If you are eating plant-based, you may have received questions about where you get your B12. It’s true – it can be tricky to get enough B12. This guide will help!
Save this post if you’re concerned about B12 and comment ‘recipe’ if you’d like these featured recipes!
Unlike many other nutrients, vitamin B12 isn’t always found in reliable amounts in plant foods. That’s why fortified foods and supplements are especially important for vegans!
The amounts are listed below:
- Fortified plant-based milks: ~1–3 mcg per cup
- Fortified nutritional yeast: ~2.4–8 mcg per 2 tbsp
- Fortified plant-based meat alternatives: ~0.5–2.5 mcg per 100 g
- Fortified plant-based yogurts: ~0.5–1.5 mcg per 3/4 cup serving
- Fortified cereals: amount varies ~ 1mcg
- Tempeh: 100 g of tempeh (~5.6 mcg)
- Shiitake Mushrooms: B12 level can vary, but for 50 g, 2.5 mcg is consumed on average
- Seaweed/Algae: 5 g package (10 sheets), 3 mcg
- Megafood B12: 500 mcg
Dietitian tip: Adults need 2.4 mcg of vitamin B12 daily (2.8 mcg if breastfeeding). Since B12 absorption is limited, simply meeting this amount on paper doesn’t always guarantee adequate absorption. A reliable B12 supplement is often the easiest way to meet your needs on a vegan diet. Try Megafood Vegan B12 which is made from real food sources!
Vitamin B12 is essential for:
- Healthy nerve function
- Red blood cell formation
- DNA synthesis
Save this post for your next grocery trip and share it with someone eating more plant-based meals!
What’s your go-to source of vitamin B12?