This Rocks. A vegan protocol for teeth remineralization and a little bit about Weston A. Price, the person! It's really cool!

This is a copy and paste from this forum http://www.vegsoc.org.au/forum_messages.asp?Thread_ID=318&Topic_ID=1&start=25

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

Dr. Price's "greatest disappointment", as he put it, was that none of the groups he studied was vegetarian/vegan. Going into his research he was sure he would find that such a diet would lead to ideal dental health.

There are several factors to consider when talking about dental health. First, virtually every group that Price studied had nearly perfect teeth, never brushed or flossed and never went to a dentist. So the take home message is that all this cleaning is totally unnecessary given the right dietary nutrients. Think about that every time you brush your teeth and remember what you are doing is only necessary because your diet is some how deficient in something. (But what you ask?)

Second, most dentists actually know very little about tooth mineralization because they were mostly trained in how to fix problems, not prevent them (there's more money in treatment than prevention). Teeth draw nutrients through two basic pathways. Through the root and through the outer surface. The root is nourished by the blood and the surface is nourished by your saliva. (I bet you never thought of saliva as a nutrient delivery system).

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.

So the question is can a vegan diet provide all the right nutrients, in the right forms and in the right amounts? I've often wondered this. Let's do an inventory:

1. Minerals--no problem there, vegan diets can be mineral rich and in the proper ratios.
2. Fat soluble vitamins--this get a little tricky. Beta-carotene is not retinol acetate which is vitamin A. BC is pre-vitamin A and has to be converted to retinol acetate in the liver with saturated fat. The conversion ratio is about 10:1 BC:A and is less efficient than that in children, the eldery and people with certain underlying medical conditions.

Vitamin D is another tricky one. Vitamin D3 is what humans make via the sun along with most other animals. Vitamin D2 is found in limited quantities in the vegetable kingdom. Numerous studies have confirmed that D2 is not nearly as useful as D3. (Now there is a vegan version of D3 see earlier post)

Vitamin K is also tricky. So vitamin K1 is part of chlorophyll and is thus available to vegans. K1 is converted into K2 through two mechanisms: bacteria in the intestines and directly in most cell types. However, in the first case, the conversion is very inefficient so dietary K2 seems to be highly beneficial. K2 is rarely found in the vegetable kingdom and then only in fermented foods (ever try natto?)

3. Saturated fat--This is a bit of a problem as vegan tend to have low-fat intake and seem to prefer polyunsaterated and monounsaturated fats to saturated fats. Although coconut oil has made a lot of penetration into the vegan markets and it's almost entire saturated.

So what's the bottom line?

A properly constituted vegan diet can support proper dental development provided it's mineral rich and in the proper ratios, careful attention is paid to consume enough beta-carotene and saturated fat for vitamin A synthesis, get lots of sun for vitamin D synthesis, and eat plenty of green leafy veggies and keep your intestines fermenting properly for K2.

The modern "foods of commerce" Price documented as devastating people's health was devoid of all these things. In addition, sugar, white flour and polyunsaturated oil consumption interferes with many physiological processes and can drive up the need for minerals to make enzymes and vitamins like A,D and C to deal with the oxidative stress.

So in addition to careful nutrient inclusion, you also have to be careful to avoid empty calories.

A note on dental health "success metrics". Dental health should be considered multi-generationally, not in terms of mere years. So you can't look at your 8 year old and say "a vegan diet is producing good dental health". Instead, you must wait twice. You must wait for your child to reach adulthood and have their wisdom teeth come it without any cavities and no need for braces. If cavities occur or braces are needed, then the child has not received proper nutrition (vegan or not). Then you have to wait until your grandchild reaches adulthood and make the same evaluation. Only then will you know if proper nutrition has been in place the entire time. (Yes your parents bad dietary habits are responsible for your poor dental health)

Fluoride is not a human nutrient. There is no such thing as a fluoride deficiency disease. Fluoride can be used to strengthen tooth enamel, but is not naturally present. It is an artificial, industrial, tooth mineral.

Fluoride is one the most pervasive industrial pollutants and is a well know toxin. It is heavily regulated as a toxin everywhere in the world, except in our water supplies and toothpaste. The only reason anyone thinks fluoride is beneficial is because the US government's nuclear weapons program was producing large amounts of it and it was making people and animals sick down wind. Scientists were pressed into service to "discover" beneficial uses for it so that it's truly horrific dangers could be covered up. This has all been well documented through Freedom of Information Act document releases. When you think positive thoughts about fluoride your are being manipulated. If you don't believe me just spend some time doing research on fluoride toxicity or the history of its development.

Finally, the Weston A. Price foundation is a non-profit organization that receives no funding from any food producing groups. It is funded almost entirely from membership dues. It is dedicated to promoting research that supports the conclusions of Dr. Price as outlined in his book "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration". Everyone, including vegetarians and vegans, should read it as it has much to contribute to everyone's conception of diet and eating. The foundation engages in evidence-based advocacy and does not engage in propaganda.


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bp, i don't think aariel was saying that vegans have a worse dental record than omnis, merely that it is such a new phenomenom that vegan diets have not been adequately researched in their relation to multi-generational dental health.... she also was quite clear that most modern omni diets don't measure up for a perfect dental diet either....

"The modern "foods of commerce" Price documented as devastating people's health was devoid of all these things. In addition, sugar, white flour and polyunsaturated oil consumption interferes with many physiological processes and can drive up the need for minerals to make enzymes and vitamins like A,D and C to deal with the oxidative stress.

So in addition to careful nutrient inclusion, you also have to be careful to avoid empty calories.

A note on dental health "success metrics". Dental health should be considered multi-generationally, not in terms of mere years. So you can't look at your 8 year old and say "a vegan diet is producing good dental health". Instead, you must wait twice. You must wait for your child to reach adulthood and have their wisdom teeth come it without any cavities and no need for braces. If cavities occur or braces are needed, then the child has not received proper nutrition (vegan or not). Then you have to wait until your grandchild reaches adulthood and make the same evaluation. Only then will you know if proper nutrition has been in place the entire time. (Yes your parents bad dietary habits are responsible for your poor dental health)"

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.

Factory Farm Map and Big Meat vs Michael Pollan. It's not a porn it's kinda about corn.

Factory Farming Map

Eat Well Guide

Share this widely. If you're going to eat meat, get it where it makes the biggest difference. Check out Michael Pollan's twitter feed at http://twitter.com/michaelpollan

Big Meat vs Michael Pollan.
http://motherjones.com/environment/2010/11/michael-pollan-backlash-beef-advocacy