This article: Plant-Based Diet Guide: Tips To Start, Foods To Eat And Recipes (today.com)

by Sarah DiGiulo, who has a BA in Magazine Journalism, tells us that eating a plant-based diet is healthy – and never mentions the vitamin B-12 deficiency problem. This is dangerous reporting of the type that led to my years of serious and frightening health problems: see The Accidental Vegetarian – Coldstreams

Bad reporting occurs when writers who are not formally trained in their subject area write articles like the above.

“Plant-based” is the new age term for pseudo vegetarian – along with the many other new names like pescatarian, flexitarian, etc. You are supposed to eat mostly plants but its ok if you hop off the wagon once in a while and eat meat.

I was “plant-based” as I did, occasionally but not often, eat meat during the time I became B-12 deficient, but mostly chicken which is very low in B-12. I did not view myself as a vegetarian (see my link above).

“B-12 deficient” sounds like a little something – it’s just a vitamin and can’t be a big deal. Nothing serious.

It’s a very big deal. I had

• irregular heart beat
• outbreaks of warts
• gall bladder inflammation (cause unknown but B-12 deficiency can be a cause)
• non A/non B/non C hepatitis (cause unknown but a B-12 deficiency can be a cause or an effect of hepatitis)
• Extreme dizziness at times – I could not stand up without falling unless I was holding on to something
• Hairloss
• Gradually increasing migraines, visual auras (flashing lines in my vision lasting 30 minutes – up to 3x/day), and scotomas (blind areas forming in my field of vision) – which escalated to 5x to 10x per day.
• ST anomaly – irregular heart rate

I was very sick, and my life was completely disrupted, particularly during the last 6-12 months of this. I began to think I was in the early phases of dying (seriously).

Because of the various symptoms, I underwent many tests including ECG, blood tests, an echocardiogram stress test, ultrasound imaging of my carotid arteries, ultrasound imaging of my abdominal cavity and more. I spent about $6,000 out of pocket over 2 years – on our ACA insurance policy, costing $2,000 per month for 2 adults, our family deductible was $19,600 per year. (ACA polices are very expensive and do not cover anything like your corporate group insurance policies).

Once this was identified, my doctor has me taking 1,000 mcg of vitamin B-12, daily. I have had one visual aura in 9 months, down from 5x to 10x per day before.

I also resumed eating meat.

35% of those who choose to “go vegetarian” end up quitting within 6 months because of health problems.

This is why articles telling us to “go plant-based” – without discussing serious health problems that can develop – are reckless and dangerous misinformation. Particularly when we learn that 1/3d drop out due to health problems.

If you wish to eat vegetarian and continue doing that for a period of time, you must let your doctor know and you must consult with a nutritionist or dietician. This is not something to take lightly.

Few people are vegetarian (2023 Gallop poll – 4% are vegetarian and 1% are vegan), and most who start will give it up before the potential onset of vitamin B-12 deficiency (which can be 2-6 years for most adults due to our liver’s ability to store up B-12 for long periods).