high in B-5. Most foods contain some B-6 but those that are best sources include

brewers or nutritional yeast, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, walnuts,

carrots, legumes, soybeans, chicken, eggs, fish, organ meats, spinach,

blackstrap molasses, and whole grains. The largest amounts of B-12 are found in nutritional yeast, liver,

clams, eggs, meats, fish, and dairy products. Some B-12 is available

from sea vegetables such as dulse, kelp, kombu, and nori. Good sources for biotin are nutritional yeast, soybeans, whole grains,

egg yolks, milk, meat, poultry, and saltwater fish. Choline is a major ingredient in lecithin and lecithin makes up about

30% of dry weight of brain. Lecithin provides other important

nutrients including phospholipids, fats, and glycolipids. Choline is

also found in egg yolks, green leafy vegetables, liver, soybeans,

yeast, and wheat germ. The best supplemental source is phosphatidyl

choline. All dark leafy greens (the foliage that folic acid is named after) are

good food sources of folic acid. These include kale, spinach, beet

greens, and chard. Other sources are nutritional yeast, rice germ,

wheat germ, blackeye peas, beans and lentils, asparagus, liver,

soybeans, wheat bran, and walnuts. Inositol Whole grains, nutritional yeast, lecithin, citrus fruits,

nuts, seeds, legumes, unrefined molasses, meats, and dairy. By just reading through list above about what food sources of

Vitamin B complex are one can see that they do not include what is

generally eaten in American diet. Add factors like depleted soil,

high stress life styles and one can see how deficiencies have become

commonplace. Just popping B complex pills does not cure problem.

Only changing way we eat can do that. One of reasons I personally was convinced to include these foods in

my diet besides feeling really good when I did was that B complex

vitamins curb food cravings. I also raised a small garden without

pestisides this year. I do not drink alcohol and I have looked at ways

to reduce stress. Huge dietary changes do not work for most of us but changing one or two

things in your diet each month adds up and can make you feel a whole

lot better. Try small changes like putting spinach on sandwiches

instead of lettuce, replace your salad greens put in things like kale,

swiss chard, other dark green vegetable, try adding asparagus to a

salad. Eat a handful of soy nuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, or walnuts

as a snack. Eat fresh fruit for an evening snack instead of having a

Big Mac attack.

About the Author: Judi Singleton is the publisher of Jassmine's Journal

an ezine made up of eight lists covering the topics of business, life

as a spiritual journey, wellness, angels, writing, art, poetry,

creating your life, her.bs, and goddess religion. If you would like to subscribe please go to

Next I mixed in carrots and potatoes, and turned off heat.

I was fortunate to have some vine ripened tomato, which I had sliced into layers, then diced. I probably used about a fourth to third cup. I stirred in tomato and two tablespoons of a reduced salt Japanese soy sauce. Note that I only warmed tomato. Less soy sauce also works.

If using pasta instead of potato and carrot, I am more generous with tomato, using all of a fist sized fruit.

I hesitate to use canned tomatoes, because of heavy handed use of sodium chloride and calcium chloride so common to prepared foods. I no longer use tomato sauce, whose making I consider to be extreme cruelty to vegetables.

That's it.

If you prefer, add a small amount of water, or enough to turn stew into a soup.

The only fat came from lean ground beef, and residual soy oil in tofu. This amount of fat, and food bulk, sufficed to satisfy my hunger until next day. Soy oil is relatively safe non saturated fat.

To completely omit meat, but still have food to chew on, use tempeh instead of tofu, roughly 2 to 6 ounces, to taste. The tempeh should be diced small.

I consider cooking to be an experimental art form. That means I am willing to get ideas from cook books and dining examples, but I am not bashful about changing proportions, playing with herbs and spices, or combining ideas from different sources. All good recipes were results of similar experimentation. Traditional recipes can have more fat and salt than healthful in mechanized societies, but usually are easy to update.

** Diet with FACTS, not MYTHS. **