Why You Need Vitamin B-12
Vegans and vegetarians especially need this vitamin.
Are you plant based and feeling a little low energy?
Did you know some micro nutrients cannot be found in plant products?
Find out what it does and how your body ABS-olutely needs this to work right
Sponsored by Live Well Labs
In January I transitioned to Vegan after several years of being pescatarian. Initially I felt great- full of energy and my skin started to just glow. Many beauty and skin care professionals recommend eliminting dairy from their diets for clearer and brighter skin. Since my teen years I suffer from acne and I’m ALWAYS searching for a new cure. I was elated a few weeks into my vegan life when my skin cleared
My main motivation was commitment to a more humane way of living. I read all about the conditions of many dairy farms - and my heart breaks when I look at some of the photos of the animals there. I just don’t want to be part of it any suffering.
Initially I was waking up bright eyed and bushy tailed.
I felt truly amazing and I was proud of myself. It really isn’t easy to stick too- so many things have tiny portions of butter or eggs, so I really began to cook WAY more than I ever had in my life. I was using tons of Nutritional Yeast in my recipes.
Nutritional Yeast is loaded with b-12.
You can add it to soups, use it as a cheese replacement, sprinkle it on salads or popcorn. It can replace the taste of Parmesean Cheese .
As we entered Quarantine I was snacking more and wasn’t balancing my meals. I do not love cooking and couldn’t fake it mid-pandemic. Self isolation is not always mentally easy and I barely found the motivation to prep more than bread and hummus with raw veggies.
I felt tired all the time, cranky and my get-up-and-go was gone
This can be a downfall with plant based eating. When Live Well Labs asked me to test out their Vegan B-12 I was super stoked! I took it for a few mornings and I became much more prouductive and I did not feel as lethargic.
My mood improved and I wasn’t feeling so funky. This change was super noticeable two days in. That mid afternoon slump disappeared. I was way more productive and able to edit videos and film more workouts with ease.
Editing by @ggillphotography
Certain nutrients are only found in animals sources.
B12, iodine, vitamin D -being the most common ones.
You probs know most salt is supplemented with iodine and we only need trace amounts of it. Vitamin D can be absorbed via skin and the sun. Plus many products such as soy or almond milk are fortified with the D…
You need quite a bit of b-12 to support optimal health levels. It supports many vital functions and without it you might just lose some pep in your plant based step….
Here’s the facts on Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is only in animal-based foods
It’s in red meats, poultry, seafood, milk, cheese and eggs.. If youre vegetarian or vegan you must supplement or take in fortified foods. Many plant milks and cereals are fortified.
b-12 Metabolizes Protein
B-12 is needed to convert protein into amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks for muscles. This is especially important if you are vegan- we have a hard enough time getting protein in & personally I’d like mine to not go to waste.
B-12 Forms Red Blood Cells
Red blood cells transport oxygen to your body and every move you make requires oxygen…. A lack of it can lead to anemia and a host of other blood issues. You also need iron to make red blood cells - so make sure to get it in.
Nervous System Support
It produces Myelin- which insulates your nerves and is critical to your nervous systems function. A common symptom of b-12 deficiency is the feeling of pins and needles in hands feet or limbs. I don’t need anything else making me a nervous wreck atm…..
Editing by @ggillphotography
Energy Metabolism
All of the B vitamins are required for energy metablosim. If you lack b-12 you are lacking a piece of this complex puzzle. There are 7 other b vitamins you need as well. Energy metabolism is how your body turns food into energy and you need energy for your workouts! It can also aid in weight loss as if you aren’t using your food for energy you may store it as fat.
May Boost Mood and improve memory
It is not fully clear why it may help you feel less mooody- but vitamin b12 is required for serotonin production. Serotonin is responsible for mood, social function, appetite and digestion- just a few things I prefer to keep intacg. Vitamin b-12 deficiency is linked to memory loss in adults. They aren’t sure exactly why but it’s speculated that b-12 plays a role in protecting your brains neurons.
May Support Bone Health
Vitamin B12 deficiency has been linked to low bone mineral density . This is especially important for women who may be at risk for osteoporosis. Pilates and weight baring exercise may help bone deficiency as well,
VitaminB12 is water soluable- you will release it if you take too much. This is unlike Niacin- another vitamin b. Have you heard of a Niacin flush? It’s quite uncomfortable and you feel really hot!
The average adult should get 2.4 micrograms a day The dose in Live Well’s dropper is 5000 micrograms and it is recommended that vegans get way more then the RDA recommends.
Signs your lacking b- 12 include numbness, or tingling in the hands feet or legs, balance problems, anemia, a swollen, tongue, cognitive difficulties, memory loss, weakness and fatigue.
A few of these were how I started feeling before I started supplementing with Live Well’s Vegan B-12
Here’s the scoop on dosage
I asked the team over at Live Well to clarify as their does is much higher the the daily recommendation
While B12 DV dose is 2.4mcg those with B12 deficiency will need higher doses to get them" back to normal levels." If you are deficient, then 2.4 mcg will not be sufficient to restore you to a non-deficient status. Imagine someone who is really hungry, a normal sized meal will not make them full even though on a normal day it would be enough to satisfy.
Clinical research shows that people who are deficient can't restore B12 levels at daily doses between 10-500 mcg, which is significantly higher than the DV dose of 2.4 mcg.
This shows that much higher doses are necessary to get people back to "normal." You can read more here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23236022/
Living Well has a 5000 mcg dose mainly because these super doses are required to get a person back to healthy B12 levels and cannot harm you if take more than necessary, however we always recommend that if you have concerns you consult your doctor first before adding out supplements to your diet.