Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, is essential for proper functioning of the nervous and immune systems, and plays an important role in the body's metabolism of both proteins and red blood cells, the National Institutes of Health reports. A mild deficiency of vitamin B6 is common, says the Mayo Clinic, but vitamin B6 occurs naturally in many foods.
Vegetables
Many different types of vegetables provide vitamin B6, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. These include Brussels sprouts, turnip greens, carrots, peas and both the regular and sweet varieties of potatoes. Eating a medium-sized baked potato with the skin on supplies about 0.7 mg of vitamin B6, which constitutes 35 percent of the 2 mg that Americans should consume each day, reports the National Institutes of Health.
Legumes
Legumes like beans can also be good sources of vitamin B6, the Mayo Clinic says. You can get 0.57 mg of vitamin B6, which is 30 percent of the recommended daily amount, by eating 1/2 cup of canned garbanzo beans, advises the National Institutes of Health. Other legumes offer lower amounts of vitamin B6. Half a cup of cooked frozen lima beans provides about 0.1 mg of vitamin B6, the National Institutes of Health says, which makes up 6 percent of the recommended daily amount.
Fruits
Bananas are especially rich in vitamin B6, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Eating one medium-sized banana will give you 0.68 mg of vitamin B6, which makes up 34 percent of the recommended daily amount, the National Institutes of Health reports. Watermelon provides about half that amount of vitamin B6, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Meat and Seafood
You can get vitamin B6 from eating different kinds of meat, the Mayo Clinic says. Consuming half of a cooked chicken breast provides 0.52 mg of vitamin B6, which is 25 percent of the daily recommended amount, says the National Institutes of Health. Eating 3 oz. of lean cooked pork loin provides 0.42 mg of vitamin B6 for 20 percent of the daily value. Seafood is another good source of vitamin B6. The National Institutes of Health says that 3 oz. of cooked rainbow trout offers 0.29 mg of vitamin B6, which is about 15 percent of the daily recommended amount. A 3-oz. can of tuna packed in water provides 0.18 mg of vitamin B6, which makes up 10 percent of the daily amount recommended.
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