This is the follow-up to What Causes Receding Gums and How to Stop it. In that article, we explored how gum recession can only happen when the underlying bone tissue of the upper and/or lower jaw has diminished through the process of demineralization.
Today, we will explore various strategies for supporting and optimizing jaw bone density. We’ll also discuss how we can actually rebuild some bone tissue that has been demineralized.
First, we feel the need to restate our stance on a common myth about receding gums that’s been circulating around the internet…
To our knowledge, once gum tissue has receded, it will not ‘regrow’ back up to the same ‘height on the tooth’ that it reached originally.
The good news is, we can take action to strengthen our jaw bones. This will help stop any further gum recession and prevent our teeth from becoming loose(r) (which, when left unaddressed, is the #1 reason adults lose teeth).
Gum tissue can only recede once the underlying bone has become diminished. We can remineralize this bone tissue, but only within the current structure of the jaw bone that remains intact. In other words, we can only fill in the gaps between what’s still left of the ‘scaffolding’ of our jaw bone.
With that stated, let’s explore some solutions for how we can support optimal bone density and remineralization.
Questions at the edge of ‘knowing’…
You know that you’re really diving into the research when you find yourself reading a study that starts with, “Gingival inflammation, bacterial infection, alveolar bone destruction, and subsequent tooth loss are characteristic features of periodontal disease, but the precise mechanisms of bone loss are poorly understood.”
It seems that when we push against the limits of our current understanding, that’s where the solutions can really present themselves (if we resist the temptation to think we already know all of the answers).
So, let’s explore what dental science has uncovered so far and see if any solutions present themselves.
1. Supporting the jaw bone by stopping gum disease
This is kind of self-evident, but it’s worth stating here.
In order to have any hope of rebuilding bone tissue in the jaws, we have to make sure that the #1 cause of bone loss in adults (advanced gum disease) isn’t continuing to undermine our oral health.
While we don’t want to take the ‘scorched earth’ approach and eradicate all microbes in the mouth, we think it’s wise to learn how the disease-causing bacteria live and thrive. That way, we can take action to disrupt and disorganize their efforts to destroy our bodies.
A great place to start is with our oral hygiene routine. Learning how to brush your teeth to reduce gum disease, why brushing is so important, how to floss consciously, and what order is best for our oral hygiene habits are all excellent steps towards disrupting and disorganizing the ‘thug bugs’.
If you want to take your oral hygiene routine to the next level, check out the OraWellness HealThy Mouth System.
2. Can jaw exercise help prevent receding gums?
We think there is substantial merit to an argument that’s been explored in real food and paleo discussions. Does eating a processed food diet (that lacks lots of fiber to chew on) functionally cause us to lose our oral health?
We’re all clear that our diet impacts our level of nutrition, and nutritional deficiencies can definitely contribute to a decline in our oral health. That’s been proven over and over again by the oral health heroes we quote, like Weston Price, Melvin Page, Ralph Steinman, and Edward and May Mellanby, to name a few.
But does the fact that processed foods are soft and easy to chew contribute to a weakening of the jaw bones?
This is a good question, and to answer it, we’ll rely on one of the universal laws that we call, ‘Use it or Lose it’.
The bottom line is, the bone density in our jaws, or anywhere else in the body for that matter, will diminish if we don’t put stress/demand on them.
Each time we give an area of our body (like our jaw) a little workout, it’s as if we’re sending our systems a signal saying, “Hey, we want this bone tissue to stay strong and healthy”.
The body has an innate intelligence for conservation and thriftiness. If it senses that the bones in the jaw aren’t being stressed/challenged, the body will reallocate the minerals from that area into another area that seems to have a greater need for bone-building minerals.
We want to be sure to gently yet persistently challenge our bodies.
Whether we’re talking about working out to maintain muscle mass and prevent osteoporosis or using memory games and crossword puzzles to exercise our cognitive functions, one thing is clear: the body grows stronger when it’s (gently) challenged.
Our favorite ‘use it or lose it’ solution to maintain strong teeth and jaws
Any food that you really have to dig into and chew is a great workout for our jaw bone density. A quality organic jerky is a great ‘to go’ workout that also provides some good nutrition.
Also, we have found that a good sized snip of raw parsley, enough to make a mouthful, has loads of nutrition and enough fiber to encourage us to really chew and get a jaw workout.
While some may point to raw carrots, we find that it’s a superior jaw workout to have a mouthful of some nutritious food that requires that we chew strongly on it for several chews rather than just the ‘crack’ of chomping a raw carrot.
3. Stopping gum recession with nutrition
Nutrition is a major (perhaps even the most important) component of navigating the path to optimal oral health.
Ideally, it’s better for us to get our nutrition from real foods rather than from supplements. After all, a lab can’t make it any better than God / Mother Nature / whatever you believe in did.
It is folly to presume that we can reach optimal health by taking a real food, breaking it down into what we think are the best parts, and taking just those parts.
That said, there is merit in knowing the roles that many nutrients play in supporting our health and helping us to maintain strong bones (and teeth).
Calcium and phosphorus are certainly important macronutrients for maintaining healthy jaw bones.
However, research clearly shows that there are also many other nutritional factors involved, including:
- Vitamin D: absorbs calcium from the digestive tract. Without vitamin D‚ the calcium that you get from foods or supplements can’t be used by your body.
- Vitamin K2: transports the calcium in your body into the bones that need it. For example, some studies have suggested that large amounts of vitamin K2 may increase bone density in people with osteoporosis. For more information on K2, feel free to check out our articles, “An easy step toward stopping tooth decay” and “What’s the best vitamin K2 supplement on the market and why?“. We also invite you to view our K2-related expert interview videos, “Is this the missing nutrient keeping you from living a cavity free life?” and “How to reverse cavities and restore brain and heart health with vitamin K2“.
- Vitamin C: promotes the production of the collagen and osteoblasts responsible for forming new bone material.
- Magnesium: helps transport calcium to the bones and assists in the absorption process.
- Zinc: manages the secretion of a hormone called calcitonin‚ which regulates calcium levels in cells and which is also important for bone development.
- Boron: works like vitamin D‚ because it improves your body’s absorption of calcium and magnesium.
- Strontium: is used to improve your bone density‚ which is critical to overall bone health.
An important baseline to grasp is that in general, we all are nutrient deficient (yes, even if we are eating what we consider to be a really, really good diet).
The earth’s soils have been extremely damaged over the past 75 years thanks to humans treating a biological medium (soil) like it’s only a chemical medium. The resulting use of petroleum-based fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and the most recent insult, GMOs, has had a huge negative impact on the level of nutrition that’s available in the foods that we eat.
Unless you raise a very large percentage of your foods on something as idyllic as a farm that’s been biodynamic for 50 years, you’re probably dealing with some level of deficiency.
It’s particularly concerning that modern commercial farming practices have created a reduced trace mineral content in the soil. For example, take another look at the above short list of necessary nutrients–you won’t hear about many farmers feeding their soils with boron (although some farmers are extremely aware of this and are doing great work to restore lost micro minerals back into their soil).
So, we’re all deficient to one extent or another. If you’d like to take a deeper dive into specific examples of which foods to eat to increase your intake of these supportive nutrients, here’s a link to a our article, “What TO Eat to Support Greater Oral Health”. Or, you can check out our free video tutorial series, 5 Steps to a Healthy Mouth.
However, knowing which foods to eat is only half the battle. We must also understand which foods undermine our oral health.
4. Foods to avoid to optimize bone health
As we work to get as much nutrition into our diets as possible, it’s also important to know which foods disrupt or diminish our uptake of the nutrients that are needed for optimizing our bone health.
Now, this subject is big enough to be a book by itself, so we really can’t fully do it justice in this article. However, let’s touch on some good starting points. Also, here’s another article that provides a closer look at which foods to avoid to navigate to optimal oral health.
A commonly demonized ‘anti-nutrient’ is phytic acid, which is found in high concentrations in grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. Phytic acid (also called phytate) inhibits the absorption of several minerals, including iron and zinc.
That means that even if you are eating enough specific minerals, your body may not be getting to use all of the nutrition. The old saying, ‘You are what you eat’ isn’t quite accurate. We find it more physiologically accurate to say, ‘You are what you assimilate from what you eat’.
There are plenty of online resources that will detail how to lower the phytic acid content in these foods. Most of the strategies involve:
- Avoiding eating them OR
- Special preparation techniques, like soaking and sprouting, which deactivate the phytic acids in these foods.
Honorable mention must go to sugar (in all forms).
Sugar disrupts the balance of our blood chemistry, which directly undermines our body’s ability to optimally express our genetic ability.
It also suppresses our hunger for real food. So, sugar can cause us to miss the opportunity to nourish our health with foods that actually give us the nutrition that we need in order to thrive.
At this point, I can hear your sugar bugs screaming, “But our brains run on glucose! Don’t we need to eat at least some sugar?”
No. In fact, experts argue that from a metabolic standpoint, the body functions much ‘cleaner’ and more efficiently using fats for energy rather than sugar. Sorry sugar bugs, we don’t need to eat any sugar.
Wrapping up…
We hope that this information on how to stop receding gums and remineralize your jaw bones helps you along your path to optimal oral health.
Would you like us to dive more deeply into any of these subjects here on our blog? Please comment below to let us know which points you’d like us to explore more in future articles.
If you’d like more tips on ‘in-the-mouth’ and ‘whole-body’ strategies that you can use to help support your oral health, feel free to download our FREE e-book, “How to Stop Tooth Decay and Remineralize Your Teeth”.
Plus, feel free to download our FREE Guide to Safe Dentistry, which explains what questions to ask to find a dental team who will work with you on your journey to greater oral health.
Helpful, Related Resources:
What Causes Receding Gums and How to Stop it [article]
Periodontal Disease [article]
How to Brush Your Teeth to Reduce Gum Disease [article]
4 Reasons Why Brushing Is So Important [article]
What is Conscious Flossing? [article]
What’s the Best Order to Brush, Floss and Swish? [article]
What Causes Tooth Decay (and how to stop it)? [article]
What TO Eat to Support Greater Oral Health [article]
What Foods Undermine Our Oral Health and Why? [article]
How to Stop and Reverse Gum Disease with Diet and Nutrition [expert interview]
An easy step toward stopping tooth decay [article]
What’s the best vitamin K2 supplement on the market and why? [article]
Is this the missing nutrient keeping you from living a cavity free life? [[expert interview video]]
How to reverse cavities and restore brain and heart health with vitamin K2 [[expert interview video]]
5 Steps to a Healthy Mouth [[free video tutorial series]]
HealThy Mouth System [product solution]
How to Stop Tooth Decay and Remineralize Your Teeth [free eBook]
Guide to Safe Dentistry [free eBook]
Sources:
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC108500/– PMC
- Jajoo R, Song L, Rasmussen H, Harris SS, Dawson-Hughes B. Dietary acid-base balance, bone resorption, and calcium excretion. J Am Coll Nutr 2006 Jun;25(3):224-30.
- Mitch WE. Metabolic and clinical consequences of metabolic acidosis. J Nephrol 2006 Mar-Apr; 19 Suppl9:S70-5.
- Lips P. Calcium and vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis – a clinical update. J Intern Med 2006 Jun;259(6):539-52.
- Devirian TA, Volpe SL. The physiological effects of dietary boron. Rev Food Sci Nutr 2003;43(2):219-31.
- Cockayne S, Adamson J, Lanham-New S, Shearer MJ, Gilbody S, Torgerson DJ. Vitamin K and the prevention of fractures: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arch Intern Med 2006 Jun 26;166(12):1256-61.
- Malaise O, Bruyere O, Reginster JY. Strontium ranelate normalizes bone mineral density in osteopenic patients. Aging Clin Exp Res 2007 Aug;19(4):330-3.
Hi There, With receding gums I notice the exposed tooth can become darkened. Is there a way to prevent this?
Aloha Rob!
Thanks for stopping by!
It’s our understanding that teeth are made of different layers. Portions of tooth that are above the gum line are normally protected by an outer layer called enamel. However, if gums recede lower than the enamel layer along the length of the tooth, then the dentin layer can become exposed. Dentin is naturally darker in color than the enamel, and it’s also more likely to collect stains from the foods and drinks we consume (ex: coffee, tea, berries, tomato sauce, green smoothies, etc.).
One thing we can do to try to reduce staining on dentin (and enamel too!) is to swish with clean water after everything we eat or drink. This gives any staining agents less time to sit around on our teeth and build up discoloration.
If you haven’t already, you might find it helpful to download our free ebook, How to Naturally Whiten Your Teeth Without Destroying Your Enamel.
Also, for tips on how to support any exposed natural tooth structure, feel free to check out our free ebook, How to Stop Tooth Decay and Remineralize Your Teeth.
We hope that helps!
What would you suggest to someone who has gum recession and TMJ issues? Chewing jerkey is out of the question for now. Thank you!
Aloha Jane,
Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Perhaps you could try gently chewing a small snip of raw parsley instead of jerky for a more gentle jaw workout?
Regarding TMJ, we here at OraWellness aren’t medical or dental professionals, so we can’t treat, diagnose, advise, etc. Instead, what we can do is share information with you to help you become self-empowered on your journey. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s see what information we can share to help. 🙂
TMJ is something we haven’t researched (yet). We think a bunch of things may contribute to it, including stress, reduced breath function while sleeping (which can result in mild obstructive sleep apnea), misalignment, even cavitations (infections in the jaw bone where wisdom teeth were extracted).
Also, if stress is one of your contributing factors for TMJ, our article on using essential oils to reduce anxiety and pain (not just for dental appointment anxiety) may help to relieve stress. 🙂 If you choose to diffuse essential oils, just know that if you have cats, their system is very sensitive to essential oils. Citrus essential oils are NOT recommended to be used around cats.
It might also help you to check out the Gokhale Method, founded by Esther Gokhale (the ‘Posture Guru of Silicon Valley‘). These folks have said that they’ve helped many people resolve their severe TMJ issues by teaching them to restore their primal posture, which affects position of the jaw.
And, you might find it interesting to check out our interview with Dr. Mark Burhenne: What your receding gums could be telling you… In it, Dr. Burhenne discusses how grinding (bruxism) or pain in the jaw can be strong signs of sleep apnea.
Finally, a good dentist can be hard to find, but they can really be a dream for answering more questions on stuff like this. Here is our main article that explains how to find a dentist: Helpful Resources to Find a Qualified Dentist to Assist You.
I hope that helps give you some ideas to ponder along your path!
dose plaque/calculus/tartar cause gum receding ?
Hi Joe,
Tartar does contribute to a growing problem under the gum line. If you consider tartar basically the fortress that the thug bugs implicated with gum disease build to protect them from you disrupting their dirty work, then yes, tartar does directly contribute to recession. However, one does not need tartar for the gums to recede as some people’s mouths aren’t conducive for ‘growing’ tartar. But they still can develop periodontal disease which can cause recession too.
I hope that helps!
GREAT article!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m dealing with severe osteoporosis at only age 51 from running adrenalin with severe adrenal exhaustion from PTSD. When I run adrenalin I go into such a catabolic state that my teeth feel squishy in my gums within 4 hours. I can see the minerals strip out of my front teeth in a few days with brown marks like stock market graphs. I have been lucky enough to have stumbled upon Ostinol by Zycal Bioceuticals http://www.zycalbio.com a natural product that activates my body’s production of stem cells to grow bone tissue. I have been able to reverse the severe demineralization in my teeth with this plus calcium, magnesium, etc. I still have really bad receeding gums, but I’d hate to think how badly my teeth would be chipping if I weren’t taking Ostinol.
Great articles! Thank you!
Susan
Between my stroke and SIBO, my gums began bleeding and then noticed they were receding. I’ve been oil pulling with coconut oil for a long time, but when I added your HealThy Mouth blend to the coconut oil and started doing this 3 times daily, they finally stopped bleeding and I feel like I’m on my way back to gum health. Have you done any research on oil pulling to help gums?
My family was vegan for 3 yrs and had difficulty maintaining this-I began researching possible missing nutrients from vegan diets and came upon this info about lectins-there are good and bad lectins-the bad ones connect to cells in our intestines and cause breaks that allow bacteria to escape into the bloodstream-the bad lectins can also connect to cells in our organs-it is thought they may be the cause of many diseases- inc dementia and autoimmune diseases. These bad lectins are found in high concentrations in grains, nuts ,seeds, and nightshade family plants (tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, peppers). You can neutralize their effects by taking glucosamine with a high bad lectin meal. Also read that a genetic mutation occurred sometime in cows and that most of the cows in the Americas produce milk that is casein A1 (not good for us). Cows in Southern Europe produce milk that is casein A2-look for cheese from Italy, Switzerland and Southern France. After reading this I found A2 milk at Trader Joe’s and at Whole Foods. I began this research because my 19 yr old son was having difficulties at college-he4alth issues-he was having extreme sleep disorders-blurry vision, depression-he was studying (he said) up to 70 hrs a week from his computer in college now all homework etc is on computer) His dad went down twice taking him to specialists-Endocrinologists-Sleep disorder clinics , tests-all inconclusive-He had taken two very difficult courses Chemistry and Calculus at the same time and was not warned to take only one of these a quarter–Anyway my research came up with this-all his symtoms were coming from the blue light emitted from cell phones, computers, and flat screen TV’s and I believe this is happening to all of us but especially young people glued to their social media Facebook etc-even myself now using this computer–However this can be remedied with blue light filters –cheapest on Amazon though Best Buy will match the price–I bought blue light filter glasses and have ordered filters for my son’s laptop and am going to get them for our flat screen TV–The blue light entering our eyes (and maybe our cells) makes us think we are under the sky-it’s daytime-so when this occurs after sundown-the body tricked into thinking it is day does not produce melatonin-also I am not sure how this happens but the gut bacteria are impacted negatively also-the body confused and our systems are thrown off balance–a salesperson at Best Buy told me he had been a gamer and was getting migraines and blurry vision until he got blue light filter glasses–Also someone told me that their is an App for the cell phones that switches to a filter and that the newer I-phones have something called Night Shift that can activate an orange screen that blocks the blue light–some filters for blocking the blue light are coatings that do not make the screen orange and some filters are orange and make the screen appear orange–As a artist I learned that orange and blue are opposite on the color wheel I guess that has something to do with the blocking of the light rays–I enjoyed the info from your website-got here thru Wellness Mama and to her from Mountain Rose Herbs Thank you Suzanne– I invite you to check these out yourself to see if I understand all of this correctly
Thanks for sharing your story and research with us! We think you are spot on with your findings…
My pocket applicator is stopped up. I thought I saw on the sight what to do to unstop but I can’t seem to find it. Please help? Thanks
Aloha Carolyn,
Thanks for reaching out to us.
Good thinking! Here’s the link to the FAQ on how to unclog your pocket applicator. Please give the steps a try, and also feel free to check out our other FAQs.
You can always contact us if you have any other questions, Carolyn; we’re here to help. 🙂
Thank you and Aloha!
Question: If Chewing is supposed to help gum recession, then why does clenching cause recession and or make it worse?
Aloha Heather!
Super precious question!!!
Chewing supports the bone tissue under our teeth to stay strong and dense. However, just like many things, moderation is key. Grinding on the other hand is excessive lateral pressure while clenching. Have you ever been in a room where someone is sleeping an hear them grind their teeth? It’s not a pretty sound. I mean, you can hear that the person would never treat their teeth like that if they were conscious. It sounds like damage is being done.
Our friend and long time periodontist, Dr Al Danenberg, likes grinding to a fence post. Think of a tooth as the fence post and the earth around the post as the jaw bone that anchors the tooth. He explained to us that what grinding does is wiggle the fence post back and forth long enough that the earth around the post gets loosened. Like removing a fence post (sorry, the farmer in me here has done this :)) as you wiggle the fence post back and forth, it just gets looser and looser until ultimately you can remove the post.
When it comes to our teeth and grinding, it really is very similar. So, we have to figure out what is causing the grinding so we can stop it.
I hope this answers your great question! Thanks again for asking!
Hi,
do you recommend a supplement for Boron and Strontium?
Thanks,
Sigh, I’m 27 and trying to get my mouth to be healthier. The beginning of my bad teeth began at 4 or 6 when I got a few root canals….I’ve had receding gums on one tooth that started years ago and developed a cavity that turned into a black spot on one of the teeth near my canines. So, if someone notices, they think I have a poppyseed or something stuck in my tooth. I am not sure if it has remineralized somewhat because it isn’t as sensitive as before. Is there anyway to restore that area color? Also, just yesterday I noticed when I was brushing that I’m getting a zing on my back molar, which makes me think that gum line is receding, because it was the same feeling on the other tooth,. Only thing is, I got the zing if I touched it or during the water cleaning pressure tool at the dentist. This molar is giving me that pain when brushing. If the gum doesn’t grow back as I understand it, does the remineralizing of the jaw and teeth decrease the sensitivity from the recession? I thought I was on the right track because the other receding gum tooth seems to have less pain, and then this pops up all of a sudden, which makes me think I have more issues to work out. What is the best way to brush that area that is sensitive to brushing because of the receding gums? I’m trying to brush down on the gums to the tooth, as it seems to be less painful. Sorry for so long a post, and that you for your suggestions.
If we avoid phytates which would normally be included in a vegetarian diet, and eat instead grass fed dairy, and meats, etc., doesn’t all the animal protein also set us up for cancer as all anti-cancer diets stress vegetarian, plant based foods? Many vegetables still block mineral absorption so this is not an easy thing to do. I tried it for a year then got fed up as my tooth accessed anyway (under a crown) and I missed my nuts and seeds with all their wonderful nutrients. I keep wondering if Price missed something? God didn’t give us all these natural whole foods so we wouldn’t be able to eat them without creating a problem of absorption. To me it doesn’t make complete sense. It leaves few good sources of natural proteins available to consume.Pretty much little or No nuts, seeds, beans, etc. (at least without soaking or fermenting).
Are you referring to RAW PARSNIP or Raw Parsley? I ask because you mention carrots which are somewhat similar to parsnips.
Aloha Linda,
Thanks for stopping by to ask. I’m referring to a cluster of raw parsley (either flat or curly). I like the flavor a lot, it’s really good for us, and it’s so fibrous that it creates a ‘bolus’ in the mouth that I can chomp on for several minutes to get my jaw workout in. 🙂
Thanks for tbe great article. Would like to hear your thoughts on supplements for getting some of these minerals. I just don’t know what to look for to ensure quality and absorption. On another note I’d love to watch your video series on my Samsung tablet, but always get errror messages or it just sticks in the loading phase. Maybe android is not supported?
Aloha Kay,
Thank you for your supportive words. We plan to write more on what supplements would help and how to make sure you are getting use of those supplements in the future. Thanks for confirming that it would be a helpful subject to research and report on here. 🙂
I’m sorry that the videos haven’t worked on your tablet. We are currently in the middle of a big site overhaul and one of the many changes we are going to make is to be sure that our site is very mobile friendly. Thank you for your patience as we get this aspect of our site up and friendly!
Aloha
Hello, supplements are something l am interested in too. Getting the right foods is so difficult as fruit and veg could be in the shop for days or weeks. A lot of their nutritional value can be lost not to mention the lack of flavour or texture. On another note my receding gums were made worse by the build up of plaque at the gum line. I was unaware of how much plaque l had till l saw a dental hygienist. The removal of really thick plaque has made a great difference to the state of my gums when they would bleed upon brushing. Painful as well. Now my gums are so much better and l am happier.
While reading this great article I noticed u referenced vitamin K2. I know there are two forms….MK4 and MK7. Is there one u suggest or do u have any information that would help me in my decision? I have brittle bones……….thanks in part to Fosamax….. and am reading your article with great interest.
Thank you for any help.
Peggy
Aloha Peggy,
Great question! Thanks for asking it. We actually are planning to interview an expert on just this very subject very soon. As soon as we have details to offer, you’ll hear from us here. Until then, our understanding is each version of K2 has a different ‘half life’, so it seems to me that taking a blend of both would be prudent.
Sit tight as we will have an interview to address this specific question very soon for you. 🙂
Thanks so much for this amazing article! It’s great to have access to this type of invaluable information. My gums already are improving since I started using Health Thy Mouth and brushing with the Bass brushes. The presentation by Dr. Danenberg, Nutritional Periodontist, was so interesting. Loved it!
Aloha Rebecca,
While we get it often, it’s still so touching to us when someone takes a moment out of their busy life to stop by our blog here and offer some kind words of support. Thank you so much!
We are honored to be part of your journey to optimal oral health!
There’s another side to this information: the many health benefits of the vegan diet and studies on people living longer on the vegan diet contradict this article.
Aloha Paul,
Thank you for adding your voice to this discussion.
Can you please provide us some research showing communities who have survived over generations on a vegan diet? I would really appreciate this information.
To my knowledge, there are none. Yes, there are some indigenous communities that have thrived on a vegetarian diet, but they tend to include some form of animal product for critical fat soluble vitamins. For example, the Watusi tribe (Tutsi) thrived almost exclusively on a vegetarian diet. It should also be stated that they also lived on that diet in an equatorial region.
In the spirit of clarity, I think a vegan diet is very, very health giving to cleanse the body of toxins. However, long term I think it can cause some imbalances and deficiencies. It’s such a challenge to find the ‘right’ diet. I think our minds get so in the way and ‘think’ that we’ve found the ‘right’ diet. But what works for one person on one day, won’t necessarily be good for another person on that same day or even for the first person next year.
We have found that the only constant is change. As soon as we rigidly cling to ‘this is right for me forever’, the changing winds of life come along and show us how our thinking was incorrect. I’ve thought I’ve found the ‘right’ answer so many times. Now I just resign to be a ‘life learner’ and continue gathering information, sifting through it, seeing what works for me today, and discarding the rest.