If you’re vegan there’s a very good chance that you’re not getting enough of an essential B vitamin. We’re talking about vitamin B12 – or cobalamin.
Deficiency in this vitamin can cause serious problems. Vitamin B12 does a lot of things for your body, including helping make your DNA and your red blood cells.
What Happens When You’re Deficient?
Vitamin B12 protects and supports your nervous system and without enough in your diet, you can experience permanent damage in the form of blindness, deafness and even dementia.
So how do you know you have a B12 deficiency? The most prominent sign of a deficiency is fatigue. Other signs including tinging in your hands or feet.
Where Do You Get Vitamin B12?
You can get vitamin B12 from two sources: your diet or from supplements. B12 only occurs in animal-based foods. As a vegan the only way you’re going to get B12 is from enriched foods. Many vegan processed foods are enriched with B12.
If you eat processed foods like nut milks, yogurts, breakfast cereals, spreads, yeast extracts and nutritional yeast products, they’re often fortified with vitamin B12.
The other option is to take a good quality supplement or to get B12 shots from your doctor. Vitamin B12 shouldn’t be an afterthought. It is essential for your survival. Make sure you’re getting enough.
