Foods High In Thiamin (Handy Cheat Sheet)

Thiamin, also known as vitamin B1, plays a crucial role in converting food into energy. It’s essential for maintaining a healthy nervous system, and it helps your body metabolize carbohydrates effectively. 

Without enough thiamin, you might feel fatigued, have trouble concentrating, or even develop serious conditions like beriberi. 

So, let’s dive into the top foods high in thiamin and how you can easily incorporate them into your diet!

Top 10 thiamin-rich foods

Here’s a quick list of the top thiamin-rich foods:

1. Pork (cooked) – 0.87 mg per 3 oz
2. Sunflower Seeds – 1.48 mg per 1 cup
3. Salmon (cooked) – 0.6 mg per 6 oz
4. Black Beans (cooked) – 0.42 mg per 1 cup
5. Green Peas (cooked) – 0.45 mg per 1 cup
6. Firm Tofu – 0.4 mg per 1 cup
7. Lentils (cooked) – 0.34 mg per 1 cup
8. Fortified Breakfast Cereals – 1.5 mg per serving
9. Brown Rice (cooked) – 0.19 mg per 1 cup
10. Asparagus (cooked) – 0.24 mg per 1 cup

Thiamin-rich foods cheat sheet

Foods rich in thiamin include a mix of animal proteins like pork and fish, legumes such as black beans, seeds like sunflower seeds, and fortified or enriched grains, making it relatively easy to meet your thiamin needs with a balanced diet.

Here’s a little cheat sheet with the types of foods that are high in thiamin:

Category	Food Examples
Meats/Seafood	Pork, Salmon, Tuna, Mussels
Seeds & Nuts	Sunflower Seeds, Flaxseeds, Pistachios
Legumes	Black Beans, Tofu, Lentils, Navy Beans
Vegetables	Green Peas, Acorn Squash, Asparagus
Grains	Brown Rice, Whole Wheat Bread, Oats
Fortified Foods	Breakfast Cereals, Enriched Flour

Foods high in thiamin

Let’s break it down further and see how you can incorporate these thiamin-rich foods into your meals…

Meats/Seafood

• Pork (cooked): 0.87 mg per 3 oz
• Salmon (cooked): 0.6 mg per 6 oz
• Tuna (cooked): 0.5 mg per 6 oz
• Mussels: 0.3 mg per 3 oz (also high in iron!)

Seeds & Nuts

• Sunflower Seeds: 1.48 mg per 1 cup
• Flaxseeds: 0.22 mg per 1 oz
• Pistachios: 0.24 mg per 1 oz

Legumes

• Black Beans (cooked): 0.42 mg per 1 cup
• Firm tofu: 0. 4 mg per 1 cup
• Lentils (cooked): 0.34 mg per 1 cup
• Navy Beans (cooked): 0.22 mg per 1 cup
• Soybeans (cooked): 0.37 mg per 1 cup

Vegetables

• Green Peas (cooked): 0.45 mg per 1 cup
• Acorn Squash (cooked): 0.3 mg per 1 cup
• Asparagus (cooked): 0.24 mg per 1 cup

Grains

• Brown Rice (cooked): 0.19 mg per 1 cup
• Whole Wheat Bread: 0.11 mg per slice
• Oats (cooked): 0.22 mg per 1 cup
• Barley (cooked): 0.16 mg per 1 cup

Fortified Foods

• Breakfast Cereals (fortified): 1.5 mg per serving*
• Enriched Flour: 0.8 mg per cup
• White Rice (enriched): 0.26 mg per 1 cup
• Instant Oatmeal (fortified): 0.54 mg per packet

*The amount of thiamin (vitamin B1) varies by brand, but some fortified breakfast cereals with a lot of thiamin include Ralston Enriched Wheat Bran Flakes and Ralston Corn Flakes.

Quick tips to maximize thiamin intake

Aside from including more of the above foods in your diet, try these tips:

• Add beans or lentils to your meat: One of my favorite tips is to add beans or lentils to ground meat, such as pork, beef, or turkey – you’ll get extra thiamin and fiber!
• Choose whole grains over refined: Opt for whole wheat bread, brown rice, and whole grain cereals, as they contain more thiamin than refined grains.
• Include fortified foods: Incorporate fortified foods like breakfast cereals and enriched flours into your diet, as they are often enriched with thiamin.
• Snack on seeds and nuts: Sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, and nuts like pistachios are excellent thiamin-rich snacks that are easy to add to your daily routine.
• Cook vegetables lightly: Overcooking can reduce thiamin content, so steam or lightly sauté vegetables like peas and asparagus to retain their nutritional value.
• Diversify your diet: Eating a wide variety of thiamin-rich foods ensures you get enough Vitamin B1 without relying on a single source.

Thiamin-rich recipes

Here are some delicious and easy recipes to help you boost your thiamin intake:

• Paleo pork and apple cider vinegar skillet
• Black bean burger
• Keto pulled pork
• Apple cider vinegar pork tenderloin with apples
• Spicy sprouted lentil soup

FAQs

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