Beautiful Vitamin B Complex

Our family loves to juice, mainly for the vitamins and the health benefits they bring.

What are vitamins? 

The chemist tells us they are small quantities of substances essential to life.  They are found in every living structure.  Today we’re talking about the group of B vitamins called vitamin B complex (including B1 B2 B12 etc.). 

Vitamin B complex plays a vital role in cell metabolism.

vitamin b

Cell Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life.  These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments.

Below I have listed the members of the B vitamin family and the fruits and vegetables where they are found in the highest levels.

B1 is called thiamine (kale, cauliflower, oranges)

B2 is riboflavin (leafy greens)

B3 is niacin (tomato, leafy greens, broccoli, carrots, asparagus)

B5 is pantothenic acid which improves your ability to respond to stress by supporting your adrenal glands.(broccoli)

B6 is pyridoxine which helps lower stress, decrease symptoms of PMS, treats depression, lowers cholesterol, and reduces the risk of dental cavities. (bell peppers, spinach, green peas, broccoli, turnip greens).

B7 is biotin which helps the body process glucose. (cauliflower, raspberries)

B9 is folic acid which the human body needs to synthesize DNA.  It’s especially important in aiding rapid cell division and growth, such as in infancy and pregnancy. (all leafy greens)

B12 is various cobalamins (cyanocobalamin in supplements) which plays a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system. (Vitamin B12 can only be manufactured by bacteria and can only be found naturally in animal products, however, synthetic forms are widely available.)

Broccoli has loads and loads of vitamin b.  Below is my favorite broccoli juice of all time.  Enjoy!

Broccoli Peach Juice

Serves: 2 large glasses

2 Stems of broccoli

4 peaches

3 apples

Here are some other great juices that contain the vitamin B complex, but remember, the vitamins “die” and are almost useless once heated, so juice them raw or eat them raw!

Apple Juice

Beet Juice

Cucumber Juice

Cabbage Juice

Carrot Juice

Celery Juice

Coconut Juice

Onion Juice

Parsley Juice

Pineapple Juice

Radish Juice

I am not a professional heath care provider.  My blog posts on health and nutrition are just my shared opinions and observations from my own life experiences.  Information in this post came from the whole foods website, wikipedia, the livestrong website, and the book Live Food Juices written by H.E. Kirschner, M.D.