Best Sources of Vitamin B12 for a Plant Based Diet

We certainly eat a wide variety of food in our house, just recently chicken, pork and fish have been in our meal plans. Sometimes we will take a vegetarian option. I know many readers choose to eat vegetarian, and some vegan, and what we eat is of course a personal choice, but one thing we must all take into account is the nutrients we get from the foods we eat. 

Just recently I was reading an article by James Colquhoun, he was writing about Vitamin B12 and a plant based diet, I thought it one to share ...

"Best Sources of Vitamin B12 for a Plant-Based Diet

Struggling with energy levels? B12. Can’t make sense of your mood? B12. Dizzy and blurred vision? You guessed it, B12. If you’ve ever explored a plant-based diet or even practised complete veganism, B12 will be a familiar-sounding vitamin to you. That’s because, as amazing as plant-based diets can make us feel, they can also be one of the hardest places to find this essential nutrient.

B12 is one of the B-group vitamins (there are eight essentials) that have widespread functions in the body. Vitamin B12, one of the most commonly occurring deficiencies due to dietary, lifestyle, and age factors, has a significant role in the production of red blood cells and DNA. Without it, our bodies can become nutritionally depleted.

Symptoms of deficiency can take years to show up and can sometimes be mistaken for folate deficiency. Some of the most symptoms include mouth ulcers, disturbed vision, pins and needles, weakness & fatigue, pale and jaundiced skin, significant mood changes, breathlessness, and dizziness.

Why Do Plant-Based Diets Struggle With B12?
Unfortunately, vitamin B12 is most abundantly found in animal products like pasture-raised dairy products, eggs, grass-fed meat organ meats, grass-fed meats, wild-caught salmon, wild-caught trout, clams, and sardines. It means that for vegetarians, you can become solely reliant on eggs and occasional dairy, and for those practising a vegan diet, you have to look elsewhere.

So What Are The Best Sources Of Vitamin B12 For A Plant-Based Diet?
Thankfully, there are some plant-based sources of B12 which means we don’t all have to rely on supplementation and fortified foods. The best sources include:
Nutritional Yeast (pictured above)
Seaweed
Algae
Mushrooms (in very small amounts).

Apart from mushrooms, we don’t often find these foods in an everyday diet. Even when we do make a conscious effort to eat them, we might not be getting enough. So we rely on some handy hacks to boost our intake.

Try Supporting Your B12 Intake These Ways:
Too much folic acid can mask a vitamin B12 deficiency. Research suggests that high folate levels can even exacerbate the anaemia and cognitive symptoms associated with a lack of vitamin B12, so ensure you are monitoring these.

Decrease your alcohol intake, as this has been shown to impair absorption"

Words above, and more to see in the original article here

Related Posts

Diagnosing and Treating Vitamin B12 Deficiency, see it here
B12 deficiency is a serious situation. Maybe it would help all concerned to remind themselves of the damage that can be caused by B12 deficiency by watching this video, especially if you use metformin (as many diabetics do), as Metformin can deplete B12.

Metformin beyond it's blood sugar lowering properties, see it here

Metformin is believed to be the most widely prescribed diabetes drug in the world. It was introduced into Britain in 1958 but not licensed for use in T2 diabetes in the US until 1994. It works by blocking the production of glucose in the liver and also by helping the body to utilise insulin properly.
It appears to be most effective in helping with weight loss and thus reducing insulin resistance. This effect is not maintained at the same rate after the initial period of weight loss and treatment, but many patients, including those not overweight at diagnosis, continue to take it for the cardiovascular protection it is said to afford.

Nutrients You May Be Missing On A Plant-Based Diet (And What To Do About It), see it here

The above is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider.

Dear reader, you will find a variety of articles and recipe ideas are within this blog. It is important to note, that not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan