Top 10 Foods Highest in Thiamin (Vitamin B1)

Top 10 Foods Highest in Thiamin (Vitamin B1)

Thiamin (also known as thiamine or vitamin B1) is an essential nutrient required by the body for maintaining cellular function and metabolism. Consequently, it's crucial for the function of a wide array of organs, including the brain. (1)

While rare, a deficiency of thiamin leads to widespread degeneration of the body, particularly the nervous and circulatory systems. (2,3)

A deficiency of thiamin is known as beriberi. One specific type affects primarily the central nervous system, and is known as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Besides the nervous system, beriberi can also have a severe impact on the cardiovascular system, along with other body systems. (2) Worldwide, beriberi is most common in places where non-enriched white rice or other refined grains make up a large part of the diet. (3)

Over-consumption of thiamin is unknown and at least one study shows that amounts taken well in excess of the daily value (DV) may actually enhance brain functioning. (4) In fact, it appears that thiamin supplements may help to prevent Alzheimer's disease, although more research is needed in this area. (5,6)

Foods high in thiamin include pork, fish, seeds, nuts, beans, green peas, tofu, brown rice, squash, asparagus, and seafood. The current daily value (DV) for vitamin B1 is 1.2mg. (7)

Below is a list of high thiamin foods ranked by a common serving size. Use the nutrient ranking of all foods high in thiamin to sort by nutrient density (100-gram serving size).

Looking for more foods high in B Vitamins? Click here for other vitamin B foods.

List of High Thiamin Foods

Printable One Page Sheet

Click to Print
A printable list of foods high in Thiamin (Vitamin B1)

Thiamin (B1) Requirements By Age and Gender

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for thiamin (Vitamin B1) ranges from 0.5mg to 1.4mg per day. The daily value for vitamin B1 is 1.2mg per day. (7)

Life StageRDA
Infants*
0-6 months old0.2mg
7-12 months old0.3mg
Children
1-3 years old0.5mg
4-8 years old0.6mg
Males
9-13 years old0.9mg
14-18 years old1.2mg
19-50 years old1.2mg
50+ years old1.2mg
Females
9-13 years old0.9mg
14-18 years old1mg
19-50 years old1.1mg
50+ years old1.1mg
Pregnancy
14-18 years old1.4mg
18+ years old1.4mg
Lactation
14-18 years old1.2mg
18+ years old1.2mg
*The amounts for children less than 12 months old is the adequate intake (AI) not RDA.
Source: Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin.

Other Vitamin B Foods

Use the ranking tool links below to select foods and create your own food list to share or print.


View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Data Sources and References

  1. The importance of thiamine (vitamin B1) in humans
  2. Shible AA, Ramadurai D, Gergen D, Reynolds PM. Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Deficiency Am J Case Rep. 2019 Mar 13;20:330-334. doi: 10.12659/AJCR.914051. 30862772
  3. Shible AA, Ramadurai D, Gergen D, Reynolds PM. Thiamine deficiency disorders: a clinical perspective Am J Case Rep. 2019 Mar 13;20:330-334. doi: 10.12659/AJCR.914051. 30862772
  4. Benton D, Fordy J, Haller J. Thiamine supplementation mood and cognitive functioning Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1995 Feb;117(3):298-305. doi: 10.1007/BF02246104. 7770605
  5. Chen Z, Zhong C. Supplemental thiamine as a practical, potential way to prevent Alzheimer's disease from commencing Prog Neurobiol. 2013 Sep;108:21-43. doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2013.06.004. Epub 2013 Jul 11. 23850509
  6. Vignisse J, Sambon M, Gorlova A, Pavlov D, Caron N, Malgrange B, Shevtsova E, Svistunov A, Anthony DC, Markova N, Bazhenova N, Coumans B, Lakaye B, Wins P, Strekalova T, Bettendorff L. Neuroprotective Effects of Thiamine and Precursors with Higher Bioavailability: Focus on Benfotiamine and Dibenzoylthiamine Mol Cell Neurosci. 2017 Jul;82:126-136. doi: 10.1016/j.mcn.2017.05.005. Epub 2017 May 12. 28506637
  7. U.S.FDA - Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
  8. Office of Dietary Supplements on Thiamin
MyFoodData provides free nutrition data tools and articles to help you organize and understand the foods you eat.

Try the recipe nutrition calculator, or daily meal planner.

Create a free account to log and track foods.