Vitamin B1 or as it is popularly called “vitamin of optimism”

Being a water-soluble substance, the vitamin is not deposited in the body. Therefore, its reserves must be replenished daily. Read below in the article to find out what vitamin B1 contains (sources).

The meaning and role of vitamin B1

Vitamin B1 takes an active part in carbohydrate, energy and other important metabolisms, affects the functioning of any cell in the body, especially nerve cells, and therefore significantly affects the functions of the nervous system. Vitamin B1 normalizes the motor activity of the stomach and intestines. If the intake of thiamine from food is insufficient, the synthesis of acetylcholine is disrupted, as a result of which the function of the nervous, cardiovascular, endocrine and digestive systems deteriorates.

Thiamine optimizes brain function, improves mental abilities and mood. This vitamin also improves blood circulation and is involved in the creation of blood, increases the ability to learn, has a positive effect on growth, and normalizes appetite. Works as an antioxidant, reducing the effects of alcohol and tobacco, protects the body from infections and other adverse environmental factors. The main thing is that it slows down the aging process of the body.

Daily requirement of vitamin B1

An increased dose of the vitamin is necessary for people with hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, during high physical activity, during illness and during the recovery period, as well as for children and the elderly.

What foods contain vitamin B1 (sources)

Plant products containing vitamin B1:

Wheat germ, sunflower seeds, pistachios, peanuts, peas, rice bran, beans, lentils, cereals (raw rice, buckwheat, oatmeal), bread and wholemeal products, legumes, walnuts, carrots, rose hips, potatoes, Brussels sprouts cabbage, broccoli, sorrel, raisins, plums, prunes, blueberries, black currants, parsley, spinach, mint, clover, chamomile, nettle, strawberries, orange.

Vitamin B1 is found in foods of animal origin:

Pork, beef, liver, kidneys, brain, heart, fish products, egg yolk, milk.
The names of the products are written in descending order according to the amount of vitamin B1 in it.
(the data is quite conditional, the content of vitamins and minerals may differ depending on the soil where the product grew)

Interaction and compatibility of vitamin B1

Thiamine is powered by magnesium, so don't neglect it. Medicines containing sulfur, oral contraceptives, sugar, raw fish, tea, coffee, alcohol and smoking deplete thiamine reserves in the body.

Possible symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency

Moderate:

• increased irritability;
• headache;
• insomnia;
• tearfulness;
• depression;
• fatigue;
• decreased appetite;
• chilliness at room temperature;
• deterioration of coordination;
• nausea;
• diarrhea;
• shortness of breath even with little physical exertion;
• gastrointestinal disorders.

Heavy:

• beriberi disease (damage to the central nervous system, heart failure, paralysis, muscle atrophy).

Symptoms of B1 overdose

Hypervitaminosis is not typical for thiamine, but can cause an allergic reaction. And hypo- and avitaminosis can occur as a result of improper nutrition, this is when the diet consists of highly purified carbohydrates (polished rice, premium flour, sugar), such products practically do not contain thiamine, and to process them the body requires more than it receives.

What foods contain vitamin B1? Vitamin B1 or thiamine is another B vitamin that dissolves in water. A person needs daily consumption of thiamine, as it is responsible for many important processes. Vitamin B1 is involved in carbohydrate metabolism, improves the functioning of the nervous system, stimulates the functioning of brain cells, acts as an antioxidant, is a good pain reliever and much more. This vitamin enters the body with food. Let's find out which foods contain vitamin B1.

All thiamine-containing products can be divided into groups:

The first group is nuts and seeds. They are rich in thiamine, as well as other vitamins that promote proper functioning. The foods that contain the most vitamin B1 are: peanuts, sunflower seeds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios.

The second group is cereals and grain plants. The familiar rice and buckwheat are an irreplaceable source of vitamins and minerals, including a source of vitamin B1. These cereals are among the most affordable, and are also used in the preparation of many delicious and healthy dishes. Thiamine is also found in rolled oats, corn, pearl barley and millet.

The third group is vegetables. Since vegetables should make up the majority of your daily diet, it’s worth knowing which ones contain the most vitamin B1. Potatoes, white cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower are the undoubted leaders in thiamine content. But it is worth remembering that vitamin B1 is afraid of prolonged heat treatment.

Thiamine is found in sweet peppers and fruits. Shelf life significantly affects the content of this vitamin in products. The longer a product is stored, the less thiamine it contains.

The destruction and poor absorption of the vitamin is greatly affected by coffee, alcohol consumption and smoking. It is in people who smoke and drink alcohol that vitamin B1 deficiency most often occurs. Symptoms of deficiency are:

• irritability;
• fatigue;
• poor performance;
• poor memory;
• muscle weakness;
• the occurrence of apathy;
• depression;
• headache;
• tachycardia;
• problems with the cardiovascular system;
• nausea;
• deterioration of the digestive system, etc.

The longer the lack of vitamin B1 lasts, the more pronounced the symptoms appear. The amount of vitamin B1 can be affected by many factors, for example, when taking diuretics, vitamin B1 is simply washed out of the body tissues.

Vitamin B1 is used for medicinal purposes, and it is introduced into the body by injection. But it is always worth remembering that the body best absorbs only those vitamins that it receives from plant foods. A nutritious diet will allow a person to remain healthy for many years.

What foods contain vitamin B1? This question is not asked in vain, because this substance is absolutely indispensable for the proper functioning of the human body and maintaining it in a healthy state.

There are several B vitamins. All of them should be present in the diet of everyone who wants to enjoy excellent health and a high quality of life. Vitamin B1, the first in its group, or in other words, thiamine, is responsible for the functioning of the nervous system, resistance to stress and clarity of thinking, regulates proper metabolism, maintains the health of the cardiovascular system and digestive tract.

Signs of thiamine deficiency

Those people who experience the following symptoms should think about the state of their health and reconsider their diet to determine whether vitamin B1 is present in sufficient quantities in the foods on the table:

• depression, nervousness, constant feeling of anxiety, obsessive fears;
• decreased performance, lethargy, apathy, fatigue;
• weight problems;
• indigestion, in many cases constipation;
• poor appetite is a sign of thiamine deficiency;
• pain in the legs, which often turns out to be a warning about the developing beriberi disease.

All these symptoms, of course, can be caused by other reasons, so it is better to immediately consult a doctor, get tested and undergo a full medical examination, rather than diagnose yourself. But the likelihood that vitamin B1 enters the body in insufficient quantities is very high in such cases.

Who especially needs this vitamin?

It has been established that thiamine must be present in the body of every person, but some people need vitamin B1 in larger doses than others. We are talking about the following categories of people.

• First of all, these are children at a time when they are growing rapidly and their body needs building materials and spends a lot of energy.
• Elderly people, when their metabolism slows down, their health deteriorates, senile absent-mindedness and mood swings appear, memory weakens and brain activity decreases.
• Women during menopause, when age-related changes become more and more obvious, when the body lacks building proteins to maintain youth, and it becomes increasingly difficult to resist stress.
• It is surprising and sad that half of people in very young or middle age often experience an acute lack of thiamine these days. The first signs in such cases are usually irritability, excessive vulnerability and eternal fatigue, which others mistake for banal laziness.
• Expectant mothers, whose body consumes many nutrients to ensure the development of the baby, use thiamine very actively.
• People who work physically hard or work in hazardous chemical industries.

It is important to know the following. Thiamine and other B vitamins are defined as water-soluble and do not have the ability to be stored in the body.

It follows from this that their reserves must be replenished daily, making sure that every meal contains these substances. Excess vitamin B1 will not cause any harm, because it will simply be eliminated from the body naturally.

What can cause vitamin deficiency?

• Mistakes made when cooking. For example, prolonged heat treatment has a detrimental effect on thiamine. It follows from this that foods will bring much more benefit to the body when eaten fresh than when boiled or baked. Fried food is simply harmful in itself. Many housewives are accustomed to salting a dish at the very beginning of its preparation, which is also completely wrong. Not only is adding salt not recommended at all when eating properly, but it also destroys thiamine, which is precious for the body!
• Drinking tea and coffee. A huge number of people cannot imagine starting their day without a cup of strong coffee or a mug of steeply brewed tea. Consuming these popular drinks helps destroy vitamin B1 already in the stomach. Proponents of a healthy diet have long said that it is better to drink herbal teas or rosehip decoction.
• Opt for white bread. By eating rolls instead of healthier bread made from whole grain flour, you should not hope to replenish vitamin reserves in the body. Such baked goods are a direct path to obesity, and there is no benefit in them.
• Alcohol. This poison acts in all directions at once, one of which is difficulty in the body’s absorption of thiamine.
• Canned food. Canned food always means an excess of salt. Often, products undergo long heat treatment before preservation. For these two reasons, vitamin B1 is contained in them at a minimal level.

Thiamine-rich foods

Anyone who cares about their well-being should know which foods contain vitamin B1. On factory packaging there is always a table indicating the ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, and the composition is written. It’s not very often that a manufacturer indicates what vitamins its products contain.

Sources of vitamin B1 are many plant foods. Among them:

• raw (green) buckwheat, calcined buckwheat;
• barley, pearl barley and oatmeal, rice, millet;
• hazelnuts, walnuts and pine nuts, unsalted raw peanuts, pistachios, cashews and almonds;
• sunflower and pumpkin seeds;
• bran, sprouted wheat grains;
• dried vegetables in pods;
• green vegetables: broccoli and Brussels sprouts, leeks and lettuce;
• parsley, dill and coriander, green onions, spinach and lettuce of any kind;
• pumpkin, carrots and potatoes;
• bell pepper;
• tomatoes;
• dried fruits: dates, prunes, dried apricots and others;
• fresh fruits; thiamine can be found in pineapples, pears and oranges;
• Products rich in vitamin B1 can also be found among berries; these are rose hips and cranberries;
• soybeans, peas, beans and lentils and corn.

The most famous among the “elixirs of youth” is, of course, ascorbic acid, but thiamine also occupies not the last position in the table of longevity vitamins. Its beneficial influence can not only be felt, but also seen by looking at yourself in the mirror.

Let's sum it up

By understanding how important a role vitamin B1 plays in the internal processes of the body, what foods contain it and how to eat them correctly, you can significantly prolong your youth, improve your health and even get rid of depression.

It is also important to pay due attention to other vitamins and nutrients, making an informed choice in favor of a particular dish, the method of its preparation and the serving size.

Beware of overeating and the problems that it entails, you should adhere to a regime, eating at certain hours, avoiding either fasting or mindless consumption of food.

The human body requires large amounts of nutrients, vitamins and minerals to function properly. In the event that the question of a lack of a particular vitamin substance arises, adjustments to the person’s diet begin; in extreme cases, the use of medications is prescribed. Thiamine plays an important role in everyone's life, and therefore it is extremely important to know which foods contain vitamin B1.

Foods containing vitamin B1 (thiamine)

Sources of vitamin B1 are products of various origins. They can relate to both plant and animal foods. Certain studies have allowed specialists to find out in which food products such beneficial thiamine can be found.

Plant-based foods rich in thiamine

As for foods classified as plant foods, the following foods are rich in vitamin B1:

Product	Vitamin B1 per 100 g of product, mg
Pine nut
Honeysuckle
Sesame (seeds)
Dried coriander leaves
Macadamia
Pistachios
Nutmeg
Peas
Peanut kernel (dried)
Peanuts (seeds)
Pollock caviar
Brazilian nut
Dried rosemary
Dried thyme
Lentils
Oatmeal
Wheat bread
Soft spring wheat
Oat flakes (rolled oats)
Buckwheat groats
Rye bread
Corn bread
Buckwheat
Millet groats
Soft winter wheat
Fennel seeds
Walnut
Corn
Wheat flour 2nd grade
Durum wheat
Green peas
Whole grain lavash

Seeing sunflower seeds and nuts on the list, you should not think that sunflower oil will also contain vitamin B1. At the time of its manufacture, these products undergo certain processing steps that do not allow the thiamine to be preserved in its original form in the final product.

Animal products rich in thiamine

When choosing animal products that are sources of vitamin B1, you should pay attention to the following:

Daily intake of vitamin B1 (thiamine)

Vitamin B1 deficiency is a serious problem, and therefore you should not think that if you adjust your diet, you can immediately restore your body. In many cases, doctors prescribe not only adjustments in food intake, but also medications to get rid of thiamine deficiency.

Having figured out what foods contain vitamin B1, people are usually interested in how much of it they need to consume per day to get the daily requirement. In normal condition, an adult needs to receive from 1 to 2.6 grams of the vitamin per day, otherwise the body will begin to signal a lack of it. The National Academy of Sciences has established the recommended daily intake of vitamin B1 (thiamine) for the following age groups:

• heavy physical and mental stress;
• pregnancy;
• elderly age;
• childhood;
• hyperfunction of the thyroid gland.

There is no need to fear that more thiamine in the body will become a problem for a person. This vitamin is classified as water-soluble, which means it is quickly eliminated from the body. An overdose of a substance can occur if it is administered by injection. Its symptoms are:

• rash and other allergic reactions;
• increased body temperature;
• muscle spasms and others.

In such situations, you should immediately stop injecting and consult a doctor for further instructions on what to do.

Symptoms indicating vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency

A person needs to sound the alarm and contact a specialist in cases where he observes:

• deterioration of memory, attention;
• decreased mental abilities;
• development of depression;
• increased irritability, nervousness, uncertainty;
• severe headaches, insomnia;
• pain in the heart area;
• loss of appetite, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract;
• shortness of breath, loss of coordination of movements;
• decreased activity of the immune system.

The presence of even several of the symptoms mentioned above may be a consequence of a lack of thiamine in the human body. For this reason, it is necessary to undergo a comprehensive examination, which will help identify all existing problems and solve them with the help of medical prescriptions. Self-medication is highly undesirable.

Beneficial properties of vitamin B1 (thiamine)

Like any other useful substance, thiamine has a beneficial effect on the human body. The main beneficial properties of vitamin B1 include:

• positive effect on all organ systems as a whole;
• participation in all types of metabolic processes occurring in the human body;
• improvement of mental activity, increased brain activity, rapid development (applies to young children);
• accelerated growth (applies to young children);
• slowing down the aging process not only of the skin, but also of the tissues that make up the internal organs;
• prevention of the development of Alzheimer's disease;
• maintaining gastrointestinal muscles in tone;
• maintaining the heart muscles in a normal tonic state;
• activation of the immune system;
• improving blood circulation;
• taking part in the creation of some blood cells;
• protecting the body from harmful environmental influences.

Considering all the beneficial properties of thiamine, one can easily understand why experts gave it a unique nickname - “vitamin of optimism (vigor).” By the way, many drugs considered vitamin complexes necessarily contain thiamine in a daily dose. This is due to its influence on the human body and its unique irreplaceability.

Compatibility and interaction of vitamin B1 with various substances

Considering that vitamin B1 is contained in food along with other vitamins and minerals, it is worth considering how it interacts with them and how quickly it is absorbed by the body. It is worth noting its excellent interaction with vitamin B12 - their joint work can reduce cholesterol levels in human blood. The presence of magnesium in the body is beneficial when taking thiamine, because it is its activator.

However, there is a substance with which vitamin B1 does not coexist in the same organism. It is vitamin B6. If these B vitamin substances are found in one organism, their beneficial qualities are neutralized. If there is a lack of thiamine, doctors cancel prescribed contraceptives, as well as some medications containing sulfur. It is also prohibited to smoke, drink alcohol, drink tea and coffee, and eat unhealthy food, as all this causes its inability to be absorbed in the body.

Correcting a lack of vitamin B1 in the body necessarily goes through a stage such as changing a person’s diet. Considering the fact that he also needs other vitamins and minerals, it is necessary that meals include meat dishes, dairy, fish, fermented milk, fruits and vegetables. If the food is not varied, we can talk about the futility of the prescribed therapy.

A person suffering from thiamine deficiency will have to give up foods such as:

• coffee;
• alcohol.

In order to strengthen the element of nutritional correction, it is also necessary to give up all bad habits, such as smoking or drug addiction. In the event that changes in a person’s food list require supplementation with vitamin-mineral complexes that include this vitamin, the specialist will definitely indicate this.

Vitamin B1 for the nervous system