When I first went vegan, I was concerned that I may not be getting enough vitamin B12, the only nutrient that cannot be obtained from consuming plants. It was one of the topics I wrote about in But is it Healthy?
B12 can taken as a supplement (e.g. tablet, mouth spray) or by eating foods fortified with the vitamin, such as plant-based milks (e.g. some soy milks) or other foods (e.g. some brands of vegan meat substitutes).
I currently use B12 fortified soy milk daily as my regular source. I have recently switched to Oat Milk and none of the brands I have found are fortified with B12, therefore I am taking a daily sublingual 1000 mcg supplement.
Although only required in very small amounts, B12 deficiencies can lead to anaemia and nervous system damage.
I have annual blood tests that have shown my levels of this and other required nutrients to be well within the normal range.
There’s good information online about B12. You can read more in What every vegan should know about B12 or Zeuschner et al, (2013), Vitamin B12 and vegetarian diets, The Medical Journal of Australia.
See also Dr Michael Gregor’s nutritionfact.org videos on B12.
Leave a Reply