Daily Source of Vitamin B12

"Daily Source of Vitamin B12"

Though it may be cheaper and easier
to just take something once a week,

some people would rather get into
the habit of doing something daily,

so they don’t forget.

So, how much vitamin B12
would you have to take

if you wanted to do it once a day,

rather than once a week?

Well, using the formula we just learned,

1.5 plus 0.1 times the quantity
(x minus 1.5) equals 4 to 7;

solve for x.

I’ll wait.

Once a day, 250 micrograms
or more is all we need.

You can put it next to your
toothbrush to remind yourself.

The reason we can’t absorb
more than about 1.5 at a time

directly through our receptors

is that they get filled up.

But it only takes them
about four to six hours

to unload their cargo into the body,

and then they’re back in business.

So if we got B12 three times a day—

breakfast, lunch, and dinner—

we could absorb 1.5 each time

and end up with 4.5 at the end of the day,

which is all we need.

And those kind of doses we
can get from fortified foods.

The so-called “daily value”

on Nutrition Facts labels
for B12 is 6 micrograms.

So, as long as each serving
contains 25% of our daily value,

then we can eat a serving of
B12-fortified foods at every meal,

and we wouldn’t have to
take supplements at all!

So, for example, there’s a vitamin
B12-fortified nutritional yeast.

Two teaspoons counts as a serving,

so you could sprinkle that on your meals.

But that would cost a few dollars a week,

as opposed to just a few pennies
a week for B12 supplements.

Whichever path you choose,

these are not just recommendations

for people eating plant-based diets.

They’re for anyone who wants to get
a cholesterol-free source of vitamin B12.