B12

What is it?

Vitamin B12 belongs to the B vitamin whānau which helps to maintain our body’s energy levels, and make sure our brains and cells function well. They also help to prevent infections. B12 is the rock of this whānau – it’s needed to make new cells in our bodies and to regulate normal blood and nerve function. Without this vitamin it can be difficult to function in our normal day to day.

What are the main sources?

Most of us get enough vitamin B12 through food like meat, fish, eggs and milk products. Did you know it is also found in non-animal products like fortified cereals, non-dairy milk, seaweed, and nutritional yeast!

B12 deficiency

Lack of B12 can affect our appetite, bowel movements and energy levels – just to mention a few. The most common signs of not enough B12 are fatigue, constipation, poor memory, and nerve damage. If you start to notice any of these symptoms, you should talk with your healthcare professional. Not many people get low B12 because they don’t eat the right foods but it can happen sometimes

FT and B12

Since we’ve learnt that B12 is in a lot of animal products and FastTrack Kai ā Nuku is 80-90% plant based, you’re probably wondering how are we able to get B12 from this way of eating? FastTrack includes fish, kai moana and eggs which are our sources of good fats and vitamins like B12. It also links in with how Bluezoners eat and the research that supports the fundamentals of FastTrack plant-based eating. So, you’re all good for B12 on FT!

Research article links:

https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/healthy-living/v/vitamin-b12/