Vitamin b12 sources for vegetarians

• Weychin

  9 Jun 12, 16:55

  For those vegetarian wishing to supplement food sources containing b12, can consider looking at traditionally aged miso products. Only bacteria can produce vitamin, unfortunately, modern methods uses specifically innoculated strains that may not contain cyanocobalamin producing bacteria. B12 producing bacteria found in soybean fermented products are airborne, so some exposure to air and longer fermentation time is neccessary for b12 bacteria to propogate. There is another possible source which is promising, and that is purple laver, a kind of seaweed which contains b12. Hopefully other forummers may wish to contribute any other vegetarian sources of b12
• Ignorefireice

  10 Jun 12, 17:08

  Some soft drinks contain Vitamin B12 too.And they are suitable for vegetarians too.You can drink those soft drinks to get the vitamin.
• Dharmadhatu

  10 Jun 12, 21:16

  Milk,yogurt,cheese,eggs have B12 too. But i would advise people not to take too much milk due to the amount of hormones, antibiotics, and other pollutants in milk nowadays.  You should take B12 supplements.  You can try this site (http://www.thesynergycompany.com/ov_sb.html)  ...

   

  A vegetarian should also be careful to fortify for iodine.

   

  I cut and paste afew informations from other sites.

  Studies found that ‘trace’ amounts of B12 are present in ferments like Rejuvelac, non-pasteurized pickles, nut/seed yogurt, miso, tempeh, parsley and algae like Hijiki.

  And ‘appreciable’ amounts are found in various forms of seaweeds including Kombu & Kelp, micro-algae like Chorella and nutritional yeast.

  But, subsequent studies also show that the B12 found in micro-algae and seaweeds is not bio-available to the body.

  Since miso is produced from an organism that makes vitamin B12, it may provide this vitamin to vegetarians. However, it should not be assumed that fermented foods, such as miso and tempeh, are excellent sources of vitamin B12. In addition to a tremendous variation in B12 content, there is some evidence that the form of B12 in these foods is not exactly the form that meets our bodily requirements. Vegetarians should take vitamin B12 supplements.

  Some links:

  http://www.vegansociety.com/lifestyle/nutrition/b12.aspx

  http://jinjeetalifero.com/?p=707

   

• zero thought

  5 Aug 12, 20:39

  So far according to what I have researched, there is no known reliable veg source for b12. Many of the veg sources miso, tempeh etc. also contains B12 analogs and not enough of the actual b12.

  My level of b12 was on the low side, even when I supplement b12 ocassionally (having been a vegan for around 6-7 years). So I would advice esp veg to supplement b12 because it's something very important. The amount of b12 in eggs and dairy are pretty low, unless you take a considerable amount every day. Also, unless you take lots of fortified foods it's not easy to meet the daily requirement of 2.4mcg.

  In fact not only veg but meat-eaters can also be affected, unfortunately this knowledge is not widely known:
  (https://www.mja.com.au/open/2012/1/2/vitamin-b12-and-vegetarian-diets)

  Inadequate absorption or impaired utilisation

  • Loss of intrinsic factor, loss of gastric acid and/or other protein-digesting enzymes (contributes to 95% of known cases)4

  • Use of medications that suppress acid secretion, including somatostatin, cholecystokinin, atrial natriuretic peptide, and nitric oxide5

  • Pancreatic disease

  • Gastric resection, sleeve or banding surgery6

  • Ileal disease or ileal resection (secondary to Crohn’s disease)7

  • Use of metformin (oral hypoglycaemic agent)6

  • Use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor9

  • Use of levodopa and catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors10

  • Autoimmunity to intrinsic factor

  • Gastric infection with Helicobacter pylori11

  • Ileocystoplasty12

  • Atrophic gastritis

  Increased requirements

  • During pregnancy and lactation

  Increased excretion

  • Alcoholism

  There is a B12 supplement suitable for veg in sg, Very easy to take just spray in your mouth. You can visit their website for info http://fount.vegdot.com.sg. Tehre are other B12 supplements as well in pharmacies, but most use the cyanocobalamin form and I don't really like taking pills.

• bycai

  6 Aug 12, 10:11

  Buddhists have to eat healthily but not too consciously over foods. Buddhism teaching place emphasise on bodhi or wisdom or dharma body, and not torturing the body irresponsibly although body is emptiness, and depending on situational & condition basis, it shld not be regarded as generalization

• bycai

  7 Aug 12, 13:56

   

   

  Vitamin B12 can be stored in small amounts by the body (predominantly in the liver), with a normal amount being around 2-3mgs in adults (this amount is sufficient for 2 to 4 years). According to the British Nutrition Foundation, dietary deficiency is rare but it can sometimes be seen in vegans who obtain virtually no B12 in their diet.

  《大公報》2006.5.7 報�：
  有關研究建議�「清齋�人士�日�用維他命B12補充�足。��，香港素食會回應表示長期茹素百利無一害，�物中的慈�，�大�B12，�一顆足夠10年用。

   

  美國加州大學洛�磯分校副教授�美國特魯醫學院家庭醫學系副主任�裕庭說：「�素的人如果抽煙，尤應補充維生素B12，因煙內所�的氰酸�賴維生素B12�能解毒。�

   

  其實，維生素B12�以在體內儲存很久，份�也�必多，而食物殘渣在大腸內經細�的發酵作用，亦�形�維他命B12( 腸中的微生物製造 )。而且，胃�細胞�分泌一種糖蛋白，稱為內因�( intrinsic factor )，它與維生素B12���一種化�物，�促使腸��收維生素B12。�時，人類的腸臟善於�度�收人體排出來的維他命B12，能把它一用�用的�留在體內，而�容易出�匱�的�象。

   

  一般而言，缺�維他命B12需�幾年時間的發展。因此，素食者�須注��當地補充維生素B12，�題便迎刃而解了。專家建議，一個�年人�日維他命B12的���為2.4微毫克。

   

  �外，一些�康飲�如「好立克�( Horlicks )�「阿�田�( Ovaltine )等，乃至「營養粉��「精力湯�之類，很多都加入了維生素B12，�供素食者補充營養。

   

  彼得辛格( Peter Singer )的《動物解放》( Animal Liberation )說：「為了�證�致缺�，簡單而便宜的辦法就是��有B12的維生素片。�

  
  

  Product (and serving size) B12

  (micrograms)

  Sosmix and Sosmix Country herb (175g sachet- around six sausages) 0.26

  Marmite (typical 4g serving- enough for one slice of toast) 0.6

  Meridian Yeast Extract (typical 4g serving - enough for one slice of toast) 2.0

  Vecon vegetable stock (5g serving - one small teaspoonful) 0.65

  Pure Soya and Pure Sunflower spread (typical 10g serving - enough for two pieces of toast) 0.5

  Alpro soya milk with B12 (200ml glass) 1.0

  Bonus: Turmeric

  Lately I have been reading more and more on Turmeric, and since I’m writing about vegetarian diet and herb supplements, I thought I’d share some of its most impressive qualities.

  Turmeric has been used for an estimated 4,000 years, and today it is thought to have countless health benefits. The plant is a relative of ginger. Grown in Southern Asia, it is the primary ingredient in Indian curry and the source of the distinctive yellow color.

  There is a lot of evidence that Turmeric may be a powerful cancer fighter and some people are testing its potential to treat autism.

  In a list Health Diary’s Top 20 Reason’s to add Turmeric to your diet, the first ten reasons alone are remarkable:

  1. It is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent

  2. When combined with cauliflower, it has shown to prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate cancer.

  3. In test mice, it prevented breast cancer from spreading to the lungs.

  4. It may prevent melanoma and cause existing melanoma cells to commit suicide.

  5. It may Reduce the risk of childhood leukemia.

  6. It is a natural liver detoxifier.

  7. It may prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease

  8. It may prevent metastases from occurring it different forms of cancer.

  9. It is a natural anti-inflamatory.

  10. In test mice, it has shown promise in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis in mice.

  11. Is a natural painkiller and cox-2 inhibitor.

  12. May aid in fat metabolism and help in weight management.

  13. Has long been used in Chinese medicine as a treatment for depression.

  14. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it is a natural treatment for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

  15. Boosts the effects of chemo drug paclitaxel and reduces its side effects.

  16. Promising studies are underway on the effects of turmeric on pancreatic cancer.

  17. Studies are ongoing in the positive effects of turmeric on multiple myeloma.

  18. Has been shown to stop the growth of new blood vessels in tumors.

  19. Speeds up wound healing and assists in remodeling of damaged skin.

  20. May help in the treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions.

  Turmeric can be taken in powder or pill form. It is available in pill form in most health food stores, usually in 250-500mg capsules.

  Contraindications: Turmeric should not be used by people with gallstones or bile obstruction. Though turmeric is often used by pregnant women, it is important to consult with a doctor before doing so as turmeric can be a uterine stimulant.

• bycai

  7 Aug 12, 14:05

  人體維生素B12的需求�並�高，就算完全��的情�下，約也�10年的時間�會完全�失體內的維生素B12。

  �方醫學也指出例如當歸�明日葉�康復力等中�藥都�有維他命B12，日常食�中，乳酪(尤其是發酵�的)�牛奶�其製�(例如：優酪乳)�全麥�糙米�海藻��麥��米糠�雛��香��大豆�泡���種發酵的豆製�(例如：日本麵豉��乳與豆豉)和酵��生食物(例如：無酒精啤酒)等也都�有維他命B12，所以素食者�用擔心維他命B12�足，上天賜給我們充分的供應，就看我們是�有足夠的智慧來打開那無窮的寶�。

  其實，無論是素食者或肉食者，��是�康的�人，�需�很少�的維他命B12，便足以維�身體�康。奇妙的是，有研究報告指出，世界上�些地方的人�能�以自己產生維他命B12，例如，�度素食者的腸內細�測驗就顯示，潛�在他們體內的微生物能夠產生這種維生素。

  http://www.vegsochk.org/yueso/ys82/ys8202.htm

• sinweiy

  8 Aug 12, 08:46

  Originally posted by bycai:

  人體維生素B12的需求�並�高，就算完全��的情�下，約也�10年的時間�會完全�失體內的維生素B12。

   

  
  i see. first to read.

• Dharmadhatu

  26 Sep 12, 23:51

  For all vegetarians/vegans out there, one of the things you have to look out for is the possibility of a lack of iodine which leads to thyroid problems.  Another factor that exacerbates the problem of iodine deficiency is the intake of fluoride which the thyroid gland takes up in place of iodine which harms its function.

  If you have this problem, you may want to look at the possibility of filtering out fluoride on your water supply for both drinking and washing (as fluoride can be absorbed through the skin too) and also to switch to non-fluoride based toothpaste.

   

• sghappy

  28 Sep 12, 13:36

  Iodine deficiency persons can take seaweed . Dried seaweed cooked into seaweed soup. B12 deficiency persons can take Multiple B Complex tablets.. About $10 for 60 tablets available at local western pharmacies. For ladies , can take follic acid , also about $10 for 60 tablets. Follic acid helps to increase blood cells for women.