B Vitamin Rich Foods for Vegans

1) Nutritional Yeast - This is a food I've recently been eating daily with my salads. The more I read about nutritional yeast, the more I think it's a superfood. It's loaded with B vitamins (including B12 if it's fortified). According to Dr. Axe, nutritional yeast is beneficial in preserving immune function, fighting bacteria and viruses, boosting protein, promoting healthy skin, nails and hair and boosting B12 (fortified version only).

 

2) Avocados - Avocados are a great source of many B vitamins, including B1, B2, B3, B5 and B9 (link). Including guacamole or an avocado with your daily salad is an excellent idea.

3) Flax Seeds - Flax seeds are high in vitamin B17, which many people believe is cancer preventative (Link). In addition to B17, flax is also high in B9 (folate), B1 (thiamin), B3 (niacin) and vitamin B-6 (Link). Flax seeds are truly one of nature's super foods.

4) Whole Grain Breads "Rye, white, whole-wheat and French breads each provide between 0.2 and 0.3 milligram of thiamine per 2-ounce serving -- a significant portion of the 1.1 and 1.2 milligrams that the Institute of Medicine recommends daily for women and men, respectively" (Link).

5) Fortified Plant Milks - Fortified plant milks include B12 and often include other B vitamins as well. Choosing an organic, sugar free option is a healthy way to meet your B vitamin needs on a daily basis.

Flax Seed Oil in Smoothies

To increase my Omega 3 intake, I recently started taking a tablespoon of liquid flax seed oil in the morning. However, I find that taking the flax oil by itself is not very delicious. Since I often drink a green smoothie in the morning as well, I decided to add the flax seed oil in with my smoothie. To my surprise, the flax seed oil blended very well with the smoothie, and added a great flavor and texture. The texture kind of reminded me of when I add a piece of an avocado to my smoothie.

I now plan to include flax seed oil with my smoothies on a regular basis, as it is a delicious way to increase essential Omega 3 fatty acids!