Did you know? Women need more vitamins than men! Life stages like menstruation, pregnancy, lactation, and menopause can affect a woman’s biological and metabolic need for vitamins and minerals.
Data claims that 47% of the Indian population suffers from B12 deficiency.
More than 70% of adults and 80% of pre-school children in India have some form of B12 deficiency. B12 is an essential vitamin for a vegetarian lifestyle. India is a country with the highest number of vegetarians so it does not come as a surprise if most of the population has a B12 deficiency.
What Is B12?
B12, also known as cobalamin, is an essential vitamin found mainly in animal foods. To keep our nerves and blood cells healthy, B12 vitamin is necessary. Our body cannot produce B12 naturally so we need to consume certain foods and drinks to help our body fulfill its needs.
What can the lack of B12 do to our body?
Not consuming enough B12 vitamin can lead to several conditions. With the lack of enough red blood cells, our tissues and organs don’t get enough oxygen and without enough oxygen, our body can’t work well.
Symptoms like weak muscles, numbness, trouble walking, nausea, weight loss, irritability, fatigue, and increased heart rate occur.
Vegetarian Food Options to Gain B12 Levels:
Several meats can help regain our B12 levels but there are vegetarian alternatives as well such as Spinach, Greek Yogurt, Beetroot, Cow Milk, Shitake Mushroom, Nori etc.
Various fruits like Apple, Banana, Orange, Blueberries, Almonds and Peanuts helps to maintain our B12 level.
