Parenting Tips: All the essential nutrients in right quantity are necessary for the physical and mental development of children. Every single vitamin and mineral is essential for the good development of the child. One important vitamin among these is B12. It performs many important functions for our body. It is essential for the development and functioning of the brain and nervous system. Apart from this, it also helps in the production of red blood cells.

Vitamin B12 deficiency in children can cause many problems, one of which is weak memory. Due to deficiency of Vitamin B12, the child may have difficulty concentrating, reading or writing and learning new things. If your child has problems like memory loss, there is a possibility that he may have Vitamin B12 deficiency. Given this situation, it is important that you get your child's vitamin B12 status checked.

How to overcome Vitamin B12 deficiency in children?

- Give your child a balanced diet that includes meat, fish, eggs, dairy products and sprouts.

- If your child is vegetarian or vegan, make sure he or she is consuming foods rich in vitamin B12, such as soy products, legumes and nuts.

- Get your child regularly checked for health.

Vitamin B12 rich vegetarian food

Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds are good sources of vitamin B12. A handful of almonds contains 0.7 micrograms of vitamin B12. Apart from this, Vitamin B12 is also found in good quantity in cashews, peanuts, hazelnuts and pumpkin. You can have them at breakfast, as a snack or add them to your meals.

Foods Fortified Foods

Some foods are fortified with vitamin B12, which means they have been supplemented with additional vitamin B12. These include- cereals, milk, soy milk, curd, tofu, fortified cereals (such as fortified oats and fortified bread) are good sources of vitamin B12. 1 cup of fortified oats contains 0.7 micrograms of vitamin B12.

Dairy Products

Milk and its derivatives, such as curd and cheese, are good sources of vitamin B12. 1 cup of milk contains 0.5 micrograms of vitamin B12. At the same time, 1 cup of soy milk contains 0.2 micrograms and 100 grams of tofu contains 0.2 micrograms of vitamin B12.

Algae

Some types of algae (such as nori and alga) are a good source of vitamin B12. Algae can be used in a variety of dishes, such as salads, soups and seafood dishes.

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