Thiamin (Vitamin B1)

 

People know vitamins and minerals are essential in your diet. However, one vitamin that gets sidelined among other B vitamins is B1. Also called Thiamin, Vitamin B1 is a nutrient that's vital for keeping our bodies functional and energetic. Yet, many of us don't pay much attention to this key vitamin. 

A diet lacking in vitamin B1 foods can leave you feeling drained, mentally foggy, or worse, at risk of long-term health issues. In this blog, we’ll walk you through the importance of foods high in thiamin, the benefits they offer, and the best food sources of vitamin B1.

We must start by understanding what exactly is vitamin B1.

Understanding Thiamin (Vitamin B1)

When you think about staying energized, your mind probably jumps to coffee, sleep, or exercise. But you might not know that Vitamin B1 (thiamin) plays a direct role in how energetic and healthy you feel. Let’s break down two major roles of thiamin.

1. Essential for Cell Growth and Function

At the heart of every process in your body is your cells. Thiamin is involved in cell growth, development, and maintenance. 

• Your body uses it to build new cells and ensure that the ones you already have function properly. Tissues with a high metabolic rate—like your heart, brain, and muscles—rely heavily on thiamin to keep up with their daily workload.

• Thiamine Pyrophosphate (TPP), an active form of thiamin, plays a key role. About 80% of thiamin in our body exists as TPP.

Without enough thiamin in your system, these cells can’t perform well. This can affect everything from your heart health to your mental sharpness. 

2. Involvement in Metabolism and Energy Production

When you eat food, your body breaks it down into glucose (sugar) and other nutrients. Without thiamin, your body can’t efficiently turn that glucose into usable energy. That’s why vitamin B1 is often called the "energy vitamin."

• Thiamin helps the enzymes in your body convert carbohydrates into energy, which powers everything from your brain to your muscles. 

• It also plays a role in metabolizing fats and proteins, so that every nutrient you consume counts. 

If you’re not getting enough thiamin from your diet, you may feel tired, mentally foggy, or struggle to concentrate—even if you’re eating right. 

Try Supply6 360 which is packed with essential nutrients, including thiamin, in each serving to keep you energized and healthy. With around 84% of your daily vitamin B1 requirement, this drink offers a portable and convenient option for days when you find it difficult to get your daily nutrients.

This is where foods high in thiamin, such as whole grains, legumes, and nuts, come in handy. Let’s explore some of the ways vitamin B1-rich foods can benefit your health.

Health Benefits of Thiamin in Diet

It’s essential to include foods high in vitamin B1 in your diet, however, you must understand how it helps your body maintain its health.

1. Aids in Carbohydrate Metabolism

If you love carb-rich foods such as bread, rice, or pasta, thiamin can help your body convert carbohydrates into energy. When you eat such foods, your body breaks them down into glucose (sugar), which fuels your brain, muscles, and organs. 

This is why foods high in vitamin B1 like whole grains and legumes are essential for staying energized throughout the day. They ensure that every carbohydrate you consume is put to good use.

2. Supports Nervous System Health

Your nervous system controls everything from muscle movements to memory. Thiamin is essential for keeping the nerves healthy and ensuring that signals travel smoothly from the brain to the rest of the body. 

3. Promotes Healthy Heart Function

Your heart never takes a break, and it relies on thiamin to keep pumping efficiently. Thiamin ensures that the muscles of the heart contract properly and helps maintain healthy blood flow.

Studies show a strong association between dietary thiamin intake and reduced cardiovascular risks, especially for susceptible groups.

If you’re wondering where to find vitamin B1 foods to keep your energy high and your body functioning smoothly, you’ll be glad to know that thiamin can be found in a variety of natural foods.

Top Sources of Thiamine

Here’s a closer look at the vitamin B1 foods that you can start adding to your meals today.

Meats

Lean pork chops are an outstanding source of thiamin. A single 3oz chop can provide up to 33% of the Daily Value (DV), making it an excellent choice for meat consumers. Try pairing lean pork with brown rice or vegetables for a meal that gives you both energy and essential vitamins.

Additionally, other pork cuts like cured ham and pork tenderloin are rich in thiamin, offering versatile options to incorporate into meals. 

Fish

If you prefer something light but nourishing, salmon is an excellent choice. Known for its heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, salmon also provides thiamin, giving you the perfect blend of brain-boosting and body-strengthening nutrients. 

A 100g cooked serving of salmon offers about 28 grams of thiamin. Delicious and nutritious, salmon can easily be added to meals. Other fish, including tuna and trout, also contribute significantly to thiamin intake.

Whole Grains

If you’re looking for plant-based sources of vitamin B1, whole grains like brown rice should be a staple in your diet. Brown rice retains the nutrient-rich outer layers that are often stripped away in white rice, making it a much better choice for thiamin intake.

In a cup of cooked brown rice, you get roughly 30% of the DV for thiamin. Brown rice not only provides thiamin but also offers fiber to aid digestion and keep you feeling full longer. Other grains such as whole wheat bread and quinoa are also good alternatives for vegan or vegetarian diets.

Several other plant-based foods are packed with thiamin, ensuring your body gets the energy and nourishment it needs to function well.

Plant-Based Sources of Thiamine

Below are some of the best plant-based food sources of vitamin B1 that are easy to include in your daily routine.

Legumes

Navy beans are an excellent plant-based source. These little beans provide a healthy dose of vitamin B1 along with plenty of fiber and plant-based protein. A cup of cooked navy beans provides about 0.4 mg of thiamin, accounting for 36% of the Daily Value (DV).

Lentils are equally impressive as they not only contain thiamin but also support heart health with their low-fat, high-fiber content. 

Seeds

Among seeds sunflower and sesame seeds are noteworthy vitamin B1 foods. They are incredibly flexible in their uses, whether sprinkled on salads, blended into smoothies, or added to bread recipes for an extra nutritional punch. An ounce of sunflower seeds offers 8% of your daily thiamin requirement.

Vegetables

Green peas stand out among vegetables for their thiamin content. One cup of cooked green peas offers about 0.4 mg of thiamin, covering 33% of the DV. These can easily be incorporated into a variety of meals, from stir-fries to pasta.

This video lists 10 high Vitamin B1 foods along with their caloric content.

Sometimes, getting all your essential nutrients from whole foods can feel like a challenge, especially when life gets hectic. That’s where fortified foods step in to fill the gaps.

Thiamin in Fortified Foods

In today's industrialized world, fortified foods have become an essential part of our diets, providing key nutrients that might otherwise be lost through food processing.

Fortified Cereals

Brands often add thiamin during the manufacturing process to enhance the cereal's nutritional value. With just a bowl of fortified cereal, you can start your day with a dose of vitamin B1 foods that fuel your energy needs. These cereals also pair well with milk or plant-based alternatives, giving you additional nutrients like calcium and protein. 

Enriched Breads

Not all bread is created equal, and many varieties are enriched with thiamin to improve their nutritional value. This enrichment process helps replace nutrients lost during flour refining, ensuring you still get key vitamins like B1 from your sandwich or toast. Having a slice of enriched bread with peanut butter or avocado can be a quick option.

Whether it's starting your day with fortified cereal or enjoying a sandwich made from enriched bread, these everyday choices can significantly contribute to a balanced and nutritious diet.

An option most people prefer to fulfill their daily vitamin intake is multivitamins. While they can be helpful, it is important to understand the effects of taking multivitamins daily.

Now, how much vitamin B1 should you actually consume each day?

Recommended Daily Intake of Thiamin by Age and Gender

According to health authorities like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the daily B1 requirement depends on several factors, including age, gender, and overall health.

For people with certain lifestyle or dietary patterns, it might be tough to maintain their daily intake. It’s important to understand how a vitamin B1 deficiency affects your overall health.

Recognizing and Addressing Vitamin B1 Deficiency

When your body doesn’t get enough thiamin from food, it can disrupt how your cells convert carbohydrates into energy. This can lead to fatigue, nerve issues, and even serious health problems if left unchecked.

Symptoms of a Vitamin B1 Deficiency

The symptoms of thiamin deficiency can vary, depending on how severe it is. Here are the most common signs to watch for:

• Chronic Fatigue: You feel tired even after getting a good night's sleep or resting. Your body lacks the energy it needs to function efficiently.

• Muscle Weakness: Simple activities start to feel physically exhausting. Muscle coordination might become difficult.

• Poor Concentration or Mental Fog: You find it hard to focus or remember things. This happens because B1 is essential for brain function.

• Nerve Problems (Tingling or Numbness): A feeling of "pins and needles" in your hands or feet is common. This is called peripheral neuropathy, caused by poor nerve signals.

• Appetite Loss and Mood Changes: If you’re often uninterested in eating, it could be a symptom of low B1 levels. Vitamin B1 deficiency can make you feel irritable or anxious.

In extreme cases, thiamin deficiency can result in beriberi (affecting the heart and nervous system) or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a brain disorder associated with confusion and memory problems.

Curious? Find out more about other vitamin deficiencies in this blog about the Signs, Symptoms, Treatment, and Causes of Vitamin Deficiency.

What to Do if You Have a Vitamin B1 Deficiency

• Adjusting your diet to include thiamine-rich foods—like fortified cereals, whole grains, and pork—is equally important. Careful dietary planning can prevent deficiencies from occurring or recurring.

• A healthcare professional can confirm a deficiency through blood tests and suggest the right treatment plan.

• In more serious cases, doctors might recommend vitamin B1 supplements to correct the deficiency.

Looking for a delicious way to boost your vitamin B1 intake? Supply6 Wholesome Meal, made with real ingredients, is a perfect meal replacement option for busy days when you need a quick yet nourishing solution. Enjoy the convenience of a wholesome meal that fits your active lifestyle. 

You might think consuming vitamin B1-rich foods is sufficient. However, preserving thiamin content in your food is another step to ensure your intake is proper. 

Factors That Affect Thiamin Content in Foods

Thiamin is sensitive—it doesn’t always survive the cooking and storage process. If you’re not careful, you might end up losing much of this essential nutrient. Nutrient retention during cooking is essential.

• High Heat Can Destroy Thiamin Content.

Vitamin B1 isn’t heat-friendly. Cooking methods that use high temperatures—such as frying, baking, or grilling—can break down thiamin. Steaming or lightly sautéing foods is a better way to retain thiamin. Boiling also helps preserve some thiamin, but only if the cooking water is reused.

• Thiamin is Lost When Cooking Water is Discarded

When you cook vitamin B1 foods (rice, lentils, or vegetables) in water and then discard the water, you're also throwing away a good amount of thiamin. To avoid this, try using the cooking water in dishes like soups or stews, so that the vitamin remains part of what you eat.

• Some Foods Contain Enzymes that Deactivate Thiamin

Certain raw foods naturally contain enzymes called thiaminases, which break down thiamin. If these foods are eaten in large quantities, they can interfere with the amount of usable B1 your body receives. Raw fish and shellfish are known to contain these enzymes, though cooking them neutralizes the effect.

Similarly, foods like ferns and betel nuts also have these enzymes, though they are less common in everyday diets. Tea and coffee carry these enzymes as well, so balancing their consumption with thiamin-rich foods or supplements helps maintain adequate levels.

• Proper Storage for Thiamin Retention

Finally, how you store your food can impact thiamin levels. Light, oxygen, and moisture can degrade thiamin over time. Store foods in a cool, dry place using airtight containers to keep their nutritional value intact.

Conclusion

Including a variety of vitamin B1 foods in your meals ensures you get the right amount of this essential nutrient. The beauty of vitamin B1 is that you don’t need complicated recipes or expensive supplements to meet your needs. Everyday options like legumes, brown rice, pork, sunflower seeds, and leafy greens are easy ways to stay on track.

Being aware is important as thiamin can be lost during cooking, especially through high heat or discarded water. Paying attention to how you cook and store your food can make a big difference. But, for those busy days when preparing a balanced meal isn’t feasible, Supply6 has your back.

Our drinks are not only convenient but also packed with essential nutrients, including vitamin B1. With Supply6, you can stay nourished and energized, no matter how hectic your schedule gets. 

Don’t let your busy lifestyle get in the way of your health. Explore Supply6's collection today and discover how we make it easy for you to fuel your body with the right nutrients.