Vitamin B12 uses and food sources

August 13, 2022 Grandma's Medicine Valli Sarvani No comments

Vitamin B12 or Cobalamin is one of the vital vitamins to the body. As B vitamins are water-soluble, your body does not store them.

So, you need to take it regularly through the diet or by way of supplements. The recommended dietary allowance of the vitamin is 2.4 micrograms a day.

Vitamin B12 has many health benefits. It helps convert carbohydrates into glucose and thus produces the required energy for the body. It also helps produce healthy red blood cells. So, it is vital for preventing anemia.

It improves the functions of the nervous system and is vital for brain health. It promotes memory and improves mood. It relieves depression.

Vitamin B12 is vital for skin health and hair and nail growth. It reduces homocysteine levels in the blood and thereby prevents the risk of heart disease.

Vitamin B12 is commonly found in meat, fish, and eggs. Beef, lamb, clam, chicken breast, Salmon, Tuna, Sardines, and eggs are rich sources of B12. Vegetarians can get the vitamin through milk and other dairy products.

250 ml of cow milk can provide nearly half of the daily recommended intake of this vitamin. Moreover, the vitamin in milk and other dairy products is better absorbed by the body than vitamin supplements.

Here are some other vegetarian foods rich in vitamin B12:

Cheese is another good source of vitamin B12. The cheese made of whole milk has a good amount of vitamin B12. 50 grams of cheese provides 1.5 mcg of the vitamin. Yoghurt is also a good source. 100 grams of paneer provides 20 percent of the daily required intake.
Whey powder contains many nutrients, including vitamin B12. 32 grams of whey powder fulfills 8 percent of the daily requirement of the vitamin.
There are many fortified foods like cereals which are a good source of vitamins. Shitake mushrooms are another source of vitamins.

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