With a lot of nutrients, it is often believed that plant based or vegetarian diets lack the amount required for a healthy functioning body. Vitamin B is one such nutrient. While it is true that majority of B12 rich food items are non vegetarian, it is not impossible to find B12 vitamin foods for vegetarian eaters.
It is also extremely important too, as a lack of vitamin B12 can lead to serious health consequences, such as pernicious anaemia.
Here are some vegetarian delights that are also rich in vitamin B12
1. Dairy products
Eating dairy products is one of the simplest ways to get enough vitamin B12 in a vegetarian diet. No matter what meal you want to incorporate it into, there is an option making dairy products great B12 vitamin foods for vegetarians. For breakfast, add milk to your B12-fortified cereal, for lunch, you can add buttermilk or curd, for snacks and other dishes, there is cheese, and for days you feel indulgent, there are always milk sweets. All these vitamin B foods vegetarians can have, making it easier to get the required nutrition.
2. Nutritional yeast
These deactivated yeast flakes are a powerhouse of B12, with just 2 tablespoons providing over 100% of the daily recommended value. This makes nutritional yeast an important addition to the list of B12 vitamin foods for vegetarian eaters. It also significantly helps that nutritional yeast tastes cheesy, making it great for sprinkling on popcorn, or pasta, or adding to smoothies and salad dressings.
3. Fortified plant-based milks
While a lot of plant-based milks have many benefits on their own, many brands also fortify the milk with nutrients like vitamin B12. If you are looking for natural B12 sources vegan special, then this looks promising. Make sure you check the label to choose a brand that is fortified.
4. Tempeh
Soya is a great source of a lot of nutrients to begin with, and tempeh, which is a fermented soy product is a good source of B12, as well as protein, fibre, and probiotics making it rank quite high on the list of B12 vitamin foods for vegetarian eaters. If you are looking for vitamin B12 foods vegetarian, Indian especially, tempeh can be a fun experiment. You can add whatever flavours you want, and cook it however you’d like. Marinate and grill it, crumble it into tacos, or use it in stir-fries and curries.
5. Lentils
This is another great option when it comes to vitamin B12 foods vegetarian Indian. The legumes are packed with protein, fibre, and B12. They're also versatile and can be used in soups, stews, salads, and dips. So whether you are making a pesarattu, or a tahini dip, or plain old dal, lentils are great B12 vitamin foods for vegetarian eaters.
6. Swiss cheese
While this is slightly controversial when it comes to B12 vitamin foods for vegetarian eaters, since a lot of cheese brands don’t identify as vegetarian food options but one ounce of Swiss cheese contains about 30% of the daily recommended value of B12. Flavour and nutrients together? Amazing! Enjoy it on a sandwich, or melted on top of your favourite vegetables.
7. Nori
If you like Japanese food, you know just how good nori tastes. It also helps that this amazing ingredient also features on the list of B12 vitamin foods for vegetarian eaters. A type of seaweed, Nori is a good source of B12, as well as iodine and other essential nutrients. You can enjoy it in sushi rolls, or crumble it on top of salads and soups.
8. Shiitake mushrooms
Mushrooms are a great source of nutrients for vegetarians in general, and then shiitake mushrooms contain a small amount of B12 and other nutrients like vitamin D and copper, making them important contenders of B12 vitamin foods for vegetarian eaters. You can saute them, add them to soups and stews.