I'm vegetarian and short of B12. what's the best food to eat for B12?

Answer 1

B12 is not found in any substancial, useable form outside of animal products. Even vegan websites acknowledge this.

http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/b12/

I quote: "Very low B12 intakes can cause anaemia and nervous system damage.

The only reliable vegan sources of B12 are foods fortified with B12 (including some plant milks, some soy products and some breakfast cereals) and B12 supplements. Vitamin B12, whether in supplements, fortified foods, or animal products, comes from micro-organisms.

Most vegans consume enough B12 to avoid anaemia and nervous system damage, but many do not get enough to minimise potential risk of heart disease or pregnancy complications.

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 (µg or mcg) 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.

If relying on fortified foods check the labels carefully to make sure you are getting enough B12. For example, if a fortified plant milk contains 1 microgram of B12 per serving then consuming three servings a day will provide adequate vitamin B12. Others may find the use of B12 supplements more convenient and economical."

" B12 is the only vitamin that is not recognised as being reliably supplied from a varied wholefood, plant-based diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, together with exposure to sun. Many herbivorous mammals, including cattle and sheep, absorb B12 produced by bacteria in their own digestive system. B12 is found to some extent in soil and plants. These observations have led some vegans to suggest that B12 was an issue requiring no special attention, or even an elaborate hoax. Others have proposed specific foods, including spirulina, nori, tempeh, and barley grass, as suitable non-animal sources of B12. Such claims have not stood the test of time.

In over 60 years of vegan experimentation only B12 fortified foods and B12 supplements have proven themselves as reliable sources of B12, capable of supporting optimal health. It is very important that all vegans ensure they have an adequate intake of B12, from fortified foods or supplements. This will benefit our health and help to attract others to veganism through our example."

"If for any reason you choose not to use fortified foods or supplements you should recognise that you are carrying out a dangerous experiment - one that many have tried before with consistently low levels of success. If you are an adult who is neither breast-feeding an infant, pregnant nor seeking to become pregnant, and wish to test a potential B12 source that has not already been shown to be inadequate, then this can be a reasonable course of action with appropriate precautions. For your own protection, you should arrange to have your B12 status checked annually. If homocysteine or MMA is even modestly elevated then you are endangering your health if you persist.

If you are breast feeding an infant, pregnant or seeking to become pregnant or are an adult contemplating carrying out such an experiment on a child, then don't take the risk. It is simply unjustifiable.

Claimed sources of B12 that have been shown through direct studies of vegans to be inadequate include human gut bacteria, spirulina, dried nori, barley grass and most other seaweeds. Several studies of raw food vegans have shown that raw food offers no special protection.

Reports that B12 has been measured in a food are not enough to qualify that food as a reliable B12 source. It is difficult to distinguish true B12 from analogues that can disrupt B12 metabolism. Even if true B12 is present in a food, it may be rendered ineffective if analogues are present in comparable amounts to the true B12. There is only one reliable test for a B12 source - does it consistently prevent and correct deficiency? Anyone proposing a particular food as a B12 source should be challenged to present such evidence."

So yes, vegans have to go with supplements. However, if you're only vegetarian you can get it from milk, eggs or cheese.

Answer 2

If you eat eggs, they'll work, and if you eat dairy, yogurt or milk is good. If you don't consume animal products of any kind, then there are B12 enriched foods available, or you can take supplements. Here's a good site with info on B12 intake for vegans:

http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/b12/

Lack of B12 can be serious, so it's great that you're paying attention to this--good luck!

Answer 3

The best foods to eat for B12 are meat, eggs, and dairy. The best B12 supplement is sublingual B12 specifically containing the methylcobalamin form of B12. Sublingual means the pill is allowed to slowly dissolve under the tongue. That allows the B12 to enter the bloodstream directly, bypassing the stomach, where deficient B12-intrinsic factor can prevent its absorption.

Answer 4

I started taking B12 shots this year. The way I understand it, once the receptors in your stomach stop receiving B12, there is no other way to get B12. I had taken Pravacid for years, because of stomach problems, they block the receptors, and did it long enough to kill them. B12 is in most vegetables, but if the receptorors don't recept it doesn't do any good.

Answer 5

Go to the doctor and have a B12 or B complex shot, it is normally a week course. But in the future buy yourself a good multi vitamin that can supplement what you are missing in your diet.

Answer 6

Mushrooms is incorrect...
The B12 vitamin "found" in mushrooms actually comes from the manure (cow ****).
Hmmmmmmm yummy stuff

Best advice is to take a vitamin tablet with appropriate levels of B12
You may also find you are lacking in iron too.

Answer 7

try taking Milk daily
and also take some B12 trablets

Answer 8

There is very little reason a "Veggie" is low on B-12. Yogurt, Milk,Cheese, Eggs all have B-12. If you do fish there is even better choices for B-12.
Now if you are a Vegan I suggest B-12 in Liquid form. I get mine at the Vitamin Shoppes
http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/index.jsp?source=Go83
Give me extra energy too.

Answer 9

Mushrooms

Answer 10

Marmite