How can vegans avoid vitamin B12 deficiency?

Vitamin B12

Vegans may be able to absorb vitamin B12 but are unlikely to get enough of it on a plant-based diet. This is because of our present-day lives which are unnaturally hygienic. Micro-organisms naturally available in our food are destroyed or removed due to many reasons like:

  • Irradiation of fruits and vegetables
  • Pesticides used in farming
  • Chlorine or other forms of sanitizing drinking water
  • Over-washing fruits and vegetables
  • Preservatives used in packaged food
  • High hygiene levels in our lifestyles
  • Modern-day toothpastes with Triclosan which destroy oral bacteria
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Use of the microwave

Hence, even fermented foods of almost every culture (like idli, dosa, miso, kimchi, sauerkraut, rejuvelac, vegan yoghurt, tempeh, natto etc) are not enough to provide vegans with the required vitamin B12 levels.

Vitamin B12 deficiency may be less common in the West, especially in the US, where soya milk and other readymade vegan foods are fortified with vitamin B12. Sometimes people who have come back or are visiting India from the West may develop symptoms after a few months, that they never had in the West. Many people who want to live naturally, are averse to taking vitamin B12 supplements and this may not cause a problem for a number of years, since vitamin B12 is stored in our body, but sooner or later this problem can catch up. Therefore, it is important that everybody keeps a check.

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