mgb_phys said:
If you are breast feeding and vegan you should take B12 supplements (if you are vegan you probably want to take B12 anyway).
On the other hand if you are veggie you are probably stocked to the eyeballs with folic acid which is also important.
Given the choice of vegan mother who breastfeeds and feeds them fresh fruit and veg and a 'normal' mother that gives the kids formula and then fast food for the next 18years - I know where my health concerns would be.
yes. and even when they think they're doing the right thing and taking supplements, they still fail. i can see why. long term deficiency depletes liver stores.
i also think it's going to be difficult for vegans to do well wrt to zinc, iron, choline, DHA, etc. humans are not designed to eat that way. we need our veggies, but we also need eggs, fish, and lean red meat. some wealthy and highly educated people may be able to make it work, but it's very difficult. it certainly doesn't make sound policy for the general population.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/289/8/979
Neurologic Impairment in Children Associated With Maternal Dietary Deficiency of Cobalamin—Georgia, 2001
JAMA. 2003;289:979-980.
MMWR. 2003;52:61-64
2 tables omitted
During 2001, neurologic impairment resulting from cobalamin (vitamin B12) deficiency was diagnosed in two children in Georgia. The children were breastfed by mothers who followed vegetarian diets.* This report summarizes the two cases and provides guidance for health-care providers on identifying and preventing cobalamin deficiency among breastfed infants of vegetarian mothers.
Case 1
During August 2001, a girl aged 15 months was hospitalized for lethargy and failure to thrive. She was born after a full-term pregnancy complicated by prolonged nausea and vomiting. She was breastfed for 8 months, but the extent (exclusivity) of breast milk consumed relative to other food was unknown. Her mother reported following a vegan diet during the preceding 7 years and took nutritional and vitamin supplements. The cobalamin content of the supplements was unknown. When the child was aged approximately 8 months, organic whole-grain cereals and fruit shakes were introduced, but she had a poor appetite and vomited regularly. Her parents became concerned about her growth and development, and she was evaluated by a pediatrician at age 15 months. The pediatrician diagnosed failure to thrive, developmental delay, and severe macrocytic anemia. The child was hospitalized, and cobalamin deficiency was diagnosed (marked elevation [not quantified] of urine methylmalonic acid; serum B12:100 pg/mL [normal range: 210-911 pg/mL]).
The child received supplementary food by mouth and by nasogastric tube. She also received 2 mg of cyanocobalamin and 3 mg of hydroxocobalamin intramuscularly (IM) over 3 days. Three days later, she had partial complex seizures, which stopped without anticonvulsants. A brain MRI indicated global cerebral atrophy. The mother was treated with 1 mg of cobalamin IM.
At age 16 months, the child was seen in a genetics clinic to eliminate possible genetic causes of her neurologic deficiency. At age 28 months, her developmental skills ranged from 9 months for fine motor skills to 18 months for gross motor skills. Her expressive language was at 10 months, and her receptive language was at 12 months. At age 32 months, she had made developmental progress but continued to have developmental delays, especially in speech and language. She was prescribed daily sublingual cobalamin supplements.
...
?
). If they called it, "Vegetable Loaf," I might just try it. I don't need to eat meat at every meal, so I'm perfectly happy to try some vegetarian dishes for lunch, especially if they might be a bit lighter in calories than the meat options that day, but I just cannot make myself even try "Vegetarian Meatloaf." It's not like we're all 6 years old and need to be tricked into eating our vegetables. 
<<<<<GROAN>>>>> 
