FREE EBOOKLET What is B12? How much do we need? Should we supplement with b12? What are the natural sources of this B12? Let’s talk about this interesting nutrient in depth!
First of all let’s mention that the science on B12 is not conclusive. There’s a lot of speculation involved. Even though I think we can use the scientific literature to our advantage, we must not forget the fact that all animals in nature know nothing about nutrition and seem to be doing fine. Trusting our instincts and following our senses must be first priority. We are frugivores as animals and our natural environment is the tropics. As soon as we move away from natural living, things tend to get complicated.
B12 is produced by bacteria. These bacteria live everywhere! In the soil as well as in our bodies.
If we were not so meticulous about washing our hands and produce, we might be more likely to ingest an adequate amount of B12.
If our food was produced in rich, nutritious soil with plenty of microbial activity, instead of dead soils sprayed with pesticides and herbicides, there would probably be more B12 ON our food as well.
We do have b12 producing bacteria in our intestinal tract, and if it was not for our general lack of health and/or constant eating of antibacterial foods like onion and garlic, it’s possible that we would be able to uptake enough b12 from our own system.
Yes, there is b12 in meat products, but that does not mean we should eat meat. Just like there’s vitamin D in fish, but our natural source of that vitamin is sunlight.
It’s a myth that only vegans have B12 deficiencies. There’s plenty of meat eating people with issues as well.
How do we even know what the ideal b12 levels are like? Most people are eating too much meat and lots of fortified foods. Chances are that their b12 levels might be artificially high. We don’t have any sound physiological norms to follow.
Even though most vegans have “low” levels of b12, there are plenty of people living long lives with NO symptoms of deficiency whatsoever at very low levels of b12 in the blood.
If you are experiencing symptoms of b12 deficiency or you think you might be deficient, it’s possible to try out supplementation for a while to see what happens. This is very subjective at best, but chances are you’re not going to experience any problems like toxicity since all B vitamins are water soluble and the body will flush out any excess.
Personally I have experimented both with and without supplementation, and I still have not reached a definite conclusion.
Health is nevertheless the key focus here, like always.
By eating a diet of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables, grown in a healthy, organic soil we are optimizing our chances of “b12 contamination”.
By cultivating health in general we optimize our ability to uptake and use b12.
By avoiding foods that damage our intestinal flora like garlic, onion and chili, as well as medical drugs and antibiotics, we might be able to uptake the b12 produced in our small intestine.
By being in contact with our natural environment, the soil and plants, we increase our exposure to B12 producing bacteria.
By avoiding stress we minimize the loss of b12 through metabolic processes.
Essentially – creating health, both within our bodies and in our immediate environment, is key in optimizing our b12 situation.
Remember also to take care of all the other elements of a healthy lifestyle, like sunshine, sleep, rest, activity etc.
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