Vegan for Life - Jack Norris [16]
While this might sound like vitamin B12 is a big problem for vegans, it’s an issue that’s so easily resolved it shouldn’t be a concern. In fact, it’s a concern only when vegans don’t get good advice about vitamin B12 or don’t want to use supplements or fortified foods.
We think that vegans actually have the advantage when it comes to vitamin B12. Here is why: As people age, no matter what type of diet they follow, their ability to absorb vitamin B12 found naturally in foods begins to decline.10 Vitamin B12 in animal foods is bound to protein, and the decrease in stomach acid that tends to occur in older people makes it harder to release B12 from the protein so it can be absorbed. Because the vitamin B12 in supplements and fortified foods is not bound to protein, it is more easily absorbed by older people. For this reason, the FNB recommends that all people over age fifty get at least half of the RDA for B12 from some combination of supplements and fortified foods. Many older people may not know this, but vegans who are paying attention to good nutrition advice are already using vitamin B12 supplements or fortified foods.
SUPPLEMENTING VERSUS MONITORING
It has been suggested that anyone who is worried about whether or not they should take supplements should simply get their B12 levels tested. But that doesn’t make any sense. You don’t want to wait until your levels are low to start supplementing. And if your levels are normal, you should supplement in order to maintain them. There is no reason not to take supplements. They are inexpensive and safe. So you can have your B12 levels tested if you want, but regardless of the results, you should follow the advice about vitamin B12 supplements and fortified foods we’ve outlined below.
MEETING VITAMIN B12 NEEDS
There are a couple of important things to keep in mind about supplementing with B12. First, B12 supplements should be either chewable or sublingual (dissolving under the tongue) since research shows that, in some people, B12 isn’t well absorbed from pills that are swallowed whole.
Also, the body is used to getting little bits of vitamin B12 here and there throughout the day. When confronted with a big dose of B12, it absorbs just a tiny fraction of the whole amount. So when you take vitamin B12 infrequently, you need rather large amounts in order to get enough. The RDA for vitamin B12 is just 2.4 micrograms for adults. But if you are getting your daily dose from a supplement, you may need as much as 25 to 100 micrograms. And if you supplement just two or three times a week, you may need 1,000 micrograms each time.
If you have not had a regular source of vitamin B12 for some time, we recommend taking 2,000 micrograms every day for two weeks before beginning the regular supplementation schedule as follows.
To meet your vitamin B12 requirements on a vegan diet do any one of the following:
• Consume two servings per day of fortified foods providing 1.5 to 2.5 micrograms of vitamin B12 each.
• Take a daily vitamin B12 supplement of at least 25 micrograms (25 to 100 micrograms is a good range).
• Take a supplement of 1,000 micrograms of vitamin B12 three times a week.
GETTING B12 FROM FORTIFIED FOODS
Plant foods are reliable sources of active vitamin B12 only if they are fortified with the vitamin. On food labels, the Daily Value for vitamin B12 is 6 micrograms. So if a food provides 25 percent of the Daily Value, it contains 1.5 micrograms.
Nutritional yeast is a popular choice with many vegans. Its cheesyyeasty flavor is great mixed into bean and grain dishes or sprinkled over popcorn. Nutritional yeast is grown on a nutrient-rich culture and contains only the nutrients that are in that culture. So don’t assume that every type of nutritional yeast is a good source of vitamin B12. Red Star brand Vegetarian Support Formula is a good vitamin B12–rich choice that is widely available, often in the bulk food section of natural foods markets. Brewer’s yeast is a by-product of beer making and is not a good source of vitamin