Banana contains no vitamin B12. Actually, only a few foods are good dietary sources of vitamin B12.
Health benefits of vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is involved in DNA synthesis, red blood cell formation, cellular energy production, and the proper function of the central nervous system.[1,2]
Vitamin B12 deficiency may lead to anemia, neuropathy, neurodegenerative disease and cognitive impairment.
Pregnant women should get enough vitamin B12 to decrease the risk of neural tube defect.
How much vitamin B12 do we need a day?
The recommended daily intake of vitamin B12 is 2.4 mcg. Both for women and men.
Pregnant and lactating women require slightly higher doses of 2.6 mcg and 2.8 mcg, respectively.
Is vitamin B12 deficiency common?
Actually, vitamin B12 deficiency is pretty common. We can’t synthesize it. We have to get it from food. But, there aren’t many common foods high in vitamin B12.
Only certain animal-based foods are good dietary sources of vitamin B12.
On the other hand, most plant-based foods contain no vitamin B12 whatsoever. Only fortified cereals, juices, and nutritional yeasts are rich in vitamin B12.
How much vitamin B12 in a banana?
Although banana has a great nutritional value, it contains no vitamin B12. Neither other banana products, like banana chips, or green banana flour contain any vitamin B12.
Consuming banana has many health benefits, though. For instance, banana is good for weight loss. Due to its high fiber content, banana can control appetite and decrease cravings for fattening food.
Also, it’s a great late-night snack. If you want to lose weight, prefer eating green bananas. They contain less sugar!
Furthermore, banana has many vitamins, minerals, and other compounds which are crucial for a good metabolism. For instance, banana is a good dietary source of vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium, while it contains decent amounts of zinc, and calcium!
Hence, banana smoothie is the most convenient snack for weight loss.
Foods high in vitamin B12
Actually, only animal-based products are good dietary sources of vitamin B12.
There aren’t many common plant-based foods high in vitamin B12. Tempeh, some types of algae and seaweed, like chlorella, as well as fortified foods are the only good vegan dietary sources of vitamin B12.
Beef liver is the richest food in vitamin B12. Just a serving contains more than 70 mcg of vitamin B12. This dose is 2,940% of the recommended daily intake! But, we shouldn’t eat beef liver regularly. It may lead to vitamin A overdose, as it’s extremely high in vitamin A.
Common foods high in vitamin B12 are fish, milk, dairy, eggs, chicken, and meat.
Cow’s milk is the most important dietary source of vitamin B12, though. Not only it’s rich in vitamin B12, but also, vitamin B12 in milk is highly bioavailable.
Furthermore, we could boost our vitamin B12 intake with dietary supplements. You’ll find a wide variety of vitamin B12 supplements on iHerb. Vegans should benefit the most.
Vitamin B12 supplements are considered pretty safe. In fact, vitamin B12 toxicity is rather uncommon. Even extremely high dosages of 1,000 mcg are rather unlikely to cause any side effect.
