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Home > NEW GREEN CUISINE > Safe Food Watch

Top 10 Real Food Sources of Vitamin B12: Brain Food

See more of The Real Food Diet and the Super Food Index.

By Kaitlyn Dreyling

Health Benefits of Vitamin B12

vitamin b12, woman, library, books woman carrying a stack of books in a library

Vitamin B12 helps maintain nerve cells and red blood cells and is also an essential in making the DNA found in all cells. It\'s brain food. Because the nutrient is found in meat, fish and dairy, vegans and vegetarians are more susceptible to Vitamin B12 deficiency.\r\n

\r\nThe Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is 2.4 μg for both men and women.\r\n

\r\nHere are the top 10 food sources of Vitamin B12 according to the USDA\'s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

1. Clams

clams, vitamin b12, superfoods, iron, potassium, real food diet clams

Whether you like them raw on the half shell or cooked in your clam chowder, three ounces of these mollusks boast 84.1 μg of Vitamin B12. A king of the superfoods, clams are also a top source of potassium and the No. 1 source of iron.\r\n

\r\nClams are unlikely to be contaminated, and according to the Environmental Defense Fund\'s Seafood Selector, the farming of the most common clams in the U.S. (northern quahogs) does little ecological damage.\r\n

\r\nRecipes:\r\n
\r\nLinguine with White Clam Sauce

2. Beef

beef, vitamin b12 beef steak

Three ounces of beef has 70.7 μg of Vitamin B12. Look for local grass-fed beef to limit the environmental impact of raising cattle.\r\n

\r\nRecipes:\r\n
\r\nBeef and Barley with Mushrooms\r\n
\r\nBeef Brisket with Fresh and Dried Mushroom\r\n
\r\nGrandma Kelly’s Organic Beef Stew\r\n
\r\nPlum-spiced Beef Brisket\r\n
\r\nChayote in Ground Beef Tomato Sauce\r\n
\r\nShepherd’s Pie with Brown Ale

3. Turkey

turkey, vitamin b12 sliced turkey

Heritage turkeys are full of flavor and also deliver 48.2 μg of Vitamin B12 per cup of meat.\r\n

\r\nRecipes:\r\n
\r\nTurkey and Vegetable Stir Fry\r\n
\r\nTurkey Scallopini with Apricot Sauce\r\n
\r\nTurkey Curry\r\n
\r\nRoasting Heritage Turkeys\r\n
\r\nMaple-Glazed Turkey with Sage-Infused Butter\r\n
\r\nHearty Turkey Soup\r\n
\r\nTurkey Cutlets with Spicy Eggplant Relish\r\n
\r\nAchiote-Citrus Roasted Heritage Turkey\r\n
\r\nOrange Rosemary Turkey, Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Arugula\r\n
\r\nHerb Grilled Turkey Breast with Mushroom Quinoa and Asparagus

\r\n

4. Oysters

oysters, vitamin b12 oysters on the half shell on ice

Another mollusk that is a good source of Vitamin B12 are oysters. Six medium oysters have 16.4 μg of Vitamin B12. A true superfood, oysters are also a top source of iron.\r\n

\r\nWild oysters can have high amounts of contaminants, and may be harvested using destructive methods, according to Environmental Defense Fund\'s Seafood Selector, so stick with farmed Pacific or edible (a.k.a. European) oysters. Enjoy them on the half shell, or try these recipes:\r\n

\r\nRecipes:\r\n
\r\nRoasted Oysters with Shallots and Herbs\r\n
\r\nOyster Chowder\r\n
\r\nFresh Oysters with Champagne Vinaigrette

5. Chicken

chicken, vitamin b12 roast chicken on a platter

This bird is also a good source of Vitamin B12 with 13.7 μg per cup.\r\n

\r\nStick with organic chicken or poultry from a local farm to avoid meat that’s been bathed in chlorine.\r\n

\r\nRecipes:\r\n
\r\nSunday Roast Chicken\r\n
\r\nApple and Sage-Roasted Chicken\r\n
\r\nChicken Tangine and Green Olives\r\n
\r\nGlazed Chicken\r\n
\r\nEasiest Roast Chicken Dinner\r\n
\r\nCountry Curried Chicken\r\n
\r\nWarm Chicken and Apple Salad\r\n
\r\nLemon-Mint Chicken Cutlets on Watercress\r\n
\r\nBaked Honey-Mustard Chicken and Vegetables\r\n
\r\nChicken Soup\r\n
\r\nBoneless Chicken with Potato-Pepper Hash\r\n
\r\nQuinoa Crusted Chicken\r\n
\r\nPasta with Chicken and Pesto\r\n
\r\nBistro Chicken and Eggplant Sandwich\r\n
\r\nChicken Burgers\r\n
\r\nChicken Couscous Salad\r\n
\r\nBroiled Chicken and Panzanella\r\n
\r\nBBQ Chicken\r\n
\r\nCampanelle with Chicken and Pea-Mint Pesto\r\n
\r\nRosemary-Garlic Chicken\r\n
\r\nPreserved Lemon Chicken\r\n
\r\nJerk Chicken Kabobs\r\n
\r\nGrilled Chicken Marsala

6. Crab

crab, vitamin b12 crab

Three ounces of this crustacean has 9.8 μg of Vitamin B12.\r\n

\r\nAccording to the Environmental Defense Fund’s Seafood Selector, Dungeness and stone crab have low amounts of contaminants and fishing cause very little habitat damage. Also, if you buy red and blue king crabs, look for ones from the U.S.\r\n

\r\nRecipe:\r\n
\r\nDungeness Crab and Mussel Chowder

\r\n

7. Salmon

salmon, vitamin b12 salmon fillet

Half a filet of salmon has 9.0 μg of Vitamin B12.\r\n

\r\nLook for wild salmon from Alaska, because the Environmental Defense Fund\'s Seafood Selector shows these fish come from well-maintained fisheries and have low contaminants. Another option is Artic Char, which mostly comes from eco-friendly farms.\r\n

\r\nRecipes:\r\n
\r\nHoney-Lime Wild Salmon\r\n
\r\nRed Chili-Rubbed Salmon\r\n
\r\nSalmon Pie\r\n
\r\nTeriyaki Salmon with Gingery Chard\r\n
\r\nCurried Stir-fry Salmon\r\n
\r\nHorseradish Crusted Wild Pacific Salmon\r\n
\r\nToasted Sesame Wild Salmon\r\n
\r\nWild Salmon with Ginger and Green Onions\r\n
\r\nSesame Wild Salmon with Bok Choy

8. Ready-to-Eat Cereals

cereal, vitamin b12 cereal with fruit and milk

Starting the day off with fortified cereals like Kellogg\'s Special K or General Mills\' Total Raisin Bran have around 6.0 μg of Vitamin B12 per cup. Look at your favorite cereal\'s label for nutrition facts. Choose cereals made from whole grains, and skip any with lots of added sugar.

9. Trout

trout, vitamin b12 rainbow trout on ice

Trout, a salmon relative, has 4.2 μg of Vitamin B12 in every three ounces.\r\n

\r\nBecause these fish are mostly farmed, the Environmental Defense Fund\'s Seafood Selector deems these fish as \"eco-best.\" All trout you\'ll find at the fish market come from U.S. farms with high environmental standards.\r\n

\r\nRecipes:\r\n
\r\nTrout with Beet-Horseradish Yogurt Sauce and Green Garlic Oil\r\n
\r\nSauteed Trout Fillet with Crispy Sage and Prosciutto\r\n
\r\nEgg and Smoked Trout Salad with Mayo

10. Herring

herring, vitamin b12 herring

These small fish offer 3.6 μg of Vitamin B12 in every three ounces.\r\n

\r\nLook for herring from the Atlantic as these fish have low amounts of contaminants, according to the Environmental Defense Fund\'s Seafood Selector.