Include These Vitamin- B Rich Plant-Based Foods in Your Diet to Improve Health & Immunity

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has suggested some vitamin B-rich plant-based foods that you should eat to strengthen your nervous and immune system.  Major Vitamin-B complex consists of eight different vitamins all are water-soluble except B₁₂ that are: thiamin (B₁), riboflavin (B₂), niacin (B₃), pantothenic acid (B₅), pyridoxine (B₆), biotin (B₇), folic acid or folate (B₉) and cobalamin (B₁₂). 

As per Healthline, foods rich in Vitamin-B promote cell health, growth of red blood cells, good eyesight, good digestion, brain health and good cardiovascular health etc. besides boosting energy levels in the body.  

Here are the suggested Vitamin B foods that you can eat: 

Walnuts: Are rich in monosaturated fats, and helps to bring down the LDL (Low-density lipoprotein) or bad cholesterol levels in the body.  Apart from that walnuts are also rich in linolenic acid, which helps lower the risk of heart disease and also help reduce inflammation that could otherwise lead to chronic diseases. 

Ragi: It has a low glycemic index (GI), high dietary fibre, and antioxidants and is also a rich source of calcium and iron that play a role in boosting immunity. 

Arhar dal: Rich in healthy carbohydrates, fibre and protein and a 2015 study in Clinical Diabetes suggested that it helps lower the risk of type-2 diabetes as well. According to livestrong.com, it is also known to improve bowel regularity and reduce the risk of heart disease. 

Groundnut: Rich in protein and this helps burn calories aiding weight loss. It also has some healthy fats that are good for the heart and it helps boost energy levels.  

Banana: It mostly consists of water & carbohydrates. The pectin and resistant start content in bananas help moderate blood sugar levels, as per research. They are also rich in antioxidants which may reduce the risk of heart disease and degenerative illnesses. 

Fortified wheat flour: Consuming this prevents nutritional deficiencies in the body such as iron, folic acid and Vitamin-B₁₂ added to this kind of wheat flour helps in blood formation and fights anaemia, as per ffrc.fssai.gov.in website.  

Whereas as suggested by FSSAI, Vitamin-B₆ plant-based food for better digestion and reduce inflammation includes: 

• Masoor dal

• Moong dal

• Garlic

• Ginger

• Brown rice

• Methi seeds 

Vitamin-B₉ also dubbed folate or folic acid is one of the 8 important B vitamins. So why avoid it.

Here are some Vitamin-B₉ foods which help to improve metabolism: 

• Soybean

• Rajma

• Beetroot

• Capsicum

• Lentils

• Fresh Peas

The major deficiency of Vitamin-B includes beriberi, anemia , and other body-related diseases as Vitamin-B complexes are a cofactor for most of the enzymes in the body. So to avoid Vitamin-B-related deficiency start eating plant-based food as suggested by FSSAI rather than depending on the supplement.