Vegans, how do you get all of your B Vitamins?

Question

I've done a little research on the different B vitamins that are essential to humans and why they are important. It seems that they are easiest to find in meat and eggs but since I eat neither, I was wondering how other vegans get their daily doses of the B vitamins? Do you take you take supplements or are they in vegetables too (and if so, what kind)?

Answer 1

My main sources are fortified cereal, fortified soy milk, and nutritional yeast.

Answer 2

I eat Vegemite! yum, i love it on toast with cheese :) Its one of the richest sources in the world ... not sure where you are but I'm sure there are alternatives in other countries like marmite. If you try it, make sure you use only a really tiny amount as its really strong.

Answer 3

I get them from food.... They may seem easier to find in animal products to you since you eat them, but knowing about real (vegan) foods we learn the better and mostly easier sources to get them. I do not take supplements, many vegans I know do not. And there are vegetables and other plant based foods that have the b vitamins.

Vitamin B's comes from a number of natural sources, including potatoes, bananas, lentils, chili peppers, tempeh, nutritional yeast, brewer's yeast, molasses, beer, Marmite, & energy drinks. More detailed info:

B1 (Thiamine) - breakfast cereals, nuts, wholegrain bread, wheat germ, peas, beans and yeast extracts such as Vegemite.

B2 (Riboflavin) - breakfast cereals, wholegrain bread, wheat germ, mushrooms, almonds, soybeans, avocados, and yeast extract.

B3 (Niacin) - nuts and seeds, wholegrain bread, wheat germ, breakfast cereals, yeast extract, avocados, peas, mushrooms, and other vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts and corn.

B5 (Pantothenic acid) - peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts, wheat germ, avocados and sunflower seeds.

B6 (Pryroxidine) - nuts, wholegrain bread, wheat germ, avocados, and soybeans.

B7 (Biotin) - a wide range of fruit and vegetables.

B9 (Folic acid) - almonds, peanuts, black-eyed beans, soybeans, wheat germ, and green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts and asparagus.

B12 (Cobalamin) - produced by a bacteria, and found in such products as fortified cereals, fortified soy/rice milks, meat substitutes/soy analogs, some brands of fortified brewer's & nutritional yeast (such as Red Star & Twinlab). Sea vegetables like seaweed, dried nori, & spirulina, may contain vitamin B12, but their content varies and may be unreliable, lactic acid fermented products such as like tempeh, msio, beer & sauerkraut, but their content as well varies and may be unreliable. Marmite, So Delicious Dairy Free Yogurt, Manging Star foods, and other vegan store bought foods also contains B12 (Cyanocobalamin).

Answer 4

Spirulina is a natural source of b12 and B. They sell tablets at the health food store. Soy milk is also fortified with it.

Answer 5

I drink Silk soy milk. It has 50% of your daily b12 and a few more vitamins.

http://silksoymilk.com

Naked Juice also has lots of vitamins in it too, and one of them is b12.

http://nakedjuice.com

Answer 6

If you have a varied diet, you'll most probably be getting enough of B Complex vitamins.

Some foods only contain a few of the B vitamins. Wholegrain cereals, bread, seeds and nuts are especially great for vegans because they contain a range of B vitamins and other key nutrients.

Some foods only contain a few of the B vitamins. So by varying the foods you eat, you'll be ok.

The B complex vitamins are:

B1- Thiamin

B2- Riboflavin*

B3- Niacin

B5- Pantothenic acid

B6- Pyridoxine

B9-Folic acid

B12-Cyanocobalamine*

*The B vitamins to watch out for on a vegan diet are B12 and B2. B12 is in fortified dairy free milks, nutritional yeast and breakfast cereal, and B2 is found in mushrooms, grains and fortified dairy free milks. (There are other sources, but these are the best ones).

Answer 7

KOMBUCHA drink has B12

Answer 8

It's really not all that hard to get the necessary B vitamins the body needs. It's another one of those anti-vegan myths that tends to circulate. For more info on the Vitamin B deficiency myth, check out this link:

http://www.pamrotella.com/health/b12.htm...

Having said that, I occasionally take a good quailty multi vitamin.

Answer 9

They can only be found in unwashed vegetables, but getting them that way isn't a good idea. I'm a vegetarian, so I get mine from eggs, fortified cereals, soy milk, daily multi vitamin, and an occasional draft beer.