Vitamin B12, Essential Vitamin
Vitamin B12 is one vitamin that you should definitely pay attention to if you're on a vegan diet or a strict plant-based diet.
Why is B12 so important?
You need B12 in order to have a healthy functioning body. You need it:
- To make healthy red blood cells
- To keep your nervous system functioning normally
- For memory and concentration
- To maintain normal energy levels
- For normal growth and development
- To help your immune system function properly
- To help prevent cancer
- To metabolize macronutrients properly
B12 is the only vitamin that you cannot get from eating a strict plant-based diet.
Yes, there is some B12 in soil and plants, but it is not nearly enough to meet your body's need.
This essential vitamin is made by bacteria that live in the gut of animals that eat grass and other kinds of vegetation.
We humans have bacteria in our digestive systems that make B12 too. The problem is that we cannot absorb enough of it to meet our daily requirement.
Animals are able to absorb the B12 made in their gut much better than we can. They store that B12 in their tissues, milk, and eggs. That is why meat eaters and vegetarians who eat dairy products and eggs usually get enough B12.
When you choose not to eat any animal products, you will need some form of B12 supplementation.
Not getting enough of this vitamin could be harmful to your health.
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