Vegan Tooth Decay and How to Possibly Stop It & Possibly Reverse It

This is a work in progress, keep coming back and PLEASE give me your feed back. Please ignore the errors and the lack of flow.

You can get K2 from a supplement. http://www.veganstore.com/now-vitamin-k2/Page_1/939k.html

Read the next post by a vegan who follows Weston A. Price the person and lists out a nice breakdown of his protocol. I didn't have the information on K2 on this page here, so I'm pasting some of the next page, read all of these pages:

For normal mineralization to occur many things have to fall into proper order. Mineral intake has to be adequate and in the proper ratios. Calcium/phosphorous/magnesium/zinc ratios are important as is total quantity. Fat-soluble vitamins are responsible for mineral transport and delivery so intake of vitamin A, D and K as well as saturated fat are necessary. You see you can eat all the calcium you want and it will never get into your blood without A and D. And it will never get out of your blood and into your bones and teeth without vitamin K2. (Activator X turns out to be K2)

Vitamin K2 in particular can significantly lower bacterial count in your mouth, but it can also change your saliva from phosphorous taking to phosphorous bearing.

There is an alarming rate of tooth decay on the vegan diet, particularly the low fat and raw diets. And gray or grey teeth on the vegan diet. (I'm using search terms so that vegans will find this page.) The junk food omni diet is crappy for teeth too, but that's besides the point. That omni crappy diet hasn't been touted as the best diet in the world, but the vegan diet has. And it is not for some people.

Now the tooth decay stuff is not some Weston A. Price propaganda, it's a fact. Whether you believe me or not, I don't care.

If you are vegan and suffering from tooth decay, you most likely do not have to start eating flesh to combat that, you might have to start eating eggs and dairy (specifically ghee). However, I think that you have a really good chance of reversing it and keeping your teeth nice and healthy by using olive oil and saturated fat -- yes -- as in coconut oil -- and good sources of dietary vitamin D (from mushrooms and the sun) and calcium (from kale) and other vitamins and minerals, as well as by removing drying ingredients in your teeth cleaning regimen so that your saliva can start healing your teeth, and by using the vegan portions of the WAPF protocol. The link is below. But don't jump the gun, read this entire page and learn and think.

Many VeganGuru MDs will tell you that fat is BAD, BAD, BAD and they are simply WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.

Seven healthy men and women ate salads of spinach, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and carrots topped with Italian dressings containing 0, 6 (0.2 ounces), or 28 grams (almost 1 ounce) of canola oil on different occasions during a 12-week period. Hourly blood samples were taken for 11 hours after the meal and tested for nutrient absorption.

The study found that only negligible amounts of alpha- and beta-carotene and lycopene were detected in the blood after eating a salad with fat-free dressing. Significantly more of these substances, known as carotenoids, were detected in the blood after eating salads with reduced-fat dressing or full-fat dressings.

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20040727/fat-helps-vegetables-go-down

The best fats to eat WITH your veggies (specifically kale), from what I have gathered so far, is olive oil, which contains K and E, avocado and Omega 3 DHA from algae. Make a dressing, use stevia as the sweetener (no other kind of sweetening agent should be used, including fruit).

Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. They also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit. http://www.avocado.org/nutrition/

But olive oil, avocado, and coconut oil, and Omega 3 DHA doesn't contain Vitamin D. Except for fortified food, much of which are grains or juices which not good for your teeth (according to the WAPF protocol and sugar in any form (even fruit), is not good for your teeth) there are very few sources of dietary Vitamin D and none are vegan: oily fish, eggs, cod liver oil. But wait, check this out:
http://mushroominfo.com/wp-content/uploads/Vitamin_D_Fact_Sheet.pdf

The USDA National Nutrient Database was recently updated to incorporate the vitamin D content of nearly 3,000 food entries, including mushrooms. The top three selling mushroom varieties (white button, crimini and portabella) have vitamin D ranging from 1 to 97 percent of the Daily Value (400 IU) per raw 84 gram serving.

How do they do it? Similar to the way that humans absorb sunlight and convert it to vitamin D, mushrooms contain a plant sterol–ergosterol–that converts to vitamin D when exposed to real or simulated sunlight.

That's pretty bad ass!

Depending on your locale, you could make your own D but you need the fat to raise your good cholesterol levels in your diet to have it work in the first place. This is what I have gathered so far about making your own vitamin D, it really depends on your locale and how much melanin is in your skin and your diet:

Duration of Vitamin D Synthesis in Human Skin

Type in your latitude and longitude and other variables to determine how much time. And also take into consideration that the darker your skin, the longer you have to say out WITHOUT sunscreen. You also can't burn yourself. Plus, you are not supposed to wash your body right after, let the D soak in.

Since I moved North of San Francisco, from FL, I'm in bad shape lately. I take 4,000 to 6,000 IU to feel okay, just okay. Since that is way, way, way more than the RDA or safe levels, you have to make your own decisions. We are making a move to FL in a few months since I am truly miserable here. It's slightly better with a light box, but the headache sucks. I have also reintroduced eggs 2-3 x a week because seriously, it is bad! However, with the use of the D3 from the mushrooms, once this dozen (of eggs) is gone, I'm going to stop eating them and start eating more mushrooms in olive oil!

Vitamin D Deficiency: A Global Concern
If you live north of the line connecting San Francisco to Philadelphia and Athens to Beijing, odds are that you don't get enough vitamin D. The same holds true if you don't get outside for at least a 15-minute daily walk in the sun. African-Americans and others with dark skin, as well as older individuals, tend to have much lower levels of vitamin D, as do people who are overweight or obese. Harvard Nutrition Science

Cholestrol is not all bad. Please learn more about it at Harvard Nutrition Science's site:

From Food to the Bloodstream
Almost all foods contain some fat. Even quintessential fat-free foods like carrots and lettuce contain small amounts of this nutrient. That's a testament to how important fats are for life. Fat provides a terrific source of energy as well as a great depot for storing it. It is an important part of cell membranes, helping govern what gets into cells and what comes out. The body uses cholesterol as the starting point to make estrogen, testosterone, vitamin D, and other vital compounds. Fats are also biologically active molecules that can influence how muscles respond to insulin's "open up for sugar" signal; different types of fats can also fire up or cool down inflammation. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-full-story/index.html

This link tells you how to remineralize teeth using animal flesh and products, and this one gives tips too. I am just conjecturing that by using some of these techniques and by adding olive oil to your diet, and other vegan sources of fat soluble vitamins such as avocado, natto (Japanese fermented soy beans), and coconut oil, and omega 3 DHA from algae you might very well reverse your tooth decay. But before you click on over, please read further.

First there's getting D in your diet by eating the mushrooms and maybe taking a D3 supplement. There is a vegan source of D3 now, called "Source Of Life Garden Vitamin D3 - 60 - Veg/Cap". I don't know how much you should take, so further research is required here, and then you have to get calcium in your diet and I don't recommend supplements. The WAPF protocol, from what I gather, recommends raw milk with full fat, I recommend kale, but you need the olive oil, so you can absorb the nutrients and make cholesterol in your own body. If you've been reading this blog, you might have discovered that D, calcium, and cholesterol work together, so you need to make cholesterol and that requires fat. Can you see why a zero cholesterol low fat vegan diet is freaking nuts? Crazy freaking nuts! It is not good for teeth and you can't absorbe the nutrients in the veggies as well. And if you listen to a certain Vegan Guru MD in Santa Rosa, CA who doesn't even recommend much, if any D supplementation, you've got a recipe for tooth decay galore and that PISSES ME OFF!

Why kale?

Unlike spinach or chard, kale doesn't contain oxalic acidoxalic acid, which prevents the body from absorbing calcium. Kale is the richest of the greens in the phytochemical lutein. Known mostly for its prevention of eye diseaseeye disease, lutein is now thought to be more protective against cancer than beta-carotein. Kale is also one of the highest sources of antioxidant flavonoids which help ward off heart disease and regulate blood pressure.

Children grow and develop at a rapid rate. Proper nutrition is vital. Kale is extremely rich in vitamin A—essential for visual and immune functions. One cup of kale has as much vitamin C as an orange. It provides as much calcium as the equivalent amounts of cowcow's milk making it an excellent food for vegans.
http://www.vegfamily.com/whole-family/kale.htm

You might also need to include a good source of probiotics in your diet. I just take the freeze dried stuff and I take a lot of it (4 x as much). This has helped me not get bloated or get gassy from lots of greens and my favorite faux meat: seitan (which is a no no on the WAPF protocol). (I recently discovered that probiotics helps people with celiac, I have a gut feeling (no pun intended) that it may help prevent it too, but I don't know for sure.) Also, I take plant enzymes (not the kind that you hear about in raw food). I take plant enzyme supplements which eases digestion and alleviates gas. My favorite is "Say Yes to Beans". I went from 4 million farts (that's an exaggeration, but it's close) to one or two farts. Pretty good. I grew up on lots of animals flesh, man, so by adding these enzymes and probiotics I'm making my guts adept at taking in the plants and hey, I'm growing a rumen (just kidding!).

Read what that link has to say, but, I don't recommend using peroxide in your mouth or any drying agent. Your saliva has healing properties provided you are 1. absorbing the nutrients in your diet and 2. you are not drying out your mouth and 3. you are not listening to nutty Vegan MDs (low fat, phlease!). The protocol on that link (which is nearly identical to the WAPF protocol) recommends removing fluoride. I also don't use it. Some people do. Use at your discretion here. I use only three oils and that is it (I use nothing else): peppermint oil, spearmint oil, and almond oil. I use drops 3/2/1 respectively. With that I took a 6 mm pocket (quoted at 2500.00 for surgery + 900.00 for the bone graft) from an almond or popcorn husk to a 2 mm healthy pocket, and not a zipper pocket (those who know about teeth will know what I mean). I learned about it on OraMD.com and then I just went across the street to the health food store and purchased the oils separately. My hygienist has recommended it to her patients and it's freaking amazing.

So let's combine our brains and let me know what you have found with regards to healthy teeth on the vegan diet. Who do you know who is vegan who has little if any tooth decay and what do they eat. Please share. Let's work together to make a plant based diet the best it can be for everyone.

Disclaimer: Use this information at your own risk. Research for yourself and see what you learn and share it with me.