What's missing from your salad?  It could possibly be B12.  If you are a vegan or vegetarian, or just don't eat a lot of animal products such as butter, cheese, yogurt, or meat, you could be B12 deficient.  There are other reasons you may be B12 deficient.  If you have any gastrointestinal problems or certain kinds of anemia you will want to do some research on B12.  My 12 year old thought it was so important, he asked me to write this post!  Here's the skinny:

Homocysteine and B12-If you are deficient in B12 (or B6 or Folate) it can increase the blood level of homocysteine.  This could increase your risk for heart attack or stroke.  More research is needed on this though.

Gastrointestinal stuff-any disorder that inhibits absorption in the stomach or intestine could cause B12 deficiency...sprue, celiac disease, regional enteritis, inflammation of the stomach or small intestine.  Any surgery to remove any part of the stomach or intestine will require lifelong supplements.  This next one is really drug interferance, but if you take antacids or any drug that reduces the amount of stomach acid this can lead to being B12 deficient.  Other drugs will interfere as well.

Pernicious Anemia-anyone with pernicious anemia will need supplements.

Vegans and Vegetarians need supplements (but you knew that!).  Breastfed infants of Vegan or Vegetarian mothers may need supplements also.

Older Adults-this one puzzles me.  Maybe because I wonder...am I "older" or "younger" or "almost older" or...you see my plight?  But as we age our systems become less able to absorb and metabolize B12.

Liver disorders may interfere with the storage of vitamin B12.

Nitrous Oxide-can sap your stores of B12 very quickly, so if you've recently had N2O, you'll want to restock!

Scandinavians are at a higher risk for B12 deficiency.

B12 helps form red blood cells and nerve cells.   Many essential amino acids become unavailable to your body in the absence of B12.

But really...what's the big deal?  A little vitamin deficiency can't really hurt me that bad.  But did you know that your body can be B12 deficient for 3 to 5 years and even longer before you even begin to show outward symptoms?  Some B12 deficiency damage is irreversible.  Look at some of the symptoms (some will go away with treatment, but others won't. Yikes!)...

Nerve damage (tingling in the feet and hands, feeling in the legs, feet, and hands can be lost), muscle weakness, lost reflexes, confusion, irritability, depression, delirium, paranoia, impaired mental function, memory problems, dementia, nervousness, decreased blood clotting, paleness, red or sore tongue, difficulty swallowing, heart palpitations, menstrual problems.  As I said earlier, it may lead to increased risk of heart attack or stroke.

Yet, there is hope.  First, no toxic levels of B12 have been discovered.  Second, sublingual tablets are very readily available. Third, these have been found to be as effective, if not more so, than injections (some people are sensitive to the preservative in the injections).  The tablets are held under the tongue and absorbed right into the bloodstream, bypassing the need for the correct chemicals in the stomach and intestine. 

Most of this information has been gleaned from these sources b12.com, merck.com, whfoods.org, healthgate.partners.org, wikipedia.org.  There is so much on the subject it is difficult to cover in one post.

Blessings,
Sheri