The micronutrient biotin has been in the spotlight recently for its role in promoting hair, skin, and nail health. You’ve probably heard of people promoting biotin supplements for thick, gorgeous hair, or perhaps even popping biotin gummies. But biotin also performs other important functions in the body. One of the essential B-complex vitamins, Biotin is also known as Vitamin B7. It helps with metabolism, liver health and brain function in addition to being great for your hair, skin and nails.
Adding biotin rich foods to your diet is an easy way to get those luscious locks and glowing skin. The recommended value of biotin for adults is about 30 micrograms per day. However biotin is a water-soluble vitamin, which means our body doesn’t store it the way it stores fat-soluble vitamins. So it’s important to consume biotin regularly, to ensure that our body gets it in adequate amounts.
Before you start popping those biotin pills though, here’s a look at some biotin rich foods that you can easily add to your diet. There are a plethora of plant and animal based foods that contain biotin, and getting your 30 mcg per day is actually not that hard. So here’s a list of the top ten biotin rich foods you can incorporate in your diet right away to start reaping all of biotin’s many health benefits.
Top Ten Biotin Rich Foods:
1. Eggs
Good old eggs top the list, with egg yolk being a rich source of biotin. Eggs are a nutritional powerhouse in general; rich in B vitamins, protein, iron and phosphorus. A whole, cooked egg provides approximately 10 mcg of biotin*(see note below), that’s about one-third of your daily requirement of biotin.
Start off the day with some savoury masala French toast with turmeric and chili, one of my favourite go-to breakfast recipes. Or maybe you prefer your eggs scrambled, or whipped into a cheesy masala omelette with mushrooms, feta cheese and spinach? Whichever way you like your eggs, make sure they’re well cooked. Egg whites contain a protein called avidin which can reduce biotin absorption if eaten raw. Eating fully cooked eggs on the other hand, improves biotin absorption.
2. Nuts and seeds
Most nuts and seeds do provide biotin but the amount of biotin tends to vary by type. Almonds are a great option, and also a biotin rich food you can easily include in your daily diet. 30 grams or about one-fourth cup of roasted almonds contain 1.5 mcg of biotin. Walnuts, pine nuts and pecans are other biotin rich options that you can consider.
Sunflower seeds are another great biotin rich food. A one-fourth cup of roasted sunflower seeds contains 2.6 mcg of biotin. Both nuts and seeds are easy to incorporate into your daily diet. Nuts make for a healthy afternoon/ early evening and on-the-go snack. You can even start your day with some nuts or have them as a pre-workout snack. Seeds can be enjoyed either raw or toasted. Sprinkle them over your salads, soups, smoothies or mix them up in your chia seed pudding bowl. Both nuts and seeds can be mixed into stir fries or pasta sauces, or blended into homemade nut and seed butters (yum!).
3. Spinach
Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Just look at the top three items on this list! Eggs, nuts and seeds, spinach. ALL of which can be combined into a delicious breakfast that gives you the perfect, healthy start to the day. And loads you up with biotin first thing in the morning. That’s what I told myself today as I enjoyed a delish meal of spinach and feta scrambled eggs, with a chia seed pudding topped with slivered almonds.
Popeye had it spot on when it came to spinach alright. Apart from being a powerhouse of iron, spinach is also a rich source of biotin. 100 grams of mature spinach contains about 4.25 mcg of biotin. The same amount of baby spinach offers 1.66 mcg biotin as per data by the USDA.
So go ahead and make your favourite palak paneer, palak raita or palak daal at lunch or dinner. Or you can try these lip-smacking spinach and ricotta filled crepes with pepper cream sauce, a recipe I’ve been OD’ing on for a while.
4. Avocado
Another one for that breakfast list. Quick rec: the avo chilli-cheese scrambled egg croissant at Poetry is to die for! Totally worth bingeing on at your next brekkie date or girls day out. But breakfast aside, avocado toast is also a terrific snack or anytime-of-the-day option for when hunger strikes.
You may have already known that avocados are a good source of folate and unsaturated fats, but did you also know that they are packed with biotin? A mid sized avocado (about 200 grams) has about 1.85 mcg of biotin. So bring on that guacamole and get your daily dose of biotin, the avo way.
5. Bananas
See how the breakfast theme continues? I’m actually imagining a biotin-themed breakfast party or brunch for my gal pals where I treat them to biotin rich goodies with some scintillating conversation. Okay I’ll stop, before you think I’m going bananas.
But seriously, worth going bananas (and nuts) over because one tiny banana (105 grams) offers 0.2 mcg of biotin. That may not sound like much, but it’s 1% of your daily biotin requirement. Plus bananas also pack in the fibre and carbs along with micronutrients like B vitamins, copper and potassium.
Bananas are great on their own anytime of the day and especially as a pre-workout snack. Or, going back to the breakfast theme, you might want to consider this delicious banana almond smoothie. It’s one of my favourite breakfasts; easy to prep and packs a healthy punch to start the day.
6. Legumes
Okay, so we’re moving away from the breakfast themed foods finally. But wait, moong daal parathas are a thing! And a darn good option if you have picky little eaters at home like I do. They make for a healthy breakfast and a great option for the school dabba as well. Plus your kids won’t even know they’re eating daal, haha.
But anyway, coming back to legumes. Whether it’s your peas, beans or lentils, they are all great sources of the Big B. Among these, peanuts and soybeans are especially rich in biotin. A 28 gm serving of roasted peanuts contains a little less than 5 mcg of biotin. A 3/4 cup (about 100 gm) of whole soybean offers 19.3 mcg of biotin. Plus legumes are high in fibre, protein and micronutrients.
So dig into your daal at lunch and dinner, and snack on a handful of salted peanuts when that 4PM hunger strikes.
7. Sweet potatoes
I hated sweet potatoes, also known as ratale in Marathi, as a child. Dished up as food during fasts, the boiled, bland version of sweet potatoes always cued instant misery. That was until I had kids of my own and discovered baked sweet potato wedges, while researching healthy snack options for the young slave drivers. And earlier in life, the heavenly burst of sweet-sour-savoury flavoured sweet potato chaat, as a young brand manager working in Delhi.
My new found amour for sweet potatoes only increased when I discovered that they’re among the best plant based sources of biotin. A half cup serving (about 125 gm) of cooked sweet potatoes has 2.4 mcg of biotin. And if that doesn’t sweeten the deal, sweet potatoes are full of fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to boot.
8. Mushrooms
Toss them up in a stir fry, layer them over your pizza, add them to your eggs; you gotta love mushrooms! A cup of fresh button mushrooms serves up about 5.6 mcg of biotin. That’s nearly 20% of your required daily intake of biotin.
This biotin rich food can be added to a wide variety of dishes thanks to its versatility. My personal favourites include a matar mushroom gravy paired with a delish chur chur naan. That’s a double biotin dose of lentils and mushrooms right there. I also love me a good, creamy mushroom sauce with spaghetti or pasta. Yet another hot (literally) favourite is an easy stir fry recipe that calls for mushroom and yet another biotin rich food that’s up next on the list.
9. Tofu
And tofu it is. I know tofu can be one of those polarizing foods that can instantly split a party into the tofu haters and the tofu lovers. But I’ve always been in the tofu lovers camp. And this brilliant, searing hot tofu mushroom stir fry totally has my heart. Or just cube up your tofu, marinate it in spices of your choice and pan roast it for an anytime snack.
Another favourite go-do dinner after a fry-your-grey cells kind of work day is an easy tofu one-pan recipe. First, stir fry loads of garlic. Then, toss together some tofu, along with edamame (also a great source of biotin!), mushrooms, baby bok choy and the next one on the list- broccoli. Add in seasoning and sauces of your choice. I like a blend of dark and light soy sauce, vinegar and a hint of ketchup. Ta da! Dinner is served, my loves.
10. Broccoli
Last, but not the least on our list is broccoli, another biotin rich food. A half cup (about 45 gm) of raw, chopped broccoli has 0.4 mcg of biotin. Plus broccoli is a nutrient dense superstar, packed with fibre, vitamins A,C,K, and calcium.
Another versatile ingredient, you can puree your broccoli into a soup, toss it into a stir fry or add it to your salad. My kids love broccoli paneer parathas or sandwiches, and broccoli corn cheese balls as snacks. But probably one of my all time favourite meals featuring this biotin rich food is one as easy as pie. All you need to do is steam some broccoli and lightly season it with salt and pepper. Then pair it with potatoes- mashed or sauteed, some grilled chicken and your healthy, clean meal is ready.
And there you have it, the list of top ten biotin rich foods you can add to your diet right away. This list featured mainly vegetarian items (apart from eggs), but there are plenty of non vegetarian options too. Salmon, tuna, sardines, and liver are some options you can add to your diet if you eat non vegetarian food. In fact chicken liver is among the richest sources of biotin. Makes sense, biologically speaking, because most of our body’s biotin is also stored in our liver.
Would you like us to feature a separate list focusing on non vegetarian biotin rich foods? Let us know in the comments below. Or give us a shout on Instagram!
*Note: All biotin quantities are as per data published by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)