If you include a variety of animal proteins in a balanced diet, you should get adequate amounts of Vitamin B12, or cobalamin. The potential for B12 deficiency increases for vegetarians, who must include B12 sources other than meat. Because several other types of food do provide sufficient amounts of this important vitamin, vegetarians eating properly aren't at risk. For the vegan consumer eliminating all animal-based products from the menu, however, getting adequate B12 is more complicated.
Meat and Poultry
All meat and poultry provide some B12, but single servings may not provide the recommended daily intake. The FDA recommends a daily minimum of 6 mcg, or micrograms, of B12 daily, nearly twice the average daily intake suggested by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies. Beef liver provides eight times that amount in one slice, while 3 oz. of top sirloin offers only 40 percent of the DV, or daily value. Ten percent of the DV for B12 is in 3 oz. of cured roasted ham; half a roasted chicken breast provides only 6 percent. Try turkey or chicken giblets for a potent, inexpensive B12 source.
Dairy
A cup of milk offers 15 percent of the B12 DV, the same as in 3 oz. of Swiss cheese. Plain yogurt offers more B12 due to fermentation, with a 25 percent DV in one cup.
Eggs
Eggs supply significant B12 if consumed whole. Discarding the yolks removes much of this vitamin. One large whole egg contains 10 percent of the recommended daily intake.
Fish
Fish are a B12 source, and have a lower fat content than many other animal proteins, but the amount of B12 varies widely by species. Sockeye salmon contains 80 percent of the recommended daily dose per 3-oz. serving, but 3 oz. of tuna provides just 15 percent. Farm-raised rainbow trout contains even more B12 than salmon.
Shellfish
A 3-oz. serving of breaded clams delivers 5.7 times the FDA's daily minimum. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a 3-oz. serving of canned clams of mixed species provides 84.07 mcg of vitamin B12. Getting that extra amount helps, because B12 absorption rates vary. On average, an individual uses 56 percent of an oral 1-mcg dose. To absorb B12, the stomach lining must contain a glycoprotein called intrinsic factor, but people with pernicious anemia don't produce enough of this essential glycoprotein and utilize B12 poorly. Increasing daily B12 consumption helps compensate. Other shellfish provide B12 in lower concentrations. For example, six raw medium oysters contain 16.35 mcg of B12, still well above the FDA daily value.
Plants
Plants foods once recommended as sources of cobalamin include tempeh, miso, soy sauce and kelp. Unfortunately, human digestive systems can't utilize the type of cobalamin found in plants. The Vegan Society now recommends that vegans take B12 vitamin supplements daily and include foods fortified with B12.
Yeast
The USDA approves nutritional yeast as an alternate B12 source. The actual amount of cobalamin in yeast products varies, and regulations don't require companies to list B12 content except in fortified foods. Yeast extracts should provide 1 percent of the recommended daily amount of B12 per teaspoon of spread.
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