Foods rich in vitamin B12 are especially of animal origin, such as fish, meats, eggs, cheese and milk and serve to keep red blood cells healthy, acting to prevent and combat anemia.
See also iron-rich foods for anemia.
Some foods of plant origin contain vitamin B12, such as beer yeast and seaweed. Those who consume strictly vegetarian diets generally have low amounts of this vitamin in their body unless they take vitamin B12 supplementation, which must be accompanied by a health professional such as a doctor or nutritionist.
List of foods rich in vitamin B12
Some examples of source foods in vitamin B12 are:
| Foods that contain vitamin B12 | Amount of vitamin B12 in 100 g | Energy in 100 g |
| Cooked liver steak | 112 mcg | 169 calories |
| Steamed seafood | 99 mcg | 50 calories |
| Cooked oysters | 27 mcg | 75 calories |
| Boiled chicken liver | 19 mcg | 136 calories |
| Baked Heart | 14 mcg | 132 calories |
| Cooked herring | 10 mcg | 228 calories |
| Cooked crab | 9 mcg | 81 calories |
| Boiled Salmon | 2.8 mcg | 271 calories |
| Grilled trout | 2.2 mcg | 118 calories |
Vitamin B12 is absorbed in the intestine and stored mainly in the liver. Therefore, the liver can be considered one of the main dietary sources of vitamin B12.
But the consumption of liver is only advisable in case of organic animals with organic diet, otherwise the presence of toxins and hormones do not compensate for the presence of vitamin B12.
Foods enriched in vitamin B12
Foods enriched in vitamin B12 must provide at least 15 to 30% of the recommended daily intake in 100 g of the product ready for consumption. Thus, in 100g of a food enriched in vitamin B12 there are 0.36 to 0.72 mcg of vitamin B12.
Foods fortified with vitamin B12 may be:
- breakfast cereals;
- soy-based products commonly used as alternatives to milk;
- non-dairy infant formulas based on soy protein;
- cereals for infant feeding;
- chocolate powder;
- peanut butter.
Foods enriched in vitamin B12 are especially recommended for vegetarians because they do not consume products of animal origin, which are the food sources of vitamin B12.
Excess vitamin B12
Excess vitamin B12 in the body can cause minor changes in the spleen, altered lymphocytes and increased lymphocytes. This is not very common because vitamin B12 is well tolerated by the body, but it can occur if the individual takes vitamin B12 supplements without medical monitoring.
