How to Get Vitamin B12 Naturally

Vitamin B12 is one of many B-complex vitamins. B-complex vitamins, especially vitamin B-12, help with energy production, with the development and nervous system, and with the function of the blood. Vitamin B12 is also required for DNA synthesis. If you want more vitamin B12 in your diet, you can get it naturally.

Eat the right foods. Vitamin B12 is found in its highest, natural forms in animal products. It is generally not found in high levels in plant foods. The highest food sources of vitamin B12 include:

·         Seafood, such as clams, crab, and mussels

·         Beef liver

·         Whole grain cereals

·         Fish, such as trout, salmon, tuna, and haddock

·         Beef

·         Dairy products, such as yogurts and cheese, especially brie

·         Eggs

Eat the right portions. To maximize your intake of vitamin B12, you need to eat the right portions of each food. Meats and fish should be eaten in 3 ounce servings. You can drink eight ounces of milk and eat one egg to get a quality amount.

·         Some foods have more vitamin B12 than others. For example, clams have 84.1 mcg, mussels have 20.4 mcg, lean beef has 6.9 mcgs, and milk have 0.9 mcgs per serving.

·         Make sure you have a few servings of each a day to get the right amount of vitamin B12 a day.

Get the right amount. To ensure the most benefits from vitamin B12, you need to get the right amount each day. The recommended amounts you should get of vitamin B12 per day are:

·         0 to 6 months, 0.4 mcg

·         7 to 12 months, 0.5 mcg

·         1 to 3 years, 0.9 mcg

·         4-8 years, 1.2 mcg

·         9 to 13 years, 1.8 mcg

·         Over 14 years, 2.4 mcg

Consume the right amount during pregnancy. During pregnancy, vitamin B12 can be critically important for the development of a healthy baby. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding need 2.8 mcg per day. If you do not get enough vitamin B12 while pregnant, your child might suffer from developmental delays, failure to thrive, neural tube defects, megaloblastic anemia, and movement disorders. 

·         Pregnant women often get additional vitamin B12 through prenatal vitamins, which include other important vitamins as well.

Get vitamin B12 as a vegetarian or vegan. Since vitamin B12 comes primarily from animal products, vegetarians and vegans who are strict on their diets need to find another source of the vitamin. The most common way that vegetarians and vegans get vitamin B12 is through foods that are fortified with it. These foods include:

·         Cheeses, such as Swiss, mozzarella, Tilsit, and feta

·         Eggs

·         Whey powder

·         Cereals

·         Breads

·         Yeast spreads (Marmite)

·         Strict vegans don't eat cheese and egg products, so they have to rely strictly on fortified foods, especially yeast products and whey protein.