"B" Smart with Your Food

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March 31, 2010

Thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, folate, B6 and B12. These are some of the important B-vitamins that work to make red blood cells, form your genetic blueprint, keep your nervous system healthy and even help your body use energy from food. Take this short quiz to learn more about these vitamins. 

1. Which B-vitamin is especially important during pre-conception and pregnancy?

a) niacin b) folate c) vitamin B12

2. Strict vegetarians who eat little or no animal products may need to take a supplement of which B-vitamin?

a) thiamin b) riboflavin c) vitamin B12

3. Which food is a good source of riboflavin?

a) eggs b) milk c) both eggs and milk

The answers

1- b) Folate, also called folic acid or folacin, is needed before you become pregnant as well as during pregnancy. This B-vitamin helps to reduce the baby’s risk of developing a type of birth defect that affects the brain and spinal cord. Many foods contain only small amounts of folate, so it’s difficult to get enough from food alone If you are of childbearing age or are planning to become pregnant, eat plenty of folate-rich foods like leafy green vegetables, oranges and whole grains, and take a daily multivitamin that contains 400 micrograms (or 0.4 milligrams) of folic acid. Make sure the supplement contains no more than 1 milligram (or 1000 micrograms) of folic acid.

2 - c) Vitamin B12 is only found naturally in animal foods such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese and milk products. If fortified, soy and rice beverages as well as soy-based meat substitutes will provide vitamin B12. Strict vegetarians or vegans who do not eat these fortified foods may need a vitamin B12 supplement. Together with folic acid, vitamin B12 helps to make red blood cells and DNA, our body’s genetic blueprint.

3 - c) Milk and yogurt are the highest sources of riboflavin, followed by eggs, meat and cheese. Riboflavin, also called vitamin B2, helps to keep our skin, eyes and nerves healthy. It also works with other B-vitamins to use energy from the food we eat. A deficiency of riboflavin is usually associated with other nutrient deficiencies and may cause mouth, throat, skin and blood problems. Other foods that contain riboflavin include: nuts, green peas, dark green leafy vegetables, legumes and enriched breads, cereals and pasta.

Busy “B”s

You can get all of your B-vitamins by eating a variety of foods as recommended by Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide. Take a look at the B-vitamins that are offered by each food group:

Vegetables and Fruit – folate (such as asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, corn, green peas, romaine lettuce, cooked spinach, oranges and orange juice, canned pineapple juice, cantaloupe, honeydew)

Grain Products - thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate (enriched breads/cereals/ pasta and wheat germ)

Milk and Alternatives -  riboflavin and vitamin B12 (milk, cheese, yogurt and fortified soy beverages).                                                             

Meat and Alternatives -thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 (in animal products only) and folate (in liver and meat alternatives only such as kidney beans, navy beans, soybeans, chickpeas, lentils, nuts, peanut butter and seeds)

Who else may need a vitamin B12 supplement?

Our ability to absorb vitamin B12 decreases with age. Adults over the age of 50 may benefit from taking a vitamin B12 supplement. Talk to your doctor or Registered Dietitian about the right amount for you.

Click here to find a Registered Dietitian, or check out www.dietitians.ca/find or call the Consulting Dietitians of Canada at 1-888-901-7776.

Looking for some delicious recipes using foods rich in B vitamins? Check out Simply Great Food, Dieititians of Canada’s latest cookbook for some tasty recipes.