How Diversifying the Diet w/Animal Foods Affects Nutrient Levels

(Looking at the Science on Raw vs. Cooked Foods--continued, Part 3C)

How diversifying the diet with animal foods can affect nutrient balance

Now, let's have a look at vitamin content for the same plant foods outlined just previously, plus the following animal foods: pork (fresh, loin, top loin [chops], boneless, separable lean and fat, cooked, broiled), beef (composite of trimmed retail cuts, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/4" fat, all grades, cooked), mung sprouts, beef liver (raw).

Note these abbreviations in the charts below: B1 = thiamine, B2 = riboflavin, B3 = niacin, B5 = pantothenic acid, B6 = pyridoxine, B9 = folate, B12 = cobalamin. "A" below refers (in animal food) to actual vitamin A (retinol), or in plant food to beta-carotene, which, assuming it is extractable, can be converted by the body into vitamin A. (As discussed earlier in this paper, the extractability of beta-carotene is usually very low in plant food unless cooked to release it from the fibrous plant matrix; or high-speed mechanical juicing may also serve the same function.)

SAMPLE FOODS IN A MOSTLY-RAW
DIET THAT INCLUDES MEAT

(nutrient values per 100g portion)

The measurement units for vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and E are milligrams.
B9 and B12 are in micrograms, and A is in IUs (International Units).

FOOD	Vitamins (per 100 grams)
FOOD	C	B1	B2	B3	B5	B6	B9	B12	A	E
Grapes	4	.09	.06	.30	.024	.11	3.9	0	100	.34
Avocado	7.9	.11	.12	1.9	.97	.28	62	0	612	1.3
Dates	?	.09	.1	2.2	.78	.19	13	0	50	.1
Broccoli	75	.05	.11	.57	.51	.14	50	0	1,388	1.7
Romaine	24	.10	.10	.5	.17	.05	136	0	2,600	.44
Potato	7.4	.10	.02	1.3	.51	.27	8.9	0	?	.05
Pork	.3	.85	.31	5.0	.70	.38	8	.69	6	?
Beef	0	.08	.21	3.6	.35	.33	7	2.44	?	.2
Mung beans	13	.08	.12	.75	.38	.09	61	0	21	.01
Beef liver	22	.26	2.78	13	7.6	.94	248	69	35,346	.67

...and for 100-calorie portions:

FOOD	Vitamins (per 100 calories)
FOOD	C	B1	B2	B3	B5	B6	B9	B12	A	E
Grapes	6	.10	.09	.4	.04	.17	5.9	0	150	.51
Avocado	4.9	.07	.07	1.2	.60	.17	38	0	380	.81
Dates	?	.03	.04	.8	.28	.07	4.7	0	18	.04
Broccoli	270	.20	.40	2.1	1.8	.50	180	0	5,000	6.1
Romaine	170	.71	.71	3.6	1.2	.33	990	0	18,000	3.1
Potato	8.9	1.2	.02	1.6	.61	.32	11	0	?	.06
Pork	.13	.37	.14	2.2	.31	.17	3.5	.30	3	?
Beef	0	.03	.07	1.2	.12	.11	2.3	.79	?	.07
Mung beans	43	.28	.40	2.5	1.3	.29	200	0	69	.03
Beef liver	15	.18	2.0	9.1	5.3	.66	180	48	25,000	.47

Again, we note that potato fares pretty well compared to dates and avocados. Next, we comment one by one on each vitamin:

Vitamin C: Obviously not a problem for raw-fooders.
Vitamin B-1 (thiamine): Sprouted wheat (.22 mg per 100 g) and sprouted lentils (.23 mg) are good sources, but pork and beef liver are the richest. Not everyone will eat these foods raw.
Vitamin B-2 (riboflavin): Present in sprouted legumes and wheat, as well as green leafy vegetables and liver.
Vitamin B-3 (niacin): Mainly present in meat, fish, organs, and nuts (almonds: 3.4 mg per 100 g) but also to a lesser extent in sprouted wheat.
Vitamins B-5 (pantothenic acid) and B-6 (pyridoxine) are usually widely available; deficiencies are rare.
Vitamin B-9 (folate): Liver, beans, green vegetables, avocados, eggs (yolk: 146 mcg per 100 g), and nuts (almonds: 59 mcg).
Vitamin B-12 (cobalamin): Liver, other animal foods.
Vitamin A: The best source is liver, but vitamin A is present in the form of beta-carotene in orange vegetables (carrots) and dark green vegetables (spinach). However, for up-to-date recent research indicating bioavailability of beta-carotene in plants may be lower than previously believed, see Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene, under the subsection "Key Nutrients vis-a-vis Omnivorous Adaptation and Vegetarianism" within the article Comparative Anatomy and Physiology Brought Up to Date elsewhere on this site.
Vitamin E: Rich sources are vegetable oils, nuts, dark-green leafy vegetables, organ meats, seafood, eggs, avocados.
Finally, vitamin D didn't figure into the table above, but this important vitamin (for calcium transport) is present in animal fats (mainly fish fats). It is also synthesized when the skin is exposed to sunlight/ultraviolet light.

Moral of the story: Diversity in nutrient sources is at least as important as raw vs. cooked considerations, if not more. The conclusion of the above is that no food is rich in all vitamins, except perhaps liver (some people may argue that it also has a "superior" content in toxins--but that's an issue for another discussion), and that a diversified diet is important--probably more important than preserving every milligram of vitamin by eating 100% raw.

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(Improving Raw-Food Diets with Carefully Chosen Cooked Foods)

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SEE REFERENCE LIST

SEE TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR: PART 1 PART 2 PART 3

GO TO PART 1 - Is Cooked Food "Toxic"?

GO TO PART 2 - Does Cooked Food Contain Less Nutrition?

GO TO PART 3 - Discussion: 100% Raw vs. Predominantly Raw

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