The RDA B6 diet is exactly what it describes. We use a nutrition tracking website or app to maintain a diet that does not go over RDA. We also don’t eat more than 30% of RDA at any given meal. There are too many varied ways of eating to have one specific meal plan. The RDA B6 diet then is your current way of eating adjusted to lower B6 intake to maintain RDA. In this section, we help you to help yourself with creating your diet.
RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance. The National Institutes of Health has RDA for most people age 19 and above at 1.3 mg. Men over 50 have a RDA of 1.7 mg. Women over 50 have a RDA of 1.5 mg. Below is a chart for B6 RDAs from the National Institutes of Health vitamin B6 factsheet.
We’ve already mentioned that a standard American diet contains 1.9 mg of B6. This doesn’t take into consideration the superfoods we have added into our diets, the heavy protein diets or the super clean diets that have higher vitamin B6 intakes. There is nothing wrong with any of these diets, you just have to rethink them.
The highest B6 foods are beef, chicken, turkey, pork, oily fish (salmon, tuna), potatoes, brown rice, avocados, bananas and sunflower seeds. Nutritional yeast is extremely high in B6. It is best to remove or severely limit all these HIGH B6 foods.
The lowest B6 meats and proteins are goat, lamb, some white fish, shrimp, clams, lobster, crab leg, eggs and cheese. Processed meats like hot dogs, sausage, bacon, packaged sandwich meats will also be lower B6. Canned salmon is also a good choice for a lower B6 meat. You do not have to eat processed foods. These are listed for those who already eat processed. The protein powders that work best for us are pea protein, whey protein egg white protein. You don’t have to add protein powders. These are listed for those who use protein powders. Please check for added B6 or other unnecessary ingredients in any protein powders.
The lower B6 carbohydrates are rice noodles and white flour products (like white bread). The rice noodles are awesome in Italian dishes as well as Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai dishes. The white flour is made of wheat, but the B6 has been processed out and not added back in. Examples of white flour items are bread, pizza, crackers, pancakes, English muffins, bagels, cake, cookies. You will want to be careful with pasta. If the ingredients contain durum or semolina flour then it might be higher B6.
You want to enjoy salty snacks. Almonds, pumpkin seeds, pretzels and crackers are all good choices for salty snacks.
The best website we use for nutrient tracking is Cronometer. The free version tracks vitamins and minerals, plus many more nifty-needed items. You don’t need to pay for Cronometer. Please visit the linked page for more detailed info about this awesome nutrient tracker.
It is common to lose weight while toxic on vitamin B6. We’ve had many members in the group ask what foods are good to help put on weight. If you eat processed, then add in white flour products as mentioned above. If you don’t eat processed then the suggestions are egg white protein powder, pea protein powder, butter, coconut oil, full-fat coconut milk, almonds, almond butter, cheese.
Although a 24 hour fast is not necessary, this question comes up often. A 24 hour fast once a week is fine. It is recommended that you fast from dinner to dinner. You still need to drink your salted water, coconut water and the Pedialyte. Since you’re not getting salt from food it is also recommended that you add another 1/8 teaspoon salt to the water. The total daily amount of salt while fasting is about 1/2 teaspoon.
B6T RDA B6 Diet Do’s
- Do stay at RDA B6 or slightly below it.
- Do keep your meals at around 30% RDA.
- Do count your coconut water in Cronometer.
- Do watch values of other nutrients especially, potassium, B12, B1 and iron.
- Do consider purchasing the B6T Smart Supplement. This supplement is only 25% RDA of most vitamins and minerals was designed specifically for the group. It has no vitamin B6. It also does not contain magnesium which is a strong vasodilator. This vitamin is a small boost of vitamins and minerals when your diet isn’t enough. The vitamin was designed for the FB group. It gives the boost that most members wanted without the extreme excess of other supplements. #RethinkExcess.
B6T RDA B6 Diet Don’ts
- RDA B6 is for a reason. If you go lower, it can throw you into a horrible Rebound.
- Do not starve yourself. If you starve yourself, it will throw you into a horrible Rebound.
- Do not fast for more than one day.
Low B6 Foods
Many of you are overwhelmed with the idea of eating a lower B6 food diet. Many in the group have expressed that they don’t know where to begin. We hear daily how the thought of creating a different way of eating is overwhelming. There are three ways to create your new way of living.
- Use only Cronometer. Cronometer is a nutrition app/webpage that allows you to enter in your food choices. The B6 value will be determined for you. Remember to only use the NCCDB database (explained in the link). Enter in the foods you eat then determine your portion sizes based on the amount of B6. This takes the most time and energy.
- Use Cronometer and the partial free spreadsheet in the group. The partial free spreadsheet was created by a member. The downside is that this member was an over 50 male. His RDA is higher than most people in the group. His percentages are off. Search the Facebook group with the term spreadsheet to find this free food list.
- Purchase the $19.95 Quick Start Guide. The Quick Start Guide is the best $19.95 you will ever spend on your health. It is a summary of the most important pages of the website. Your brain-fogged mind will appreicate this. On top of the summary, it has nine pages of foods that are lower in B6. Below is a partial section of the Vegetable page. Although this example is for those who eat clean, there are other food sections for those who eat processed. This is a guide for most types of eaters. You will still use Cronometer to track your daily nutrients.
Member Experience
Here’s an example from our member, Sherri H., who did not heal until she was on a RDA B6 Diet:
13 month follow-up:
My healing story: I’ve been toxic > 10 years. I am 60 years old now and have considered myself to be physically fit all my life. My doctors have always said I’m perfectly healthy. Through my toxicity my doctors have marveled at how healthy I am 🙂. My bloodwork labs were always good, no prescriptions, BP always low/normal. I exercised daily. Yet I felt horrible!
Early -mid 40s I stopped birth control and started taking a prenatal vitamin for just in case I was to accidentally get pregnant. One night I had 2 margaritas and got in a hot tub and within 30 minutes I had a bladder infection. Dehydration event.
I started having what I thought was post menopausal symptoms from what I thought was coming off of birth control pills. Some of my symptoms were extreme hot and cold dysregulation, dizziness, eye floaters, nausea, dry eyes. I had bruising after massages, wrist drop (ulnar nerve damage) after a massage, low back bulging and herniated discs with pain, unexplained knee pain for >2 years, neck pain, sciatica, IBS, thoracic outlet syndrome, insomnia, tight calf’s and feet. Then I started having tingling toes when I would awake in the mornings. At age 50, Ist neurologist said tingling toes was a part of aging. Finally after 5 years of tingling toes and no answers from other docs, in 2017, my new PCP at the time tested B6. I was toxic. At that time I was only taking an OTC multivitamin for women and had stopped the prenatal vitamin. I’ve always taken supplements. I was 3 x the norm. I went to a new neurologist and diagnosis was PN, doc said should go away in 1 year after stopping supplement. IF, my PN does not go away, my PN is related to my back problems. PN did not go away and I thought was related to back. My feet, knee, neck, back, shoulder, and elbow pain and PN had continued to get worse. I exercised daily and of course took supplements for pain, but to my knowlege no B6. After seeking many many practitioners, Feb 2022, I went to an Accupuncturist who specializes in working with PN and cancer patients. She told me my body was depleted from being a pescatarian and before that a vegetarian. I started eating lamb, chicken and turkey. My PN symptoms began to explode! It felt like a dam went off in my body. PN was everywhere, including scalp, internal chest, burning skin, sacrum, head, and hand tremors, and I had trouble with my brain and speech. I knew then my PN was not related to my back. I also saw 2 other
neurologists and questioned if PN was caused from my diet. “Absolutely not” one said. “It’s idiopathic and will only get worse.”
Desperate, I saw a functional medicine practitioner in June 2022. A lot of blood tests again (none were B6). Prescribed about 15 supplements including 100 mg B6, 600 mg magnesium, 8.7 mg B6 in liquid multi vitamin, B12 shots, and I had 6 B IVs during 2 week time span. I was a mess!!! I questioned my B6. No could not be related I was told.
During this time, I decided to move as I so desperately wanted to see a “good” neurologist who specializes in neuropathy because I thought I was dying. I moved from NM to NC to see a neurologist specializing in neuropathy at Duke (could not get appointment if living out of state and Mayo Clinic in AZ had denied me as private pay). My appointment was on 12-9-22. Again, a lot of bloodwork (no B6 test EVEN after I showed her my list of supplements and her comment was “these could be making your symptoms worse”!!!) The outcome of this meeting was a 4 month followup. That was it.
I was at my lowest. I FINALLY accepted idiopathic PN as my fate and joined a FB PN group, then a B12 group. And that’s how I found this group on 12-16-22. I WILL BE FOREVER GRATEFUL!
Because of this protocol, I feel in control of my health. I’m in rebound. I’m finally healing after all these years of suffering. Someone posted a question regarding how do we know if we’re in rebound or if our SFPN is just getting worse? We know because we trust the research on B6 website, we trust the stories and people that have gone through this before us and who have shared their healing stories. We know because we are on this healing journey. We are the research. I feel about 75% healed.
My story shows me and validates this protocol that I must follow the hydration and RDA B6 diet to heal. In addition to my exercise. When I stopped supplements alone in 2017, I did not heal. I remained toxic. When I changed my pescatarian diet to a high B6 food diet including chicken and turkey, a dam went off in my body. Foods matter. Hydration matters. I get it because I am healing.
I no longer need a doctor or any other health practitioner to validate my healing journey. And this is so very freeing after searching for answers for so long. Thank you everyone and especially Beth Smarzik and moderators for your support, wisdom, time, and sharing your healing journeys. 🙏🏼
My 3 goals for this year:
1 My health is my number 1 priority. This diet is my key to health. Stick to the protocol.
2 Share my story with others. I am very confident there are many out there who are toxic. This is a widely unknown epidemic and sharing it with everyone is important to help increase awareness.
3 Have a fun balanced life. I have had little time, effort to explore interests other than taking care of my pain and trying to figure out what’s wrong with me. I’ve lost a big chunk of my life to this toxicity. I’ve started exploring some non physical activities such as board games, pleasure reading, and even tolerated sitting for a 2.5 hour intro to sewing.
Life is short. Today is today’s day. Enjoy. Follow this protocol so you can get on with your life. Like me, you’ll never be the same. Only a much better and wiser person. Be well!