Eat for health, vibrance and beauty! All you need to know about B12

Vitamin B12 is essential to our health. Our bodies can’t function properly without it. Because it is mainly provided by meat, fish, and eggs, vegans and vegetarians can find themselves deficient in this and other B vitamins.

If you are deficient in B12, you can have anemia, fatigue, weakness, constipation, blurred vision, reduced appetite, and weight loss. You can also get numbness or tingling in your hands and feet, problems with balance, poor memory, or sore mouth or tongue. Basically, if you have trouble getting through the day without needing a nap, you may be deficient.

Why B12 Matters?

Your body uses vitamin B12 for red blood cell formation and healthy neurological function. The recommended daily allowance of B12 for adults is 2.4 mcg (source: National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements at http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12- HealthProfessional/).

The challenge for vegetarians or vegans is that B12 is not abundant in plants. Unless you make a conscious effort to add B12 to your diet, you will eventually become deficient.

If your reasons for not eating meat are health reasons and you have no objection to indulging once in a while, an occasional serving of fish or shellfish is a great way to make sure you get enough (wild fish only, not farm raised).

Nutritional yeast is the next best source, especially B12-fortified yeast like Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula.

B12-fortified foods, like cereal, are also a good choice.

Lastly, if you don’t want to add meat or eggs to your diet and if plant sources are not enough, you may need a B12 supplement. It is light sensitive, so keep it in the refrigerator where it is cool and dark. Take it separately and not as part of a multivitamin because other vitamins can interfere with absorption.

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