# Do vegans/vegetarians have to do vitamin-counting to make sure they don't overdose? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 13, 2023, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vegans-vegetarians-have-to-do-vitamin-counting-to-make-sure-they-dont-overdose/993084 "2023-11-13T21:13:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vegans-vegetarians-have-to-do-vitamin-counting-to-make-sure-they-dont-overdose/993084/21 "2023-11-15T01:34:25Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Seaweed is an alga rich in vitamin B12. It’s a common food in Asian countries. It’s a key ingredient of sushi and can be eaten separately as well. [Seaweed • The Nutrition Source](https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/seaweed/#:~:text=Does%20seaweed%20contain%20vitamin%20B12,seaweed%2C%20with%20some%20containing%20none). #### Does seaweed contain vitamin B12?\* > [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > If you can get B12 from yeast, what about bread? Actually vegemite is the way to go for yeast. Not afaik. Vegemite does contain B vitamins, but not B12. > **[Vegemite Is Nutritious - What Is Vegemite Good For? Nutrition Facts and More](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegemite#nutrition)** > > Vegemite is a popular Australian spread made from leftover brewer’s yeast. This article explains what Vegemite is, as well as its benefits and nutrition facts. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vegans-vegetarians-have-to-do-vitamin-counting-to-make-sure-they-dont-overdose/993084/22 "2023-11-15T02:09:32Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Also: insects are animals hence off limits to vegans. Accidental insects can’t be a significant source of anything. I have a vegan friend who won’t eat honey due to the moral issues of bee farming. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vegans-vegetarians-have-to-do-vitamin-counting-to-make-sure-they-dont-overdose/993084/23 "2023-11-15T02:48:30Z")
I know anecdote is not the singular of data, but we’re in MPSIMS, so I will say: if you could OD on greens, I’d be dead by now. I have, and have had for a number of years now, a sweet potato patch, which produces ridiculous, and I do mean RIDICULOUS, quantities of sweet potato leaves. I scarf them up regularly in _huge_ quantity. I also grow and regularly eat some kind of spinach (I dunno specifically what it is, a friend gave me the cutting), and I have so much basil that I eat it as a sandwich green. If I die of a greens overdose, I’ll let y’all know. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vegans-vegetarians-have-to-do-vitamin-counting-to-make-sure-they-dont-overdose/993084/24 "2023-11-15T06:16:03Z")
My sister in law od’d on carrots, and turned orange briefly. But as others have said, the orange color is plenty of warning, and she cut back on the carrots and was fine. I’ve never heard of a vegan worrying about overdosing on vitamins. And i know several vegans and talk with them about food and nutrition. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vegans-vegetarians-have-to-do-vitamin-counting-to-make-sure-they-dont-overdose/993084/25 "2023-11-15T17:52:57Z")
Re Seaweed and B12 - it does seem that you have to be very picky with your seaweed. But [this paper](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4042564/) says: > A survey of naturally occurring and high Vitamin B12-containing plant-derived food sources showed that nori, which is formed into a sheet and dried, is the most suitable Vitamin B12 source for vegetarians presently available. Consumption of approximately 4 g of dried purple laver (Vitamin B12 content: 77.6 μg /100 g dry weight) supplies the RDA of 2.4 μg/day. In Japan, several sheets of nori (9 × 3 cm2; approximately 0.3 g each) are often served for breakfast. A large amount of nori can be consumed as certain forms of sushi (vinegared rice rolled in nori). Fermented beans and (some) mushrooms also get a degree of approval in that paper. I don’t know if you know this US Department of Agriculture nutritional information website: [https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/](https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/) It can be very detailed - you can get lost in there for days. [This is the entry for Marmite](https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1857448/nutrients) (yeasty stuff). Looks like 15g or so a day would keep you good for B12. j ETA - just noticed that it says that Marmite is enriched with B12. Huh. [Brewer’s yeast](https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/2148202/nutrients) does not appear to have been enriched. 20 g of that per day would work, but that sounds like tough sledding. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vegans-vegetarians-have-to-do-vitamin-counting-to-make-sure-they-dont-overdose/993084/26 "2023-11-15T20:05:24Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > [This is the entry for Marmite](https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1857448/nutrients) (yeasty stuff). Looks like 15g or so a day would keep you good for B12. Yes, interesting vegemite contains maybe a trace of B12, but Marmite has a decent amount. We need about 2.5 mcg, and a serving of Marmite has just under 2mcg, so two slices of buttered toast with Marmite would pretty much fill the bill. Great cites here, thanks! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vegans-vegetarians-have-to-do-vitamin-counting-to-make-sure-they-dont-overdose/993084.md?page=1)