Many vegetarians and vegans don’t get enough vitamin B12 from their diets, as well as other important components of a healthy diet. There are many nutritional elements that are naturally found in animal products such as meat, chicken, fish, eggs and cheese.

Food is essential for survival. Food gives us energy and nutrition. The nutrition derived from food affects the health of our blood, cells, and organs, in addition to our brain and spinal cord.

Vitamin B12 is vital for blood formation and tissue expansion. A vitamin B12 deficiency could lead to insufficient red blood cells, fatigue and neuropathy. Since vitamin B12 is not found in plant-based foods at all, vegetarians need to supplement their diets with this vitamin.

Animal products are complete proteins. This means that they contain all eight of the essential amino acids for optimal body function. These are the building blocks of cells. In contrast, plant-based foods only contain some of these amino acids. Therefore, it is recommended by nutritionists that plant-based protein foods (such as beans and tofu) should be eaten together with whole-grain foods (such as rice, oats and quinoa, etc.).

Iron is necessary in the red blood cells to carry oxygen. If there is not enough iron in the blood, the organs do not get enough oxygen and the person feels tired. Animal protein is rich in iron. Nuts have iron, but should be consumed together with foods rich in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits and tomatoes. Combining these food groups will help a person obtain more of the iron from the nuts and beans.

Knowledge of proper nutrition will help a vegetarian live a healthy, productive life.

Dermatologists recommend the consumption of vitamin B12 for hair growth. Their patients consist of frustrated women who resent watching their hair locks grow thinner every day.

Hair loss is a common source of aggravation for women. According to dermatologists, the primary reason for hair loss is a vitamin deficiency. This can be easily remedied.

Healthy blood cells are essential for voluminous hair. A vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to megaloblastic anemia, which means that there are not enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to and from the lungs. Among other things, anemia causes hair loss. Consequently, if a woman supplements her diet with vitamin B12, this hair loss can be reversed. Furthermore, a full head of hair will grow back in just a few weeks.

Vitamin B12 is found in liver, meat, fish and eggs. However, many women are cutting down on these foods for health reasons, and don’t realize that they are eliminating vitamin B12 from their diets in the process. That’s why there are so many women whose blood levels are low on vitamin B12.

Women over the age of 50 tend to have low levels of vitamin B12, too. The reason is that their stomachs no longer produce enough intrinsic factor. This enzyme is necessary to separate the vitamin B12 from the food they consume.

If you suffer from hair loss, you should supplement your diet with vitamin B12. In addition, dermatologists also recommend you should try to consume iron and biotin, as well as foods containing essential fatty acids, such as nuts and fish.

Megaloblastic anemia is caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Megaloblastic anemia is a blood disorder. The symptoms include weakness, fatigue, pale skin, shortness of breath and cold hands and feet. A person with this disorder may have headaches as well.

Megaloblastic anemia is caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency.  Unfortunately, the symptoms are identical to iron-deficiency anemia.  Many doctors test for iron deficiency, but don’t test for a vitamin B12 deficiency.  If an anemic person does not feel better after taking iron supplements, that person should have his/her vitamin B12 levels tested.

Blood carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. In a person who is anemic, there are fewer red blood cells, which are responsible for attaching themselves to oxygen and transporting this throughout the body. Oxygen is vital for energy production. Without sufficient red blood cells, a person becomes depleted of his/her stores of oxygen and feels tired.

If megaloblastic anemia is not treated with sufficient vitamin B12 supplementation, eventually the nerves start to degenerate and neuropathy sets in.

Proper treatment for megaloblastic anemia includes vitamin B12 and folic acid. Folic acid is found in green, leafy vegetables. Vitamin B12 is found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. Our stomachs produce pepsin and intrinsic factor, which attach themselves to the vitamin B12. Some people don’t produce enough of  the pepsin or the intrinsic factor, and therefore cannot absorb the vitamin B12 from their food. These people need to supplement their diets with vitamin B12.

Vegetarians and vegans avoid the foods that are rich in vitamin B12, so they need to supplement their diets with vitamin B12 to prevent megaloblastic anemia.

There are reports of people who were suffering from megaloblastic anemia and nearly died as a result because it went untreated. Many doctors confuse the signs and symptoms of this disorder with iron-deficiency anemia. If you know someone who is suffering from fatigue or neuropathy, tell him to have his blood B12 levels tested immediately.