These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (2024)

Health

Eat your B vitamins for healthy cells, brain, heart, and more.

Seraphina Seow

Seraphina is a health writer with a background as a registered dietitian.

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Updated on February 27, 2024

Fact checked by

Isaac Winter

Fact checked byIsaac Winter

Isaac Winter is a fact-checker and writer for Real Simple, ensuring the accuracy of content published by rigorously researching content before publication and periodically when content needs to be updated. Highlights: Helped establish a food pantry in West Garfield Park as an AmeriCorps employee at Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center. Interviewed Heartland Alliance employees for oral history project conducted by the Lake Forest College History Department. Editorial Head of Lake Forest College's literary magazine, Tusitala, for two years.

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Out of the 13 essential vitamins our body needs, the B vitamins make up eight of them. Why are they so important? B vitamins play a role in metabolism as well as in cell and DNA formation, including red blood cell formation, explains Janice Chow, RD, registered dietitian and founder of The Mindful Chow in California.

"Your energy levels, brain function, immune function, eyesight, digestion, nerve function, hormone production, muscle tone, and cardiovascular health all require vitamin B," adds Amandeep Kalsi, RD, MPH, a registered dietitian in California. Here, discover foods with B vitamins and recipes that will help you to incorporate them into your diet.

Daily Value (DV) for the Eight B Vitamins

B1, Thiamin: 1.1 milligrams
B2, Riboflavin: 1.1 milligrams
B3, Niacin: 14 milligrams
B5, Pantothenic Acid: 5 milligrams
B6, Pyridoxine: 1.3 milligrams
B7, Biotin: 30 micrograms
B9, Folic Acid: 400 micrograms
B12, Cobalamin: 2.4 micrograms

(For most of these, the DV increases if you're pregnant or breastfeeding.)

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (2)

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Vitamin B-Rich Foods

To help you include vitamin B foods in your diet, here is a list of the best sources, according to Chow and Kalsi.

01of 16

Salmon

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (3)

Salmon is extremely high in B vitamins. Besides the omega-3 fats, eating a 6-ounce fillet of salmon provides you with over 200 percent of the DV for B12, around 100 percent of the DV for B3, 70 percent of the DV for B6, 42 percent of the DV for B5, 30 percent of the DV for B2, close to 15 percent of the DV for B1, and 2 percent of the DV for B9.

Slow-Roasted Citrus Salmon

02of 16

Firm Tofu

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (4)

While not everyone's cup of tea, tofu is a great plant-based source of B vitamins, says Chow. A cup of raw, firm tofu has 36 percent of the DV for B1, around 20 percent of the DV for B2 and B9, and close to 15 percent of the DV for B6.

You can also get fortified versions of tofu, which is a great source of B12 for vegetarians.

Crispy Tofu Noodle Soup

03of 16

Green Peas

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (5)

If you had half a cup of peas at lunch, and another half cup at dinner, you'd be getting 35 percent of the DV for B1, 25 percent of the DV for B9, around 20 percent of the DV for B2, B6, and B12.

Smashed Pea and Ricotta Toasts

04of 16

Beef

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (6)

Cooked beef is especially high in B12, providing approximately 4 micrograms in a six-ounce serving (around 190 percent of the DV). Besides that, it has around 75 percent of the DV for B2, 80 percent of the DV for B3, close to 50 percent of the DV for B6 and 25 percent of the DV for B5.

Fast Bolognese

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05of 16

Avocado

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (7)

If you're looking for a creamy, savory side packed with B vitamins, look no further than guacamole. One raw avocado has 30 percent of the DV for B6, around 20 percent of the DV for B2, B3, and B9, and around 10 percent of the DV for B1.

Spanish Beef and Rice Bowls With Avocado

06of 16

Spinach

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (8)

A rich source of folic acid, one cup of cooked spinach contains 262 micrograms of B9 (66 percent of the DV). Wilting a cup of this dark, leafy green into your curry or pasta sauce also provides 15 percent of the DV for B6, and 10 percent of the DV for B1 and B2.

Spanakopita Creamed Spinach

07of 16

Eggs

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (9)

Eggs are rich in vitamin B7, known as biotin. A cooked egg has 25 micrograms of B7 (103 percent of the DV), along with 20 percent of the DV for B12 and B2, and 14 percent of the DV for B5.

Saucy Simmered Eggs

08of 16

Brown Rice

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (10)

In addition to the extra fiber, brown rice is a healthy carbohydrate that delivers serious B vitamins. A cup of cooked brown rice yields 16 to 33 percent of the DV for B1, B6, B3, and B5. Yet another great reason to start including this grain as a staple in your cooking.

Brown Rice Congee with Kimchee, Scallions, and 7-Minute Eggs

09of 16

Chicken

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (11)

If you're looking for a vitamin B6 food, your best bet is chicken. A cooked 6-ounce serving of chicken breast provides 1 milligrams of B6 (48 percent of the DV), 16 milligrams of B3 (100 percent of the DV), over 50 percent of the DV for B5, approximately 30 percent of the DV for B2, and 15 percent of the DV for B1 and B12.

Cornflake-Crusted Chicken With Purple Slaw

Lentils (and Other Legumes)

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (12)

A cooked cup of lentils provides 90 percent of the DV for B9, making it a delicious folate source for those who are pregnant and following a plant-based diet. Lentils also contain over 10 percent of the DV for B1, B5, and B6, and more than 10 percent of the DV for B3 and B2. Other legumes, like edamame (green soy beans), pinto beans, and black beans are also good sources of B9.

Lentil Soup With Sausage

Walnut Mushroom Bolognese

11of 16

Mushrooms

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (13)

Mushrooms are an easy way to get vitamins B5, B3, and B2. A cup of cooked white mushrooms contains 54 percent of the DV for B3, 32 percent of the DV for B5, and 30 percent of the DV for B2. It also has vitamin B7 or biotin, providing about 9 micrograms in a three-ounce serving of fresh button mushrooms.

Mushroom White Pizza

12of 16

Asparagus

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (14)

If you're planning for pregnancy and can tolerate asparagus, add them to your plate! A cup of cooked asparagus has 67 percent of the DV for B9. You'll also get around 30 percent of the DV for B1, around 20 percent of the DV for B2, and over 10 percent of the DV for B3.

Fettuccine With Asparagus, Leeks, and Mint

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13of 16

Pork

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (15)

If you eat pork, whip up a pork tenderloin for dinner. It's a simple meal and one three-ounce serving of cooked pork tenderloin contains more than 70 percent of your daily recommended DV for B1.

Potato-Chip-Crusted Pork With Carrot-Quinoa Salad

14of 16

Milk

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (16)

You can drink your vitamins too. A cup of whole milk contains 30 percent of your DV of B2. You'll also get a bit of B1 to help contribute to your overall daily value as well.

How to Make Milk Tea in 3 Easy Steps

15of 16

Greek Yogurt

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (17)

Greek yogurt is a powerhouse when it comes to B12. It contains more than half of your DV of the vitamin and also contains nearly 40 percent of your DV for B2, Eat it for breakfast or whip up a tasty dip for your veggies.

Herby Yogurt Dip

16of 16

Nutritional yeast

These 16 Healthy Foods Are Exceptionally High in Vitamin B (18)

Nutritional yeast is a dairy-free seasoning beloved by many plant-based dieters because it tastes a lot like cheese! And it's typically fortified with vitamin B12 too! A five gram serving of nutritional yeast contains 310 percent of your DV for B12.

Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

How to Get Vitamin B Foods Into Your Diet

Your body can't store B vitamins for long, so they need to be replenished regularly through your diet. Luckily, vitamin B foods often contain more than one B vitamin. For instance, several vitamin B6 foods, like salmon, chicken, and brown rice, are also good sources of other B vitamins. If you don't have a digestive condition or restrictive diet, says Kalsi, you're likely able to get enough of most B vitamins by eating a variety of foods each week.

The only times when a dietitian or physician might be concerned about certain vitamin B levels would be if you don't eat animal proteins or if you're planning to become pregnant. Non-meat-eaters usually need to look for fortified food options, like fortified cereal or tofu, to achieve the DV of B12, Kalsi says, or may be encouraged to take a supplement. If you're planning a pregnancy, you might be advised to take a B9 (folic acid) supplement containing 100 percent DV and also eat foods rich in B9 because the development of the baby's neural tube (which later becomes the spinal cord, spine, brain, and skull) is dependent on this.

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Sources

Real Simple is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts in our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy.

US Preventive Services Task Force. Folic acid supplementation for the prevention of neural tube defects: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.JAMA. 2017;317(2):183-189. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.19438