Vitamin B 12 is one of the most essential vitamins required for the human body. A common misconception is that the only source of vitamin B 12 is from the animals. This however is incorrect. One of the best sources of vitamin B 12 is a vegetarian source. Vitamin B 12 is a water soluble vitamin which plays an important role in production of red blood cells and DNA. Vitamin B 12 also plays an important role in functioning of the nervous system
Some basic facts about vitamin B 12
- Vitamin B 12, also known as cobalamin is an important water soluble vitamin
- This vitamin plays a pivotal role in production of red blood cells and DNA in the body
- Vitamin B 12 also allows for proper functioning of the nervous system
- Vitamin B 12 is naturally found in animal foods, including meats, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy
- B 12 deficiency is common. You’re at risk of deficiency if you’re not getting enough B 12 from your diet
- Our capacity to absorb B 12 has gone down due to out poor gut along with a number of reasons like stress, lack of sleep, poor lifestyle etc
- B 12 deficiency can sometimes be taken as folate deficiency as low levels of B 12 can cause your folate levels to drop
Signs of vitamin B 12 deficiency
- Pale skin
- Headache
- Muscle pain and weakness
- Fatigue and lack of energy
- Depression
- Mood swings
- Imbalance and change of mobility
- Breathlessness or dizziness
- Numbness and tingling in fingers
- Lack of concentration and poor memory
How much vitamin B 12 do we need ?
- An healthy adult needs about 2.4 mcg
- Pregnant women need about 2.6 mcg
- Nursing mothers need about 2.8 mcg
- Our liver can store vitamin B 12 for future use
Vitamin B 12 through plants
- We can get vitamin B 12 through plant sources directly
- We can produce sufficient B 12 within our gut / stomach, if we have good bacteria balance in our gut
- Fermentation of grains specially millets is the best way of increasing vitamin B 12 in our diet
- A number of other fermented recipes are also good for vitamin B 12 in the body
- Fermented millets like ragi, foxtail millet, barnyard millet etc are very good for vitamin B 12
- We need a variety of good bacteria in our body to create good environment for the production of B 12
- Germination is another wonderful way of B 12 production in the body (sprouting of grains and legumes)
- Other sources of vitamin B 12 includes dairy products, nutritional yeast, some mushrooms, fortified food amongst others
- Have fermented food, grains and millets for better vitamin B 12 in the body
Mam I am ur big fan….. Mam I want ur help ….I have too much of fat in my thighs and in stomach …mam phle stomach me fat nai tha but weight loss krte krte ulta gain ho gya and I have also digestion problem even me ek roti bhi nai kha pa rhe please mam help me
A great way to lose weight (and also to maintain a healthy weight) is a low fat Vegan whole food plant based diet. If you eat a diet, that mostly consists of vegetables, greens, fruit, beans (legumes), whole grains and starchy vegetables, you will be able to eat until you are full and satisfied and lose weight. Especially when trying to lose weight, it is important to limit fats and to stop using oil altogether. If you decide to try a vegan diet, it is important to take a B12 supplement and to eat 1-2 tbsp. of ground flaxseeds, chia seeds or hemp seeds to get the omega fatty acids. There are great videos on YouTube that can help you get started. Jeffrey Novick, Calorie Density: how to eat more, weigh less and live longer and Chef AJ. Besides eating a low fat whole food plant based diet, I would suggest walking, stomach crunches and some weight training or other exercises you enjoy. Good luck!
Wonderful article, I’m glad I bumped into it. I’ve been a vegetarian for 22 years now and I’ve been experiencing some kind of B 12 deficiency. So, I’ve been doing some research on the same and some how I bumped into your article. it was a big blessing for me. God bless you for the wonderful work you are doing.