Vitamin B12 is an important vitamin that is only found in animal products, but is also added to some enriched grain-based products. It is often lacking in the diets of vegetarians and vegans. Vitamin B12 requires a certain level of acidity in your stomach to be absorbed properly, as well as adequate amounts of intrinsic factor, or IF, which is produced by the stomach. Vitamin B12 contributes to the health of your nerve cells and red blood cells. Deficiencies are associated with megaloblastic and pernicious anemia, in addition to being possibly related to Alzheimer's disease, some cancer and cardiovascular diseases, according to MayoClinic.com.
Requirements
If you are an adult or a teen over the age of 14, whether you are male or female, you require 2.4 mcg of vitamin B12 a day to meet your nutritional requirements. Pregnant and lactating women require slightly more, about 2.6 mcg per day. A slice of liver contains 48 mcg, a 3 oz. serving of fish provides between 4.2 and 5.4 mcg, and a 3 oz. serving of beef contains 2.4 mcg. A large whole egg has an average of 0.6 mcg of vitamin B12. Dairy products also constitute a significant source of vitamin B12.
Milk
A cup of skim milk contains 0.9 mcg of vitamin B12, milk with 1 percent milk fat provides 1.2 mcg, milk with 2 percent milk fat contains 1.3 mcg, and full-fat milk has 1.1 mcg. Drinking 1.5 cups of milk would give you all the vitamin B12 you require per day.
Yogurt
A 6 oz. container of non-fat fruit-flavored yogurt provides 0.8 mcg of vitamin B12, while the same serving of low-fat sugar-free yogurt has 0.9 mcg and low-fat fruit-flavored yogurt has 1.8 mcg. Look at the label of the yogurt you usually buy to see how much vitamin B12 it contains, as the amount can vary from one brand to another. Depending on the brand, 1.5 to 3 servings of yogurt a day would be sufficient to meet your vitamin B12 requirements.
Cheese
A slice of American cheese has almost no vitamin B12, with only 0.1 mcg. An ounce of cheddar has 0.2 mcg of vitamin B12, while the same serving of mozzarella has 0.7 mcg. The low-fat version only has 0.2 mcg of vitamin B12. A tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese provides 0.1 mcg of vitmain B12, 1/2 cup of cottage cheese contains 0.7 mcg of vitamin B12, and 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese contains 0.4 mcg of vitamin B12. The vitamin B12 content of cheese varies a lot from one type to another, so check the label to select the ones with the highest vitamin B12 content.
Butter
Butter contains very little vitamin B12, with only 0.02 mcg of vitamin B12 per tablespoon and, therefore, does not constitute a good source of vitamin B12 in your diet.
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