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Which vegan foods are good sources of iron and B12?
sn_etuk
Posts: 14 Member
Hello, I've been a vegetarian for about 11 years, and I am now working towards veganism (again). I've felt beyond exhausted lately, so I went to the doctor, who tested and found that I am a little anemic. I don't think my B12 levels were tested, but I've read that a B12 deficiency can cause anemia as well. I just began iron supplements, but I'd prefer not to take these forever. What are good foods to help me get more iron and B12 in my diet? Thank you.
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From what I've read unless you have an issue with your body making and using b12 it would take months to feel anything from a b12 deficiency.
As for iron....I never take iron supplements and my iron levels have always been awesome. I eat lots of beans. Beans are a fantastic source of iron. Iron can also be found in spinach, if you eat salads add spinach, if you juice, add spinach.
b12 can be found in fortified nut milks if you drink them and nutritional yeast. I have nutmilk 2-3 times a week and I've been okay, but like I said, you should call your doc and asked if he checked your b12 and iron in your last blood test, if not, go back.0 -
spinach and other greens are high in iron.0
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The Vegan Society sell a supplement which is designed for possible vegan deficiencies. It contains:
Vitamin B2
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12
Vitamin D
Folic Acid
Iodine
Selenium
Dark green veggies contain plenty of Iron. B12 I understand must come from a vegan based supplementary tablet as above.
I hadn't thought about Iodine and Selenium as essential elements.0 -
The Vegan Society sell a supplement which is designed for possible vegan deficiencies. It contains:
Vitamin B2
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12
Vitamin D
Folic Acid
Iodine
Selenium
Dark green veggies contain plenty of Iron. B12 I understand must come from a vegan based supplementary tablet as above.
I hadn't thought about Iodine and Selenium as essential elements.
There are non animal sources of B2 and B6, nuts and seeds should cover most of it.
B12 can come from nutritional yeast. Some believe you can get it from microscopic impurities on produce.
Vitamin D can be obtained by increased sun exposure.
Folic acid? Most people don't get enough because of low fruit and veggie consumption. A vegan should get plenty.
Most people get iodine from salt.
Some plant foods high in selenium:
brazil nuts
Sunflower Seeds
Mushrooms (button, crimini, shiitake)
Grains (wheat germ, barley, brown rice, oats)
Onions0 -
Thank you0
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For iron, beans and greens are your friends! Some grains too. For example, barley is fairly high in iron.
It's nearly impossible to get enough B12 from diet alone as a vegan, so eating fortified foods or supplements is necessary. Most multivitamins contain B12, though if you're concerned about absorption you may do better to get a liquid or sublingual supplement (which is what I use). On top of that, nutritional yeast has been mentioned as a good source of B12, and I will often incorporate it into sauces and stuff. If none of those options sound appealing you could even drink Emergen-C. Several of the flavors are vegan and they're basically like a multivitamin you drink in juice or water.
It can take years to deplete your B12 stores, so it's a good idea to supplement early and often to prevent that from happening.0 -
Yes, greens and beans for iron... Also blackstrap molasses and raw pumpkin seeds. Grape Nuts cereal has a lot of iron too.0
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Hey guys thanks for the info. I've been taking supplements. I didn't know that there may be animal protein in the supplements I've been taking. I will have to readjust. I just went from being vegetarian to vegan in January. So, I'm learning. I'm sure I'm getting enough iron, but not so certain about B12, so I've been taking a supplement. I will have to go get a vegan B12 supplement.0
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I went to The Vegan Society website, and evidently this is in England. Does anyone know where I can order vegan supplements in the U.S.?0
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I went to The Vegan Society website, and evidently this is in England. Does anyone know where I can order vegan supplements in the U.S.?
Other than B12 there really are no vegan supplements. It's just marketing. Just eat a lot of fresh produce and whole grains and legumes. Any OTC supplement will do the same as another. Read the label. Have a source of B12, nutritional yeast is probably easiest and tastiest0 -
I went to The Vegan Society website, and evidently this is in England. Does anyone know where I can order vegan supplements in the U.S.?
Other than B12 there really are no vegan supplements. It's just marketing. Just eat a lot of fresh produce and whole grains and legumes. Any OTC supplement will do the same as another. Read the label. Have a source of B12, nutritional yeast is probably easiest and tastiest
That's actually not true, since some supplements contain gelatin (derived from beef or fish), lanolin extract (animal derived D3) and some other stuff. I recommend checking out veganessentials.com (they sell vegan products only) or iherb.com (a site that sells a variety of health food and supplements, some of which are vegan and some are not but they have a 'vegetarian' supplements category.) If you use my iherb referral code (PIB512) you get $5 off your first order too. If buying stuff online is inconvenient, then visit your local Whole Foods or health food store and ask someone there which vitamins and supplements are vegan, since they specialize in that stuff.
Edited to add: "Deva" is one specific brand of vegan supplements that are fairly inexpensive. Just something to get you started.
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Thank you so much everyone for the information! I checked with my dr and my iron levels actually were low when tested. So I'm going to check out some of the options mentioned here. Thanks again for the support.0
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I went to The Vegan Society website, and evidently this is in England. Does anyone know where I can order vegan supplements in the U.S.?
I take Deva vegan multivitamins (they offer one with iron, one without). I also take Deva's D2, and their vegan Omega-3.
My local Whole Foods doesn't sell ANY vegan multis, D, or Omega-3, so I just order them from Amazon. Inexpensive, and free shipping!
Also, for everyone saying nutritional yeast is a good source of B12, be aware that this is ONLY true IF it's fortified. Check the label!0 -
Good point about checking the label on nutritional yeast! Most brands are fortified, but there are a couple that are not so it's best to double-check.
I'm amazed that your local Whole Foods doesn't have any vegan multivitamins, that sucks. But Amazon is also a good source. Truthfully, there are a million places to buy vitamins and vegan food items online now that as long as you have a bank card and an address to ship to you're pretty much set.0 -
As far as what vegan foods have B12 I'm still undecided what I believe. Some say kombucha and other fermented foods have B12, some say that any B12 in these foods is too minuscule to measure/matter.
I had my blood tested a few weeks ago and my B12 level was low. Not below the "normal range" but at the very low end. My doc told me to take a supplement and see what happens after a few months. I bought the Deva sublingual supplement. It is very easy to take and has kind of a citrus-y taste that is not unpleasant. Since my multivitamin (right now not vegan, but I'm using it up then switching to Deva multivitamin) has B12 I think every other day on the sublingual supplement will be more than sufficient. For me I think it's best to take the supplement rather than worrying about what foods contain B12 or how much, esp given my blood test results.0 -
I'm amazed that your local Whole Foods doesn't have any vegan multivitamins, that sucks. But Amazon is also a good source. Truthfully, there are a million places to buy vitamins and vegan food items online now that as long as you have a bank card and an address to ship to you're pretty much set.
My local WF is pretty vegan un-friendly. They don't carry the selection of vegan products that I know WF in other parts of the country carry, and have flat out refused when I inquired at the possibility of stocking some items. Once I was looking for MimicCreme, and the customer service person told me if I didn't want dairy cream, I should just use goat milk. Uh....... no.
They used to have D2, but stopped carrying it a few months ago, and their non-fish omega-3's are flax oil... in gelatin caps. Gross! Amazon is cheaper anyway, and I always manage to have orders over $25 for free shipping.0 -
Spirulina0
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I went to The Vegan Society website, and evidently this is in England. Does anyone know where I can order vegan supplements in the U.S.?
Other than B12 there really are no vegan supplements. It's just marketing. Just eat a lot of fresh produce and whole grains and legumes. Any OTC supplement will do the same as another. Read the label. Have a source of B12, nutritional yeast is probably easiest and tastiest
That's actually not true, since some supplements contain gelatin (derived from beef or fish), lanolin extract (animal derived D3) and some other stuff. I recommend checking out veganessentials.com (they sell vegan products only) or iherb.com (a site that sells a variety of health food and supplements, some of which are vegan and some are not but they have a 'vegetarian' supplements category.) If you use my iherb referral code (PIB512) you get $5 off your first order too. If buying stuff online is inconvenient, then visit your local Whole Foods or health food store and ask someone there which vitamins and supplements are vegan, since they specialize in that stuff.
Edited to add: "Deva" is one specific brand of vegan supplements that are fairly inexpensive. Just something to get you started.
To clarify, the content of the supplements that the body needs for nutrition is not vegan or non-vegan unless you are talking about B12. The supplement itself could contain animal geletin. Two different concerns.0 -
To clarify, the content of the supplements that the body needs for nutrition is not vegan or non-vegan unless you are talking about B12. The supplement itself could contain animal geletin. Two different concerns.
When purchasing supplements, though, you often can't purchase just the contents and not the capsule it's in. Thus the entire supplement, itself, is rendered non-vegan by the capsule. Many stores near me carry flax oil capsules sold as omega-3, but they're in gelatin capsules; the supplement (as a unit) is therefore not vegan.
And D3 is usually from fish or lanolin (not vegan); Omega-3 is often from fish (not vegan). These are the "content" of the supplements.
Maybe you mean to say the *nutrient* is not vegan or non-vegan?0 -
I am assuming alanlmarshall meant nutrient, because yes, everybody needs vitamin D regardless of the source. Everybody also needs B12, whether or not they're vegan, but the vegans are the most likely to supplement B12 since they don't get it from diet alone. There are some non-vegans who supplement B12 as well because they have absorption problems, which is something to keep in mind as we're discussing nutrition and vegan diets. Anyway, as RabbitLuvr37 clarified, the source for some nutrients can be vegan or not vegan, so there is such a thing as a supplement with a non-vegan "content". If you are adhering to a vegan diet you will want to choose a vitamin D supplement that is derived from a plant source (such as mushrooms) and NOT a D supplement that is derived from an animal source (such as lanolin). Most vegan D supplements are labelled as D2 (ergocalciferol) and most non-vegan D supplements are labelled as D3 (cholecalciferol). And while the gelatin casing around a supplement does not supply the actual nutrients, most vegans will still avoid those types of capsules, because swallowing one would still be consuming an animal-derived product in some form.To clarify, the content of the supplements that the body needs for nutrition is not vegan or non-vegan unless you are talking about B12. The supplement itself could contain animal geletin. Two different concerns.
When purchasing supplements, though, you often can't purchase just the contents and not the capsule it's in. Thus the entire supplement, itself, is rendered non-vegan by the capsule. Many stores near me carry flax oil capsules sold as omega-3, but they're in gelatin capsules; the supplement (as a unit) is therefore not vegan.
And D3 is usually from fish or lanolin (not vegan); Omega-3 is often from fish (not vegan). These are the "content" of the supplements.
Maybe you mean to say the *nutrient* is not vegan or non-vegan?0
