[greenbunny]

Osteoporosis is caused by acidity as is heart disease (see post on raw dairy thread) When the body is acidic steals as much calcium (which is alkaline) from the bones as it needs to protect other more delicate parts of the body (such as the arteries of the heart). Cholesterol is also just a reaction of the body to acidity to patch up the arteries. Pasteurized, homogenized milk is very acidic. That's the problem. Raw milk is a whole other story.

The downside of eating raw fish is that you have to be very careful about bacteria. Very careful. I can't eat the stuff - but can and do eat raw smoked salmon. Not much - but a little goes a long way.

As far as I'm concerned I've thrown away all the shoulds a long time ago. What is your body craving?! What makes you feel good and tastes good/right? That's the ticket. I ate purely vegan a very long time with great results. My body and circumstances changed and I needed to change with it. If you listen to authorities - any kind, even raw - without feeling it out for yourself then you get things like the ridiculous food pyramid created by the meat and dairy industries from which school children's diets have been drawn for decades.

Most dietary rules have an equally persuasive arguments directly opposed to it. Nobody's body is identical or has the same needs and nobody's body is the same year to year. Some people can produce their own B-12 some can't and some people can sometimes and at others can't. Only you really know for yourself what your needs are right now.

Well, that's my take on the whole thing - whatever it's worth,
greenbunny