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

3D-model of Thiamin (src)

Thiamin is one of the water-soluble B vitamins, also known as vitamin B1.

Thiamin is an important nutrient for us.

We need a sufficient intake of thiamin from our diet.

Our body can store thiamin for future use, so it is not necessary to take thiamin in large doses. But it is still very important to get enough thiamin in the diet.

Heating foods containing thiamin can reduce their thiamin content.

Table of Contents

Thiamin Is A Very Important Nutrient

Thiamin is one of the water-soluble B vitamins.

It is also known as vitamin B1 because it was the first water-soluble vitamin to be discovered. (source )

Thiamin functions as a coenzyme in the release of energy from carbohydrates.

It is also involved in nerve function and appetite regulation. (source )

Thiamin is primarily stored in the liver, but in very small amounts.

Thiamin has a short storage time, so people require a continuous supply of it from the diet. (source )

Benefits Of Thiamin

Getting the benefits from thiamin are likely to be higher for those with a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, and fruit.

Thiamin is a B-complex vitamin that helps in converting food to energy.

It also helps in maintaining good health.

Thiamin is used as a preventive measure to help prevent and treat certain diseases.

For instance, thiamin can help prevent or treat night blindness. It is most effective if used early in life and is most useful for preventing or delaying the progression of night blindness.

Thiamin is also important for the heart and nervous system.

For more benefits of what thiamin might be able to do for you, you can find in Thiamin: 5 Research-Backed Benefits .

Thiamin Deficiency

Thiamin deficiency is caused by not eating enough food.

Deficiency is common in alcoholics and people suffering from anorexia nervosa and other undernutrition states. (source )

Thiamin deficiency can occur in less than a week.

Symptoms of thiamin deficiency

Symptoms of thiamine deficiency can be vague and hard to diagnose.

How To Get Thiamin?

By eating enough food everyday, in a well-balanced matter, will give you enough thimin. So the best way to prevent thiamin deficiency is to eat a healthy diet.

The best food sources of thiamin are whole grains, meat, and fish.

Bread, cereals, and infant formulas are in many countries fortified with thiamin. (source )

Thiamin in food is destroyed by heat because it is water-soluble.

For this reason, sautéing is preferable. (source )

Most people get adequate amounts of thiamine from their diet.

Foods You Can Find Thiamin In

You find Thiamin mostly in spices and herbs, vegetables, and baked products.

Examples of food sources include

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 Thiamin, we recommend you visit our tool.

Here's our top-ranked list of foods that contain Thiamin.

Sara Niemelä

co-founder Care Omnia, Head Content Creator

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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.