|
Unlike adults, infants have limited vitamin B12 stores . .
. and can become deficient very rapidly.
Becoming
Vegan
By
Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina
.
. . calcium is especially apt to inhibit iron absoprtion when
the two minerals are consumed simultaneously.
Becoming
Vegetarian
By
Vesanto Melina, Brenda Davis, and Victoria Harrison
While
onions are not exactly vitamin and mineral powerhouses, they
are loaded with protective phytochemicals.
Dairy-Free
& Delicious
By
Brenda Davis, Bryanna Clark Grogan, and Joanne Stepaniak
|
A: I
sure do appreciate your question. It is so important to ensure that
babies get all of the nutrients they need. Unlike adults, infants
have limited vitamin B12 stores (especially if mother's intake was
low during pregnancy), and can become deficient very rapidly. For
this reason, many experts advise supplementing all vegan infants
with at least 0.3 mcg of vitamin B12 from the second week of life
until sufficient vitamin B12 is provided by fortified foods. Recommended
intakes for infants are 0.3 mcg/day from 0-6 months, 0.6 mcg from
6-12 months and 1 mcg from age one to three. Your baby can get plenty
of vitamin B12 from fortified non-dairy milks such as fortified
soymilk (generally 1-3 mcg/ cup), nutritional yeast (1 teaspoon
= about 1 mcg of vitamin B12), fortified breakfast cereals, and
fortified meat analogues. If you don’t use these foods, you
need to provide B12 in supplement form. Ask your pharmacist if a
liquid B12 formulation is available. The drops can be added to baby’s
foods. If not, tablets can be ground up and added instead. For more
information on raising healthy vegan children, please see my book
Becoming Vegan.
Does Calcium
have a Beef with Iron?
Q: If
iron inhibits the absorption of calcium in the body (and I don't
know for sure if it does), why does fortified soy beverage contain
both calcium and iron? Another food item that contains both is blackstrap
molasses. Is the calcium availability also limited because of the
presence of iron?
Adeline Sokulski,
Winnipeg.
A: Actually,
it’s dietary calcium that inhibits iron absorption, which is
why iron is added to the beverage. Calcium inhibits the absorption
of both haem- (animal-based) and non-haem- (plant-based) iron to
the same extent. Experts think it does this by interfering with
the transport of iron through the mucosal cells that line the small
intestine. This is supported by studies that indicate calcium is
especially apt to inhibit iron absoprtion when the two minerals
are consumed simultaneously. But other studies have found that high
calcium intake only depresses blood iron levels slightly, whether
or not people eat calcium and iron at the same time.
These kinds
of interactions between nutrients, by the way, are one of the key
reasons why single nutrient supplements must be used with caution.
You could induce a deficiency of other nutrients in the process.
Medicinal
Onions?
Q: I
was wondering what nutritional value and medicinal benefits onions
have?
Anna Birtles,
Winnipeg.
A: Onions
are a member of the allium family, which also includes garlic, leeks,
chives, scallions, and shallots. There are over 600 species of allium
vegetables. While onions are not exactly vitamin and mineral powerhouses,
they are loaded with protective phytochemicals. For example, onions
contain sulfur compounds similar to those in garlic which may help
to reduce blood cholesterol and blood pressure. Studies have also
shown that they contain anti-clotting agents, which may help prevent
the internal blood clots that cause most heart attacks and strokes
and contribute to senile dementia. Onions also have antimicrobial
and anticancer properties. In fact, there is some evidence that
high intakes may reduce the risk of stomach and colorectal cancer.
 One of the world’s most respected vegan
dietitans, Brenda Davis is co-author of the acclaimed Becoming Vegetarian
and Becoming
Vegan. Her latest book is Dairy-Free
& Delicious.
|
