How To Eat Enough Riboflavin

Along with the other B vitamins, riboflavin helps convert carbohydrate foods into the energy your body needs daily. Riboflavin, or vitamin B-2, is an antioxidant that also acts as a coenzyme in the metabolism of fats and protein. It is needed for proper formation of red blood cells and for healthy mucous membranes, eyes and skin. Although a riboflavin deficiency is uncommon, you need extra riboflavin if you are pregnant or a strict vegan; have liver disease, diabetes, or irritable bowel syndrome; or smoke. Get enough riboflavin in your diet every day by including protein, dairy and grain sources that are rich in this important nutrient.

Riboflavin Daily Needs

Riboflavin is one of the water-soluble B vitamins. Most of the riboflavin you ingest is excreted from your body via urination and needs to be replenished every day. The recommended daily allowance, or RDA, for riboflavin is 0.3 to 0.4 milligrams for infants, 0.5 to 0.9 milligrams for children up to age 13, 1.3 milligrams for male adolescents and adults, 1.0 milligrams for female adolescents and 1.1 to 1.6 milligrams for female adults, according to the Institute of Medicine. Include several types of food high in riboflavin each day to ensure you get the RDA.

Natural Food Sources of Riboflavin

Riboflavin is present in certain protein, dairy and grain foods. Cooked beef liver is loaded with riboflavin, 4.14 milligrams in 3.5 ounces, according to Northwestern University. Add riboflavin-containing protein to your diet with dark poultry meat, duck, pork, beef, eggs, salmon, mackerel and steamed clams. Dairy products also contain riboflavin, so have some low-fat yogurt, milk and cheese each day. If you prefer not to eat animal foods, include plenty of soybeans, wild rice, whole wheat bread, whole grain pasta, wheat germ, almonds, hazelnuts, mushrooms and vegetables, such as broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts, spinach, avocados and turnip greens, to obtain enough riboflavin in your diet.

Riboflavin-Enriched Foods and Supplementation

Riboflavin, along with other nutrients, is stripped away when whole grains are processed, so white bread, baked goods and breakfast cereals are typically enriched with riboflavin to account for this. Read the package label to determine the exact riboflavin content of the processed foods in your diet. If you have a condition that predisposes you to not getting enough riboflavin from the foods you eat, you may need to add a supplement containing riboflavin to your diet. Riboflavin is available as a supplement by itself, in combination with other B vitamins and as part of a daily multivitamin. Consult your doctor about your need for adding extra riboflavin in supplement form to your diet.

Proper Food Preparation and Storage

Prepare foods containing riboflavin properly to maximize your riboflavin intake. Although it is heat-stable, some riboflavin is lost from foods, such as vegetables, pasta and rice, when they are cooked in water. Keep the lid on the pan and use only a small amount of water to steam riboflavin-containing vegetables. Don't rinse pasta or rice after cooking to retain more of their riboflavin content. Riboflavin is somewhat unstable and is destroyed by sunlight. For this reason, milk and other dairy products are sold in opaque containers to block ultra-violet light and limit the degradation of riboflavin. Store any riboflavin-containing foods away from direct sunlight.