“Ghar ka khaana khaate hain, dahi bhi roz lete hain. Phir B12 & Vitamin D dono low kyun aaye?”
If you said this while staring at your blood report, you’re in very large company. Tired by 4 pm, legs aching on the stairs, a bit of tingling in the fingers, and a lab report pointing at two vitamins. It is one of the most common reports an Indian vegetarian ever opens.
Straight answer first. B12: partly yes, if you consume dairy or eggs on a regular basis. Many people still need fortified foods or a supplement. D: mostly no. Food does very little, and either a supplement or, when your report says so, exposure to sunlight does the rest. We’ll go over the reason for this, foods to eat, and what to do next if you’re 8 or 80.
Why a Healthy Vegetarian Thali Still Falls Short
B12 is synthesized by bacteria and gets reached in our diets through animal products. Foods like dal, rice, roti, sabzi, fruit, nuts do not provide any consistent amount even if organic or fresh foods. As a vegetarian, one can often rely upon dairy products, eggs if consumed, and fortified foods.
The tricky thing is that the body keeps B12 in store for a couple of years, so any deficiencies don’t show up until a long time after. Symptoms show up late, after the stores are already empty. Indian studies keep finding low B12 in a big share of adults, more so in vegetarians, though plenty of non-vegetarians turn up low too.
Vitamin D: so much sun, so little of it on your skin
India actually has abundant sunshine. However, the real problem is that it doesn’t reach our skin. If a person has to leave home for example by driving to a location and then spend time in closed places, like air‑conditioned rooms and afterwards return home after darkness sets in with very little outside light that person will be exposed to the pollution of Delhi‑NCR. That person will wear clothes that protect against pollution and may feel content to be part of a community that cannot make vitamin D because of skin color. That person should realize the sort of problems that are encountered. Those problems include following a diet that does not help make vitamin D.
B12 & Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms: What It Actually Feels Like
Both creep in slowly. You blame work, age or bad sleep, until the report says otherwise.
Low B12 often shows up as:
- Tiredness that sleep doesn’t fix
- Tingling or numbness in hands and feet
- Pale or slightly yellow skin
- A sore tongue or mouth ulcers
- Brain fog, forgetfulness, low mood
Low vitamin D often shows up as:
- Aching bones, especially the lower back
- Weak thighs and trouble getting up from the floor or climbing stairs
- Muscle cramps
- Tiredness that never fully lifts
- In children: late walking and bowed legs (rickets)
None of these belongs only to B12 & Vitamin D. Low iron, thyroid problems and plain stress cause the same complaints, so please test before you treat.
How Much Do You Actually Need?
While sunshine in India is abundant, we are deprived of sunshine that touches our skin. Imagine a typical weekday for you: you leave home in a vehicle, work in air conditioned premises, and come back home post sunset. Add to it the smog of Delhi-NCR, and full-sleeve stack of clothes, and the nature of darker skin, which requires more time in the sun to synthesise sufficient dosage of vitamin D. To add to it, there is a vegetarian diet consisting of food with hardly any vitamin D.
Best Vegetarian Foods for Vitamin B12
| Food | Approx. B12 | Desi tip |
| Milk (1 glass, 240 ml) | ~1 mcg | Boil once and switch off; fortified milk is a bonus |
| Curd / dahi (1 katori) | ~0.5–1 mcg | A real katori, not a spoonful in the raita |
| Paneer (50 g) | ~0.2–0.5 mcg | Good food, but a small B12 source |
| Cheese (1 slice, 20 g) | ~0.2–0.4 mcg | Small but steady |
| Egg (1 large) | ~0.5 mcg | For eggetarians |
| Fortified cereal, soy or plant milk, nutritional yeast | Varies | Pick ones that list B12, and read the label |
Values are approximate and vary by brand and processing.
Here’s the maths most people skip. Two glasses of milk, one katori of dahi and an egg come to roughly 3 mcg on paper, comfortably above 2.2. In real life one glass of milk gets skipped, the dahi is mostly water in a raita, the milk has been boiled three times, and the stomach isn’t absorbing like it used to. That’s how an enough-on-paper diet ends up as low B12 on the report. If you’re vegan, food alone won’t get you there; fortified foods or a supplement are not optional.
Foods that look like B12 but aren’t
Spirulina, seaweed, tempeh, mushrooms, sprouts, ragi, and fermented things like idli, dosa and kanji keep turning up on B12 lists. Most contain little to none, or contain B12-like compounds our body can’t really use. Lovely foods, but don’t count them toward your B12. Nutritional yeast is the one exception, and only when it’s fortified.
Vitamin D for Vegetarians: What Food Can Give You (and What It Can’t)
Very few foods carry vitamin D naturally, and the richest ones are fish and liver. For a vegetarian, the realistic list is short.
| Source | What to know |
| Sunlight on bare skin | The main source. Details below |
| Fortified milk, oil and curd | Check the label (FSSAI-fortified products carry a +F logo). Amounts vary by brand |
| Sun-exposed mushrooms | They make vitamin D2 under UV or sunlight. Ordinary shop mushrooms have very little |
| Egg yolk | About 40 IU per egg, a small contribution |
| Fortified cereals and plant milks | Only if the label says vitamin D is added |
| Ghee, butter, paneer | Trace amounts. Don’t rely on them |
For you to consume 600 IU from eggs alone, you would need to eat over 12 eggs every single day. Hence, consider the food to be your support and not your plan. The plan is to go out and get some sun, as well as consume a supplement when levels are low.
How much sun, and at what time?
Midday is what works: roughly 10 am to 3 pm, with arms and legs uncovered, for around 15–30 minutes a few times a week. That lovely 7 am walk is great for your mood and your step count, but there’s very little UVB at that hour. A few practical points:
- Window glass blocks UVB, so a sunny office window doesn’t count
- Smog and winter sun both cut production, which is why winters are the hardest season for Delhi-NCR
- Darker skin needs longer for the same result
- Stop before your skin burns, and if you have a skin condition or a history of skin cancer, ask your doctor first
What a Good Day on the Plate Looks Like
No fancy ingredients. Just a normal Indian day, arranged a bit better.
- Morning: Spend 15 to 20 minutes in sunlight then have a glass of warm milk (Fortified)
- Breakfast: Besan chilla or vegetable oats with dahi or a boiled egg if you eat eggs. On days fortified cereal with milk
- Lunch: Dal, sabzi, roti and raita and if your oil is fortified use that for cooking
- Evening: A handful of roasted chana or a small paneer tikka
- Dinner: Paneer bhurji or mushroom sabzi, with roti and salad
Think of this as the base. Whether you need a supplement on top depends on your reports, not on how clean your diet is.
B12 & Vitamin D Needs by Age Group
- Kids: Babies and children need a lot vitamin D and vitamin B12. If a child is vegan and the mother is also vegan the child may not get enough of these vitamins. Doctors often give vitamin D to newborns.
- Teenagers: When teenagers change their habits feel stress from school or eat badly they often miss out on vitamins.
- Working adults, 20s, to 40s: A hectic job schedule leaves time to choose healthy food so it is hard to get enough vitamins.
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women: These women need vitamins and should take supplements but only after a doctor says so.
- 50 and above: The senior group is in need of B12 as stomach acid production is significantly lower
- Anyone on metformin or long-term acidity medicines: The drugs can lower the body’s ability to absorb B12 and it is important to monitor its levels.
Get Tested Before You Start Popping Tablets
Guessing is the most expensive way to treat a deficiency.
- B12: below 200 pg/mL is generally low. Between 200 and 300 pg/mL is a grey zone where doctors may add homocysteine or MMA because serum B12 alone can mislead.
- Vitamin D (25-OH): most Indian labs flag under 20 ng/mL deficient and 20–30 ng/mL, as insufficient.
If a supplement is needed:
- B12 comes as tablets, sublingual forms or injections when absorption or nerve symptomsre the issue. Dose and duration are your doctors call. Taking folic acid alone can hide a B12 problem, which is one more reason to test first
- Vitamin D is usually a prescribed course, often weekly sachets, followed by a lower maintenance dose. Choose D3, take it with your biggest meal, and don’t go beyond 4,000 IU a day unless your doctor says so
- Retest when your doctor suggests, usually within a few months
Why Choose Diet Story for B12 & Vitamin D Guidance
A report tells you what’s low. It doesn’t tell you what to cook on Tuesday. That’s the part we help with. At Diet Story, in Gurgaon and online across India:
- A dietitian reads your report with you. Your plan is guided by Dt. Prerna Dhingra, not pulled from a template
- We look at the whole picture. B12, vitamin D, haemoglobin, thyroid and the rest, because these rarely travel alone
- Your kitchen, your rules. Vegetarian, eggetarian, fasting days, tiffin, office travel: we plan around your actual routine
- Straight talk on supplements. We’ll tell you where food can do the job and where you need your doctor
- Follow-ups. Levels don’t fix themselves in a week, so we check in and adjust
No crash diets, no scare tactics. Just practical Indian food for kids, women, working professionals and seniors.
Final Word
Is it possible for vegetarians in India to consume sufficient amounts of B12 & Vitamin D through their diet? The answer is that B12 can be obtained occasionally from dairy and eggs as well as from fortified foods. B12 & Vitamin D, on the other hand, is mostly considered inadequate. Hence, the solution is not food alone, but rather combining food with the right outdoor activities in order to raise levels.
If you’d like a plan built around your reports, your kitchen and your routine, Diet Story is here to help. You can book your appointment with Dt. Prerna Dhingra by calling +91-7743004991
Frequently Asked Questions
Can vegetarians get vitamin B12 from food alone?
Lacto-vegetarians and eggetarians can get vitamin B12 from food as long as dairy and eggs are part of their daily diet and their gut functions well. Still many people struggle with vitamin B12 levels and must turn to fortified foods or supplements. For vegans food alone does not provide vitamin B12.
Why is vitamin B12 deficiency so common in Indian vegetarians?
Because animal food is the only way to get vitamin B12 and most Indian meals are mostly vegetarian. Dairy provides a small amount but is also eaten in small quantities. Other factors to consider are antacids, metformin, low stomach acid due to ageing, and the ability of the liver to compensate for low B12 levels for many years.
Which vegetarian food has the highest vitamin B12?
Dairy products like milk, dahi and eggs lead the list of foods containing vitamin B12. If fortified cereals, soy or nutritional yeast are labeled with B12, then they can come ahead in the competition. As for paneer, it contains less B12 than people think. No food is sufficient by itself; only daily intake of food matter.
How much vitamin B12 do I need per day?
According to the 2020 ICMR-NIN guidelines, the adult requirement for vitamin B12 is approximately 2.2 mcg per day, with an increased requirement during pregnancy and lactation. Some websites still mention the older figure of 1 mcg, taken from the 2010 RDA. For those with existing B12 deficiency, doctors might prescribe more of the vitamin.
Does boiling or pasteurisation destroy B12 in milk?
Pasteurisation causes only a small loss, so packaged milk is still a fair B12 source. Long, repeated boiling can reduce a bit more. Bring milk to a boil once, switch off the flame, and you’ve done the sensible thing.
Do idli, dosa, spirulina or mushrooms contain B12?
Not reliably. Spirulina and seaweed mostly carry B12-like compounds the body can’t use well, and ordinary idli, dosa or mushrooms have little to none. Enjoy them, but don’t count them toward your B12.
Can non-vegetarians also have B12 deficiency?
Yes. It’s common. Many people who don’t eat vegetables eat chicken, which has much less B12 than fish, mutton or organ meats. Acidity medicines, metformin, gut conditions and ageing affect everyone no matter what is, on their plate.
B12 injection or tablet: which is better?
A simple tablet is all most people with minor to moderate deficiency will require, since even a small amount is absorbed, even without the usual route through the intestine. Injections are generally reserved for cases requiring major deficiency, nerve symptoms, pernicious anaemia or inadequate absorption capabilities. Only after going through your report and patient symptoms would your doctor make a decision.
Methylcobalamin or cyanocobalamin: which is better?
Both work to raise B12 levels. Cyanocobalamin is the cheaper of the two and is the most studied. Methylcobalamin is prescribed when nerve symptoms are present; however, it is not clearly superior for all patients. Methylcobalamin is prescribed by some doctors over cyanocobalamin. Take what your doctor prescribes rather than switching brands. .
Can vegetarians get enough vitamin D from food?
Not often. Fortified milk, oil, and egg yolks and mushrooms exposed to the sun help, but the amounts are very small compared to the 600 IU goal. So, the main contributors are sunlight and, when your levels are low, a supplement.
Which vegetarian foods are highest in vitamin D?
Milk, oil, cereals and soy milk (check the label), mushrooms exposed to the sun, and egg yolks (if you eat eggs). Most desi foods, like ghee, butter and paneer, contain very less amounts. You can’t depend on them to fix a deficiency.
Why am I vitamin D deficient even though I go out in the sun?
Usually it’s the timing and the amount of skin exposed. Early morning and evening sun has very little UVB, window glass blocks it, smog cuts it, and covered arms and legs can’t make vitamin D. Darker skin needs longer too. A 7 am walk in full sleeves rarely counts.
What is the best time of day to get sun for vitamin D?
Midday, roughly 10 am to 3 pm, when the UVB is strong enough. The usual advice is 15–30 minutes on exposed arms and legs, a few times a week. In Delhi-NCR winters production drops, so you may need a supplement even if you’re diligent.
Does sunscreen stop the body from making vitamin D?
Sunscreen stops UVB, the type of sunlight that helps make vitamin D. It does not completely stop the process. Most people do not put on sunscreen thick as it should be so the real impact is not as strong. Always use sunscreen correctly even if you are outside, for a time. Talk to your dermatologist to find the sunscreen for your skin type.
How long should I take the 60,000 IU vitamin D sachet?
Usually doctors tell patients to take this dose a week for eight weeks sometimes, up to twelve weeks. After that a smaller daily dose is taken. Before starting this vitamin D treatment patients should have another blood test to make sure vitamin D levels are correct. It is best to take the vitamin D sachet with food because vitamin D is absorbed better when eaten with fat.
Is it possible to take B12 vitamin with vitamin D?
Yes both B12 and vitamin D do not interfere with each other. Many people use both B12 and vitamin D together. You should take vitamin D with meals that contain fat and follow the advice given by your doctor.
How long does it take to recover from B12 & vitamin D deficiency?
Blood levels usually begin to improve within weeks or a few months after treatment. Tingling and numbness may take longer to calm down. Bone aches may ease gradually. Retest when your doctor advises of judging only by how you feel.
Can low B12 or vitamin D cause hair fall?
Low B12 or low vitamin D can contribute to hair fall. Hair fall has many causes such, as low iron, thyroid problems, low protein intake and stress. If both B12 and vitamin D are low correcting them is sensible. Do not expect it to solve all problems. Check ferritin and thyroid well.
What are normal B12 and vitamin D levels?
B12 below about 200 pg/mL is generally considered low, with 200–300 pg/mL as a grey zone. For vitamin D, most Indian labs treat below 20 ng/mL as deficient and 20–30 ng/mL as insufficient. Ranges vary by lab, so read your report with your doctor.
Do children, pregnant women and seniors need extra B12 and vitamin D?
Often, yes. Babies usually get vitamin D drops, pregnant and breastfeeding women have higher needs, and adults over 50 absorb B12 less well. The right dose depends on age and reports, so check with a paediatrician, gynaecologist or physician before starting anything.
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