Vitamin B12

Benifits
Vitamin B12 helps your body produce red blood cells and DNA and reduces levels of homocysteine -- an amino acid that may raise your risk of heart disease.

Medfit Recommendation
The government guidelines recommend a daily intake of 2.4 micrograms (mcg) of B12 to prevent deficiency, but for optimal health and disease prevention, WE recommends a daily dose of 25 mcg. To get this much -- particularly if you’re a strict vegetarian -- you’ll probably need to rely on supplements or fortified foods. In fact, B12 may be easier to absorb in supplement form.

If you’re over 50 years of age, have acid reflux, or have been told by your doctor that your body has trouble absorbing B12, aim for 400–800 mcg per day to give your body a better chance of absorbing what it needs. Don’t worry about overdoing it -- there’s no upper limit on B12, which means there’s no evidence that high levels (up to 1,000 mcg) are harmful.

Good Sources
Clams, canned (3 ounces) 84 mcg
Liver, calf’s, pan-fried (3 ounces) 70 mcg
Oysters, raw (6 medium) 16 mcg
Salmon, canned (3 ounces) 4 mcg
Tuna, light, canned in water (3 ounces) 2.5 mcg
Nutritional yeast (2 teaspoons) 2.5 mcg
Ground beef, 85% lean (3 ounces) 2 mcg
Lamb, loin chop (3 ounces) 2 mcg
Yogurt, plain, low-fat (8 ounces) 1.3 mcg
Cottage cheese, 2% milk fat (1/2 cup) 0.8 mcg