Nutrient Spotlight on Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)

What is it important for?

•    Improves our body’s resistance to stress
•    Allows us to produce energy from fats, carbohydrates and proteins
•    Involved in production of acetylcholine; vital for memory and concentration
•    Needed to make our antibodies
•    Strengthens our immune system
•    Used to manufacture red blood cells
•    Decreases lactic acid accumulation and helps to prevent muscle fatigue
•    Necessary for building our body proteins  
•    Involved in hormone production

Did you know…...? 

Most of the vitamin B5 we obtain from foods, is absorbed into our mitochondria. These provide the energy for our cells 

So how can we include it in our daily diet?

•    Avocado, mushrooms, broccoli, red chilli peppers , sweet potato, cauliflower, 
•    Seeds and nuts e.g. sunflower seeds, pecans, cashews hazelnuts
•    Lentils, garbanzo beans, split peas , black-eyed peas, soy beans
•    Oatmeal, buckwheat flour, rye flour, brown rice, wild rice
•    Eggs, beef , pork, chicken, fish

An easy vitamin B5 rich recipe idea...............

Buckwheat Tortillas
•    Mix 250g buckwheat flour with one egg and 750ml water to make the batter and leave to sit for half an hour
•    Melt some coconut oil or butter in a frying pan and ladle some batter into the pan
•    Brown the underside of the tortilla for 1 or 2 minutes before turning over and browning the other side
•    Pack with vitamin B5 rich foods including sautéed mushrooms, chilli pepper, beans or fish (use some onion,  garlic and spices to enhance  the flavour)
•    Top with some hand mashed avocado, roll your tortilla and enjoy!

My weekly ‘Nutrient Spotlight’ written for Fields to Fork Organics

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