Posted September 29, 2010 by Sunny Subramanian
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“But don’t you need to eat meat to get your Vitamin B12?”
Absolutely not.
Did you know that bacteria are responsible for producing B12?
In fact:
“All of the Vitamin B12 in the world ultimately comes from bacteria. Neither plants nor animals can synthesize it. But plants can be contaminated with B12 when they come in contact with soil bacteria that produce it. Animal foods are rich in B12 only because animals eat foods that are contaminated with it or because bacteria living in an animal’s intestines make it.”
—From The Vegetarian Way: Total Health for You and Your Family (1996), Virginia Messina, MPH, RD, & Mark Messina, PhD p. 102
Now that’s food for thought!
So where can vegans get their B12? It’s in fortified foods (like cereals and energy bars), tempeh, seaweed, miso, nutritional yeast, spirulina, organic produce, and soil on unwashed vegetables.
There are also plenty of vitamin supplements you can choose from to meet your daily requirement—some in the form of candy even. 
Have any other questions or concerns about vegan nutrition? Comment, and let us know!
peta2 Street Team Coordinator + lover of vegan food, cats, animal rights, Dawson's Creek, and Harry Potter.
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Well let's just say life ain't always beautiful but it's a beautiful ride. I love all my pets and would do anything for them. I have one dog, two cats, a ferret and my babygirl shaymin,(the cutest hedgehog alive) I'm into all different kinds of music. I'm a singer myself and love art.
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I'm tall, a geek, nacho - obsessed, I love sewing and Cath Kidston, also I'm vegetarian (wannabe vegan.)
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968 days ago
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Good information
everyone needs to stay informed
968 days ago
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i had a full blood work up recently and had perfect levels of everything including high iron, high B12 and low cholesterol. my doctor seemed a little frustrated my nutritional status is so good as a vegan!
nutritional yeast is not only easy and convenient, it tastes great. i even share mine with my dogs
968 days ago
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We have it naturally – no need to consume it.
968 days ago
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This is SO important for vegans to know! I like to throw a ton of b-12 fortified nutritional yeast on just about everything I eat. I also take a sublingual b-12 supplement every other day just to be safe.