Do I need to take supplements?
Yes, I take vitamin B-12. Interestingly, before I began taking the supplement, a blood-test at my doctor's office revealed I wasn't low in B-12, likely due to foods fortified with vitamins (plant milk, cereal, drinks). A commonly low nutrient in veggie and meat-eaters alike, I decided to begin taking this supplement after learning it is the only vitamin that your typical vegan would not find in their plant-based food. Let me explain what I mean by "typical vegan". Most of us get our vegetables and fruits from places like grocery stores or farmer's markets (if you are growing and eating your own food, go you!). In this state, we usually get the produce prewashed and relatively clean of the soil it grew in. B-12 is produced by a bacteria found in soil. Eating your veggies straight from the soil without the hyper-cleansing process we find in the grocery-store washes off dirt, and the vitamins it carries.
So where do meat-eaters get their B-12 from? Common sources are meat, dairy, eggs, and fish. The real question is where do these animals get their B-12? It all comes down to the micro-organisms in their gut. After eating a cobalt rich diet (the cobalt would come from dirt), animals with four-chamber stomachs, called ruminant animals (e.g., cows, giraffes, deer, or goats) have a chamber called the "rumen" with microorganisms that can break down the cellular wall in plants to release glucose, as well as make B-12 using cobalt (B-12 is also called cobalamin). Because humans only have a one-chamber stomach, we do not have this digestive capability (see article by Stevens and Hume 1998). There is evidence that animals with a one-chamber stomach, such as rats, or rabbits, can get B-12 by ingesting their feces (but I would not recommend!).
I get my B-12 from a yummy raspberry flavored dissolvable tablet I take once a day (here is the brand). Easy, and cruelty-free. I would recommend that.
Go back to Health/Plant-based
So where do meat-eaters get their B-12 from? Common sources are meat, dairy, eggs, and fish. The real question is where do these animals get their B-12? It all comes down to the micro-organisms in their gut. After eating a cobalt rich diet (the cobalt would come from dirt), animals with four-chamber stomachs, called ruminant animals (e.g., cows, giraffes, deer, or goats) have a chamber called the "rumen" with microorganisms that can break down the cellular wall in plants to release glucose, as well as make B-12 using cobalt (B-12 is also called cobalamin). Because humans only have a one-chamber stomach, we do not have this digestive capability (see article by Stevens and Hume 1998). There is evidence that animals with a one-chamber stomach, such as rats, or rabbits, can get B-12 by ingesting their feces (but I would not recommend!).
I get my B-12 from a yummy raspberry flavored dissolvable tablet I take once a day (here is the brand). Easy, and cruelty-free. I would recommend that.
Go back to Health/Plant-based