18 Meals That Are Highest in Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 helps your physique produce DNA and pink blood cells, helps your immune system, and encourages wholesome nerve perform. The really useful day by day worth (DV) for B12 is 2.4 micrograms (mcg) for adults, 2.6 mcg for pregnant individuals, and a couple of.8 mcg for people who find themselves breastfeeding.

Vitamin B12: 84.1 mcg in 3 oz of cooked clams (3,504% of your DV)

Not solely do clams have the very best focus of vitamin B12 in any meals, however they’re additionally full of potassium.

Clams are scrumptious in pasta dishes, soups, or stews. Recent clamshells will likely be closed, or, if barely open, will shut when tapped (in any other case, throw them out). To arrange, steam them till the shells crack open, or boil for about 5 minutes after the shells open.

Tinned or frozen pre-shelled clams are a handy various.

Vitamin B12: 30 to 60 mcg in 100 g of dried purple layer (1,250% to 2,500% of your DV)

Seaweed packs loads of iodine, which is crucial for thyroid perform. Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland within the middle of your neck that makes hormones that assist respiratory, digestion, coronary heart charge, and temper.

Take pleasure in dried seaweed as a snack, garnish, or add it to a pasta dish for an additional umami taste.

Vitamin B12: 24.5 mcg in 3 oz of cooked oysters (1,020% of your DV)

Oysters include extra zinc than some other meals (greater than 250% DV per serving). The important mineral helps your immune system, wound therapeutic, and physique growth.

Oysters make a great appetizer.

Vitamin B12: 24 mcg in 3 tbsp of dietary yeast (1,000% of your DV)

Dietary yeast—a seasoning with a nutty, tacky taste—is a good vegan supply of protein and different B nutritional vitamins.

You’ll be able to sprinkle dietary yeast on popcorn, kale chips, or pasta dishes.

Vitamin B12: 20.4 mcg in 3 oz of cooked mussels (850% of your DV)

Mussels include protein, potassium, vitamin C, and omega-3 fatty acids.

You’ll be able to put together and eat mussels equally to clams.

Vitamin B12: 7.6 mcg in 3 oz (316% of your DV)

Crab meat incorporates nutritional vitamins A, B, and C, in addition to magnesium. Like oysters, it has zinc—3 oz incorporates 3.01 mg (27% DV).

Put together crab desserts as an appetizer, or add crabmeat to seafood chowder or salads.

Vitamin B12: 7.6 mcg in 3 oz (316% of your DV)

These little fish are filled with calcium. Sardines additionally include vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids.

“Sardines are nice in a marinara sauce over spaghetti squash,” Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, contributing vitamin editor, instructed Well being. 

Vitamin B12: 5.4 mcg in 3 oz of untamed rainbow trout (225% of your DV)

Fatty fish resembling trout are nice sources of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids. Each vitamins promote mind perform and battle irritation.

“Trout is nice grilled with slightly further virgin olive oil,” mentioned Sass. “Serve it alongside garlic-sautéed spinach and a baked candy potato.”

Vitamin B12: 3.8 mcg in 3 oz of cooked sockeye salmon (158% of your DV)

Salmon is a wealthy supply of protein, vitamin D, and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Bake it within the oven or grill it as a substitute of consuming it fried, dried, or salted to maximise salmon’s many well being advantages.

Vitamin B12: 1.8 mcg in 3 oz of sunshine, canned tuna fish (75% of your DV)

Tuna is loaded with vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids.

Sass steered in search of chunk gentle tuna in water if you happen to purchase it canned. “Combine canned tuna with Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and Italian herb seasoning to make a relaxing tuna salad,” mentioned Sass.

Vitamin B12: 1.8 mcg in 3 oz of cooked haddock (75% of your DV)

Haddock is an effective supply of low-fat protein with massive flakes much like cod.

Bake haddock within the oven with easy seasonings like lemon and contemporary herbs.

Vitamin B12: 1.6 mcg in 3 oz of broiled high sirloin (66% of your DV)

Beef is one other nice supply of zinc, protein, and riboflavin, which is believed to assist alleviate premenstrual syndrome (PMS) signs.

“Hold it lean,” mentioned Sass. “Mix beef with greens, complete grains, and good fat, resembling ginger stir fry with beef over brown rice.”

Vitamin B12: 1.5 mcg in 1 cup of low-fat milk (62% of your DV)

Milk is an effective supply of calcium, vitamin D, and potassium.

“There are many wholesome methods to include milk into your weight loss plan,” mentioned Sass. “Strive making a smoothie with milk, frozen fruit, almond butter, ginger, and cinnamon.”

Vitamin B12: 1 mcg in 7 oz of low-fat Greek yogurt (41% of your DV)

Yogurt is a good supply of calcium, magnesium, probiotics, and protein.

Go for non-fat or low-fat natural yogurt varieties. “It is nice whipped into smoothies or combined with oats, fruit, nuts, and herbs, resembling contemporary mint,” mentioned Sass.

Vitamin B12: 0.6 mcg in a single serving of breakfast cereal fortified with 25% of the day by day worth for vitamin B12 (25% of your DV)

Fortified breakfast cereal could be a useful possibility for vegetarians or vegans.

Go for a whole-grain breakfast cereal. Entire grains are a wealthy supply of fiber that helps digestive well being.

Vitamin B12: 0.6 mcg in a single massive hard-boiled egg (25% of your DV)

Eggs are an excellent supply of protein and vitamin D. This vitamin is vital for serving to your physique take up calcium and preserve robust bones.

Eggs could be hard-boiled, soft-boiled, poached, and scrambled. “I like an omelet with veggies and avocado paired with contemporary fruit,” mentioned Sass.

Vitamin B12: 0.4 mcg in 1 cup of roasted rooster breast (16% of your DV)

Rooster breast is a lean protein, which implies it has much less saturated fats than many cuts of pink meat.

Take pleasure in rooster grilled, roasted, or baked within the oven. Add rooster to salads and sandwiches.

Vitamin B12: 0.3 mcg in 3 oz (12.5% of your DV)

Only one serving of lean turkey has practically half your really useful day by day allowance of selenium. Selenium is a hint mineral that bolsters immune perform.

“Oven-roasted turkey breast is nice on a backyard salad with Brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes,” mentioned Sass.

Vitamin B12 could be present in:

B-complex supplementsMultivitamin/multimineral supplementsSupplements on their very own

Dosages differ throughout dietary supplements, however some could provide as much as 1,000 mcg of the vitamin. Nonetheless, your physique can solely take up a lot.

Discuss to a healthcare supplier earlier than taking vitamin B12 dietary supplements, as they’ll work together with drugs like gastric acid inhibitors and metformin.

Vegetarians and vegans could be vulnerable to vitamin B12 deficiency.

Non-meat sources of vitamin B12 embody:

DairyEggsFortified foodsNutritional yeastSeaweed