Vitamin B3, also known as niacin, is an essential vitamin and nutrient for your body. Your body uses B3 for many different functions to happen properly. You can take vitamin B3 in pill or capsule form, but you can also get B3 through many different foods.
Some of the best foods that contain high levels of vitamin B3 are as follows:
- Liver
- Chicken breast
- Tuna
- Turkey
- Salmon
- Anchovies
- Pork
- Ground beef
- Peanuts
- Avocado
- Brown rice
- Whole wheat
- Mushrooms
- Green peas
- Potatoes
- Asparagus
- Sweet potatoes
Many of the foods that contain the highest concentrations of B3 are meat. When choosing healthy meat, you always want to make sure to choose free-range, grass-fed, or organic options to ensure you are consuming high-quality meat without unnecessary chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics. It is also best to stick to organic fruits and veggies as well to limit your exposure to herbicides and pesticides.
Benefits of Vitamin B3
Promotes Heart Health
B3 is proven to lower your triglyceride levels, boost HDL cholesterol (which is the good form of cholesterol,) and reduce oxidative stress and inflammation around the heart and body.
Fights Arthritis
B3 is also great for those who suffer from arthritis. Studies show the vitamin can decrease inflammation and osteoarthritis, it can make you joints more flexible, and can limit the amount of over the counter pain medications used to combat arthritis pain.
Increases Brain Function
This powerful vitamin can also boost your brain function by providing your brain with more energy. It can also aid in the prevention of damage to brain cells, which can help preserve cognitive function. If you suffer from any type of mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety, B3 can also help treat these mental illnesses.
Makes Skin Healthier
Everyone wants nicer and healthier looking skin, and B3 is great to achieve both is a natural and healthy way. B3 can help prevent many forms of skin dermatitis, it will help prevent skin damage caused by the sun’s harmful rays and can even reduce your risk of developing skin cancer.
Helps Fight Type 1 Diabetes
B3 can help the body keep insulin producing cells functioning properly and producing the proper amounts of insulin. It can also stop lipid levels from reaching abnormal levels.
Do You Need More B3?
Since there are so many great benefits of vitamin B3, do you need to supplement or eat more foods with this special vitamin?
Although it is unlikely, you may have a vitamin B3 deficiency if you experience a combination of the following symptoms:
- Memory loss
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Headaches
- Diarrhea
- Skin issues
Although you may have these symptoms, that does not necessarily mean you have a B3 deficiency since these issues are very common. If you suspect you may have a deficiency, you should speak with your doctor and they can perform a blood test to see if there is a deficiency.
As far as serving size goes, men need 16g per day and women need 14g per day. This is a relatively low amount, so simply adding a serving of chicken breast, avocado, or green peas to your daily menu will likely do enough to boost those vitamin B3 levels well.
You can make salad with greens, salmon, avocados, fresh mushrooms, and brown rice to add even more bulk and whole grains into your diet. This type of salad will keep you feeling full for a long period of time while also ensuring you are getting the proper levels of vitamin B3 for the day.
Getting vitamins from real whole foods is always the best option. Taking a supplement is much harder for your body to process and absorb. Vitamins can also come with a lot of unhealthy fillers and chemicals, which do little for your body ad can even pose more harm than good.
Therefore, sticking whole wholesome foods for your vitamin B3 sources will be the ideal option. Many of the foods above and budget-friendly and can be found easily in your local supermarket. Canned tuna, canned anchovies, unsalted peanuts, brown rice, potatoes, and sunflower seeds are all options that cost much less than fresh wild salmon or organic free-range chicken breast, but can still provide your body with this essential nutrient, B3.
