Foods That Contain Vitamin B-12

Sep 11, 2010 | By Marie Mulrooney

Vitamin B-12, or methylcobalamin, keeps your nervous system and blood cells healthy. B-12 is necessary for creating DNA, and its presence helps prevent megaloblastic anemia, which may leave you feeling weak and tired. According to the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements, or ODS, teens 14 years or older and adults should consume 2.4 mcg of vitamin B-12 daily; pregnant or breastfeeding women require more.

Meat and Dairy

The ODS lists beef liver as one of the best food sources for vitamin B-12. Kidneys also contain high levels of B-12, as do non-organ meats including poultry. Eggs also contain significant levels of B-12. All dairy products, including regular milk, are good sources of vitamin B-12.

Seafood

Fish, including herring and mackerel in particular, are good sources of B-12. The ODS recommends clams as the only B-12 food source with levels comparable to those of beef liver.

Fortified Foods

All but a very few sources of vitamin B-12 occur in animal-based foods; this can cause a serious problem for vegans and vegetarians. Possible signs of vitamin B-12 deficiency include tiredness, weakness, constipation, weight loss, balance problems, mouth or tongue soreness, confusion, depression, dementia and poor memory, as published in "Vitamin B-12: Consumer Fact Sheet" from the ODS. However some non-animal foods, including breakfast cereals and nutritional yeasts, may be fortified with vitamin B-12; check the label to be sure.

Sea Vegetables and Herbs

According to the ODS fact sheet, there are no non-animal-based sources of vitamin B-12. But in "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, lists sea vegetables as the only plant-based food that contains vitamin B-12. Balch lists dulse, kelp, kombu, nori and soy products as possible sources of B-12. A few herbs, specifically alfalfa, bladderwrack and hops, contain B-12 as well.