Biotin-Rich Foods

Anna Garland provides an overview of eight foods containing high levels of biotin essential for healthy hair, nails, and skin which should be included in everyone's diet.

You have probably already heard about biotin and the unique effect it can have on your hair, skin, and nails. Biotin is a water-soluble B vitamin essential for converting food into fuel and plays a crucial role in gene regulation and cell signalling, which is one of the reasons it is associated with strong and healthy hair, nails, and skin. Because of this, biotin is an excellent vitamin if you have thinning hair, helping to improve hair strength and condition and slow the appearance of hair loss.

Most people consume some biotin each day through the foods they eat, but if you do not have a varied diet, you may struggle to get enough of the essential biotin that you need through your diet.

If this is the case, one of the easiest ways to introduce biotin to your diet is by taking a daily biotin supplement. Still, it is possible to get your daily recommended amount of vitamin from your diet alone by eating the right foods.

There are two different kinds of biotin: protein-based biotin (found in food such as meats and egg yolks) and plant-based biotin foods (which tend to be more readily available and offer a healthier choice for your overall health).

Here are some biotin-rich foods you should introduce to your diet if you want to increase the amount of the vitamin you naturally consume daily:

Eggs

If you are looking for natural biotin food sources, eggs are a great choice. Eggs are rich in protein, and one whole cooked egg can contain up to 10 micrograms of biotin.

The yolk of the egg is most rich in the vitamin, although the whole of the egg is beneficial to your hair and nails. If you want to maximise the amount of the vitamin your body absorbs from the eggs, it is vital to ensure that they are fully cooked before eating them. This is because raw egg whites contain a protein called dietary avidin, which binds to biotin and stops it from being absorbed into the body. This protein is removed when the egg is cooked.

Almonds

Almonds are a healthy and easy-to-eat snack with many health benefits, particularly for your hair, skin, and nails. They are also a good source of biotin on the go. One handful (or about a quarter of a cup) of almonds contains approximately 1.5 mcg of biotin. So, whilst they are not the most biotin-rich food source on this list, they are the easiest to incorporate into a busy lifestyle and enjoy on the move.

If you cannot find or do not like almonds, other nuts and seeds are also biotin-rich and a great choice. Peanuts, walnuts, and pecan nuts contain small amounts of biotin, while roasted sunflower seeds contain 2.6 mcg per handful. What is more, snacking on nuts and seeds is a great way to reduce your sugar intake and control any harmful food cravings.

Cheese

All dairy products contain varying levels of biotin, but the way to ingest the most biotin from your dairy is by eating cheese. The amount of biotin your portion of cheese contains will depend on the kind of cheese you choose: a University of Nebraska study found that the two types of cheeses that have the highest levels of biotin are blue cheese and camembert. However, the amount of biotin was shown to vary wildly from cheese to cheese.

Because of the high levels of artery-clogging fat, it contains, it is essential not to overeat cheese in your diet, but if you are going to eat cheese, why not choose a variety with high levels of biotin for hair growth and strength.

Spinach

There is a massive wealth of benefits to introducing leafy green vegetables into your diet: they are a great source of vitamin C and potassium and are suitable for both your heart health and bone strength. If you are looking to reap these rewards and increase your biotin levels, then spinach is a perfect choice. Spinach has the highest level of biotin amongst the leafy green vegetable group, containing seven micrograms of the vegetable per portion.

Fresh spinach is nutrient-rich and great for your health, but you will receive the same amount of biotin if you choose to consume frozen spinach instead. Why not blend it into an easy-to-drink smoothie and reap the biotin benefits with minimal effort.

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is an excellent source of biotin, but only in its raw, uncooked form. Whilst most people tend to cook their cauliflower before eating, it removes many of the vital vitamins and minerals from the vegetable. One cup of raw cauliflower provides up to 4 mcg of biotin.

But how, exactly, can you introduce raw cauliflower to your diet? An easy way is to make some homemade cauliflower rice. Mix it in your food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs, and serve it in a salad, with curry, or even with a vegetable chilli (which is a great way to add even more biotin-rich vegetables into your diet).

Mushrooms

Biotin is found in all living cells, but mushrooms have an unusually high vitamin level because they use it to protect them from attack by parasites and predators to help them grow and thrive.

You will ingest some biotin however you choose to eat your mushrooms. Still, as with many other ingredients on this list, they are best eaten raw to maximise your intake, as the biotin content is lessened during the heating and cooking process. If you want to enjoy a particularly biotin-rich meal, then why not add your mushrooms to an omelette or serve them with a spinach salad.

Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes have long been known to be beneficial to the appearance of your skin, thanks to the beta-carotene that they contain. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which gives your skin strength and a healthy glow.

As well as containing beta-Carotene, sweet potatoes also have a generous dose of biotin, meaning they can also improve hair strength. A half-cup of cooked sweet potato contains approximately 2.4 mcg of biotin and just 90 calories. With their rich vitamin profile and low-calorie content, sweet potatoes are the perfect food for helping you feel full when hungry without any adverse effects. Versatile and easy to serve in a wide variety of different ways, the sweet potato is a great way to get extra biotin into your diet.

Liver

Finally, although it is a reasonably divisive food source (more people seem to hate it than love it), the natural food source with the most concentrated volume of naturally occurring biotin is the liver. A 3-ounce serving of cooked beef liver contains approximately 30 mcg of biotin. Other animal livers contain equally high biotin of volumes. Other organ meats (such as heart and kidney) also boast an incredibly high biotin content if you enjoy eating offal.

The liver contains such high concentrations of biotin because most biotin is stored in the liver. The liver is considered nature's multivitamin, so it is essential to try to eat it if you can. Try adding it to stews or frying it with healthy vegetables (such as onions) to disguise the taste and fool your palette.

Conclusion

Hair loss is a common but embarrassing condition that affects millions of men and women worldwide every year. However, it is possible to help slow the rate of your hair loss and improve your hair's overall strength and lustre by eating the proper diet.

Biotin has been hailed as a wonder vitamin thanks to its remarkable properties associated with the strength and condition of hair, skin, and nails. Whilst biotin deficiency is considered to be relatively rare. It is important to ensure that you get enough biotin in your daily diet by eating a varied diet, including the biotin-rich foods listed above. This should be enough to make a big difference to your hair condition and strength.

If your diet is not varied, biotin supplements are available in several different and easy to ingest forms. It is essential to consult your doctor before adding any supplements to your diet, particularly biotin, if you have a pre-existing condition or take other medication. This will minimise the risk of drug interaction and maximise the likelihood of your supplement working efficiently.

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

GARLAND, A. (2018) Biotin-Rich Foods [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article299.htm [Accessed

About the Author

Anna Garland is a freelance writer with an enternal love of health, fitness, and fashion. Originally from Ukraine, she moved to Israel to study Psychology at Ariel University in the West Bank.


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You have probably already heard about biotin and the unique effect it can have on your hair, skin, and nails. Biotin is a water-soluble B vitamin essential for converting food into fuel and plays a crucial role in gene regulation and cell signalling, which is one of the reasons it is associated with strong and healthy hair, nails, and skin. Because of this, biotin is an excellent vitamin if you have thinning hair, helping to improve hair strength and condition and slow the appearance of hair loss. Most people consume some biotin each day through the foods they eat, but if you do not have a varied diet, you may struggle to get enough of the essential biotin that you need through your diet. If this is the case, one of the easiest ways to introduce biotin to your diet is by taking a daily biotin supplement. Still, it is possible to get your daily recommended amount of vitamin from your diet alone by eating the right foods. There are two different kinds of biotin: protein-based biotin (found in food such as meats and egg yolks) and plant-based biotin foods (which tend to be more readily available and offer a healthier choice for your overall health). Here are some biotin-rich foods you should introduce to your diet if you want to increase the amount of the vitamin you naturally consume daily: Eggs If you are looking for natural biotin food sources, eggs are a great choice. Eggs are rich in protein, and one whole cooked egg can contain up to 10 micrograms of biotin. The yolk of the egg is most rich in the vitamin, although the whole of the egg is beneficial to your hair and nails. If you want to maximise the amount of the vitamin your body absorbs from the eggs, it is vital to ensure that they are fully cooked before eating them. This is because raw egg whites contain a protein called dietary avidin, which binds to biotin and stops it from being absorbed into the body. This protein is removed when the egg is cooked. Almonds Almonds are a healthy and easy-to-eat snack with many health benefits, particularly for your hair, skin, and nails. They are also a good source of biotin on the go. One handful (or about a quarter of a cup) of almonds contains approximately 1.5 mcg of biotin. So, whilst they are not the most biotin-rich food source on this list, they are the easiest to incorporate into a busy lifestyle and enjoy on the move. If you cannot find or do not like almonds, other nuts and seeds are also biotin-rich and a great choice. Peanuts, walnuts, and pecan nuts contain small amounts of biotin, while roasted sunflower seeds contain 2.6 mcg per handful. What is more, snacking on nuts and seeds is a great way to reduce your sugar intake and control any harmful food cravings. Cheese All dairy products contain varying levels of biotin, but the way to ingest the most biotin from your dairy is by eating cheese. The amount of biotin your portion of cheese contains will depend on the kind of cheese you choose: a University of Nebraska study found that the two types of cheeses that have the highest levels of biotin are blue cheese and camembert. However, the amount of biotin was shown to vary wildly from cheese to cheese. Because of the high levels of artery-clogging fat, it contains, it is essential not to overeat cheese in your diet, but if you are going to eat cheese, why not choose a variety with high levels of biotin for hair growth and strength. Spinach There is a massive wealth of benefits to introducing leafy green vegetables into your diet: they are a great source of vitamin C and potassium and are suitable for both your heart health and bone strength. If you are looking to reap these rewards and increase your biotin levels, then spinach is a perfect choice. Spinach has the highest level of biotin amongst the leafy green vegetable group, containing seven micrograms of the vegetable per portion. Fresh spinach is nutrient-rich and great for your health, but you will receive the same amount of biotin if you choose to consume frozen spinach instead. Why not blend it into an easy-to-drink smoothie and reap the biotin benefits with minimal effort. Cauliflower Cauliflower is an excellent source of biotin, but only in its raw, uncooked form. Whilst most people tend to cook their cauliflower before eating, it removes many of the vital vitamins and minerals from the vegetable. One cup of raw cauliflower provides up to 4 mcg of biotin. But how, exactly, can you introduce raw cauliflower to your diet? An easy way is to make some homemade cauliflower rice. Mix it in your food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs, and serve it in a salad, with curry, or even with a vegetable chilli (which is a great way to add even more biotin-rich vegetables into your diet). Mushrooms Biotin is found in all living cells, but mushrooms have an unusually high vitamin level because they use it to protect them from attack by parasites and predators to help them grow and thrive. You will ingest some biotin however you choose to eat your mushrooms. Still, as with many other ingredients on this list, they are best eaten raw to maximise your intake, as the biotin content is lessened during the heating and cooking process. If you want to enjoy a particularly biotin-rich meal, then why not add your mushrooms to an omelette or serve them with a spinach salad. Sweet Potato Sweet potatoes have long been known to be beneficial to the appearance of your skin, thanks to the beta-carotene that they contain. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which gives your skin strength and a healthy glow. As well as containing beta-Carotene, sweet potatoes also have a generous dose of biotin, meaning they can also improve hair strength. A half-cup of cooked sweet potato contains approximately 2.4 mcg of biotin and just 90 calories. With their rich vitamin profile and low-calorie content, sweet potatoes are the perfect food for helping you feel full when hungry without any adverse effects. Versatile and easy to serve in a wide variety of different ways, the sweet potato is a great way to get extra biotin into your diet. Liver Finally, although it is a reasonably divisive food source (more people seem to hate it than love it), the natural food source with the most concentrated volume of naturally occurring biotin is the liver. A 3-ounce serving of cooked beef liver contains approximately 30 mcg of biotin. Other animal livers contain equally high biotin of volumes. Other organ meats (such as heart and kidney) also boast an incredibly high biotin content if you enjoy eating offal. The liver contains such high concentrations of biotin because most biotin is stored in the liver. The liver is considered nature's multivitamin, so it is essential to try to eat it if you can. Try adding it to stews or frying it with healthy vegetables (such as onions) to disguise the taste and fool your palette. Conclusion Hair loss is a common but embarrassing condition that affects millions of men and women worldwide every year. However, it is possible to help slow the rate of your hair loss and improve your hair's overall strength and lustre by eating the proper diet. Biotin has been hailed as a wonder vitamin thanks to its remarkable properties associated with the strength and condition of hair, skin, and nails. Whilst biotin deficiency is considered to be relatively rare. It is important to ensure that you get enough biotin in your daily diet by eating a varied diet, including the biotin-rich foods listed above. This should be enough to make a big difference to your hair condition and strength. If your diet is not varied, biotin supplements are available in several different and easy to ingest forms. It is essential to consult your doctor before adding any supplements to your diet, particularly biotin, if you have a pre-existing condition or take other medication. This will minimise the risk of drug interaction and maximise the likelihood of your supplement working efficiently. Page Reference If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is: GARLAND, A. (2018) Biotin-Rich Foods [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article299.htm [Accessed About the Author Anna Garland is a freelance writer with an enternal love of health, fitness, and fashion. Originally from Ukraine, she moved to Israel to study Psychology at Ariel University in the West Bank.