ESSENTIAL VITAMINS IN OUR DIET
The vitamin that seems lacking in our diet.
We need all vitamins for life. If we lack one or another our system slows down and eventually starts to malfunction. There are two ways to get these vitamins, either our body manufactures them or we get them from the food we consume, that simple.
What is B12?
Vitamin B12 is the hot topic these days for people who eat only plants, vegans for example. For some reason we are told that by eating plants we will be missing this vitamin.
B12 is necessary for the proper functioning of our cells. This is especially important in the nervous system which controls our brain and other parts of the body and well is in our blood cells.
How it works is not fully understood. Like most things of our bodies, they are very complex. So many reactions and metabolisms depend on many other factors and elements, all is connected.
Where do you get it?
We come from the earth and everything we need for health and for life comes from the earth…naturally.
The same goes for Vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12 comes from the earth, it is metabolized, or made by bacteria in the soil.The only way to obtain B12 naturally is to eat or consume these bacteria.
We can have problems absorbing the B12 when our stomachs and intestines are not functioning correctly. So not only is it important to ingest enough B12 forming bacteria, the digestive system must be in good order. We need to have good gut health, and to have good gut health we need to eat whole foods – plant food and …. avoid all the rest, easy!
How can we get B12 naturally?
Since B12 comes from bacteria in the soil we can obtain it two ways. If the soil is healthy, alive and untouched by fertilizers and chemicals which kills pests along with many other natural organisms, it will contain more of these good bacteria and in turn be absorbed into plants. If we eat these plants, we will obtain B12.
Another way is from the bacteria on the surface of plants. If we eat directly from the garden, an organic garden, the chances of getting the B12 bacteria are very good.
Do not ‘sanitize’ your fresh herbs or greens from your garden, just brush off any dirt or give them a quick rinse. Make sure your garden is organic and do your best to have a healthy gut by eating plenty of fibre and you should not worry about having enough B12 or any other of the essential nutrients for healthy living.
Another good place is the sea. Seaweed has B12 as sea water mixes with land bacteria.
You can get seaweed sprinkles to use over your food, a natural way to get salt and B12!I happen to be at the sea and decided to munch on a little Kombu or Saccharina latissima …a common seaweed on the Irish coast. It was actually quite nice. We are always hungry when we go to the sea, sea air perhaps… and to think there is food on the beach waiting for us and GOOD for us!
