Vitamin B12 in vegan and vegetarian products
Vitamin B12 is important, because it helps you absorb iron. In this blog, we’ll explain why B12 so important is, and why we enrich our vegan and vegetarian products with it. Want to know more about the micronutrient iron? Read our previous blog.
Types of vitamins
Vitamins are essential nutrients, necessary for our bodies to properly function. They can be divided into water-soluble vitamins (vitamin C and all B vitamins) and fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E and K).
Fat-soluble vitamins are found mainly in the fat of foods and can be stored in the body. Water-soluble vitamins cannot be properly stored in the body and, when we take too much of them, the excess is removed from our body when we urinate. An exception to this general rule is vitamin B12 which, while water-soluble, can be stored in the body like the fat-soluble vitamins.
Vitamin B12 deficiency
Vitamin B12 is only found in foods of animal origin, such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy. As a vegetarian or vegan, you can slowly run out of stored vitamin B12, and you may develop a vitamin deficiency. It takes time to become vitamin B12 deficient and it’s not quickly corrected. This is why the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency usually only appear after years.
The importance of vitamin B12 in vegan and vegetarian products
Vitamin B12 is essential for multiple systems in the body, such as the health of the immune, nervous, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems. If someone doesn’t get enough vitamin B12, there can be a deficiency in the body which can cause all kinds of problems and complaints, such as anaemia. Vitamin B12 together with vitamin B6 and folic acid ensure the body can properly absorb iron. If a person doesn’t get enough B12, their body is less able to absorb iron which can eventually lead to anaemia.
In order to prevent vitamin B12 deficiency, particularly for those who don’t eat animal products, Schouten enriches their vegetarian and vegan products with vitamin B12 in order to produce complete, nutritious products.
Do you have a question about vitamin B12 or any of the other ingredients that we use in our products? Let us know!
At Schouten, we have a wide range of different vegan and vegetarian products, with and without added vitamins and nutrients. Are you interested in one of our products? Please feel free to contact us.
