See other posts on this blog describing my gradual descent into B12 deficiency and the serious health problems that this caused.
The German government, and much of the ruling elite, think we all need to be B12 deficient: Dietary Guidelines in Germany Urge Eating 75% Plant-Based Food (greenqueen.com.hk)
If you follow this, eating becomes an exercise in using a spreadsheet or app to track your grams. Insane.
Activists, quoted in the article, think it should have gone even further – to eliminate meat altogether.
Reminder: I would not have described myself as vegetarian – but had largely eliminated most all meat, eggs and reduced my dairy input. I was an “accidental vegetarian” who became B12 deficient. I spent almost two years living in a dystopian world of seriously bad health. Never again. Descending into vegetarianism, casually, as the elite recommend people do – is dangerous. If you choose to go down this path, you MUST talk to your doctor and a registered dietician – and have your blood tested at least annually. You will need to track your nutrients with a spreadsheet or app – most participants will eventually become B12 deficient. Most people can go 2-6 years before encountering B12 deficiency due to the B12 storage in the liver. However, age, common health issues and medications, can reduce an ability to absorb B12 from food – each person’s mileage may vary.
Also – very important – contrary to the media reports, hardly anyone is vegetarian. Per the 2023 Gallop poll in the U.S., 4% are vegetarian and 1% are vegan, down from 6%/2%, 20 years ago. Other surveys find similar values (3-5%), and one study found that half the people who say they are vegetarian are not really, as they continue to periodically eat meat. Gobally, about 2%-10% are vegetarian, depending on the country – with India being the outlier at 20-40%.
