10 High Vitamin B2 Foods (700 Calorie Meals DiTuro Productions LLC)

Hi, this is Daniel DiTuro. Does your diet provide the RDA for essential vitamin B2? This is part two of a seven-part video series about essential B vitamins. In this video, I'll share what is vitamin B2, its functions and deficiencies, the B2 RDA, and 10 high vitamin B2 foods. B2, also known as riboflavin, is a water-soluble vitamin available from animal and plant foods. It's an essential nutrient that must come from your diet because your body can't make it. B2 is essential for your body to make two major coenzymes, FMN and FAD. These enzymes are required for energy production, cell growth and development, cell function, metabolizing fats and steroids, metabolizing drugs, converting tryptophan to niacin, and maintain normal homocysteine blood levels. Like B1, most B2 is absorbed in the small intestine. Small amounts of B2 are stored in the liver, heart, and kidneys. B2 deficiency is rare in the U.S. Symptoms include skin disorders, mouth and throat edema, swollen cracked lips, hair loss, sore throat, red itchy eyes, reproductive problems, liver and nerve disorders. If your diet doesn't provide enough B2, you can take a riboflavin B-complex or multivitamin supplement. This multivitamin provides 100% of the adult daily value. The U.S. RDA for adults is just over one milligram a day. Women who are pregnant or lactating need slightly higher levels. While there's no upper limit for riboflavin, there's no reason for healthy adults to buy supplements providing more than 100 milligrams. Beyond 27 milligrams, very little B2 is absorbed by your body. One exception is for people suffering from migraine headaches. Taking 400 milligrams of B2 daily may reduce their frequency and severity. Some high vitamin B2 foods include organ meats, lean protein, legumes, seafood, poultry, and yogurt. One of the best sources of B2 is beef liver. A three-ounce serving provides over 200% of the adult RDA. By comparison, one cup of plain yogurt provides about 45% of the daily value. One-half cup of cooked black beans, about 33%. A three-ounce serving of beef tenderloin, about 30%. Three ounces of clam meat also provides about 30%. One-half cup of crimini mushrooms, about 25%. One ounce of almonds also provides about 25% of the daily value. Three ounces of cooked chicken breast, about 15%. One large egg also provides about 15%. One cup of cooked quinoa also provides about 15% of the adult daily value. Please leave a comment if you have any questions about this video. Thank you for watching and healthy eating.