Indian Vitamin B12 Rich Foods for Vegetarians
A micronutrient is an essential substitute for a healthy human being. Vitamins and minerals are the main micronutrients required for the human body.
Vitamins are needed in higher amounts than minerals. To maintain the amounts, all you have to do is balance your daily diet plan with many nutritional foods.
Now, there are majorly two food sources: plant and animal ones. Animal sources are more common and accessible as they contain rich dietary profiles.
This article will provide you with maintaining your vitamin b12 daily intake through a vegetarian diet.
What is Vitamin B12?
Vitamin b12 is one of the essential vitamins for the human body. It is water-soluble, but it has the slight characteristic of getting stored in muscles and the liver.
Vitamin b12 is also commonly known as cobalamin due to the presence of cobalt minerals in it. Vitamin b12 is a crucial nutrient for the body as it is involved in delicate and significant body functions.
This vitamin's primary operations involve:
- Brain and nerve cell maintenance.
- DNA synthesis.
- Red blood cell production.
- Regulation of cell metabolisms.
- Regulating tissue cells.
Now, the food sources of vitamin b12 usually come from animal and animal by-products such as meat, poultry, dairy products, milk, eggs, and many more.
There are still some sources of vitamin b12, like dry fruits, that are not animal sources.
However, it is pretty challenging to manage the vitamin b12 intake when consuming a vegetarian diet, but it is not something you cannot pull off.
Many vegetarian food sources do contain reasonable amounts of vitamin b12.
All you need to do is manage the intake and consume the food in higher quantities as they have a low nutrient profile.
5 Vitamin B12 Source for Vegetarians
Following are the best vegetarian sources of vitamin b12 that you can include in your diet plan to avoid vitamin b12 deficiency:
-
Dairy products
In a vegetarian diet plan, the dairy products you can include are whole milk and cheese. You can also consume others if they are suitable for you.
- Fortified foods
Fortified foods are the ones in which food experts incorporate nutrients by themselves. Fortified foods such as fortified cereals contain high amounts of vitamin b12. And they are easily accessible to you on a vegetarian diet plan.
- Nutritional yeast and yeast spread
Nutritional yeast is a prosperous source of vitamin b12 and protein. They are almost crucial in every diet plan, especially when a vegan or vegetarian diet plan.
Yeast spread is a fun product which is just a spread like cheese spread but it is fully vegan and contain high nutritional profile which involves high amounts of vitamin b12.
- Nori sheet
Nori sheet is often used in seafood recipes and also in sushi. They contain a great umami flavor. Nori sheet contains reasonable amounts of vitamin b12, making them perfect for a vegetarian diet.
- Mushrooms
Mushrooms are considered one of the best foods on a vegan or vegetarian diet plan as they are rich in protein and other essential nutrients.
All these foods are great vegetarian sources of vitamin b12. You need to pull off to consume all these vegetarian foods in the right amounts that will fulfill your vitamin b12 daily requirement.
The Final Takeaway
Vitamin b12 is an essential vitamin for the proper development of the human body. The daily intake of this nutrient is maintained by consuming rich food sources.
Now, the most common food sources of vitamin b12 come from animal sources which get in the way of a vegetarian diet.
But there is also plant seeds and vegetarian sources of vitamin b12 which enables you to complete your daily intake.