Vegan/Vegetarians and Nutrition

[SRP]

Hi all -
I've been seeing some posts about the vegetarian diet and concerns about protein. But nobody mentions a very important vitamin - B12.

Protein is fairly easy to get in either diet, as long as you watch it and eat a balanced diet that includes legumes, nuts and whole grains.

But B12 can only be found from two sources - animal products or vitamin supplements. If you are an ovo/lacto vegetarian, you'll be okay, since you eat dairy and eggs. Vegans, on the other hand, MUST take supplements.

Without B12, your body cannot utilize the protein you eat, no matter how much of it you cram down. That's probably why a lot of vegetarians are so concerned about protein, because their bodies get run down, etc., from a seeming lack of it. The reason most meat eaters don't have that problem, of course, is because meat contains both protein and B12.

So, anybody out there who wants to eliminate animal products from their diet, please, please take vitamin supplements. It probably wouldn't hurt to have your doctor check your vitamin and mineral levels every so often, either.

I've been a vegetarian for about 15 or 16 years and love it. I'd never go back to eating meat! I did try the vegan diet for a few months but didn't like it - I found it very difficult to maintain and feel that I was getting all the nutrients I needed. I know lots of people do it successfully though.

So good luck, and watch those vitamins!

 

[Mckmain]

Hi Shannon...In Dr Fuhrmans book "Eat to Live" he does mention the vitamin B-12 deficiency and since going vegetarain/mostly vegan since May of 2004 I have taken a Vitamin B-12 supplement everyday. Good info!!......Carole

 

[materialsgirl]

Thanks for keeping us in check, Shannon!

I have been taking a B-12 supplement since day one of going veggie (and even before that!). Other than that, I am positive my body is getting way more vitamins and minerals than it ever got before. It feels great to be a vegetarian, doesn't it?!

 

[kathryn]

You're right, B12 is important, and that's a great point to bring up. But if someone has been eating animal products, they probably have a store of it in their body to last for a while, since very little is needed, and the liver stores excess. Usually, most people coming off a standard American diet have at least enough stores to last a year, if necessary.

But there are quite a few foods that supplement with B12. Several meat analogs (fake meats), some soy milks, enriched cereals, vegan meal replacements and bars, contain B12. If you are vegan, then looking at these types of foods to see if what you are already eating is providing B12 is a good idea (though overdosing on B12 isn't a problem, as it can be with vitamins A and D especially).

I have a sublingual B12 spray that I use a couple of times a week. Daily isn't necessary because of the storage factor, and many supplements have much more than the RDA--mine has 3333%, or thirty times the daily RDA).

In less hygienic times, it's possible that we also got B12 from fresh fruits and vegetables that were in contact with the ground and the bacteria there, and just rinsed before eating. I might be getting a bit of a boost from my fresh strawberries I get out of my garden every day and just rinse with the hose!

 

[materialsgirl]

>I might be getting a bit of a boost from my fresh strawberries
>I get out of my garden every day and just rinse with the hose!
>

Mmmm.... fresh, home-grown strawberries... yummmm...

 

[mogambo]

Yes, I am mostly vegan too. But I eat eggs from a place where I've been and seen the chickens and ducks. (They were rescued from the animal shelter, fer Chrissakes, not abused!) Otherwise I would buy from the farmer's market, as some of the vendors are friends of mine. They have permaculture, weed their gardens with chickens and ducks as part of the system. I do not like cheese (lucky me, I know).

I also take a multi with B-12. And it is in the soy milk and a few other things too.

 

[SRP]

Hmmm! I didn't know they were including B12 in so many items now. That's a good thing! Thanks for the info. These items would be very hard to find in my area though - but that's okay. I still like my cheese.

 

[judejude]

hi there. I'm vegetarian and mostly vegan too. I had no idea about missing B12. where do you guys get the supplements? is it as easy as just going to GNC and buying it like any other vitamin?

 

[SRP]

Yes, B12 is that easy to find! Wal-Mart, any old drug store, whatever. They also make B-Complex vitamins that include the other major "B's." I can't remember what each of them does though...

 

[kathryn]

Nutritional yeast also has B12 (135% of the RDA in 2 TBSP, according to the one I have)--but not "Brewer's yeast." And tempeh also has B12 (because of the fermentation process), but I don't have the stats off hand of how much.