# Do eggs alone provide enough B12?



## JSerene (Nov 4, 2004)

My 1 year old dd and I have been relying on eggs alone for B12. Does anyone know if this is sufficient? We eat 3-4 eggs per week. We don't take supplements or eat fortified foods. Does anyone know? Thanks.


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## melissa17s (Aug 3, 2004)

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html has a chart with age and amount needed.


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## Gale Force (Jun 15, 2003)

If you eat no other animal product, you're probably a bit short based on the USDA profile of a large egg:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcom...st_nut_edit.pl


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## DevaMajka (Jul 4, 2005)

Gale Force- I couldn't get your link to work.

Would the b12 in eggs depend on whether the chickens were pastured or not?


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## Gale Force (Jun 15, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Deva33mommy*
Gale Force- I couldn't get your link to work.

Try this link and search for "egg." The other link was the egg profile, but this way you can search for various egg forms.

Quote:

Would the b12 in eggs depend on whether the chickens were pastured or not?
That is a good question and I haven't seen data on that specifically. The page that melissa17s posted lists a B-12 content for free range eggs that is about the same as the egg in the USDA database, but who knows if that's the real value for a free range egg. There is a lot of research on the omega 3 content of free range eggs and they are much higher, but I just haven't found anything on B vitamins.


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## DevaMajka (Jul 4, 2005)

That's a cool site! Thanks!


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## Janelovesmax (Feb 17, 2006)

Hi,

I'm not sure if eggs alone are enough. I just want to give a little comparison of B12 from various sources of food, in micrograms per 3 1/2 ounces of edible portions:

Fish:
Cod - .5
Sardine - 10
Herring - 10
Tuna - 2

Meat:
Beef - 2
Chicken liver - 23
Beef liver - 59

Eggs - 1

Dairy:
Whole milk - .4
Yogurt - .6

Now, I'm not sure if it's organic or enriched eggs they are talking about. This is from "Healing with Whole Foods" information.
Seems to me, based on this comparison, egg yolks alone are not enough.


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## JSerene (Nov 4, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Janelovesmax*
Hi,

I'm not sure if eggs alone are enough. I just want to give a little comparison of B12 from various sources of food, in micrograms per 3 1/2 ounces of edible portions:

Fish:
Cod - .5
Sardine - 10
Herring - 10
Tuna - 2

Meat:
Beef - 2
Chicken liver - 23
Beef liver - 59

Eggs - 1

Dairy:
Whole milk - .4
Yogurt - .6

Now, I'm not sure if it's organic or enriched eggs they are talking about. This is from "Healing with Whole Foods" information.
Seems to me, based on this comparison, egg yolks alone are not enough.

Thanks for the info.

Okay, hmmm...next question. DD gets about 1/2 her calories from breastmilk. I'm inclined to believe that she doesn't need B12 supplementation until she's no longer nursing. Any thoughts? Thanks again.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

From what I've read (and Amanda is the expert here) it depends on your stores. I made the mistake of thinking that and dd ended up deficient. Not pretty. My stores weren't enough for her. I wish I had supplemented.


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## Gale Force (Jun 15, 2003)

JSerene -- Make sure you have enough animal-based B-12 in your diet and I wouldn't worry about supplementing her. But firefaery brings up a good point -- if you are a long-term vegan with digestive problems you are likely to be very low and I don't think an egg or two a week would be sufficient. In fact, if that's the case, you might want to supplement her and yourself and throw in some more eggs.


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