What Does Your RDI Look Like: Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is extremely important for your health because it helps maintain nerve cells and red blood cells. More importantly though, it's needed in order to make DNA, the genetic material found in every cell in your body. An adult woman needs 2.4 micrograms (mcg) of B12 a day. If she's pregnant she needs 2.6 mcg, and if she's breastfeeding, she needs 2.8 mcg. That's a pretty small amount, but the thing is, it's found mostly in animal products, so if you don't eat meat, you want to be sure to get B12 from other sources.
Are you getting your RDI? To find out read more.
| Food | Amount of B12 |
| 1 piece chicken breast | .6 mcg |
| 3 oz. turkey (dark meat) | .3 mcg |
| 3 oz. shellfish | 84 mcg (whoa!) |
| 3 oz. shrimp | 1 mcg |
| 3 oz. trout | 5.4 mcg |
| 3 oz. haddock | 1.2 mcg |
| 3 oz. tuna | 1 mcg |
| 3 oz. pork | .6 mcg |
| 3 oz. sirloin steak | 1.5 mcg |
| 3 oz. hamburger | 2.1 mcg |
| 1 cup tempeh | .1 mcg |
| 6 oz. yogurt | 1.4 mcg |
| .9 mcg | |
| 1 cup Edensoy Extra vanilla soy milk | 3 mcg |
| 1 cup Organic Valley chocolate soy milk | 3 mcg |
| 1 oz. cheddar cheese | .2 mcg |
| 1/2 cup ricotta cheese | .4 mcg |
| 1 cup cottage cheese | 1.6 mcg |
| 1 egg | .6 mcg |
| 1 tbsp. Red Star nutritional yeast | 4 mcg |
| 3.4 cup Kashi Heart to Heart cereal | 6 mcg |
| 3.4 cup Barbara's Honey Nut O's cereal | .6 mcg |
| 1 Barbara's Apple Cinnamon Fruit & Yogurt Bar | .2 mcg |
Link Love
- Go ahead and plate up some pasta; these recipes are healthy — Real Simple
- Healthify your chocolate torte with sweet potatoes! — Vegetarian Times
- Bob Greene's advice for staying sane and healthy — POPSUGAR Smart Living
- Healthy reasons to not follow recipes when making meals — Self
- Low-calorie sweets that please the palate and satisfy — Fitness
- Reasons you should join a CSA — Fit Bottomed Girls
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