What Is B-12?

What are the Vitamin B foods?  You already know that you need to get all your vitamins and minerals in every day, but when you consider the Vitamin B variants that you need every day — eight of them in total — you may suddenly realize that you may not be getting enough Vitamin B in your food. Yes, you can always take a supplement to try to add this to your diet, but did you know that the easiest and healthiest way to get all the Vitamin B that you need is with Vitamin B foods? It is far easier than you might think to get all the Vitamin B you need, just from choosing the right foods.

 What You Need

Of the 12 Vitamin B variants, your body needs eight of them every day to stay healthy. These include Vitamin B1 or Thiamin, Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin, Vitamin B3 or Niacin, Vitamin B5 or Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin B6 or Pyridoxine, Vitamin B7 or Biotin, Vitamin B9 or Folic Acid, and Vitamin B12 or Cobalamin. This might seem like a lot of different Vitamins to try to include into your regular eating plans but fortunately many foods contain several of these B Vitamins that you need.

Best Vitamin B Foods

Dairy products are an excellent source of nearly all the Vitamin B variants. Dairy products can include eggs (yolks have the highest Vitamin B content), cheese, milk, and yogurt. Other sources of Vitamin B include fresh veggies like spinach, greens, and Swiss chard. Keep in mind that fresh veggies have the highest vitamin content: Cooking causes vitamins to be lost, so fresh is always best when it comes to getting your Vitamin B! These dark green veggies are an especially good source for the Vitamin B9 or Folic Acid that helps keep you healthy. Consider meats and poultry like beef, chicken, turkey, kidney, and even seafood like fish to add some healthy doses of Vitamin B or Niacin to your diet in a delicious way.

You can even get Vitamin B in your snacking: For example, have yogurt, cheese, or nuts as a snack. You may also consider buying fortified flour, cereal, and bread: Food producers are actually required to have at least a minimum amount of Vitamin B9 in their products today, so you will know you’re getting some vitamins while you enjoy that sandwich or breakfast cereal!

For non-vegetarians, eating tuna fish, cottage cheese, eggs and liver can be a good source of vitamin B12.  Take one chicken breast, one hardboiled egg and 1 cup of plain and low fat yoghurt to complete your daily dietary requirements of Vitamin B12.  Other suggestions for non-vegetarians include 3 oz. of cooked salmon (4.9mcg), 1 cup of plain yogurt (1.4 mcg), 3 oz. of broiled top sirloin beef (2.4 mcg), 3 oz. of white tuna (1.0 mcg), 1 cup of milk (.9mcg),  one large egg (.6 mcg), 3 oz. of ham (.6 mcg), half a roast chicken breast (.3 mcg).

For vegetarians, eating fortified breakfast cereals and opting for dietary supplements through injections and oral pills or multivitamin supplements can be very helpful

You can easily add Vitamin B into any diet plan without having to supplement, and the best thing about Vitamin B foods is that they are healthy by nature: There is no need to eat foods that you hate or that you would never consider otherwise. Dairy products, fresh dark green veggies, fish such as salmon, meats like beef, chicken, turkey, and even your breakfast cereal and toast are all great ways to get that Vitamin B into your diet. It doesn’t have to be painful to eat healthfully and to get the Vitamin B you need, just follow the simple tips here to get healthy and feel better at the same time!

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