Dr. Oz: How To Increase Your Vitamin B12 Levels
- Increase the amount of protein you eat. Lean meat, beef, lamb, eggs, fish and chicken are great sources of vitamin B12.
- Eat more dairy products including cheese, milk and yogurt.
- Take vitamin B12 supplements, preferably sublingual vitamin B12 or drops because it is easier for your body to absorb.
- Drink cranberry juice or eat cranberries, because it increases the acid in your stomach, which boosts your rate of absorption of vitamin B12.
Signs of Anxiety Caused By Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Dr. Oz said a lack of vitamin B12 can cause anxiety and chronic worrying. How do you know if you are experiencing unusually highly levels of anxiety though? These are the signs of anxiety and chronic worrying to look for:
- Heart pounds in your chest
- Lungs feel tight / gasp for air
- Hands shake
- Skin tingles
- Nausea
- Chest aches
- Temperature increases
Dr. Oz said that it is like the sound of a pencil drumming on a desk. You not only hear it, but feel it too. The sound grows and becomes more prominent. It becomes increasingly irritating as the constant rhythm plays in your body. The feeling of panic can leave you gasping for air with a pounding feeling in your chest. It can also make you shake or cause your skin to tingle. Your chest starts to ache. You feel nauseous and your temperature rises. But there’s no cause at all – you did everything right and nothing wrong. Anxiety does not follow the rules and more people than ever are opening up about their anxiety. A lack of vitamin B12 could be the cause if you experience anything like this, so what can you do to improve your symptoms and find relief? Let’s take a look at Dr. Oz’s favorite sources of vitamin B12, including how cranberries and cranberry juice may actually help!
What Food has the Most Vitamin B12?
Dr. Oz said that if you have a vitamin B12 deficiency, you must increase the amount of protein that you’re eating. The foods that are richest in vitamin B12 are lean sources of animal protein including beef, lamb, eggs, fish, and chicken. You can also get vitamin B12 from dairy products like cheese, yogurt, and milk. Nutritionist Maya Feller said that most people only need 2.4 micrograms of Vitamin B12 per day. Just three ounces of salmon will give your total daily requirement, just like three servings of lean beef would.
Dr Oz learned ways to naturally boost vitamin B12 in order to find relief from anxiety and toxic worrying. (halfchinese / Flickr)
Are Sublingual Vitamin B12 Supplements Better Than Vitamins You Swallow?
Dr. Oz said that if you prefer to get your vitamin B12 through supplements, there are several good options. Vitamin B12 comes in the form of injections, pill supplements that you swallow, sublingual vitamins or drops. If you have a vitamin B12 deficiency, you want to aim for 25-100 micrograms of B12 a day. If you’re severely deficient, your doctor may recommend taking an even higher dose of vitamin B12 a couple of times a week. Dr. Oz prefers to take sublingual B12 supplements, which are the kind that you absorb under your tongue. He said that sublingual supplements are the best choice because they are more easily absorbed by your body (even on an empty stomach).
Dr. Oz: Cranberries Increase Vitamin B12 Absorption
Dr. Oz said that cranberries can also boost your vitamin B12 levels, even though cranberries do not contain any B12 at all. So how does this special fruit help? By increasing the amount of acid in your stomach! When your stomach is more acidic, your body can absorb vitamin B12 more easily. For this same reason, certain medications and medical conditions can make it harder for your body to absorb vitamin B12. Medications for Acid Reflux, GERD or Ulcers decrease the acid in your stomach, and thus hinder your vitamin B12 absorption. Some studies also show that people who are Diabetic or Pre-Diabetic may struggle to absorb B12 because of the medication they take as well.
Fresh cranberries are difficult for most people to eat because of how tart they are. But Dr. Oz said that it will work just as well to drink 100% cranberry juice, as long as it has no added sugars (so avoid the cranberry “cocktail” mixes). If you find the straight cranberry juice to be too sour, try adding just a little honey and some seltzer water to make more palatable.
The Rubber Band Trick to Track Your Water Intake
As part of Dr. Oz’s “The 21 Day Weight Loss Breakthrough,” Haylie Pomroy said to drink at least half of your body weight in water each day. Drinking enough water can help stimulate your metabolism. But how do you know if you are drinking enough water every day? It is so hard to track, right? Well, checkout this genius hack! At the beginning of every day, place rubber bands on a glass of water. Every time you finish a glass, remove a rubber band to help you keep track of how many more glasses of water you need to drink. For example, if you are 150 pounds, your should place five rubber bands on a 15-ounce glass of water. Once you have removed all of the rubber bands, you know that you have had enough water for the day.
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