It is ironic that the fear for the sufficient nutrient intake pops up at the mere mention of a fresh fruit and veggie diet, while this fear is generally not existent on a standard diet, or even a fast food diet.

The truth is that:

• Cooking destroys some nutrients,
• But cooking on the other hand allows some nutrients to be more bioavailable,
• The statement above corresponds for the foods that are not edible to us in their natural form, so we wouldn’t be eating those foods in the first place,
• Cooking creates anti-nutrients and toxins,
• It was only after people started having most of their calories from cooked food that nutrient deficiencies showed up,
• If people weren’t getting all of the necessary nutrients while they were living on almost exclusively fresh fruits and vegetables in our natural habitat, we would not be here today.

For example, do squirrels stress over whether they will get all of the nutrients from nuts and thus think how they should enrich their diet? Or simply, all squirrels know is that their natural diet is nuts because nuts are appealing to them in their natural state?

What do you think? Is nature arranged so that every species has its own specific diet that provides all the nutrients need for the given species, but humans are exempt from this rule?  Or perhaps, the natural human diet provides all the nutrients needed for us?

It is people on a standard diet who should worry whether they intake enough nutrients or not. But they should also understand that just adding supplements to their diet won’t help. The only way to go about this is adopting a diet of fresh fruits and veggies.

That being said, it is wise to be cautious about vitamin B12. If the B12 test shows low values, it is a good idea to supplement with a sublingual methylcobalamin B12, just to be on the safe side. B12 deficiencies appear on an omnivorous diet as well, so the B12 issue is not just present with a plant based diet.

There is another non-food-related vitamin, the vitamin D, which should be satisfied by simply exposing one’s uncovered skin to the sunrays for at least 15 minutes a day. Remember, the Sun is still up there even in the winter months. 😉

• But… this and that food is rich in this and that nutrient…!

Yes… so? 🙂 Let’s hop on to the next lesson!