.: 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

Must read if u r Vegan

Must read if u r Vegan..

The food sources of B12

Vitamin B12 is manufactured in animals when they consum friendly bacteria from the soil. It has been claimed that some plant foods such as spirulina and tempeh contain vitamin B12. However, these foods only contain an inactive type of B12 that is not useful to the human body, and vegans may be advised to use a vitamin B12 supplement. This is particularly important for children, and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding since a deficiency in B12 can lead to development of brain damage in infants.

Some prepared foods are B12 fortified so check the ingredient listings. If a supplement is taken, it should contain an active form of the vitamin (such as cyanocobalamin or hydroxocobalamin).

The body is capable of storing vitamin B12. The liver is the primary site of storage – sufficient stores of vitamin B12 can usually supply the body’s requirements for between three to five years. Body reserves of vitamin B12 are relatively large in relation to the small amounts required each day. If a person chooses a vegan diet (no dairy products or eggs), it would normally be several years before deficiency symptoms begin to emerge. It would be worthwhile considering seeing a doctor to have one’s blood tested and B12 levels recorded, and this process repeated at two yearly intervals to check for changes. Symptoms of deficiency often do not appear or are recognised until the state of health has deteriorated considerably.

Vitamin B12 is quite a stable nutrient. Very little of the vitamin is destroyed during cooking. Even when milk undergoes pasteurisation or UHT treatment, only a small amount is lost. However significantly more B12 is lost in evaporated milk.