We've all been told countless times that breast milk is best for babies. It has all the essential nutrients and minerals for babies to grow 'big and strong' and to get all the nourishment they need. However, if mom lacks certain nutrients, how on earth is baby supposed to get them?

Sadly, a French couple found out the hard way... Not only did they lose their baby girl, they've been sentenced to jail too! Find out what happened below...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing
-------------------------------------------

The vegetarian’s essential supplement checklist

Jenny Thompson
Director, Health Sciences Institute

It's hard to imagine anything more heartbreaking than the death of a baby girl just before her first birthday.

But one thing makes this situation much sadder: The deeply cold-hearted decision by French authorities to put the child's grief-stricken parents in prison. The charge: 'Neglect or food deprivation'.

But this young girl was not abused or neglected and she wasn't deprived of food.

The only abuse here is the flagrant abuse of power.

The couple now under arrest are strict vegetarians and their daughter was exclusively breastfed. A post-mortem revealed that the infant was deficient in vitamins A and B-12.

And that's the third tragedy in this sad story: This mother, who was only trying to do the very best for her child, might have prevented her death simply by taking supplementary vitamins - specifically, an ample daily dose of B-12.

You see, virtually all your B-12 intake comes from animal protein - beef, fish, chicken, ham, yoghurt, cheese, etc. You pick up a trace of B-12 in fortified foods, but it's a scant dosage at best.

And what happens when B-12 is deficient? Red blood cells don't form properly, DNA synthesis is compromised and neurological function suffers - just to name three essential functions that can go very wrong.

Vegetarian checklist...

As Dr Spreen has noted before, vegetarians MUST include vitamin B-12 in their supplement regimen. When meat is absent from the diet, there's really no other way to get this important B vitamin in adequate amounts.

So I asked Dr Spreen what other supplement recommendations he might offer strict vegetarians.

Dr Spreen: "Besides the B-12, I'd add some conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), as that form only comes from being processed within an animal. Getting enough of the omega-3 oils in general is a problem, as the ratio tends to be more omega-6 in vegetarians (no fish).

"I'd also add some saturated fat - since butter and lard (animal fat) are out, vegetarians (especially young ones) are missing the type of fat that's needed for cell membrane production (kind of important, as you might imagine). In that case I'd be pushing for the use of coconut oil and palm kernel oil (neither one being popular these days).

"Iron is a problem (especially since only animal sources provide iron in a form that 'insulates' its oxidative effects from the body within a heme ring), so I'd add an iron supplement.

"Vitamin D is no problem if the individual gets enough whole-body solar exposure daily. That's kind of rare, unfortunately, so I'd be adding that.

"High quality protein (egg highest, milk next) is an issue. You're only left with soy, a sad substitute (especially in young boys), but I'd have to add that."

Dr Spreen also has a warning for what he calls the only thing worse than vegetarianism: Fruitarianism. A fruitarian eats only fruits, nuts and seeds. But nothing gets cooked - it's a strict raw food diet.

In fact, Dr Spreen told me about a fruitarian he knew - an athletic young girl of 14 who he once coached in diving competitions. One day, while on a hiking outing with her church group, she collapsed on the trail and died. She was perfectly healthy, except for the heartbreaking and tragic imperfection of being deficient in a few key nutrients, like B-12.

No matter what your diet, Dr Spreen recommends 1mg (1000mcg) of B-12 per day in sublingual form (dissolved under the tongue).

----------------------------------------------------------------
How I improved my memory in one night...

A new music CD that could help you power up your brain to new levels. You’ll be astonished by how focused and alert you are after listening to this special music...

After just 20 minutes of ‘Mind Aerobics’ you could turn into a superlearner – sharp, positive and alive!

Try it for yourself! Reverse years of mental decline, reduce stress, improve your memory, focus and concentration with audio therapy.

----------------------------------------------------------------
...and another thing

Diabetics have a particularly good reason to be aggressive about preventing vitamin B-12 deficiency: Peripheral neuropathy.

A recent article in Southern Medical Journal notes that when anaemia develops due to low B-12, neuropathy often precedes the anaemia.

Peripheral neuropathy is nerve damage in the arms and legs - a common and dangerous problem for diabetics.

Most importantly, anaemia can be treated and the advance of neuropathy can be stopped with B-12 therapy. But whatever progress neuropathy has already made can't be reversed.

Prolonged B-12 deficiency permanently damages protective sheaths that coat nerve fibres. This is followed by death of neurons - key cells that transmit information. Once those neurons are lost, they're gone forever.

Unfortunately, this neuronal death is not only peripheral, it may also occur in the spine and brain - yet another instance where a daily B-12 supplement can save the day.