great and younger. And the reason he went on it is to help him not rebuild plague and help his heart disease and the vegan diet is very good for that.
Another thing of help to reverse plague is (organic) cayenne (as hot as you can take it–preferably in the form of tincture or tea (use distilled water for all teas) and raw garlic (must be raw -3 or more cloves a day) which together reverse plague. Also take organic ginger tincture for the capillaries.
He is not a raw foodist to my knowledge and he very rarely does eat fish not e says not often
@Dawn – Because the way you look on the OUTSIDE usually reflects how you feel and what your health is on the INSIDE. The comment about his looks was not about the cosmetic or attractiveness of him! It was about how his unhealthy appearance is most likely due to the fact that he isn’t healthy on the inside.
I agree, and have noticed many times that as true, hardcore vegans age they have a cadaverous look to them – too thin, pale, pasty, and wrinkly. Your skin and hair need those fats! Nothing like the traditional diet for a healthy, happy glow!
I get that question a lot about cooking food–I’m an acupuncturist. I tell my patients that when they have a weak digestive system (and almost everyone in the US does), cooking their food lets it rest more. If the food isn’t cooked, then the stomach has to do all the work that you are doing on the stove. Also, the Chinese do a lot of soups and stews because when you cook something in water, the nutrients go in the water–particularly when you are simmering on low heat and don’t have a lot of steam (which may release nutrients into the air) the nutrients stay in the broth. Soup is WONDERFUL!
I love this article in that it talks about what good a vegan diet can do (cleanse) because we need to hear both sides of things. Many bodies do need more cleansing and releasing while others (most of ours) need tonifying (nutrients). Some people can get away with cleansing for longer periods but others find it too much even for shorter periods. As someone who talks about balance and individual bodies, I appreciate when someone allows me to explain why someone else may be getting great results and I’m telling my patient to do something different.
Do some reading on enzymes. Cooked food is devoid of enzymes because the temperature of cooking destroys them. They are vital for digestion and proper nutrition. If you eat only cooked food, your body must provide enzymes, which puts tremendous strain on the pancreas and other organs, and leads to disease. Eat some raw food before or with every meal. How many animals cook their food? You are an animal too.
The level of ignorance in this thread is abysmal, starting with the original article. Please people – find better sources of information. Unless you’re just looking for someone to tell you what you want to hear about that ‘horrible raw veganism’ – then this is perfect for you. This author obviously has an ax to grind (as stated in the first line – “There is a sizeable community of raw vegans near where I live”), and doesn’t know much of anything. Disregard and move on.
Many eaters of traditional diets eat a lot of raw, lacto-fermented vegetables. We include them in our diet every day.
http://www.naturalnews.com/035798_grass-fed_beef_health_diet.html YES Mike Adams eats meat. get facts straight!
Thanks for sharing. Last summer – I did a 1 month green smoothie cleanse. After the cleanse I had a cough that lasted six months and was deep and would not go away. It took alot of time to heal from that and I think that a month on green smoothies did more damage than it healed.
I would need some kind of proof that your green cleanse was the cause of your cough. An infection or cough can be caused by a variety of virus’ or infection.
I don’t think Noelle was saying that the green smoothie fast caused her cough. I would assume from what she said that while being on the green smoothie fast she had a health crisis because her immune system was compromised from being on the green smoothie fast. My assumption was that the whole event was atypical for her, which is what lead her to believe it was suspiciously connected to the smoothie fast. I would have assumed the same thing were it a type and duration of illness that was not customary for me.
alot of people get a form of whopping cough and don’t no it becuase no Dr. will say its that becuase they were vac. that would be them proving vac don’t work after all.
Forks over Knives is an excellent Doc. One of my Fav’s. I have watched all of the Food Documentaries and it is about balance, and eating healthy foods raised properly, and without chemicals.
Carve out a little time to read this informative, hilarious and thorough critique of Forks Over Knives:
http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/09/22/forks-over-knives-is-the-science-legit-a-review
-and-critique/
Warning: Raw Veganism Will Steal Your Health – The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/Ogrd5Xbv
This is one lady’s experience. Look into the work of Dr. Esselstyn of Cleveland Clinic or Dr. Campbell of Cornell and many others who advocate and live out a plant based diet. And these men are in their 70’s and still thriving off such diets. A great documentary to watch is Fork over Knives (available on Netflix and other sources) This lady could of had other health issues as well that would have come up no matter what.
Love that film and many other live healthy on a plant based diet and ,most of these diets contain high raw.
this can be watched for free on download at torrentz for those who have no access to it.
I also like food inc and fat, sick and nearly dead which are there too.
I just found out a rec center in my area is showing the film and a few days later Dr Esselstyn will be speaking there. I am hoping to go.
Food, Inc. is against soybeans and all for local meats!
I was a vegan in my twenties and felt great but, at about two years I started going down fast and getting ill. Upon going to my Doctor he advised me to eat some meat moderatly because it had minerals in it I needed to process others properly. Once I taught myself to eat meat again I started feeling better within a month. I now eat quality premium meats a couple of times a week. I actually now live on a small farm and raise my own. Thank you for posting this because I have been telling my daughter about this and what happened to me years ago as she is now 30 and a total vegan. I am sharing this for her to read and watch
to the lady with the 30 year old vegan daughter who was vegan herself in her 20s
Not disrespect but I find it odd that you would listen to a doctor of all people who have next to no education in nutrition and often know less than the average person interested in nutrition and health.
I feel maybe you were cleansing too rapidly and that is why experience raw fooders like Dr Norman Walker who lived to be 97 knew that people need transitional diets to go back and forth to to slow cleansing if it is too fast and causing healing crises.
Also at 20, your vegan diet may not have had optimal choices and you may not have known what you might now as to what to eat..
You may feel fine now but one can achieve a level of health like the waitress that I spoke of before..she thought she was super healthy before she began Ehret’s diet but she had no clue people could be that healthy as in face few are. You may be healthy but you might be super healthy on an optimal raw vegan diet whole food with lots of green smoothies
see my long post below. also watch the film forks over knives with your daughter for some scientific backing for a plant based diet. You can download it at torrentz
“So eat always from the table of God: the fruits of the trees, the grain and grasses of the field, the milk of beasts, and the honey of bees. For everything beyond these is of Satan” ~Jesus http://www.tinyurl.com/gospeac
reference please?
That is the ‘Essene gospel’……. NOT Christian. Jesus said no such thing. In fact, Peter had a vision, in which God told him that ALL food was acceptable (no canned or processed food in those days), including all meat (he was afraid to eat pork as a guest in a non-Jewish household).
Definitely not the Christian Bible.
“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” John 21:25
In Christian Genesis Adam and Eva eat fruit, veggies and herbs. They do not drink milk for babie- cows, honey for babie-beans or kill animals for dead flesh.
Thanks for sharing the video! It is great to see people who used to promote raw vegan diets come to realization that such diet is only a cleansing diet, and not to be used for building and maitaining your health! And Maria is so open minded to try organ foods right away!
I am having liver and onions for lunch today, since I found that when I have liver at least once a week, it gives me
great energy. My lab work for iron and B12 needs work 🙂
For us, its all about balance. To much one way or the other is never good:)
Fug, but what is balance. I have friends who chime in with moderation, but what is moderation. For example, I just cannot eat carbs. I get fat and feel badly. I can eat veg and berries but as soon as I add rice or potatoes to my diet, I have problems. Of course I may be an exception but that is the point. We all need to listen to out bodies and be mindful. Some in their youth can get away with wrong habits but often it will catch up to them later in life. I didn’t eat oranges or strawberries in my childhood because I knew instinctively they were not good for me (or for whatever reasoning went on in a small boys head.) They hurt my tummy, yet limes and lemons and raspberries I would eat with glee. Years later I found out that these two foods I disliked were too acidic for my innards, yet strangely, though limes, lemons and raspberries taste acidic they are actually alkalising. Go figger.
Warning: Raw Veganism Will Steal Your Health – The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/64UESqX0
My questions are:
Maria said she was ‘a 95% raw vegan’. Well thats like me saying I perform 95% with no drugs… WTF!! lol!
How come this Maria chick has a gut and not in any shape but she is the ‘authority’ after a year on her 95% raw vegan ‘diet’. LMAO!
How come ALL the anti vegan snake oil sellers out there sell MINERAL SUPPS to their meat based diet followers??
How come Sally Fallon is writing a new book called ‘Fat Bitch’ in response to vegan author Rory Freeman’s NYC times best seller ‘Skinny Bitch’.?
How come Mary Enig looks like death warmed up. Check out Mimi Kirk and she is about 10 years older lol!
The fat you eat is the fat you wear…
Sarah looks good. Maria is recovering from raw veganism. I think some respond better to meats and others to vegetables.
Did you see this article says that you only get Vitamin A and D via eating dead animal flesh?
/facepalm.
You can only get vitamins A, D and B12 from animal-based products, though not necessarily flesh, butter, eggs and cheese all work too, and in the case of D you can make it in your body provided you have access to adequate levels of UV radiation. It is impossible to extract and form of vitamins A, D or B12 from a vegetable based food, and before you say it beta-carotene is NOT vitamin A. It’s a low-efficiency substitute that does work, but not permanently, and eventually you’ll start to suffer from vitamin A deficiency.
Vitamin D is made by the body when you are exposed to sunlight, or more specifically the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight, but in countries like northern Russia where the sun is not permanently visible all year, some level of fish consumption (a food very high in vitamin D) is recommended each week to ensure levels of vitamin D remain at safe levels.
Usable vitamin B12 can only be found in animal products, period. The human body cannot make it, and it is not found in vegetable matter.
None of these vitamins can be taken in supplement form, as supplements are not readily digestible in the quantities required by the human body. One of the worst mineral supplements is manganese, which is totally incapable of being absorbed.
In conclusion, whilst a raw vegan diet is an excellent plan for short-term health or a detoxification program, and vegetarianism is sustainable for a life-time of healthy and delicious food, the ideal diet is an omnivorous, albeit mostly vegetable, diet.
The best diet for a human is one with high levels of green, leafy and root vegetables (hey, we’re not herbivores but we CERTAINLY aren’t carnivores) and moderately high in carbohydrates preferably from pure sources like potato and rice as opposed to processed sources like pasta. It should feature a low level of short-chain sugars, moderate levels of both saturated (animal) and unsaturated (vegetable) fats for ideal cellular maintenance and construction, as few trans fats as possible (the kind in margarines and Crisco for example), meat in moderation (preferably at least 4 meals a week, once being organic free-range red meat, once being farmed fish, twice being organic free-range poultry) and as many eggs as you want (eggs are great for you).
Have a nice day, enjoy your healthy, cruelty-free diet.
All the minerals we need, including B12, can be derived from a vegan diet, if one knows what foods to eat. I have been vegan for years and have never been healthier. The article above is false.
thank you Paul. i’m not obese and have been veggie for almst 25 years. I’m verry healthy! never need a Dr. I was obese eating animalmeat! I lost that fat being veggie!
Actually, I beg to disagree on your assertion that we need foods moderately high in carbohydrates; from sources like potatoes and rice. As a matter of fact, when humans stopped hunting and gathering, and started becoming farmers, is when the onslaught of Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity increased.
In the span of human existence, evolution CAN adapt our intestinal tract to digest more complex foods, such as potatoes, rice and other heavy starches, but considering that this farming method of foods only came about thousands of years ago, and the length of time animals/humans evolve/adapt systems is in the millions, we are NOT supposed to consume these kinds of foods. There is NO benefit of potatoes, rice, barley, corn or other farmed vegetables as such.
Humans thrived for a very long time on simple nuts, vegetables, fruits and wild meat without any of the crap that people now claim, we need. And further, they thrived without Diabetes, high cholesterol, and the obesity rates we have now.
vitamin b12 can be found in the seeds of peaches and i also it is in apple seeds to.
Dead on, Olivia. I no longer eat any root foods other than sweet potatoes in moderation (I like ’em fried or sautéed as an occasional treat), legumes (poison) and grains (especially evil wheat – see end). I won’t even go into how evil soya (unless it is fermented) can be. If it can’t be eaten raw, then won’t usually eat it cooked.
I eat lots of raw, blanched and lightly cooked veg so I don’t get carbo overload. That’s just me. I don’t do well on carbs. Adding bread, pasta or rice makes for carbo overload supreme. However, people who exercise a lot can often get away with these high carb foods in moderation before an exercise set. I just prefer not to spend my time exercising a lot or growing a belly. I’m like a panther. I exercise when I have to, the rest of the time I watch the chubbies running round.
Sam,
You are grossly misinformed. I hold a BS in Nutritional Science. Humans DO NOT need preformed vitamin A, we do quite well synthesizing Vitamin A from beta-carotene just as do all the other mammals on the planet. Vitamin D, which is actually a hormone produced by the body in reaction to sunlight can be also be obtained from eating mushrooms. However, true Vitamin D deficiency is rare and is found in omnivores most likely due to decreased time outside and people’s irrational fear of the sun (chlorophyll protects our skin from the sun, unfortunately most people don’t consume enough). B12 which is the most recent micronutrient to be discovered by nutritionists is of some debate. No mammal has been found to synthesize B12 as it must be produced by microorganisms and is typically ingested with small amounts of soil by grazing animals. Fortunately it can be cultivated in yeasts and most vegans eat a fair amount of B12 containing Nutritional Yeast.
I have been a healthy vegan for 23 years and have a gorgeous, healthy vegan son who is 20 who has never been ill a day in his life. I am happy to say that this is NOT a short term diet.
If vegans are so healthy, why are so many of them obese?
Because vegans come in all shapes and sizes. Not all vegan food is health food. There is plenty of vegan junk food… chips, fries, faux meats, cakes, cupcakes. Just because it’s vegan doesn’t mean it won’t make you fat.
That is not true. Most vegans are very fit. Far more meat and dairy consumers are obese, statistically.
yup i use to do dairy but not organ meats was fat. lost more wiegth with that cut out. cows are fat why! now I only do eggs. veggie for 25 years. eggs are rare for me over 25 years too. only eating alot for my infant brain right now.
Paul York, you are comparing vegans to the wide range of others who are not vegan. Of course SAD and junk food eaters have such problems but compared to the group of Paleos, both raw, cooked and mix schools, the Paleos look healthier, test healthier and aren’t fat. They can’t be fat. Fat and moderate protein are by nature slimming. If someone professes to be Paleo and is fat then s/he is 1. new to the programme and in the stage of weight loss, 2. is still choosing to eat high starch foods, junk or otherwise, or 3. eating a very high protein diet.
There is science here, my fellow sentient friend. Only carbohydrates from the plant world or carbs for the conversion of a high protein intake make fat in the body, unless there is some strange illness or genetic malfunction going on.
Namaste,
mhikl
@durianrider- You never saw past the curve of her bust line, how can you say she has a gut???
Also, she was saying that she at a vegan diet that was 95% raw, not that she was 95% vegan. She was also a vegan for upwards of 2 years, not one.
One more thought- you do realize that our “ultra-skinny super model ideal” is fake, right? We’re not designed to look like walking toothpicks…
Try getting your facts straight, durianrider. Two years vegan, not one. Ninety-five percent raw vegan, five percent cooked or blanched veg vegan. If vegans and vegetarians had true confidence in their spiel, they wouldn’t have to lie. They love visiting paleo sites and poking fun, making innuendo and lies but on their sites, they don’t allow any non-vegans or pretend-vegans from posting criticisms about their style. That says it all. If you have to up hold your dogma with blatant lies, then that house of cards comes tumbling down pretty darn quickly.
For all concerned, do not lump all meat eaters together with junk food eaters or those who follow the SAD diet. True Peleos are purists, or at least strive to be, no less than the vegetarian groups. Compare those who go out of their way to eat what they study to be healthy against each others. Peleos on their sites who criticise veg diets in the usual vegan standard are criticised by fellow Paleos who won’t put up with such ill-formed logic as they have true knowledge and to respect for nutrition that comes from nature and not commercial enterprise.
By the way, ate a ton of durian whilst living in Sarawak and tis my favourite fruit.
Love a society that has nothing better to do, no problems bigger, financial or otherwise, than to bicker back and forth about what KINDS of foods we should be eating. And, to be so gluttonous as to need to “cleanse”. It’s DISGUSTING that our “worldly” problems can consist of whether to eat Tofu Dogs, or kill a pig, when there are people who BEAT EACH OTHER for a bowl of rice.
For shame.
I feel like your comment was very inappropriate.
Which part was inappropriate?
Andrea, How is that comment inappropriate? I also find it very sad that people are bickering and judging each other on what kinds of diets they are privileged enough to eat (I include myself in this Privilege). People in third world countries would be so baffled by this dialogue, many of them can barely scrape together enough to survive. First World Problems!
Why is it inappropriate to talk about health? Why should it be inappropriate to talk about which the best diet for the world so that no people in the world could starve anymore?
True.
However we are in the US and are most fortunate to be able to have selections with our food.
The basis of our heath problems in the US is the fact that much of our food has become industrialized.
All parties need to read and educate themselves – education is free in this country.
Yes, as a responsible society and responible members we SHOULD BE BICKERING BACK AND FORTH ABOUT WHAT KINDS OF FOODS WE EAT.
Many foods are hosed with articificial additives or preservatives.
It is DISGUSTING that some would cook/eat a bowl of instant mac and cheese over a piece of cheese and fruit (over convenience or ignorance).
You missed my point. The fact that we have such a fortunate problem as to get to CHOOSE what we can eat, when others FIGHT over grains of rise, is disgusting. People should be grateful they have anything to eat at all. Grateful that they have anything to cleanse their bodies of.
If food is part of the very essence of our problems, what is? Especially when you talk about the miserable state the world is in today. You know, a huge part of that misery is connected to exactly how we live in the wealthy nations. Our immense hunger for meat causes the best part of our environmental problems and creates a lot of poverty in the 3rd world.
Even if we had no hunger in the world, our own food (and thus our health) should be one of our primary concerns, right after the prevention of looting and murdering in the streets.
If I was trying to be evil, I’d say that you couldn’t have found a worse example for a problem we should not pay attention to 😉
1st sentence should say “isn’t”, obviously.
I love you Ollivia. We need sane reminders now and again.
Namase,
mhikl
I totally, totally agree. The debate in the raw vegan community is so tiring. There seems to be so much unkindness, craziness, unbalanced attitudes. Some are downright mean. Recently there were issues about antlers in supplements and whey etc. it was like entering a war-zone. If this is how people behave, then I would prefer to enjoy my occasional portion of meat, enjoy a cup of coffee and love my neighbour and stay in touch with reality. I love the raw vegan way of life, however, it has some very unkind elements which is a big shame.
It’s called “you’re doing it wrong”. Don’t tout raw veganism as life threatening bc some people are doing it the wrong way. My son is raw vegan (now 18 months old) and at the top of his percentiles for height and mid for weight- he doesn’t eat fatty junk food like almost every other kid out there- and is ADVANCED mentally. So please re-write your article after you’ve read the 80/10/10 diet and tried a high carb low fat raw vegan lifestyle for a few months. Odds are you won’t but luckily there are truth tellers out there who actually know the truth and have not only lived this lifestyle for years but some have conceived and are raising their children this way. Also, their children- like my child- is in perfect health. He has never had any sickness except for his first fever last month. That’s it. No ear infections, no cough, no runny nose or stuffy nose, no diearrehea or constipation. Nothing.
Your son is only 18 months old. How do you know he won’t experience health problems as he grows up? You don’t. I’ve heard lots of people discuss their children’s health issues on a raw vegan diet after a few years so get off your high horse.
Any nutrient that’s challenging to get on a vegan diet is available in a vegan supplement form. I used to believe the neo Weston A Price line of thinking in this article, and ate flesh foods I never wanted to. Theres nothing wrong with getting nutrients from new technology innovations like supplements.
Ever since going 80%+ raw vegetarian in 2017(only animal food is honey) my health has improved in several respects. I spent time creating nutrition plans on cronometer to make sure I was getting all needed daily nutrients. If I had any out of balance symptoms I researched them. I had trouble properly converting amino acids to taurine, so I got a taurine supplement, problem solved. I take d3 and k2, but dont personally have issues converting plant based vitamin A.
What I’ve wittnessed in many vegans is an abundance in bread, pasta and “vegan replacement foods”. With raw vegans I’ve noticed a tendency to think needing protein is some kind of myth, and living off just oranges forever is perfectly sound nutrition advice. Bean sprouts and raw plant milks (I make raw sprouted quinoa milk almost daily ) are good raw protein sources 😉
I wont claim everyone can thrive without animal foods, because bioindividuality is complicated. If an individual made a proper effort to be vegan, their health declined, and they feel better after eating meat, eating meat might be the best solution available to that person.
There are plenty of healthy long term vegans, and enough healthy long term raw vegans alive today, some who can be found online, that serve as evidence to disprove the fundamental assertion of this article. There’s no reason to not attempt veganism if you are willing to put a little effort into understanding nutrition.
That’s interesting … I’ve never met a healthy vegan. EVER. They might be “vegan skinny” and look good, but they are typically a nervous, anxiety ridden mess from the lack of brain nourishment. Supplements NEVER replace what whole foods can do. Hence, a B12 supplement may fend off severe deficiency symptoms, but it is never going to result in optimal B12 levels or replace the B12 and all the co-nutrient factors that you get in a steak.