Foods High in Vitamin B2
Vitamin B2 is also known as riboflavin. Eating foods that contain Vitamin B2 is an excellent way of increasing your intake of the vitamin without taking dietary supplements. Vitamin B2 helps promote healthy skin and hair, metabolize fats, and increase healthy liver function.
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Greens
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Some green vegetables are good sources of Vitamin B2 especially spinach, Brussels sprouts and broccoli. All three of these vegetables contain 3 to 5 percent of the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin B2. Although that does not seem like a high number, these are still a good source of naturally occuring Vitamin B2 as opposed to foods fortified with Vitamin B2. Additionally, these vegetables contain a number of other nutrients and minerals and are rich in the other B-Complex vitamins. Although 3 to 5 percent does not sound like a lot, the recommended daily amount is 1.0 to 1.3 grams based on sex and age so even a small amount is helpful.
Milk
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Milk is one of the best sources of Vitamin B2 containing 27 percent of the recommended daily allowance per serving. A serving of milk is 1 cup, or 8 oz. Although the amount of Vitamin B2 varies in the different types of milk, the variance is vary slight. Whole milk and nonfat milk contain 26 percent of the daily recommended allowance for Vitamin B2 so any kind of cow-derived milk is a good source.
Soy milk is also a good source of Vitamin B2 even though it has less of the vitamin than cow's milk. Soymilk, whether vanilla or plain has 10 percent of the recommended daily allowance, which still qualifies it as a good choice. Fortified soymilk may contain greater amounts of Vitamin B2, but this will vary based on brand. Look for 'riboflavin' on the nutrition label.
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Organ Meats
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Organ meats, such as liver, kidney, sweet breads, heart, tongue and brain, are among the best sources of Vitamin B2. Although these foods may not be as popular as other meat items they can be introduced into the diet by looking up new recipes and are available for purchase at most major grocery stores. Organ meats contain between 30 and 50 percent of the recommended daily allowance for Vitamin B2. You can search for specific organ meats and the amount they contain in the nutrition data link listed below.
Eggs
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Eggs contain an average of .27 milligrams of riboflavin which make them a good source of the vitamin. Eggs are among the best source of Vitamin B2 with 68 percent of the recommended daily allowance. However, eggs are also high in fat and cholesterol so those people watching their fat and cholesterol intake should limit they number of eggs they eat and continue to eat other foods high in Vitamin B2.
Almonds
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Almonds are a good snack food high in riboflavin because they do not require any preparation. Almonds contain 57 percent of the recommended daily allowance for Vitamin B2. Almonds can be eaten plain or cooked with chicken, sprinkled on salads or crushed into almond butter.
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