Vitamins are organic compounds that your body needs in small amounts for overall good health and growth. While vitamins do not actually provide you with energy in the form of calories, specific vitamins are essential in the metabolism of the macronutrients -- carbohydrates, protein and fat -- which do provide you with energy.
The Vitamins
All of the vitamins that help metabolize macronutrients belong to a class of water-soluble vitamins collectively known as the vitamin B complex. The entire vitamin B complex consists of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, folate, panthothenic acid and biotin. The vitamins that help provide you with energy are thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, pantothenic acid and biotin.
Vitamin Recommendations
The recommended daily allowance, or RDA, for the vitamins that help give you energy differs for each vitamin. The Food and Nutrition Board, a subgroup of the Institute of Medicine, is the committee that determines the RDA for each vitamin. The RDA for thiamin is 1.1 mg for women and 1.2 mg for men. The RDA for riboflavin is similar, at 1.1 mg for women and 1.3 mg for men. Niacin has an RDA of 14 mg daily for women and 16 mg per day for men. The RDA for vitamin B-6 is provided in ranges of 1.3 to 1.5 mg for women and 1.3 to 1.7 mg for men. Both men and women need 5 mg of pantothenic acid and 30 mcg of biotin every day.
Food Sources
Some of the biggest contributors of the B vitamins in the American diet are enriched foods, such as bread, cereals, pasta and rice, according to "Nutrition and You" by Joan Salge Blake. Pork is an excellent source of thiamin, whereas milk and yogurt contain significant amounts of riboflavin. Niacin is present in meat, fish and poultry, as is vitamin B-6. Nuts, peanut butter, legumes and various fruits and vegetables also contain vitamin B-6. Both pantothenic acid and biotin are available in most foods, and because of this, most Americans easily meet the RDA.
Considerations
Although it is best to meet your nutritional needs through a balanced diet with a variety of different whole foods, some people find it difficult to meet the RDA for vitamins through diet alone. In this case, you may want to consider vitamin supplementation. The B vitamins are available as individual supplements or multivitamins that contain the entire vitamin B complex. Always consult your doctor before beginning any type of supplementation. It is important to note that vitamin supplements are meant to complement a balanced diet, not act as a substitute for one.
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