B Vitamins
Before you start any new vitamin regimen, it’s important to clear it with your doctor. Most vitamins can be easily obtained from food sources, and your body absorbs nutrients from food best.
With that said, there are times when it’s more difficult to obtain certain vitamins. If you are following a restrictive diet or are a vegetarian or vegan, you may be missing some key B vitamins that could be giving your metabolism a boost.
There are eight B vitamins: riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, biotin, folate, B-12, pyridoxine, and pantothenic acid. They all serve slightly different functions, but are all important for a working metabolism.
“The main function of the B vitamins is to help your body metabolize carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, and to use the stored energy in food,” reports Healthline.
Even if your body is low in one of the B vitamins, if will affect your metabolism. Most of these vitamins can be obtained from a variety of foods, but vitamin B-12 is only found in animal products like milk, meat, and eggs. Not surprisingly, this is the nutrient that many people are deficient in, especially vegans.
Whenever possible, eat a variety of foods that are high in B vitamins — like beans, lentils, eggs, whole grains, and bananas. But if you have to supplement, unless you have a specific deficiency like B-12 that can be addressed with that one nutrient, your best bet is to take a Vitamin B Complex supplement that contains all of the B vitamins you need for a healthy metabolism.