Vegan Lifestyle part one: What about Protein, Iron and B12?

Vegan Lifestyle part one: What about Protein, Iron and B12?

When somebody embarks on the vegan journey, you may meet people who ask, “ Where do you get your protein from? “  To which you may reply “ Uhm grains/beans/nuts “ followed by a look of confusion from the person who asked. You may be left concerned, even slightly vulnerable that this isn’t your way and start having doubts about your new lifestyle.

It is true that going Vegan can be very challenging and to be honest, can! And has failed to give new vigor and vitality when nutritional aspects are ignored. The good news is, provided your digestion is in good condition, the Vegan lifestyle can be very healthy and beneficial.

This brings us to our next Challenge:

Vitamin B12

B12 is crucial to prevent the Myelin sheaths from breaking down causing destruction to our nervous systems, which causes our brains to begin to decay. We need sufficient bowel flora (good bacteria) to absorb this nutrient. When a person becomes Vegan, they may no longer have a healthy probiotic source, as Yoghurt is the number one recommended way of receiving these friendly bacteria. Soya yoghurt and Coconut yoghurt are available but the bacteria in these are very few.

Please refer to my post http://livingbyyourrules.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/lacto-fermented-vegetables-almost.html

To create a homemade probiotic for the price of vegetables provided you have a glass container.

The next very important fact is B12 cannot be found in Vegan food sources! Unless the Vegan product is fortified and this will usually be a form of B12 which cannot very well (Covering this in a moment)

“ But what about seaweeds? They have plenty of B12. “

Many studies are now saying this form of B12 Is analogue and doesn’t raise B12 levels, in fact. When you have a blood test, the test shows elevated levels of B12 giving a false reading that there is no deficiency, which can potentially be very dangerous.

Supplementation is the only way to give the body enough B12 provided we receive sufficient good friendly bacteria first. The form of B12 a Vegan would benefit from is named Methylcobalamin. This is the best and most easily absorbed form of B12 bar none!

Cheaper varieties of B12 are named Cyancobalamin. This form of B12 may not help Vegans as it is challenging to absorb and may even just pass through, no matter how high the dosage of the product is.

In the UK healthy forms of Methylcobalamin are found in

Natures Own B12  and Solgar B12.
                                                                               

www.Iherb.com for sources outside of the UK. Natures own is sold In Beans and Barley.

Finally B12 helps the body to absorb Iron and pass haemoglobin throughout the body, which gradually fortifies the nervous system preventing it from future damage.

Part two will focus on complete Vegan proteins and how to extract the Iron out of your Vegan foods. Any questions please feel free to leave a comment. :)