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Vitamin B1, also known as thiamin or thiamine, is present in multiple foods, and therefor deficiency is very rare. When it does happen, it’s usually due to absorption issues caused by alcoholism, HIV, or certain medications. 

We need vitamin B1 to metabolize our food into energy, for our overall brain and heart health, and to support our cells. Deficiency may lead to dry beriberi, which results in impaired sensory, motor and reflex functions; or wet beriberi, that affects our heart and circulatory system, and may result in heart failure.

Thiamin is water-soluble, therefor we do need to replenish it regularly, but because it is so easy to find, particularly through whole-plant foods, we are constantly replenishing it without even knowing. Some key sources include legumes, seeds, and whole grains.

Scroll down to learn more about whole-food, plant-based vitamin B1 sources. Then, be sure to use our personalized calculator to discover how much you and your family need every day. Keep scrolling for some interesting facts, and a comparison between vitamin B1 sources.

Top Whole-Food, Plant-Based Sources

Hover over each food below to see how much vitamin B1 or thiamin you can get with one serving. Click on each food’s picture to visit its interactive page with a personalized calculator of all the nutrition you can get from one serving, more information about how it supports our body, tips to choose and prepare it, interesting facts, and more!

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower Seeds

1/4 cup kernels = 43% DV

Link
Oats

Oats

1 cup dry = 31% DV

Link
Black Beans

Black Beans

1 cup cooked = 35% DV

Link
Brown Rice

Brown Rice

1 cup cooked = 28% DV

Link
Green Peas

Green Peas

1 cup cooked = 31% DV

Link
Asparagus

Asparagus

1 c cooked = 24% DV

Link
Lentils

Lentils

1 c cooked = 28% DV

Link
Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional Yeast

1 Tbs = 87% DV

Link

Vitamin B1 Thiamin Personalized Calculator

See how much vitamin B1 you and your family members need, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.

Terminology:

  • Daily Value (DV): The recommended amount of nutrients to consume each day for individuals who are 4 years old or older.
  • Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA): The recommended amount of nutrients to consume each day according to the individual’s age, gender, and whether a woman is pregnant or breastfeeding.
  • Upper Intake Level (UL): The highest amount of nutrient intake that will not pose adverse health effects on most individuals.

Important Things to Know

Hover over each of the interesting facts below to flip the tiles and learn more details.

Check out the interesting facts below! Tap on the red triangles to flip the tiles and learn more details.

Thiamin may help us excrete lead from our body.

We try to protect our family from lead exposure, but lead can be found where we least expect it. While there are nutrients like vitamin C, calcium, and iron, that reduce lead absorption, a high intake of vitamin B1 or thiamin helps accelerate its removal and excretion from our body.

Drink the broth for extra thiamin intake.

Since vitamin B1 is water-soluble, some of it ends up in the water while cooking our legumes, grains, or vegetables. For this reason, it’s a good idea to drink your broth when possible.

Compounds in coffee or tea could lead to a thiamin deficiency.

Polyphenolic compounds in coffee or tea, such as tannins and catechins, have been linked to thiamine deficiency. Again, since deficiency is rare, this shouldn’t be a concern unless you are having trouble absorbing thiamin in the first place, or if your diet is rich in simple carbohydrates and low in whole-plant foods. Talk to your doctor about any thiamin deficiency concerns.

Thiamin may help us excrete lead from our body.

We try to protect our family from lead exposure, but lead can be found where we least expect it. While there are nutrients like vitamin C, calcium, and iron, that reduce lead absorption, a high intake of vitamin B1 or thiamin helps accelerate its removal and excretion from our body.

Drink the broth for extra thiamin intake.

Since vitamin B1 is water-soluble, some of it ends up in the water while cooking our legumes, grains, or vegetables. For this reason, it’s a good idea to drink your broth when possible.

Compounds in coffee or tea could lead to a thiamin deficiency.

Polyphenolic compounds in coffee or tea, such as tannins and catechins, have been linked to thiamine deficiency. Again, since deficiency is rare, this shouldn’t be a concern unless you are having trouble absorbing thiamin in the first place, or if your diet is rich in simple carbohydrates and low in whole-plant foods. Talk to your doctor about any thiamin deficiency concerns.

Comparison of Vitamin B1 Thiamin Sources

You may be wondering about other potential sources of thiamin, such as supplements and meat. Below we make a quick and simple comparison between the three choices.

Best source!
Plant-Based
It is very easy to get all our thiamine with a balanced diet that includes legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
Nutritional yeast is particularly high in various B vitamins, including vitamin B1. Just 1 Tablespoon gives us about 87% of our Daily Value.
Supplements
Supplementation can benefit those suffering from beriberi or severed vitamin B1 deficiency.
Toxicity is rare in regular supplementation, but excessive intravenous intake for an extended period can cause it, manifesting in weakness, hypotension, tachycardia, severe rash, semi coma, and even fatal death.
Animal-based
We recommend avoiding animal-based foods due to their carcinogenic compounds and high levels of saturated fat. When it comes to thiamin, there’s another reason. Contaminated meat, raw fish and shellfish may have bacterial thiaminases, which can degrade thiamine absorption.

References