Vitamin B-12 And The Vegan Diet

Vitamin B-12 is the only vitamin which cannot be obtained from whole foods on a vegan diet. Although many people argue that they don’t trust any diet which does not provide the essential nutrients from nature, this nutritional issue is quite simple to solve. In his book Food For Life, Dr. Neal Barnard states that the body needs only about 1 mcg of Vitamin B-12 per day; therefore, a vegetarian B-12 supplement should be taken every few days. Dr. Barnard also suggests looking for the words cobalamin or cyanocobalamin on the label since they are the chemical terms for Vitamin B-12.

Some breakfast cereals and non-dairy milks are fortified with Vitamin B-12, so it might be a good idea to consume these products if you follow a vegan diet. Another great way to obtain Vitamin B-12 is with nutritional yeast (also known as “nooch”). Nutritional yeast is a tasty food product with a cheesy flavor which can be added to your salads, soups, cereals, casseroles and gravies. My favorite brand is Red Star which I like to sprinkle on my kale chips or popcorn.

Traditionally, vegetarian sources of Vitamin B-12 were found in soil. Evidence suggests that bacteria in the soil contributed traces of B-12 to root vegetables. However, due to the improved hygiene of our modern society, the bacteria that produced Vitamin B-12 from this source has been destroyed.

Since it is so easy to remedy, I truly don’t understand why complex debates take place concerning the Vitamin B-12 issue. However, I really wanted to share this amazing article written by Choosing Raw’s Gena Hamshaw which was recently posted on the website Girlie Girl Army. It is probably the best article I have read, to date, discussing the B-12 matter. Click here if you wish to read it.