[pullquote]From helping with red blood production to normal cell function and growth, and even antibody production, vitamin B2 is involved in a lot of different things. A healthy mane of hair, great looking skin, or even gorgeous nails need your body to be supplied with adequate vitamin B2.1[/pullquote]
Getting adequate riboflavin is important for the normal growth and function of your body, and even things like your skin and hair health. And if you want natural sources of this all-important nutrient, you don’t need to look further than your pantry! Several easily available and easy-to-prep foods can help you boost that vitamin B2 intake so you don’t have to worry about a deficiency anymore!
RDA For Vitamin B2 Is 1.1–1.3 Mg Per Day
The Food and Nutrition Board suggests a Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 1.3 mg of vitamin B2 a day for adult men and 1.1 mg a day for adult women. If you are pregnant, you need to get in 1.4 mg a day, and if you are nursing your baby, that need rises to 1.6 mg.2 The Food and Drug Administration in the United States has also laid down daily value (DV) guidelines that track how much a serving of food contributes to your daily intake of a nutrient. For riboflavin, this is set at 1.3 mg.3 So for a food to be rich in the nutrient, you need to look at something that has 20% DV or more – that’s 0.26 mg per serving. And the list of delicious foods that follow will give you a good idea what you can tank up on.
1. Milk
[pullquote]1 cup of 2% fat milk: 0.5 mg of vitamin B2 (38.5% DV)[/pullquote]
Milk is an easy way to get your riboflavin. A cup of 2% fat milk contains 0.5 mg of vitamin B2, which gives you 38.5% DV of the nutrient.4 Drink your milk plain if you prefer or use it to make delicious milkshakes. Make a cup of hot cocoa and you’ll get 0.46 mg of the nutrient – that’s 35.4% DV.5
2. Other Dairy Products
[pullquote]Beyond the foods that are naturally rich in vitamin B2, some foods come with added amounts of the vitamin. For instance, breakfast cereals are often fortified to provide 100% DV of riboflavin. Just check the labels to see if they have 1.3 mg or more per standard serving size, as suggested, to know how much you are getting.6[/pullquote]
If you prefer milk in dairy products like cheeses or yogurt, that’s a good option too. An 8 oz cup of plain low-fat yogurt has 0.52 mg of vitamin B2, which meets 40% DV.7 Use your yogurt to make delicious parfaits or stir some into a bowl of fresh fruit for a healthier alternative to store-bought sugary yogurt. Or have it thick and creamy Greek-style topped with nuts and honey or even some toasted seeds and berries.
If you love your cheese, we have good news. Smooth and delicious Norwegian goat’s cheese gjetost packs in a good 0.39 mg of vitamin B2 to the ounce, which is 30% DV.8 Other cheeses also offer up great ways to raise your riboflavin intake. Depending on the kind of cheese you’re working with, you could use it simply as an accompaniment to some after dinner nuts or dried fruit or make a wine infused fondue, heavenly tartine, creamy pasta, or tangy salad.
- Hard goat cheese, 1 oz: 0.34 mg (26.2% DV)9
- Feta cheese, 1 oz: 0.24 mg (18.5% DV)10
- Roquefort cheese, 1 oz: 0.17 mg (13.1% DV)11
- Cheddar cheese, 1 oz: 0.12 mg (9.2% DV)12
3. Eggs
[pullquote]1 whole hard-boiled egg: 0.26 mg of vitamin B2 (20% DV)[/pullquote]
Fancy some eggs? A whole hard-boiled egg has 0.26 mg of riboflavin or 20% DV, making it a B2 rich food.13 Use eggs to make delicious sandwiches along with a dab of butter or mayonnaise or even with hung curd. Soft boil them so they ooze onto salads, creating a creamy dressing on their own. Dunk asparagus or wholegrain bread spears into a golden pool of soft boiled yolk for breakfast. You could also make a spicy dish of middle eastern Shakshuka, lacy fried eggs, or an Indian or Sri Lankan egg curry. Or just use eggs in your baking. Your options are limitless!
4. Organ Meats
Organ meats don’t appeal to everyone but if you enjoy them, you can get some of your vitamin B2 this way too. Just don’t go overboard with your intake because these meats are very heavy on fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A that accumulate in the body and can be toxic in excess. Here’s how the various organ meats stack up.
- Liver (beef), braised, 3 oz: 2.9 mg (223% DV)14
- Kidney (beef), simmered, 3 oz: 2.53 mg (195% DV)15
- Heart (beef), simmered, 3 oz: 1.03 mg (79.2% DV)16
Organ meat from pork, turkey, and chicken also add up, offering 1.6–2.7 mg of vitamin B2 per serving.17 You could braise them with a robust red wine and onion sauce, make a hearty vegetable and meat-laden steak and kidney pie, fry them up with spices, or try your hand at an old family recipe for offal.
5. Meat
If you don’t like the thought of offal, you can get your nutrients from more familiar meat. Just stick to lean cuts like the white breast meat of chicken or a lean trimmed beef tenderloin or pork sirloin steak. Here’s how much vitamin B2 they contain.
- Beef, tenderloin steak, boneless, trimmed of fat (grilled), 3 oz: 0.4 (30.8% DV)18
- Pork loin/tenderloin (roasted), 3 oz: 0.33 (25.4% DV)19
- Chicken breast (rotisserie), 3 oz: 0.2 (15.4% DV)20
Depending on how you like to eat your meats, simply grill them off with a light seasoning and some olive oil or butter, marinade them in a heady mix of herbs and spices, or use them to make succulent steaks or juicy kebabs.
6. Mushrooms
[pullquote]1 cup of white mushrooms, stir-fried: 0.5 mg of vitamin B2 (38.5% DV)[/pullquote]
Mushrooms are a great textural and umami addition to a meal whether as the mainstay or a side to something else. A cup of raw Brown Italian or Crimini mushrooms has 0.43 mg of riboflavin or 33.1% DV.21 Prefer white mushrooms stir-fried? They have 0.5 mg or 38.5% DV to the cup.22 Portabella mushrooms, another popular variety that lends themselves to grilling, have around 0.49 mg or 37.7% DV of the nutrient.23 Use your mushrooms in pasta or risotto, to top pizza, make sandwiches, delicious stir-frys, soups, and even salads!
7. Oily Fish And Seafood Like Clams And Squid
If seafood is what you like eating, you can get plenty of riboflavin from fish like mackerel, trout, and salmon. Grill, pan fry, or make fish pie with them. For those who really love their fish, a simple fish burger can hit the spot. For something more artful, try cooking up a lightly spiced creamy coconut fish curry and fragrant rice. If you’d like something rustic but no less luxurious, how about a seafood chowder or a Sicilian style seafood stew? Here are some of the best seafood sources of vitamin B2:
- Mackerel, cooked (dry heat), 3 oz: 0.46 mg (35.4% DV)24
- Squid, cooked (fried), 3 oz: 0.39 mg (30% DV)25
- Clam, cooked (moist heat), 3 oz: 0.36 mg (27.7% DV)26
- Trout, cooked (dry heat), 3 oz: 0.36 mg (27.7% DV)27
- Pink salmon, cooked (dry heat), 3 oz: 0.11 mg (8.5% DV)28
8. Almonds
[pullquote]1 ounce of almonds: 0.32 mg of vitamin B2 (24.6% DV)[/pullquote]
There’s good reason to go nuts over a portion of almonds. Eat an ounce and you get in 0.32 mg or 24.6% DV of riboflavin.29 Almonds make a delicious addition to salads for that extra bit of crunch. They’re also great in a warming bowl of oatmeal or porridge of any kind. If you like to bake, try making a batch of almond cookies or a chocolate almond cake. For those who’re avoiding gluten, almond flour makes a delicious substitute. Plus there’s 1.08 mg (83.1% DV) of vitamin B2 per cup of ground almonds, so it is a substitute that’s good for you too.30
9. Green Leafy Vegetables
Green leafy vegetables are a smart choice when it comes to vitamin B2 content. They are also low calorie and chock-full of all other vitamins and minerals too – think vitamin C, iron, and calcium, to name a few. Use your leafy vegetables to make a salad greener and healthier, dressing it with a light vinaigrette or a low-fat yogurt dressing. Or blitz up some leaves for a beautiful green soup, with some cream or cheese added in if you feel like a treat. Or have a green juice or smoothie. Even pizza and pasta can do with a touch of green, and so can many casseroles and stews.
- Spinach, boiled, 1 cup: 0.43 mg (33.1% DV)31
- Beet greens, boiled, 1 cup: 0.42 mg (32.3% DV)32
- Kale, boiled, 1 cup: 0.17 mg (13.1% DV)33
10. Green Soybeans Or Edamame
[pullquote]1 cup of boiled edamame: 0.28 mg of vitamin B2 (21.5% DV)[/pullquote]
Unlike mature soybeans, green soybeans contain a lot of riboflavin. A cup of the boiled green beans has 0.28 mg of vitamin B2 or 21.5% DV.34 Boil, roast, or lightly steam them with some salt or even ground spices that you enjoy. You could also them in Southern style rice recipes, stews, or even Asian stir-fries.
11. Sun-Dried Tomatoes
[pullquote]1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes: 0.26 mg of vitamin B2 (20% DV)[/pullquote]
A cup of sun-dried tomatoes, used in your baking or cooking or eaten plain, will deliver 0.26 mg of riboflavin, which is exactly 20% DV of the nutrient.35 A sundried tomato dip, a pasta with a hit of that mellow tartness from chopped sundried tomato, or a homemade loaf of bread with the deliciousness of asparagus paired with sundried tomato and perhaps even a little cheese. The options are plenty, limited only by your palate for something different! A run of the mill potato salad, chicken ragu, or creamy macaroni can be elevated with the addition of some sundried tomato.
12. Quinoa
[pullquote]1 cup of cooked quinoa: 0.2 mg of vitamin B2 (15.4% DV)[/pullquote]
For a change from the usual, quinoa can be a good choice. Versatile enough to replace couscous in Middle Eastern and African recipes, rice in Asian recipes, and carbohydrates like potatoes or rice or even breads in salads, cooked quinoa has 0.2 mg of riboflavin to each cup. That’s 15.4% DV of the vitamin.36
13. Wholewheat Bread
[pullquote]1 single slice of wholewheat bread: 0.1 mg of vitamin B2 (7.7% DV)[/pullquote]
Whole grain breads are also a good way to get vitamin B2 in your daily diet. A single slice of wholewheat bread has 0.1 mg of riboflavin, which is 7.7% DV. Eat just a couple of slices a day and you ’re already at nearly 16% DV.37Have your bread alongside a bowl of soup or roast meat or vegetables. Or rustle sandwiches, tartines or even a comforting bread and butter pudding – you’ll find it effortless to get this one right.
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