Quote:
Originally Posted by gberardi  Thanks for the info, Joey! Interestingly enough, I remember when this topic came up on Steve's blog that Erin said she doesn't even pay attention to B-12. The amount needed fits in a thimble, so we don't need much. If Erin is reading this, are you saying that the food you eat does have B-12 enriched soil still on it, or do you periodically take a supplement? As someone who is just starting out with a vegan diet, I find that B-12 is the only thing I need to worry about, and I guess I am confused about how worried I should be since no one seems to get enough B-12 anyway. |
The thing about B12 is that your body can store it for
years (though there are still negative effects from not getting your thimbleful regularly). This means that you can skip B12 for years with no ill effects ; but then you get smacked down
hard (Wikipedia: "Neurological signs of B12 deficiency, which can occur without accompanying hematologic abnormalities, include demyelination and irreversible nerve cell death").
BTW, the study that showed you could get B12 from soil was specific to a particular geographical area, so there's no guarantee that there's as much (or any!) B12 in soils from other areas.
Short version: take your B12!
Some soy milks are enriched with B12. However, note that a cup of enriched soy milk contains only 1/4-1/2 of your daily B12 needs so you need a litre (~2 pints) or more a day if you want to go that route.