Vitamin B12
Keeps nerves healthy and forms red blood cells and DNA. It is made by bacteria, not by plants or animals, and reaches us through animal foods or fortified products.
On a plant-based diet
Ordinary fruit, vegetables, grains and legumes contain no reliable vitamin B12. If you eat a vegan or mostly plant-based diet, the dependable sources are fortified foods eaten daily or a B12 supplement. This planner will favour fortified options for you, but a supplement is the simplest guarantee, and a diagnosed deficiency needs a clinician to set the dose.
Best food sources
Fruit
- None. Fruit does not contain vitamin B12.
Vegetables
- None reliably. Some seaweeds and mushrooms contain B12-like compounds, but amounts vary and some forms are inactive, so they should not be counted on.
Other plant foods
- Fortified nutritional yeast
- Fortified soy, oat and almond milks
- Fortified cereals
- Fortified meat alternatives
- A B12 supplement
Animal foods
- Clams
- Mussels
- Oysters
- Sardines
- Mackerel
- Salmon
- Beef
- Lamb
- Eggs
- Milk
- Cheese
- Yogurt
How much is in a serving
- 1 tbsp fortified nutritional yeast: about 4 µg (check the label)
- 1 cup fortified soy milk: about 1 to 3 µg
- 3 oz sardines: about 7.5 µg
- 3 oz salmon: about 2.6 µg
- 1 large egg: about 0.5 µg
Deficiency signs
Develops slowly because the liver stores several years' worth. Fatigue, breathlessness, tingling hands and feet, memory problems and a large-cell anaemia. Nerve damage can become permanent if left untreated. Vegans, people over 60, those on metformin or acid-reducing drugs, and anyone with pernicious anaemia or gut surgery are at higher risk.
These signs overlap with many other conditions. A blood test through your doctor is the only way to confirm a deficiency; do not start high-dose supplements on a guess.
Absorption and interactions
- Stomach acid is needed to release B12 from food; acid-reducing medicines and age reduce absorption.
- Metformin lowers B12 over time.
- Folate supplements can hide the anaemia while nerve damage continues.
Meal ideas
- Tofu scramble with nutritional yeast
- Fortified cereal with fortified soy milk
- Sardines on toast
- Mussels in tomato broth
- Salmon rice bowl
Planner meals richest in Vitamin B12
Per serving, from the meal planner’s library. Percentages use the average adult reference intake.
- Mussels in tomato and garlic broth48 µg · 2000%
- Mackerel with warm potato and green bean salad21 µg · 871%
- Mackerel, avocado and leaf salad21 µg · 871%
- Sardines, tomato and greens on toast8.2 µg · 341%
- Fortified cereal with soy milk and berries5 µg · 206%
- Salmon with asparagus and avocado4.8 µg · 200%