Question

A nurse is teaching a client with a vitamin B12 deficiency about appropriate food choices to increase the amount of B12 ingested with each meal. The nurse knows the teaching is effective based on which statement by the client indicates successful teaching.

Answer 1

The client stating that he/she would eat meat sources like chicken or pork along with each meal proves that the nurse had been effective in successfully teaching about appropriate food choices for vitamin B12 deficiency.

Explanation:

Vitamin B12 is a highly essential vitamin but cannot be synthesized by the body on its own. Hence, needs to be supplemented through dietary sources or by supplements.

Dietary sources are only available in animal origin foods like fish, eggs, meat, poultry, milk and dairy products.

Clams are the highest source of B12 followed by beef liver, salmon, trout, milk, yoghurt, ham etc.

Few plant-based foods like cereals are fortified with high levels of vitamin B12 for vegetarians to avail dietary B12.