Vegan For Life by Jack Norris, RD & Ginny Messina, MPH, RD Can a
Natural Diet Require Supplements? by Jack Norris, RD | Last
updated: March 2012 If we admit that vegans need to get vitamin
B12 through fortified foods or supplements, are we saying that a
vegan diet is unnatural? One point to consider is that feces
contain large amounts of vitamin B12, produced by bacteria in
the colon, and that if we found ourselves in a state of nature,
and still wanted to be vegan, we could get enough B12 from
feces, though it would be important to make efforts to make sure
the bacteria were killed and viruses were neutralized.
Admittedly, that's not terribly appetizing. People have told me
that they and other vegans they know do not take vitamin B12
supplements nor eat fortified foods and are healthy. While many
vegans do not supplement with B12 and remain apparently healthy
for many years, they normally do not know what their
homocysteine levels are, which could eventually contribute to
stroke or dementia. They might event