Vitamin B – Foods Sources, Functions and RDA

Foods containing high amounts of vitamin B, the recommended daily amount and the reasons why this vitamin is important for our bodies

As you go about making changes to your diet so that you’re eating healthier and meeting all your nutritional needs, one thing that you must make sure you’re doing is consuming plenty of vitamin B foods.

A List of Foods High In Vitamin B

So which foods are the best vitamin B foods to consume daily?

Since these vitamin variations do differ slightly in terms of their most concentrated food sources, getting in a highly variable diet that includes plenty of lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables will be important.

Some of the top vitamin B rich foods that you should be choosing include:

1. Avocados
2. Bananas
3. Black strap molasses
4. Bread
5. Brewer’s yeast
6. Brown rice
7. Eggs
8. Fish
9. Green leafy vegetables
10. Nuts
11. Oats
12. Organ meats
13. Spinach
14. Potatoes
15. Sun flower seeds
16. Tuna
17. Turkey
18. Wheat germ

If you’re eating a well balanced diet then you should be getting a good mix of the various B vitamins without much of a problem so you shouldn’t have too much concern.

It’s those who are only sticking with the same four to five food choices daily that will seriously run the risk of falling short in vitamin B foods and who need to either consider using supplementation or looking at mixing their diet up more often so that they are getting in higher levels of these important nutrients.

The B Vitamin Family Contains 8 Main Variations

When it comes to vitamin B, the first thing that you have to note is that there are many different variations of vitamin B that make up this nutrient. They have all been grouped together and classified as vitamin B due to the fact that they do have many similarities; however, each one will be slightly different and unique from the next.

The vitamin B foods that you do consume will all be water soluble meaning that you do need to consume them on a daily basis. You’ll run a much higher risk of becoming deficient in vitamin B if you don’t because of this fact. The body simply has no way of storing them so they must be consumed regularly.

Let’s have a quick look at what you need to know about vitamin B foods so that you can be sure that you’re getting enough.

The Vitamin B Complex – Vitamin’s B1 to B12

Vitamin B1 – Thiamine

The very first variety of vitamin B, vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, is going to be important for helping the body convert the carbohydrates that you consume into usable energy.

Those who aren’t taking in enough vitamin B1 may notice higher levels of fatigue throughout the day, even though they are eating plenty of food. Vitamin B1 will also help with the metabolism of proteins and fats so that you can use these nutrients maximally.

Vitamin B2 – Riboflavin

Another class of vitamin B foods to know are the ones supplying vitamin B2, also referred to as riboflavin, which will be important for completing a number of reactions that take place during the energy cycle. This again helps you maintain higher energy levels all day long.

Vitamin B3 – Niacin

Niacin is another of the nutrients you’ll get from vitamin B foods which helps regulate the metabolism of carbohydrates, so along with vitamin B1 will really help you make good use of these types of foods.

Vitamin B5 – Pantothenic Acid

Moving on, the next nutrient that you’ll take in when consuming vitamin B rich foods is pantothenic acid, which is going to be involved in many different metabolic events that take place as the growth process ensues, so for maximum development this one will also be important.

Vitamin B6 – Pyridoxine

Vitamin B6 is going to act as a coenzyme in the body, which means that it’s responsible for helping to regulate other reactions that are taking place.

Vitamin B7 – Biotin

Finally, biotin is yet another nutrient you’ll receive from vitamin A foods and it will help with the metabolism of fats in the body, taking care of that nutrient when consumed.

Vitamin B9 – Folic Acid

Folic acid is the next of the vitamins you’ll get from vitamin B foods and this one is important as well for the formation of red blood cells. Pregnant women especially need to increase their intake of folic acid to help promote healthy baby development.

Vitamin B12 – Cyanobalamin

Vitamin B12, also referred to as cyanobalamin, is one of the nutrients you’ll be from vitamin B foods that doesn’t play a direct role in energy development. Instead, it’s going to help to aid in the development of red blood cells. It’s these red blood cells then that help to promote higher levels of energy as they carry oxygen to the working muscle tissues.

Low Carbohydrate Diets and Vitamin B Deficiency

Many of those who are going on low carb diets, which does tend to be the latest trend to hit the mainstream fat loss crowd, could be risking severe deficiency in vitamin B foods if they’re not careful so it’s something that you will want to watch out for.

As long as you choose your serving sizes carefully and ensure that the choices you are making are the healthiest possible, there’s no reason why vitamin B foods need to be neglected by your healthy diet plan.

Vitamin B Recommended Daily Amount

Each of the different vitamin B foods will have their own individual recommendations for dosage. The RDA has set out recommended guidelines for individuals to follow to ensure that they’re getting enough each day, so it would be a very wise idea to follow these guidelines as you approach your diet.

The following are the RDA dosages for each of the vitamin B varieties discussed above.

• Vitamin B1 – Thiamine – 1.4 micrograms/day
• Vitamin B2 – Riboflavin 1.6 micrograms/day
• Vitamin B3 – Niacin – 18 micrograms/day
• Vitamin B5 – Panthothenic acid – 6 mg/day
• Vitamin B6 – Pyridoxine – 2 micrograms/day
• Vitamin B7 – Biotin – 30 micrograms/day
• Vitamin B9 – Folic Acid – – 400 micrograms/day
• Vitamin B12 – Cyanobalamin / Cobalamin – 6 micrograms/day

So there you have all the facts to know about vitamin B foods. Vitamin B is found in such a wide variety of different places but it is important that you realize the functions of each different variation of B vitamin as each will have a unique role within the body to optimize health and functioning.