Plant Based sources of B12 for Vegetarians
Plant-based sources of Vitamin B12 for Vegetarians
The vegetarian diet is a healthy dietary choice for many individuals. I believe that diets should be individualized for what the person needs therapeutically and constitutionally, taking into account their values, environment, and origin. Vegetarian diets are very healthy for many people, especially if they are eating mainly plant-based rather than high amounts of processed foods and “meats.”Vegetarianism is not for everyone but once one chooses to eat in this manner they need to be aware of getting enough protein and vitamin B12, also known as Cobalamin. This is quite easy if you know what foods to incorporate more of into the diet. Often people will still need to supplement with a B12 tablet to get adequate amounts into their system.
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Vitamin B12 is found in small amounts in dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese, and is also found in high amounts in seafood, the highest being oysters, clams, and mackerel as well as in meats such as beef, organ meats, eggs, and chicken. B12 is also found in trace amounts in vegetables and certain herbs, but plant-based sources that offer the highest amount of the vitamin are seaweeds, algae, and nutritional yeast. Foods such a tempeh may also be a source of B12 if it was inoculated this way. The body may be deficient in this vitamin due to food choices, weak digestion, an imbalanced and unhealthy lifestyle, stress, prolonged use of birth control pills, or excess antibiotic usage, or poor liver function or disease. Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is essential for health, nervous system support, and the production of red blood cells and DNA.
What is Vitamin B12 Good For?
Red Blood Cell formation and growth
Builds Immunity
Used therapeutically for certain mental and nervous system disorders
Good for energy levels
Helps with allergies
Important during fertility and pregnancy
What are the Possible Signs of Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
Weakness
Fatigue
Diarrhea
Depression
Shortness of breath
Palpitations
Infertility
Mental emotional imbalances
Pernicious anemia
What are Plant-Based Sources of Vitamin B12?
Algae and Seaweeds
Algae and seaweeds contain the highest amounts of vitamin B12 in the plant-based diet. Some examples are blue-green algae, chlorella and spirulina. And for seaweeds Wakame, nori, and kombu.
Nutritional Yeast
This is a great way to help supplement the diet with vitamin B12. Nutritional yeast is either grown in an environment that is enriched in B12 or the vitamin is added at the end of its processing. Nutritional yeast grown on sugar beets or molasses, tend to be higher quality and sweeter than the lower grade grown on grains like hops and malt. People with damp presentations or other yeast overgrowth conditions, such as candida, should avoid consuming this in large amounts.
Fermented foods
Food such as miso, unpasteurized sauerkraut, pickles, and sprouts are not only good ways to enrich the diet in vitamin B12 but are also healthy to maintain healthy intestinal flora and a strong digestive system. They are packed with vitamins minerals and prebiotics!
Fermented foods are easy to make and super nutritional!
Disclaimer* The suggestions noted here are not treatment for vitamin b12 deficiencies as many food based therapies are not strong enough to combat true B12 deficiency, which may be due to bioavailibity of these sources. Please check in with a well versed health care practitioner when making any dietary changes or working with health imbalances.