Vitamin B is useful because it has beneficial effects on many different areas of the body. It helps to release energy from proteins, fats and carbohydrates, amongst other things. It can be hard, however, to work out what types of food to eat, as there are so many areas of the vitamin B-complex category. In this article, we help to remove the mystery around vitamin B, and share with you the foods that will help boost your wellbeing through vitamin B.
Vitamin B1 is also known as Thiamine and is found in cereals (such as wheat, maida, rice and so on), breads, pasta, pulses or lentils, fortified cereals, legumes, dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, cabbage, lettuce, fenugreek, asparagus and so on), fish, eggs, meat, milk, nuts (such as almonds and pecans) and whole grains such as wheat germ.
Vitamin B2 is also known as Riboflavin and is commonly found in fish, chicken, eggs, legumes (such as lentils and peas), milk, milk products such as cheese and yoghurt, nuts, green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus and spinach. Fortified cereals are also a great source of riboflavin.
Vitamin B3 is properly called Niacin and tends to be found in salmon, chicken and in canned fishes such as tuna.
Vitamin B6 tends to be found in eggs, red meat, poultry, beans and potatoes, and the vitamin (also known as Pyridoxine) can also be found in fortified cereals.
Folate, folacin and folic acid all come from food which could be described as ‘foliage’ (a useful way to remember which are the best sources). Look to leafy vegetables such as spinach, asparagus, fenugreek and turnip greens as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, dried beans and legumes, orange juice and liver to make sure you are getting your daily intake.