Quote:
Originally Posted by glenntaj
--and that is vitamin B12, which is essential and which the human body cannot break out of non-animal sources, unlike some of our animal cousins. We simply do not have the proper stomach or intestinal length to do that.
So, while I agree that human beings are often encouraged to consume too much protein in general and too many animal products in particular, anyone who is not having any animal products in the diet--and that includes dairy products and eggs--needs to supplement with B12, preferably a methylcobalamin or adenosylcobalamin form, in case one has genetic problems with the methylation cascade: there are fewer metabolic hoops for the cobalamin to jump through when taken in these forms as opposed to the standard cyanocobalamin form usually sold (and you don't want cyanide radicals running around your body anyway).
B12 deficiency is common even among carnivores as they get older--our levels of intrinsic factor noticeably decline with age--and vegans and vegetarians really do need to supplement from the get-go.
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Thanks for your input. Your knowledge is extraordinary. I thought I'd discussed B12 earlier in the thread, maybe it was elsewhere, so thank you.
B12 supplementation as far as I am aware should be at the heart of all self therapy for Peripheral Neuropathy whatever diet you are on. However as you point out there are few Plant Based sources of B12 (due to decreasing soil quality.) We cannot make B12. Meats and milks of herbivorous ruminant animals are good sources of B12 for humans. Ruminants acquire their B12 through a symbiotic relationship with bacteria inside their microbiomes. B12-producing bacteria are located in ruminant stomachs.
These are common Plant Based sources of B12 that I am aware of and my experience of them.
Nutritional Yeast.
Algae/seaweed.
Fortified Plant Milk (soy, almond, coconut, rice)
Fortified breakfast cereals.
Tempeh.
Mushrooms.
I sprinkle Nutritional Yeast on my food that is fortified with B12. I sprinkle Mara Seaweed and also Green Nori ( sea vegetable condiments) Unusually for Vegan Food all of these taste nice! The latter are also rich in Iodine, an element Vegans can be low in. I don't touch plant milks or breakfast cereals but I do add Spirulina to my porridge. I take Algae Oil Vegan Omega 3 DHA and EPA because a Plant Based diet can be low in Omega 3. My experience with Tempeh is tiny. I eat mushrooms regularly. I consider them superfoods.
This video covers B12 and a Plant Based Diet.
I personally take 1000ug of methyl cobalamin daily
What foods contain vitamin B12? | NutritionFacts.org