Among the vitamins you need to take each day for physical and mental health, B complex vitamins and are often at the top of the list. There is not just one B vitamin, but a combination of 8 different ones you should try to get through food sources or with supplements.
Here is more information about the B complex vitamins and why they are important.
Types of B Complex Vitamins
First of all, there are 8 B complex vitamins in total. This is why you won’t just be told to take a B vitamin, but either specific ones, or a complex supplement that includes all of the most essential ones. Here is a rundown of the different vitamins included:
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- B1 – Thiamine
- B2 – Riboflavin
- B3 – Niacin
- B5 – Pantothenic Acid
- B6 – Pyridoxine
- B7 – Biotin
- B9 – Folic Acid
- B12 – Cobalimin
Benefits of B Complex Vitamins
The reason B complex vitamins are often recommended is because of everything they can do for you. They encompass many health benefits, both for your physical and mental health. Specific B vitamins help with different things, like folic acid being good for your baby’s health when you are pregnant, and biotin being excellent for your skin and hair. In general, B complex vitamin supplements are great for PMS symptoms, heart disease, brain health, mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, increasing energy, and many more things.
How to Get Them Through Food Sources
The good news is that while you can definitely take B vitamins or combination B complex vitamins for these benefits, you can also get many of them through natural food sources. This means if you eat a healthy diet, you might already be getting all the nutrients you need.
In general, eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, lean poultry and fish will get you what you need. There are some specific foods for certain types of B vitamins. For example, dairy products contain a good amount of B2, while your fish, nuts, and legumes are great for B3.
Try to aim for a combination of foods in your diet in order to get all the B complex vitamins you need. If you eat a vegetarian meal one day, switch to something with red meat, fish, or poultry the next night, as you are bound to get a different combination of B vitamins in your food. This keeps your food interesting while increasing your nutrients.
