What Is Sulfur & What Foods Can I Find It In?

Sulfur is the third most abundant mineral found in your body and the tenth most common element by mass in the universe.

Sulfur is classified as a major mineral that is essential for all life and is very important for our health.

Sulfur deficiency is quite common. However, too much of this mineral may cause some unpleasant side effects.

Sulfur Is An Important Mineral

Sulfur is a major mineral of biological importance.

After calcium and phosphorus, is sulfur the most abundant mineral element found in our body.

Sulfur is very important to human health and metabolism. (source ◳)

Sulfur is beneficial for many organic and biological syntheses, such as the production of amino acids and the synthesis of vitamin C.

You can read about all the benefits sulfur possesses in Sulfur, S: 12 Research-Backed Benefits .

Taste Of Sulfur

Sulfur in foods is the basis for a wide range of desirable tastes and odors.

For example, it is known that the taste of food is generally determined by its odor.

The odor of food is determined, in turn, by the nature and amount of volatile sulfur compounds there are in the food.

Sulfur Deficiency

Sulfur is derived almost exclusively from proteins. It is available to us in our diets. But if we don't eat enough sulfur containing proteins, we get deficient.

Symptoms of sulfur deficiency can be:

• Acne
Arthritis
Brittle nails and hair
Depression
Leg and foot cramps
Muscle twitches
Irritability

Excess Sulfur From Foods

There is no recommended daily value for sulfur intake. However, too much sulfur in the diet can lead to different problems.

There are also some that can have sulfur intolerance. They still need to get sulfur for health reasons, but have to keep the intake low.

Symptoms of excess sulfur can be:

• Unhealthy skin
• Stomach problems
• Headaches
• Rashes
• Bad Breath
• Hair loss

Foods You Can Find Sulfur In

You find sulfur mostly in legume products.

Examples of food sources include

• Dry Tan Beans
• Dry Carioca Beans
• Dry Brown Beans
• Dry Black Beans
• Dry Navy Beans

Foods in our nutrition tool

You can find regularly updated, top ranked lists of foods for over 200+ nutrients in our nutrition tool.

If you are interested in what foods contain the most sulfur, we recommend you visit our tool.

Here's our top ranked list of foods that contain Sulfur, S.

Sara Niemelä

co-founder Care Omnia, Head Content Creator

Nutrition is my passion. I've spent thousands upon thousands of hours reading, analyzing, categorizing and comparing research studies.

I’m a wife and a mother of three. I enjoy the outdoors, cooking, and spending time with my family.