Top 10 Biotin Rich Foods To Add To Your Diet
Biotin Rich Foods or Biotin is a B vitamin which is also sometimes called vitamin H or vitamin B7. It is a water-soluble vitamin, which means excess quantity is mostly peed out and needs to be restored regularly.
Everybody needs biotin in their diet. It ensures that the macros (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates) you eat are converted into energy, and a healthy metabolism is maintained. Biotin keeps your skin, nails, and hair in great condition and also supports liver function.
Health experts believe that biotin can improve the keratin infrastructure of the hair. This means that if you are suffering from hair loss or experiencing hair thinning then increased biotin intake should help to reverse these conditions and leave you with thicker, stronger, and healthier looking hair from the inside out.
There are plenty of natural food sources rich in biotin suitable for a vegetarian diet. In other words, it is incredibly easy to ensure that you are getting enough biotin through your diet alone.
However, if you are unable to eat a wide variety of the foods or lacking nutrition to function optimally then you may wish to consider adding a daily supplement to your diet. You will soon notice a difference in the quality and condition of your hair, skin, and nails.
Listed below are the Top 10 Biotin-Rich Foods to include in your Diet:
1. Nuts and Seeds
A quarter-cup of roasted almonds usually contains 1.5 mcg of biotin. Likewise, a quarter-cup of roasted sunflower seeds contains 2.6 mcg.
Nuts and seeds are generally very good sources of biotin, although the amount of the vitamin may vary. Almonds, peanuts, walnuts, and pecans, for instance, are all biotin rich foods.
How to Add in Your Diet
Use toppings over your breakfast cereals or add a handful of almonds or almond butter to your smoothie for a boost in protein and healthy fat. Nuts are always a good snack option.
2. Sweet potatoes
Half a cup (125-gram) of cooked sweet potatoes contains 2.4 mcg of biotin that can make up to 8% of the DV.
Sweet potatoes are full of nutritious vitamins, minerals, and fibers .It is also one of the best vegetable sources of biotin.
Apart from biotin, sweet potatoes are a rich source of beta-carotene as well – a powerful antioxidant that is great for your skin. Beta-carotene and other carotenoids found in sweet potatoes promote healthy vision and prevent related diseases like macular degeneration.
How to Add in Your Diet
You can easily bake or microwave sweet potatoes until soft or peel, boil, and mash them with a pinch of salt and add them to homemade veggie burger patties or have them whole as a healthy snack option.
3. Avocados
A medium-sized avocado of around 200 grams can contain at least 1.85 mcg of biotin, which is 6% of the DV.
Avocados are a good option for people looking to protect their skin because just like nuts and seeds, avocados are rich in vitamin E.
They are one of the best-known sources of folate and unsaturated fats, and also one of the foods rich in biotin.
How to Add in Your Diet
You can eat avocados raw, mash them onto a toast, stir into guacamole, or slice and top them with salads, taco soup, and burritos.
4. Mushrooms
One cup or 70-gram serving of chopped, fresh button mushrooms has 5.6 mcg of biotin, or 19% of the DV.
Mushrooms are fungi that are highly nutritious and offer several health benefits, including ample biotin. In fact, due to their high biotin content mushrooms can protect themselves from parasites and predators in the wild.
How to Add in Your Diet
Mushrooms can taste great with noodles, atop homemade pizzas, and in sauces and gravies, while fresh mushrooms can be stuffed, baked, sautéed, or added to salads.
5. Bananas
One small banana of 105 grams can provide approximately 0.2 mcg of biotin, equivalent to 1% of the DV.
Bananas are widely popular all over the world. They’re loaded with fiber, carbs, and micronutrients like B vitamins, copper, and potassium.
How to Add in Your Diet
You can choose to eat them on their own, or spread some nut butter on them, add them to your smoothies, or freeze them to make ice creams.
6. Broccoli
Half a cup (45 gram) of raw, chopped broccoli easily contains 0.4 mcg, or 1% of the DV.
Broccoli belongs to the cruciferous family of vegetables. It is one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables you can find on the grocery-shelf, filled with fiber, calcium, and vitamins A and C. It’s also a good source of biotin.
How to Add in Your Diet
While cooking one should make sure that it’s not over-cooked in order to retain the nutrients. It should have a bit of crunch to it after you’ve boiled it.
Usually, people enjoy it with hummus or dip, sauté it and add it to pastas and casseroles or steam and roast it with olive oil seasoning, or simply blend into soups.
7. Spinach
Half a cup of boiled spinach contains 0.5 micrograms of biotin, which makes 2% of the DV.
Spinach is rich in many nutrients including vitamins, minerals, fiber, and chlorophyll. And it is particularly a rich source of iron (courtesy Popeye). Spinach helps to keep you healthy, slows aging, and protects against disease. As goes with all leafy green vegetables, simply make sure they are organically grown (i.e., free of chemicals) for the greatest health benefits.
The iron in spinach, taken along with 250-1,000 mg of vitamin C, significantly helps to prevent anemia by improving iron absorption.
How to Add in Your Diet
Make palak paneer or eat it raw by adding to any salad.
8. Cauliflower
One cup of raw cauliflower contains 4mcg of biotin, almost 14% of DV.
This biotin rich food makes it a great vegetable to option to add to your diet. You are likely to get much of the biotin if you consume it raw as cooking destroys some of the biotin.
How to Add in Your Diet
You can try making cauliflower rice by mixing the raw vegetable in the blender or food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs. You can then add this to your salads, or use it in regular rice or when making curry dishes.
9. Legumes
Legumes consist of peas, beans, and lentils that are high in protein, fiber, and numerous other micronutrients. The richest sources of biotin in this category can be found in peanuts and soybeans.
1-ounce or 28-grams of roasted peanuts can contain 5 mcg of biotin, or 17% of the DV.
100 grams or 3/4- cup serving of whole soybeans can contain up to 19.3 mcg of biotin that can be 64% of the DV.
How to Add in Your Diet
Legumes are typically cooked by boiling them in water and then used in the main course or incorporated into stir-fries or baked dishes.
10. Oatmeal
One cup of oatmeal can have 0.2 mcg of biotin, approximately 1% of the DV.
Oatmeal is an excellent superfood to add to your diet. They are not only good for your digestive system but also high in many vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber. Oatmeal can significantly boost your metabolism and keep you full for longer hours.
How to Add in Your Diet
Add it to your smoothies and pancakes or cook it with milk and peanut butter.
Non-Vegan Sources of Biotin
Egg yolks and certain organ meats, especially liver tend to have the highest concentration of biotin available naturally. This is so because biologically, most of the body’s biotin is stored in your liver.
How Much Biotin to Consume?
Biotin deficiency is considered rare and so there isn’t enough evidence to establish a Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) or Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for it.
However, the Daily Value (DV) for biotin is typically around 30 mcg per day. The safer upper limit can go up to 200,000mcg per day. There is no known toxicity associated with higher consumption of biotin as it is water-soluble.
Takeaway
It is much easier than you might first think to ensure a vegetarian diet including foods rich in biotin. There are plenty of delicious and healthful sources that can easily be incorporated into your everyday meal planning. If your hair is thinning or you are experiencing brittle, dry hair with severe hair-loss, then Biotin supplements are definitely worth giving a try.
You can also buy OLENA’s Wholefood 10,000MCG+ Biotin Supplement from Amazon here
