vitamin D sources? Not vitamin fortified, or from meat?!
current medical science is saying how we were meant to eat plants only and not meat or animal products, so logically we should be able to survive. I know that most humans through evolution lived in very sunny areas like the middle east, but there should be secondary opportunities for people not living there, such as NY. Its just something I'm looking into, and want to know if there are any fruits/veggies/grains/nuts...with Vit. D. Including Asian and other foreign foods
Answers:
Mushrooms are great. And of course the most natural source of vitamin D is sunlight. 20 minutes of direct sunlight exposure a couple of days a week is a good way to get vitamin D.
vegan :D
You can get vitamin D from the sun.
Mushrooms also have vitamin D.
Be careful with the fortified cereals. Many of them contain vitamin D3 which comes from lamb's wool.
If a cereal says "vitamin D" in the ingredients, then it is usually D2(the vegan form). But if it says "vitamin D3", then it is from lanolin(lamb's wool secretions).
Vegetarian
NY has sun and it's sufficient for vitamin D absorption.
Mushrooms, my friend, mushrooms.
Eat mushrooms, have some fortified D, and get sun when you can.
IT"S REALLY easy to look up.
What everyone is saying about vitamin D is true, your body can synthesize it with sunlight.
I mainly am writing to say
please do not listen to majnun99
humans can NOT produce their own supply of vitamin B12. The part of the intestine that produces B12 is posterior to the part that can absorb it. Only certain mammals (cows for example) can produce their own supply, humans are not one of them.
The only known, measurable, reliable source of B12 is vitamins or fortified foods/soymilk. It's possible to get it through plants, but not proven reliable(plants don't produce B12, they can be contaminated with it from the soil). Most people won't have problems with B12, your liver can store enough to last you a couple of years (you recycle most of it). Just please drink some fortified soymilk or something every once in a while.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12
The sun. Get sunlight on your skin for a few minutes a day and you will get enough vitamin D unless you have some kind of metabolic disorder.
By the way, you don't need to eat meat to get adequate B12 either. Most healthy people produce enough B12 via bacteria that live in their intestines. Dietary B12 can also be obtained from dairy products or eggs. Many vegans never take a B12 supplement and still don't develop B12 anemia. B12 deficiency or Pernicious Anemia is more commonly caused by the bodies failure to produce a specific enzyme known as Intrinsic Factor. I don't care if somebody doesn't like my answer, that's what I learned in Pathophysiology class.
I took classes in nutrition, anatomy and physiology and pathophysiology. Married to a Registered Dietitian. Vegetarian since 1984
"current medical science" says nothing of the sort. We're obviously meant to eat animal products because we need vitamin B12 to live. And there are absolutely no plant sources of B12.
What does B12 do? From VeganHealth: "B12 protects the nervous system. Without it, permanent damage can result (e.g., blindness, deafness, dementia). Fatigue, and tingling in the hands or feet, can be early signs of deficiency.
Vitamin B12, like folate (aka folic acid), is needed to help red blood cells divide. In some cases, vegans may get so much folate that even with B12 deficiency, their blood cells continue to divide properly. In other cases, their blood cells will fail to divide properly and they will become fatigued and suffer from macrocytic (aka megaloblastic) anemia.
Mild B12 Deficiency
Homocysteine is a byproduct of protein metabolism. Elevated homocysteine levels are linked with increased risks of heart disease and stroke. From 1999 to 2003, there were many studies comparing the homocysteine levels of vegans and vegetarians who do not supplement their diet with vitamin B12 to those of non-vegetarians (more info). In every study, the vegans or vegetarians had higher homocysteine levels than the meat-eaters and in the range associated with heart disease and stroke."
And who says it's not available in plants?
From VeganHealth: "B12 is generally found in all animal foods (except honey). Contrary to rumors, there are no reliable, unfortified plant sources of vitamin B12, including tempeh, seaweeds, and organic produce. The overwhelming consensus in the mainstream nutrition community, as well as among vegan health professionals, is that plant foods do not provide vitamin B12, and fortified foods or supplements are necessary for the optimal health of vegans, and even vegetarians in many cases...."
From Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG):"...Plant foods do not contain vitamin B12 except when they are contaminated by microorganisms or have vitamin B12 added to them. Thus, vegans need to look to fortified foods or supplements to get vitamin B12 in their diet. Although recommendations for vitamin B12 are very small, a vitamin B12 deficiency is a very serious problem leading ultimately to anemia and irreversible nerve damage. Prudent vegans will include sources of vitamin B12 in their diets. Vitamin B12 is especially important in pregnancy and lactation and for infants and children."
ADDED: Balderdash. No real medical scientist are saying we were "meant" to eat only plants. And "dental professionals" are what? The lady who cleans your teeth? Humans evolved eating meat and we still need the Vitamin B12 found in meat, eggs, and dairy products. As you can see, I used VEG*N sites as a reference. These are people who want you to succeed as a veg*n. You can't do that if you don't take care of your body's nutritional needs. One of those needs is vitamin B12. And Vitamin B12 is NOT available in plants. Thus, we cannot be "meant" to eat only plants.
http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/vita…
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.htm
