A healthy, balanced diet is a very necessary thing that you should have every single day of your life. If you do not strive to achieve this, then you will suffer from imbalances and deficiencies. One of the most important nutrient that your body should assimilate everyday from your balanced diet is vitamin B12. If you lack this vitamin, you will experience depression, mania, anemia, and fatigue. If this deficiency is not treated and you suffer for a long time, then you will have permanent damage to your central nervous system and brain.
Also known as cobalamin, vitamin B12 can be obtained through the intake of prepared supplements. But like other vitamins, you could readily have your daily dose of vitamin B12 through natural means. Natural vitamin B12 sources, if taken in right amounts, will help you prevent all the diseases related to its deficiency. Take a look at some of them and maybe you may be able to incorporate them into your diet:
1. Eggs
Eggs are also natural vitamin B12 sources. If you prefer the raw yellow of the chicken egg, then you will get 100 grams or 33% RDA of vitamin B12. Goose eggs give you a 112% RDA of vitamin B12 for every 100 g, while a duck’s egg can give you 63%. Eggs are healthy food items that you could get used to having in your diet. Some people stay away from eggs because of the cholesterol issues that they have. But in moderation, eggs can really give you a lot of benefits.
2. Cheese
One of the common everyday natural vitamin B12 sources is cheese. There are many people who eat cheese. They use it in their sandwiches, pasta, salads, desserts, and other dishes they could come up with. The vitamin B12 content that you can get from cheese depends on the variety that you purchase. A 100-gram of Swiss cheese gives you 56% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA); Mozzarella gives you an RDA of 39%; Feta provides 28% RDA; Tilsit, 35%; Gjetost 40%; and Parmesan, 38%.
3. Yogurt and milk
Dairy products such as yogurt and milk are also natural vitamin B12 sources. You should just choose the non-fat variety of yogurt that gives you about 10 percent RDA of B12 and 15 percent RDA for every cup. A hundred grams of low fat milk gives you 8 percent RDA of B12 and 19 percent RDA for every cup full.
4. Whey
Powdered whey protein used to be just a food item that is for those who would want to build body mass. But these days, vegetarians are already using it as an alternative for meat. Whey powder is now being incorporated in smoothie and bread recipes. About a hundred grams gives you 42% RDA of vitamin B12.
5. Calf’s liver
One of the most valuable natural vitamin B12 sources is calf’s liver. About a pound of this organ meat a day could give you your needed B12 allowance. It has very high amounts of cobalamin that could help people to absorb it at a much faster rate, thus preventing pernicious anemia.
6. Marmite (yeast extract)
In Europe, especially in Britain, yeast extract is very popular. As years went by, it reached the US as agood protein alternative for vegetarians. This is one of the natural vitamin B12 sources that gives you 8% RDA of B12 for every 100 grams and about 1% RDA for every teaspoonful.
7. Other B12 sources
There are natural vitamin B12 sources that are known as analogues that only contain similar forma of B12. Such food items are fermented soy, spirulina, and nori. For those vegetarian that are more likely to be deficient in vitamin B12, some good natural vitamin B12 sources are eggs (free-range), cereals (fortified), and margarine (sunflower). For those who are not vegetarians, some ideal sources are Brie cheese, milk, large poached egg, turkey, chicken, beef, rockfish, salmon, and crab. This is basically why vegetarians suffer from so many vitamin deficiencies.
Discuss all these given natural vitamin B12 sources with your doctor so that you may be sure that you eat the right amounts. If you have suddenly decided to become a vegetarian, then you should ask a licensed dietitian as well to provide some more guidance with regard to the right alternative natural vitamin B12 sources that you could include in your daily diet. It is very important for you to get the right amounts of B12 do that you could avoid any diseases from its deficiency, namely pernicious anemia. Having a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle will assure you this and also a much better state of health as well.