Clams and other mollusks
Clams and other mollusks
Clams, with 98 micrograms of vitamin B12 per 100 g, are at the top of the foods with this vitamin. But they are not only rich in B12, but they are also a good source of iron and protein, so they are ideal for preventing and fighting anemia, whether iron or due to vitamin B12 deficiency. Another of its advantages is that it combines very well with countless foods (rice, fish, pasta, vegetables …) so it will not cost you to introduce them into your diet.
- More options. Other mollusks such as mussels or oysters also provide a similar amount of this vitamin.
Find out how to avoid iron deficiency anemia.
Beef liver
Beef liver
The viscera of animals are another important source of vitamin B12 and among them, the liver of veal stands out, without a doubt. Although it is not the most popular food, it is at the forefront of foods rich in this vitamin since it contains more than 80 micrograms per 100 g of liver. Far from the amount of vitamin B12 provided by lamb (59 µg / 100 g), pork (26 µg / 100 g) or chicken liver (15 µg / 100 g).
- Alternatives. If you don't like offal, you can simply turn to veal; It provides much less vitamin B12, but it is still an amount to take into account if we compare it with that provided by other foods. Thus, with 100 g of beef tenderloin, you get 1.6 µg of vitamin B12.
Blue fish
Blue fish
Fish, and specifically, oily fish, is a great way to get the amount of vitamin B12 you need. Mackerel contains the most (19 µg / 100 g), followed by sardines and herring, which provide between 8 and 9 micrograms, and salmon with 5 micrograms is to a lesser extent.
- More benefits. All of them are also rich in protein and omega 3 fatty acids.
Cheeses
Cheeses
The amount of vitamin B12 it provides varies from one type of cheese to another. Thus blue cheese contains only 0.59 µg / 100 g, in the case of cured goat cheese or cheddar the amount already rises to 1.5 µg / 100 g, brie reaches 1.7 µg / 100 g and camembert 2.6 µg / 100 g. Swiss cheese, with 3.3 micrograms per 100 g, and Parmesan (2.3) have the most.
- Eye to the data. Although these amounts are not as significant as those that can be found in meat or fish, they are not negligible and, above all, they are of great interest (as is the case with eggs) for vegetarians, since Getting the amount of vitamin B12 they need in other ways can be very difficult for them.
Eggs
Eggs
From the point of view of vitamin B12, the most interesting is found in the yolk since it provides 2 µg / 100 g and the white only 0.1 µg / 100 g.
- Highly recommended Remember that the egg is considered one of the most complete foods that exist since it not only contains a large amount of nutrients, but they also have a high index of bioavailability; that is, our body absorbs them in a large percentage.
Find out here how many eggs you can eat on a diet.
Fortified foods
Fortified foods
In the supermarket you can find cereals, vegetable milks and foods such as nutritional yeast fortified with different vitamins, including vitamin B12.
- In general, they usually provide around 15% of the daily amount we need, but to be sure it is best to check what it says on the label.
We often associate anemia with a lack of iron, but it can also be caused by a lack of vitamin B12. As the dietician-nutritionist Ana Amengual, from the Julia Farré center points out, the only food sources of vitamin B12 in representative quantities are meat, fish and seafood.
Other sources of vitamin B12
It is true that there are foods of plant origin that contain it, but it is in an inactive form, that is, we absorb it in less quantity and, in addition, the one that is absorbed does not perform the metabolic functions that it should. While it appears that Chlorella algae does have active vitamin B12, it is still being investigated. It is important not to take the active vitamin B12 together with the inactive one because this hinders the absorption of the former.
And if, in addition to taking note of the foods that contain it, you want to know why it is so important to take this vitamin, what it is for, what symptoms indicate that you are lacking or when it is necessary to take supplements, you have to read this.
