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The Best Vitamin B Foods

Apr 12, 2011 | By Theresa Rosenthal
The Best Vitamin B Foods
Photo Credit Meat image by Svetlana Kashkina from Fotolia.com

B vitamins serve many purposes in the body and work together to function optimally. Deficiencies in any B vitamin can cause serious health problems. Eating a variety of foods should help you maintain adequate levels of B vitamins, but you should be aware of which foods you need to eat so you can supplement if you eat a more restricted diet, as in the case of vegetarians and vegans.

Vitamin B-1

Thiamin, or vitamin B-1, is necessary for your body to digest food and process carbohydrates. Vitamin B-1 deficiency causes lesions on the nervous system and possibly the gastrointestinal tract, possibly contributing to cardiovascular disease. Alcohol can cause thiamin to be excreted from the body, as well as prevent it from being absorbed. The best sources of vitamin B-1 are fortified cereals and flours, white rice, oat bran and pork. A fortified cereal can contain as much as 1.5 mg of vitamin B-1 in 3/4 cup, while there is 1 mg of vitamin B-1 in 3 oz. pork loin. Thiamin is also in beef, milk, nuts, oats, oranges, legumes, green peas, seeds and yeast. Flaxseeds also contain vitamins B-1 and B-2.

Vitamin B-2

Vitamin B-2, also called riboflavin helps produce energy and red blood cells. Vitamin B-2 also creates enzymes that prevent inflammation in the mouth, tongue, eyes, skin and gastrointestinal tract. The best sources of vitamin B-2 are beef liver, turkey, fortified cereals, chicken and duck. A package of frozen spaghetti with meat sauce entree may contain 3.7 mg of riboflavin in a package, while a half a duck contains 1 mg. You can also find vitamin B-2 in salmon, flaxseeds, dairy products, dark, leafy vegetables and eggs.

Vitamin B-3

Vitamin B-3 is commonly referred to as niacin. Niacin affects the way your body derives energy from fat or carbohydrates. Deficiency can damage your body's tissues. The best sources of niacin are fortified cereals and flours, beef liver, chicken, pork, duck and turkey. Fortified cereals contain as much as 20 mg of niacin per serving, while 3 oz. beef liver contains 14.8 mg of niacin and a half a chicken breast has 11.7 mg.

Vitamin B-5

Pantothenic acid is another name for vitamin B-5, which your body needs to break down carbohydrates, proteins and fats into energy. A deficiency, though rare, can cause headaches, cramps, vomiting and tingling in your arms and legs. The best sources of vitamin B-5 are fortified cereals, beef liver with 5.9 mg of vitamin B-5 in 3 oz., mushrooms, chicken, turkey, duck, sweetened condensed milk, sunflower seeds with 1.9 mg in 1 oz., couscous and rice. Shitake mushrooms contain 5.2 mg of vitamin B-5 in 1 cup.

Vitamin B-6

Pyridoxine, or vitamin B-6, is needed to produce hemoglobin and energy. It is also involved in more than 100 metabolic reactions. The best foods to obtain vitamin B-6 are fortified cereals, chickpeas, yellowfin tuna, beef, turkey, rice, potatoes, chestnuts, buckwheat flour, halibut, chicken and pork. A 1-cup serving of canned chickpeas has 1.1 mg of vitamin B-6 compared to 0.5 mg in 3 oz. of pork loin.

Vitamin B-9

Vitamin B-9, also called folic acid or folate, helps with cell division, red blood cell formation, heart health and the synthesis of DNA. Pregnant women also take folic acid to prevent birth defects. Children need vitamin B-9 to grow, resist illness and prevent anemia. The best sources of folate are fortified cereals and flours, enriched white rice, corneal, turkey and chicken giblets, lentils, beans such as cowpeas, chickpeas, black, pinto and navy beans, orange juice, okra, asparagus and spinach. Uncooked enriched white rice contains 797 mcg in 1 cup, while 1 cup of cooked lentils contains 358 mcg.

Vitamin B-12

Vitamin B-12, also called cobalamin, helps your tissues get oxygen and plays a role in the formation of red blood cells. Deficiency in vitamin B-12 may lead to anemia. The best sources of vitamin B-12 are clams, beef, turkey, oysters, pork, crab, salmon, sardines, fortified cereals, trout, herring, pollock and chicken liver. There are 84 mcg of vitamin B-12 in 3 oz. of canned clams, 4.9 mcg in 3 oz. of salmon and 2.3 mcg in 3 oz. of ground beef. Because vitamin B-12 is almost exclusively in animal products, vegetarians and vegans are more likely to be deficient. Vegetarians can get B-12 through fortified cereals, fermented and fortified soy products and supplements.

References

Article reviewed by Elizabeth Ahders Last updated on: Apr 12, 2011

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