Breadcrumb
- Home
- Healthy Eating & Physical Activity
- Food and Nutrition
- Nutrients
- Quick Nutrition Check For Vitamin B12
Content Map Terms
Healthy Eating & Physical Activity Categories
-
Active for Health
-
Age and Stage
-
Infants, Children and Youth
- Child Who Is Overweight: Evaluating Nutrition and Activity Patterns
- Child Who Is Overweight: Medical Evaluation
- Eczema and Food Allergy in Babies and Young Children
- Food Allergy Testing
- HealthLink BC Eating and Activity Program for Kids
- Healthy Eating for Children
- Helping Your Child Who Is Overweight
- Interactive Tool: What Is Your Child's BMI?
- Reducing Risk of Food Allergy in Your Baby
- Snack Ideas for Preschoolers
- Your Toddler: Nutritious Meals for Picky Eaters
- Physical Activity for Infants, Children and Youth
- Older Adults
- Living well during your pregnancy
- Menopause and Perimenopause
-
Infants, Children and Youth
-
Being Active
- Health Benefits of Physical Activity
- SMART Goal Setting
-
Getting Started
- Getting Started: Adding More Physical Activity to Your Life
- Quick Tips: Fitting Physical Activity Into Your Day
- Quick Tips: Getting Active as a Family
- Fitness: Adding More Activity To Your Life
- Getting Started With Flexibility and Exercise
- Fitness Machines
- Fitness Clothing and Gear
- The Three Types of Physical Activity
- Overcoming Barriers: Adding More Physical Activity to your Life
-
Choosing Your Activity
- How to Choose Safe Equipment
- Exercising While Sitting Down
- Fitness DVDs and Videos
- Tips for Picking the Right Activities
- Quick Tips: Getting in Shape Without Spending Money
- Fitness: Walking for Wellness
- Walk Your Way To Health
- Tai Chi and Qi Gong
- Water Exercise
- Yoga
- Bob's Story: Biking for Health
- Exercise and Physical Activity Ideas
- Fitness: Choosing Activities That Are Right for You
-
Staying Active
- Fitness: Getting and Staying Active
- Fitness: Making It a Habit
- Quick Tips: Having Enough Energy to Stay Active
- Quick Tips: Staying Active at Home
- Quick Tips: Staying Active When You Travel
- Physical Activity in Winter
- Quick Tips: Staying Active in Cold Weather
- Quick Tips: Staying Active in Hot Weather
- Injury Prevention and Recovery
- Fitness and Exercise Learning Centre
-
Conditions
- Diabetes and Hypoglycemia
- Eating Disorders
- Eating Right When You Have More Than One Health Problem
- Being Active When You Have Health Problems
- Physical Activity and Disease Prevention
- Anemia
- Arthritis and Osteoporosis
- Physiotherapy for Low Back Pain
- Low Back Pain: Exercises to Reduce Pain
- Cancer
-
Digestive
- Managing Constipation in Adults
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for People with Diverticular Disease
- Fibre and Your Health
- Lower Fibre Food Choices
- Eating Guidelines For Gallbladder Disease
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Lactose Intolerance
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for People with Peptic Ulcers
- Bowel Disease: Changing Your Diet
- Celiac Disease: Eating a Gluten-Free Diet
- GERD: Controlling Heartburn by Changing Your Habits
- Food Allergies
-
Heart
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Coronary Artery Disease: Exercising for a Healthy Heart
- DASH Diet Sample Menu
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for People Taking Warfarin Anticoagulants
- Healthy Eating to Lower High Blood Pressure
- Healthy Diet Guidelines for a Healthy Heart
- Heart Arrhythmias and Exercise
- Heart Failure: Eating a Healthy Diet
- Heart Failure: Track Your Weight, Food and Sodium
- Heart-Healthy Eating
- Heart-Healthy Eating: Fish and Fish Oil
- Heart-Healthy Lifestyle
- High Blood Pressure: Nutrition Tips
- High Cholesterol: How a Dietitian Can Help
- Modify Recipes for a Heart-Healthy Diet
- Peripheral Arterial Disease and Exercise
- Physical Activity Helps Prevent a Heart Attack and Stroke
- High Blood Pressure: Using the DASH Diet
- Healthy Eating: Eating Heart-Healthy Foods
- Heart Health: Walking for a Healthy Heart
- Exercise and Fibromyalgia
- Kidney and Liver
- Lupus: Healthy Eating
- Mutiple Sclerosis
- Parkinson's Disease and Exercise
- Spinal Cord
-
Food and Nutrition
-
Eating Habits
- Developing a Plan for Healthy Eating
- Drinking Enough Water
- Emotional Eating
- Food Journaling: How to Keep Track of What You Eat
- Healthy Eating: Getting Support When Changing Your Eating Habits
- Healthy Eating: Making Healthy Choices When You Eat Out
- Healthy Eating: Making Healthy Choices When You Shop
- Healthy Eating: Overcoming Barriers to Change
- Healthy Eating: Starting a Plan for Change
- Healthy Eating: Staying With Your Plan
- Plant-based Foods
- Sugary Drinks and Other Beverages
- Sodium
-
Nutrients
- Added Sugars
- Antioxidants
- Antioxidants and Your Diet
- Carbohydrate Foods
- Carbohydrate, Proteins, Fats and Blood Sugar
- Choosing a Vitamin and Mineral Supplements
- Cholesterol and Triglycerides: Eating Fish and Fish Oil
- Comparing Sugar Substitute
- Dietary Fats and Your Health
- Dietary Guidelines for Good Health
- Dietary Reference Intake
- Eating Protein
- Calcium and Your Health
- Food Sources of Vitamin K
- Getting Enough Calcium and Vitamin D
- Getting Enough Fibre
- Getting Enough Folic Acid
- Getting Enough Iron
- Getting Enough Potassium
- Healthy Eating: Cutting Unhealthy Fats From Your Diet
- Healthy Eating: Taking Calcium and Vitamin D
- High Potassium Eating
- High Potassium Foods
- Iron and Your Health
- Iron in Foods
- Low-Potassium Foods
- Major Nutrients in Food
- Minerals: Their Functions and Sources
- Non-Milk Sources of Calcium
- Quick Nutrition Check for Protein
- Quick Nutrition Check for Protein: Sample Menus
- Quick Nutrition Check for Vitamin B12
- Types of Fats
- Vitamins: Their Functions and Sources
- Food Labels
- Plan, Shop and Prepare
- Food, Water and Beverage Safety
- Canada's Food Guide FAQs
- Food Security
- Vegetarian Diets
-
Eating Habits
-
Healthy Weights
- About Healthy Weights
- Genetic Influences on Weight
- Screening for Weight Problems
- Unplanned Weight Loss
- Quick Tips: Cutting Calories
- Physical Activity for Weight Loss
- Weight Loss by Limiting Calories
- Tips for Maintaining Weight Loss
- Choosing a Weight-Loss Program
- Boosting Your Metabolism
- Exercise Helps Maggie Stay at a Healthy Weight
- Healthy Eating: Recognizing Your Hunger Signals
- Hunger, Fullness, and Appetite Signals
- Weight Management
- Weight Management: Stop Negative Thoughts
- Maggie's Strategies for Eating Healthy
- Maggie: Making Room for Worth-It Foods
- Maggie's Story: Making Changes for Her Health
- Weight Management Centre
-
Policies and Guidelines
-
Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Making Bake Sales Delicious and Nutritious
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Boosting the Sales of Nutritious Food in Schools
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Food Fundraiser Ideas for Schools
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Involving Everyone in Implementing the Guidelines
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Selling Food and Beverages at School Sporting Events
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Planning Healthy Cafeteria Menus
- Healthier Choices in Vending Machines
-
Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools
- Provincial Nutrition Resource Inventory
-
Forms and Tools
- Walking Log
- Exercise Planning Form
- Physical Activity Log
- Par-Q+ and ePARmed-X+
- Target Heart Rate
- Interactive Tool: What is Your Target Heart Rate
- Borg-Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale
- Overview of BC Provincial and Federal Nutrition Benefits Programs
- Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Body Mass Index (BMI) for Adults
- Interactive Tool: Do Your BMI and Waist Size Increase Your Health Risks?
- Measuring Your Waist
- Body Fat Testing
- Fitness: Using a Pedometer, Step Counter, or Wearable Device
- Email a HealthLinkBC Dietitian
- Email a Qualified Exercise Professional
Your body needs vitamin B12 to help keep your nerve and red blood cells healthy and to make DNA, the genetic material in your cells. If you don’t get enough vitamin B12 you might develop anemia and feel tired and weak.
Vitamin B12 is naturally found only in animal foods such as meat, fish, seafood, poultry, eggs, milk, yogurt and cheese. It is also added to some foods and beverages like fortified plant based beverages, meat substitutes and nutritional yeast.
This fact sheet provides information on how much vitamin B12 you need and how to check if you get enough vitamin B12 in your diet.
Steps You Can Take
1. Find out how much vitamin B12 you need
Age | Recommended daily amount of vitamin B12 (micrograms or mcg) | Stay below |
---|---|---|
1 - 3 years | 0.9 |
|
4 - 8 years | 1.2 | |
9 - 13 years | 1.8 | |
14 - 70+ years | 2.4 | |
Pregnant | 2.6 | |
Breastfeeding | 2.8 |
Adults older than 50 years: Older adults do not absorb naturally occurring vitamin B12 very well. Adults over 50 should get the recommended amount of vitamin B12 from fortified foods or a supplement.
Vegetarians: Vegetarian diets, in particular vegan diets, need to be planned carefully to meet vitamin B12 needs. If you follow a vegan diet and avoid all animal foods including eggs, milk, yogurt and cheese, you'll need to get vitamin B12 from fortified foods and/or a supplement.
2. Find out how much vitamin B12 you eat
To estimate the amount of vitamin B12 in your diet, keep a food record for one or two days. Record what and how much you eat and drink. Add up the vitamin B12 in your diet using the amounts in foods listed below.
Food | Portion | Vitamin B12 (mcg) |
---|---|---|
Meat, fish, seafood, poultry and eggs | ||
Liver, beef, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 62.4 |
Mussels, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 18.0 |
Mackerel, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 14.3 |
Clams, canned | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 14.0 |
Sardines, canned in oil, drained | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 6.7 |
Trout, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 5.6 |
Salmon, Pink, canned with bone | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 3.7 |
Beef, regular ground, pan-fried | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 2.7 |
Beef, hip, rump roast, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 2.3 |
Tuna, light, canned in water, drained | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 2.2 |
Salmon, Atlantic farmed, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 2.1 |
Egg, hard boiled | 2 large | 1.6 |
Pork, loin, rib roast, roasted | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 0.8 |
Ham, honey, smoked, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 0.3 |
Chicken, breast, no skin, roasted | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 0.3 |
Chicken, whole leg, no skin, roasted | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 0 3 |
Fortified Soy foods** | ||
Meatless deli slices | 75g (2 ½ oz) | 3.0 |
Meatless wiener | 1 wiener (70 g) | 1.6 |
Veggie burger, soy | 1 patty (70 g) | 1.4 |
Soy beverage, fortified | 250 mL (1 cup) | 1 0 |
Milk, yogurt and cheese | ||
Milk, (skim, 1%, 2%) | 250 mL (1 cup) | 1.3 |
Cheese, cottage, 2% | 250 mL (1 cup) | 1.1 |
Buttermilk, 2% | 250 mL (1 cup) | 1.0 |
Cheese, (edam, gouda) | 175 mL (3/4 cup) | 0.8 |
Greek yogurt, 2% | 175 mL (3/4 cup) | 0.6 |
Yogurt (fruit and plain) | 175 mL (3/4 cup) | 0.5 |
Cheese (cheddar, mozzarella) | 50 g (1 ½ oz) | 0 4 |
Other * | ||
Nutritional yeast, fortified, large flake | 16g, 30 mL (2 heaping tbsp.) | 8.0 |
Almond or rice beverage, fortified | 250 mL (1 cup) | 1.0 |
Source: Canadian Nutrient File, Accessed November 2019
**Check the nutrition facts table for amounts of vitamin B12 in fortified food products.
Additional Resources
For information and advice based on your specific food and nutrition needs and preferences, call 8-1-1 and ask to speak to a HealthLink BC dietitian.
For additional information, see the following resources:
- HealthLink BC www.healthlinkbc.ca – Get medically approved non-emergency health information.
- Canadian Nutrient File - https://food-nutrition.canada.ca/cnf-fce/index-eng.jsp
Contact Physical Activity Services
If you have questions about physical activity or exercise, call 8-1-1 (or 7-1-1 for the deaf and hard of hearing) toll-free in B.C. Our qualified exercise professionals are available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm Pacific Time. You can also leave a message after hours.
Translation services are available in more than 130 languages.
HealthLinkBC’s qualified exercise professionals can also answer your questions by email.
Contact a Dietitian
If you have any questions about healthy eating, food, or nutrition, call 8-1-1 (or 7-1-1 for the deaf and hard of hearing) toll-free in B.C. You can speak to a health service navigator who can connect you with one of our registered dietitians, who are available 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. You can also leave a message after hours.
Translations services are available in more than 130 languages.
HealthLinkBC Dietitians can also answer your questions by email.