Vegan Forum

Does vegans really need B12 supliments?
I found sources which in books that B12 is contained in some vegetables and in rise.

A dificiancy in Vitamin B12 can result in anemia(no idea what that is) and irreversible nerve damage. Sounds like fun!

Anonymous wrote:A dificiancy in Vitamin B12 can result in anemia(no idea what that is) and irreversible nerve damage. Sounds like fun!

I know, it is on all vegan sites

well, anemia is basically a deficiency of the blood, and it results in low energy and can be quite serious. lack of b12 can also lead to depression. one good vegan source of b12 is miso

Lack of B12 leads to problem with memory. I know, because I suffer that. Still, I'm too lazy to 'refill' my body's B12 resources and start taking some shitty pills, so if i forget to reply to some posts in the future, i hope you'll forgive me

Remember though, mind your diet. You really have to listen to your body and know its needs. It won't tell you "Hey, sicko, gimme the god damn B12, NOW!", but when you learn howto recognize the symptoms, you will know, what it's trying to tell you. Take care.

Hi! There is no B12 to be found in any vegan food unless it is supplemented by the manufacturer. But it is really important to get this vitamin! As someone mentioned, a lack of B12 causes anaemia, nervous system damage, and complications for women during pregnancy.

Another overlooked risk is the development of heart disease as B12 and related enzymes regulate levels of homocysteine in the body. Elevated levels of homocysteine are connected with heart disease and stroke.

I use B12 enriched products such as So Good soya milk. Where this isn't possible I have some vegan B12 supplements.

I always get asked "If the vegan diet is the right way to live, how come B12 isn't naturally occuring in any vegan foods?". The answer is that it used to be found naturally in our soil, but intensive farming methods have depleted it. Argh!

The vegan society says:

To get the full benefit of a vegan diet, vegans should do one of the following:

-- eat fortified foods two or three times a day to get at least three micrograms (mcg or µg) of B12 a day or
-- take one B12 supplement daily providing at least 10 micrograms or
-- take a weekly B12 supplement providing at least 2000 micrograms.

For more information see: http://www.vegansociety.com/html/info/b12sheet.htm .

Hope this helps! -- Halcyonelle.

Miso isn't a reliable source of B-12. Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula Nutritional Yeast is a reliable source, as well as fortified foods like soymilk, cereal, etc..
It's extremely important to get your daily requirement of B-12, which is around 4mcg a day. I use fortified foods and also take B-12 supplements, just to make sure I get enough. B-12 comes from bacteria. Our fruits and vegetables are so clean now, the bacteria on them is neglegable. B-12 is abundant in animal products, though. That's why meat eaters don't have to worry about getting enough B-12.
That's the only vitamin vegans have to watch out for. The rest of the vitamins are abundant in veggie foods.
As far as calcium is concerned (and nobody asked about it, but here's some information anyway), I drink orange juice fortified with calcium, because it's easier than eating a ton of calcium-rich foods.

Nutritional Yeast is really good. It's almost cheese-like and tastes good in Quinoa, sprinkled on lentils....anything warm that it can melt in to. I take a supplement too but since incorporating the yeast, I definitley see a difference in my health.

Hey, Clusswoman!
Can you tell us more about nutritional east?
What is it? Where do you get it from?
I only heard rumors about nutritional east. Never ever saw or tasted one.
Does it have B-12?

Here's some good info I copied:

Yeast is considered by many to be the most valuable supplement available. It is a complete protein and contains more protein than meat. Yeast is an excellent source of B-vitamins including B12 and it contains the glucose tolerance factor that helps in the regulation of blood sugar. It is a single-celled fungi present in the air around us and on fruits and grains - it converts various types of sugar to alcohol. The earliest recorded use was in 1550 BC in Egypt. But it is only during the last few decades that the outstanding health benefits of nutritional yeast have been researched.

Raised On Molasses
Nutritional yeast is grown on mineral enriched molasses and used as a food supplement. At the end of the growth period, the culture is pasteurized to kill the yeast. You never want to use a live yeast (i.e. baking yeast) as a food supplement because the live yeast continues to grow in the intestine and actually uses up the vitamin B in the body instead of replenishing the supply. (Brewer's yeast is nutritionally the same but as a by-product of the beer-brewing industry it has a characteristic bitter hops flavor.)

It's Good For Ya'
Nutritional yeast contains 18 amino acids (forming the complete protein) and 15 minerals. Being rich in the B-complex vitamins, it is vital in many ways and particularly good for stress reduction. The B-complex vitamins help make nutritional yeast such a valuable supplement, especially to the vegetarian. It is one of the rare vegetarian sources of B12.
One element of yeast is the trace mineral chromium, also known as the Glucose Tolerance Factor (GTF). This is necessary to regulate blood sugar and is important for diabetics and people with a tendency toward low blood sugar.



All in all, not a bad thing to sprinkle over everything!

Yammy.. I read your post and realized that I'm very hungry!
I'm going to eat somthing now~!

I'm eating some with Quinoa right now!! Yummmmm

Bon Appetite!!!

Is it possible to grow Nutritional Yeast in home conditions?

Hmm...I don't think so. You have to pasteurize it to make it edible. I get mine at whole foods in bulk.

Not very handy..
What if something happens and those industries disapear?
By the way, how much do you usually pay?

Hmm...I think Whole foods has it for about $2 a lb...a little goes a long way.

Vegans are recommended to ensure their diet includes foods fortified with vitamin B12. A range of B12 fortified foods are available. These include yeast extracts, Vecon vegetable stock, veggieburger mixes, textured vegetable protein, soya milks, vegetable and sunflower margarines, and breakfast cereals.

B12 deficiency is serious business. I was suffering extreme fatigue, lethargy, etc. It turns out my body doesn't utilize b12 very well. I used to get injections, but now I just take the b12 patch. No needles! I ordered mine at the b12patch web site.

Are B12 patches vegan sourced? I don't see any mention on their website.

B12 deficiency is very common amongst non vegans as well. A lot of this can be attributed to eating a lot of processed foods I suspect. Vegetables/fruits growing out there in the wild blue yonder are sources of B12 by nature of the bacteria that are on them which is the main source of B12 for all herbivores and by way of carnivores eating them as an ingested source. It is produced inside us (and other herbivores) as well ofcourse but a little too low down our tract to be absorbed if I recall correctly.

All those sheep, zebra, wildebeests, horses, goats are getting plenty of B12 as a result of eating plants from the wild. They do ofcourse ingest a few insects and other animal stuff by accident/default and it all adds to their B12 intake. Most vegans in cities especially get mass grown washed fruit and vegetables a lot of the time and will require B12 supplements as a result.

Vitamin B12 is required by the body to maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells, so it is very necessary for good health. This vitamin increases body immune power and nervous system function. It is help to maintain healthy skin and muscle tone.

All those sheep, zebra, wildebeests, horses, goats are getting plenty of B12 as a result of eating plants from the wild. They do ofcourse ingest a few insects and other animal stuff by accident/default and it all adds to their B12 intake. Most vegans in cities especially get mass grown washed fruit and vegetables a lot of the time and will require B12 supplements as a result.

as a precaution i began taking sublingual B12 every other day from the first day i decided to go vegan.. i just makes sense to me...

Kensho

Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause anemia and nervous system damage.

The only reliable vegan sources of B12 are foods fortified with B12 (including some soy products and some breakfast cereals).
Vegans should eat B12 fortified foods two or three times a day for receiving at least 3 micrograms B12 per day.

B12 doesn't occur naturally in meat. The animals get their B12 from unwashed vegetables and such from the soil (washing them washes off the B12), and omnivorous individual may eat that animal, and thus obtain B12.

B12 is microbiotic and is sound in the soil. Not associated from meat. Meat is ONE WAY to get B12, but is not necessarily the best way, and is most definately not the only way.