Food Sources of Vitamin B

Food Sources of Vitamin B

Vitamin B is far more varied and important than many people give it credit for, the eight different B vitamins essential for many of the body’s most important processes. B1, for example, helps you make energy out of carbohydrates, with B12 metabolizing carbs and proteins. With this many kinds of vitamin B, and the multiple uses attributed to each one, it’s important that you get enough of it in your diet. Thankfully, being mindful of what you eat and aware of different foods’ potential benefits, you can get your daily allotment of vitamin B just by incorporating different B-rich foods into your diet. The following is a list of the food sources of Vitamin B.*

Vitamin B1 – Common in beef and pork, oatmeal, seeds, oranges, and legumes, such as beans and lentils. Deficiency can cause a disease of the nervous system called beriberi, with symptoms such as weight loss, weakness and an irregular heartbeat.*

Vitamin B2 –  Present in all whole-fat dairy products, like whole milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, meat, and dark-colored greens, including broccoli and spinach. Ariboflavinosis is a condition caused by deficiency, and its complications include cracking lips, a sore throat, and sun-sensitivity.*

Vitamin B3 –  is slightly trickier to get into your diet, though chicken breast and tuna fish are good, generally accessible sources. Lack of B3 causes some particularly troubling problems, including inability to sleep, dermatitis, confusion, and diarrhea.*

Vitamin B5 – Richly found in liver, rice, wheat, mushrooms, cheese, and fish. Deficiency can cause acne, though that doesn’t occur too often.*

Vitamin B6 –  can be found in milk, spinach, peas, potatoes, eggs, and fish, most commonly. Depression, high blood pressure, and skin issues like dermatitis are known effects of B6 deficiency.*

Vitamin B7 –  is in egg yolk, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, nuts, cheeses, fish, chicken, pork, potatoes, and spinach. Deficiency doesn’t typically cause issues in adults, but in infants and young children it can impair growth and even cause neurological complications.*

Vitamin B9 –  tends to come from green, leafy vegetables, though mushrooms, melons, and bananas also contain it. Not enough B9 can cause a specific type of anemia called macrocytic anemia, which occurs when DNA isn’t being produced during the creation of red blood cells, and puts pregnant women at higher risk of birth defects.*

Vitamin B12 –  is best absorbed through animal products, like milk, cheeses, yogurt, meat, shellfish, and fish. Deficiency of B12 can also cause macrocytic anemia, as well as issues thinking and memory loss.*