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Vitamin B12 Foods for Vegetarians: How Much Do Milk, Curd and Eggs Give You?
If you're vegetarian, most of your vitamin B12 comes from just a few foods: milk, curd, paneer, cheese, and eggs if you eat them. So it's worth knowing roughly how much each one gives you. The numbers might surprise you.
How much do you need?
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) says most adults need 2.4 micrograms (µg) a day. That goes up to 2.6 µg in pregnancy and 2.8 µg while breastfeeding.
It's a tiny amount. But your body can't make B12 on its own, so it has to come from what you eat or from a supplement.
What your everyday foods give you
Here's what the NIH lists for common vegetarian foods. These are US figures, so Indian milk and curd may be a little different, but they give you a good idea:
- Milk, 1 cup (about 240 ml): about 1.3 µg
- Curd or plain yogurt, about 170 g (a small bowl): about 1.0 µg
- Cheese, about 40 g: about 0.5 µg
- Egg, 1 large: about 0.5 µg
- Fortified breakfast cereal, 1 serving: about 0.6 µg (check the pack)
- Fortified nutritional yeast, about ¼ cup: 8.3 to 24 µg, depending on the brand
One thing people often don't know: the NIH says plant foods don't contain vitamin B12 unless it's added. Dal, sabzi, fruit and grains are great for lots of reasons. B12 just isn't one of them.
Let's add up a normal day
Say you don't eat eggs, but you do have dairy:
- Morning chai with about half a cup of milk: around 0.65 µg
- A bowl of curd at lunch: around 1.0 µg
- A glass of milk at night: around 1.3 µg
That's about 2.9 µg, just over what an adult needs. Now skip the curd and the night-time milk. You're down to well under half. That's how B12 quietly falls short on busy days, or for anyone who doesn't really like dairy.
Easy ways to get a bit more
- Spread dairy through the day. Curd with lunch, a glass of chaas in the afternoon and milk at night all add up.
- Count your eggs if you eat them. Two eggs give about 1 µg.
- Look for vitamin B12 on food labels. Some cereals and nutritional yeasts have it added.
- If you avoid dairy, plan ahead. Vegans and people who eat very little dairy should talk to a doctor or dietitian about fortified foods or a supplement.
Eating enough isn't always enough
Some people don't absorb B12 well even when their diet is fine. The NIH mentions older adults, people with pernicious anaemia, coeliac disease or Crohn's disease, people who've had stomach or weight-loss surgery, and people who take metformin or acid-reducing medicines. If that sounds like you, ask your doctor whether a simple blood test makes sense.
The short version
- Adults need about 2.4 µg of vitamin B12 a day.
- For vegetarians, milk, curd, cheese and eggs are the main natural sources.
- Plants don't give B12 unless it's added.
- If you eat little dairy or have absorption problems, talk to your doctor.
Where Niroza Vitamin B12 fits in
If you and your doctor decide a supplement makes sense, Niroza Plant-Based Vitamin B12 gives 2.2 µg of vitamin B12 in 2 veg capsules (as stated on the label). The label suggests 1 capsule twice a day with lukewarm water, or as your doctor advises, for adults over 18. Please don't take more than that, and check with your doctor first if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, on any medicines or have a health condition.
This post is for general information, not medical advice. Niroza products aren't meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and they don't replace a varied diet.