Vegan Nutrition with Dina Aronson, M.S. R.D.

Dina Aronson, MS, RD is a vegan dietitian whose specialties include chronic disease prevention, vegetarian/vegan nutrition, and lifestyle management. She is the founder and director of VeganRD.com, a nutrition consulting company. Active in many vegetarian nutrition organizations, Dina was the recipient of the American Dietetic Association's Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year Award in 2002.

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Are there liquid drops available for my 3 year old for a B-12 supplement? All I can seem to find are the B-12 dots for under her tongue and I do not think she will just let them dissolve. - Marcy

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Dear Marcy:

B12 supplements are fine, but please keep in mind that you need not depend on them. Your daughter can get all the B12 she needs from fortified foods such as soymilk, breakfast cereals, some veggie "meats," soy yogurt, and nutritional yeast (please read labels to check for added B12). Aim for at least 2 servings per day of B12-fortified foods.

I checked the local vitamin and health food stores, and while only some of them carried a liquid B12 supplement, those who did not indicated that they can order it for me. You can check with your local stores, or you may choose to buy them online from one of these sites:

For your 3-year-old, 2000 micrograms given once per week is sufficient. If you can find drops in smaller dosages, aim for 10 micrograms given once per day. Since most of these liquid B12 supplements are meant for adults, read the label carefully for the dose and number of micrograms in that dose, and adjust the dose accordingly for your daughter. For example, for a brand that contains 5000 micrograms in 5 drops, the dose for your daughter would be 2 drops (once a week).

Disclaimer: The advice given here is for eductional purposes only. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.

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