Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is probably the most widely-popularized nutritional issue for vegans, because most nutrition professionals agree that, due to our highly-sanitized modern food production methods, this essential nutrient can no longer be found in any meaningful amount in plant diets, making fortified foods and supplements the only reliable sources.

As recently as during the past year though, a breakthrough has occurred with the B12 issue, as scientists have recently discovered a source of bioavailable B12 in an aquatic freshwater plant known as water lentils, and this exciting new development holds a great deal of promise for the future availability of a whole-foods source of vegan B12, and the marketing of foods such as plant milks that contain B12 naturally.

In the meantime however, deficiency of B12 is not just the result of poorly planned diets, vegan or otherwise. For a variety of reasons, up to 30 percent of adults aged 50 years and older may be unable to properly absorb B12 in food. For that reason, the Institute of Medicine advises all adults over the age of 50 (vegan or not) to get extra B12 from a supplement or from fortified foods.

Vitamin B12 is a vital nutrient that supports red blood cell production, proper neurological function, enhanced mood and memory, and heart, and bone health. It’s a nutrient we definitely need to be sure we’re getting, but we only need minute amounts, and it’s easy to obtain in a vegan way.

No matter from where it’s sourced, B12 is produced by microorganisms; either in the small intestines of humans or other animals, or in laboratories.

Rather than eating animal foods for the B12 those animals stored in their bodies, vegans supplement with fortified foods, a liquid B complex (that contains B12) or a vegan sublingual dot or spray. All of these have been proven effective.