Every day we have to eat to feed ourselves and stay alive, but not every day we can eat exactly the same, nor can we eat poor quality, ultra-processed foods, loaded with sugars and so on. That is why we always insist on having a healthy and varied diet, and that is only in this way we will be well nourished, which is why today we want to know which foods are rich in vitamin B6.
Vitamin B6 is also known as pyridoxine and is quite important for the body, in addition, its deficiency puts our health and our lives at risk. Usually people talk about B9, which is folic acid, B12, which is essential and is famous in vegan diets because it requires supplementation, there is also a lot of talk about vitamin C, D, E and even K , but no one takes account of everything that group B covers.
But we must not obsess, and we always say it, if we have a balanced, balanced and varied diet, we should not have any problems, or any nutritional deficit. If we see that the consequences of a shortage of B6 coincide with symptoms that we suffer in our day, it would be interesting to get a check-up.
Why is pyridoxine important?
Vitamin B6 is key to various functions of the body and its deficiency has serious consequences. Fortunately there are many foods that contain B6, in addition, the human body does not need much, so it is easy to avoid the deficit.
Going by parts, B6 is important because it is a vitamin responsible for normal brain development , it keeps the nervous system healthy, strengthens the immune system, also helps regulate sugar, produces red blood cells, strengthens the activity of some enzymes, regulates the state mood, etc.
Vitamin B6 deficiency is as dangerous as excess. On the one hand, the deficit causes peripheral neuropathy, pellagra, seborrheic dermatitis, glossitis, cheilosis, depression, confusion, seizures, abnormalities in the EEG, etc. On the other hand, excess B6 can damage nerves, cause pain and numbness in the legs and feet, postural sensitivity, among other consequences.
An average adult needs about 1.3 mg per day , a pregnant woman about 1.9 mg each day and when breastfeeding it goes up to 2 mg per day. There are many foods that meet these needs, but it is not good to obsess, but rather to learn to eat healthy and varied.
Foods rich in vitamin B6
We once again emphasize the importance of a balanced, varied diet, full of fresh products, with vegetables, vegetables, legumes, seeds, fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat and fish, fiber, etc. What is more difficult is to reduce the consumption of sugar and salt, reduce the ultra-processed ones or leave them only for specific occasions, no industrial pastries, or refined oils, and the like.
Chickpeas and lentils
Chickpeas are suitable for almost any dish thanks to their versatility, they are tasty if we know how to cook them and they are very nutritious. Among all those values with proteins, fiber, minerals and vitamins, B6 appears and in this case it provides us with 55% of the recommended daily amount of this vitamin and that only in a normal portion of chickpeas.
We can take advantage of each day or every several days and add a handful of chickpeas to a salad, or make hummus and chop with raw and crunchy vegetables, make old clothes, use the chickpeas for a soup, a stew, eat them boiled accompanying a vegetable sauté , fry them, add them to a vegetable cream, etc.
Something similar happens with lentils that, although they provide very little B6, but are very versatile. Specifically, 100 grams of lentils provide us with 0.18 mg of vitamin B6, which comes in handy to compensate, given their nutritional values rich in essential minerals and fiber.
Fish
We know how important fish meat is, because now we know that it also has vitamin B6. The healthiest fish that we can choose is that of the blue fish variant where we find tuna, mackerel, salmon, sardines, etc. Within this food group there are several that are rich in B6 and are salmon, tuna, bonito, sea bream, trout, among others.
Those with the most B6 are sardines with 0.96 mg per 100 grams of product, salmon with 0.75 mg per 100 grams of product, tuna, sea bream, bonito and trout with 0.46 mg per 100 grams of each fish.
Meat
With meat we refer to different types, for example, chicken has 0.50 mg per 100 grams of product , quality cooked ham with a high percentage of meat contains about 0.36 mg of B6 per 100 grams of product , lean pork gives us 0.45 mg of B6 per 100 grams, ham 0.36 mg of vitamin B6 and Bacon 0.35 mg, pork chops only 0.39 mg, beef has 0.33 mg, minced meat falls short with 0.27 mg of vitamin B6, the famous Serrano ham only gives us 0.22 mg of B6, etc.
As we can see, it can be used to compensate each day for nutritional values such as proteins, vitamins A, group B, C, D, K and important minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron, among others.
Fruits and vegetables
They are also two groups of foods rich in vitamin B6. On the one hand, we have bananas, more specifically bananas that provide us with up to 0.60 per 100 grams and watermelon with 0.15 mg of B6. With regard to vegetables, we have carrots with 0.23 mg per 100 grams, spinach with 0.17 mg, Brussels sprouts with 0.30 mg and avocado with 0.28 mg of B6 per 100 grams .
Potatoes
Here are tricks and that is that to achieve the maximum amount of vitamin B6, you have to be careful with the way we cook food. For example, in the case of potatoes, the best option is to bake them and not let them burn, but remain tender, juicy and tasty. Boiled potatoes are also good, so you will also get good amounts of B6.
A cup of cooked potato provides us with 20% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin B6 . It is a very complete food that gives us even vitamin C, no matter how hard it is to believe it. Plus, they are low in sodium and almost calorie-free.
Cereals and nuts
There are many cereals and nuts that are rich in B6, although it may not seem like it, something so small is exceedingly good in nutrients. Hence, we always recommend adding cereals and nuts to our day to day, at least in small portions, for example, nuts as a snack.
For example, white rice provides us with 8% of the recommended daily amount of B6 for every 100 grams of product. Wheat germ gives us up to 1 mg of vitamin B6, which means that with one more food we would have already covered the daily needs of this vitamin.
As for nuts, the best options to obtain B6 are hazelnuts with 0.60 mg per 100 grams, walnuts with 0.57 mg per 100 grams and chestnuts with 0.50 mg per 100 grams of product.
