Considering being vegetarian

janejellyroll

fr33sia12 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

JanetYellen wrote: »

Vitamin B-12 is another important nutrient for vegans.
You can get plenty from a daily multivitamin.
Or look for fortified cereals that contain added vitamins.
This will also provide a bit of calcium and iron.

Since B12 is best absorbed sublingually, a multi-vitamin (which is swallowed) isn't a great source for it.

I'm sure that is taken into account when creating these tablets, otherwise there'd be a lot of vegans not getting B12 when they think they are. But then food is swallowed too (not placed under the tongue) so there's no difference.

But multi-vitamins aren't designed for vegans, they're designed for the general population (many of whom are getting at least some B12 from animal products in their diet).

There *are* vegans not getting sufficient B12 when they they think are, which is why it's important to point out where a multi-vitamin may not meet the needs of this population. Sublingual B12 is easy to find and cheap. There's really no reason to *not* recommend it to vegans.

fr33sia12

janejellyroll wrote: »

fr33sia12 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

JanetYellen wrote: »

Vitamin B-12 is another important nutrient for vegans.
You can get plenty from a daily multivitamin.
Or look for fortified cereals that contain added vitamins.
This will also provide a bit of calcium and iron.

Since B12 is best absorbed sublingually, a multi-vitamin (which is swallowed) isn't a great source for it.

I'm sure that is taken into account when creating these tablets, otherwise there'd be a lot of vegans not getting B12 when they think they are. But then food is swallowed too (not placed under the tongue) so there's no difference.

But multi-vitamins aren't designed for vegans, they're designed for the general population (many of whom are getting at least some B12 from animal products in their diet).

There *are* vegans not getting sufficient B12 when they they think are, which is why it's important to point out where a multi-vitamin may not meet the needs of this population. Sublingual B12 is easy to find and cheap. There's really no reason to *not* recommend it to vegans.

My point is if B12 has to be taken Sublingual either way, then how are people getting it from food, which is also swallowed like a tablet is.

janejellyroll

fr33sia12 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

fr33sia12 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

JanetYellen wrote: »

Vitamin B-12 is another important nutrient for vegans.
You can get plenty from a daily multivitamin.
Or look for fortified cereals that contain added vitamins.
This will also provide a bit of calcium and iron.

Since B12 is best absorbed sublingually, a multi-vitamin (which is swallowed) isn't a great source for it.

I'm sure that is taken into account when creating these tablets, otherwise there'd be a lot of vegans not getting B12 when they think they are. But then food is swallowed too (not placed under the tongue) so there's no difference.

But multi-vitamins aren't designed for vegans, they're designed for the general population (many of whom are getting at least some B12 from animal products in their diet).

There *are* vegans not getting sufficient B12 when they they think are, which is why it's important to point out where a multi-vitamin may not meet the needs of this population. Sublingual B12 is easy to find and cheap. There's really no reason to *not* recommend it to vegans.

My point is if B12 has to be taken Sublingual either way, then how are people getting it from food, which is also swallowed like a tablet is.

B12 in food requires some interaction with stomach acid in order to become usable by our bodies (it's bound to protein). B12 in supplements isn't protein-bound and the stomach acid can reduce the amount that is available to us. Even after B12 from food is ingested, it doesn't get absorbed by our bodies in the same way that other vitamins we consume are -- it actually binds to another protein and is transported to the small intestine via these proteins (not passing with food, the way other vitamins can be). This is why siblingual absorption is the most efficient way to get B12.

Assuming someone consumes enough unbound B12, they would get enough via the stomach. But multivitamins tend to contain just the RDA for B12 and since vegans aren't getting any from food (unless they are also eating fortified food), they risk getting less than they need from a multivitamin. If I'm consuming *just* the RDA, I don't want to be losing any due to sub-optimal absorption. This is why I personally recommend that vegans *not* depend on a multi-vitamin to meet their B12 needs. They aren't created to meet vegan needs -- a dedicated supplement that contains more than the RDA and is designed for better absorption is a safer choice.

Keep in mind that the person who recommended taking a multi-vitamin isn't a vegan and, as far as I know, has no special insight or education into the nutritional needs of vegans.