Thiamin

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This is one in a series of fact sheets containing information to help you select foods that provide adequate daily amounts of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber as you follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Guidelines are -

Eat a Variety of Foods Maintain Desirable Weight Avoid Too Much Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol Eat Foods with Adequate Starch and Fiber Avoid Too Much Sugar Avoid Too Much Sodium If You Drink Alcoholic Beverages, Do So in Moderation WHAT IS MEANT BY A GOOD FOOD SOURCE? A good food source of thiamin contains a substantial amount of thiamin in relation to its calorie content and contributes at least 10 percent of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (U.S. RDA) for thiamin in a selected serving size. The U.S. RDA for thiamin is 1.5 milligrams per day. (The U.S. RDA given is for adults, except pregnant or lactating women, and children over 4 years of age.)

The U.S. RDA for thiamin is the amount of the vitamin used as a standard in nutrition labeling of foods. This allowance is based on the 1968 Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for 24 sex-age categories set by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. The 1989 RDA has been set at 1.1 milligrams per day for women 19 to 50 years of age and 1/5 milligrams for men 19 to 50 years of age.

As you can see, in 1985 and 1986, grain products - including breads, cereals, pasta, and rice - supplied 44 percent of the thiamin in the diets of women. Other food groups providing considerable thiamin were meat, poultry, and fish (24 percent) and fruits and vegetables (20 percent). Foods that contain small amounts of thiamin but are not considered good sources can contribute significant amounts of thiamin to an individual's diet if these foods are eaten often or in large amounts.

WHY DO WE NEED THIAMIN?

Thiamin, a water-soluble vitamin, helps the body release energy from carbohydrates during metabolism. Thus, persons who expend more energy and have a higher intake of calories need more thiamin than those who eat fewer calories. Thiamin also plays a vital role in the normal functioning of the nervous system.

DO WE GET ENOUGH THIAMIN?

According to recent USDA surveys, men 19 to 50 years of age met their RDA for thiamin. The average intake by women of the same age was slightly below the RDA.

HOW CAN WE GET ENOUGH THIAMIN?

Eating a variety of foods that contain thiamin is the best way to get an adequate amount. Healthy individuals who eat a balanced diet rarely need supplements. The list of foods will help you select those that are good sources of thiamin as you follow the Dietary Guidelines. The list of good sources was derived from the same nutritive value of foods tables used to analyze information for recent food consumption surveys of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Human Nutrition Information Service.

HOW TO PREPARE FOODS TO RETAIN THIAMIN

Some thiamin can be lost from foods during preparation and cooking because thiamin may be dissolved in the cooking liquid. Storage losses are small. To retain thiamin:

• Use enriched or whole-grain pasta or rice and do not wash before cooking or rinse after cooking.
• Cook vegetables in a minimal amount of water.
• Roast meat at a moderate temperature and cook only until it is done - overcooking at a high temperature destroys thiamin.

WHAT ABOUT ENRICHED OR FORTIFIED FOODS?

Pasta and most breads made from refined flours are enriched with thiamin because thiamin is one of the nutrients lost in processing. Other nutrients added to refined flours and pasta are iron, niacin, and riboflavin. Enriched products or products made from enriched flour are labeled as such.

Most ready-to-eat and instant-prepared cereals are fortified with thiamin. Fortified ready-to-eat cereals usually contain at least 25 percent of the U.S. RDA for thiamin. Since cereals vary, check the label on the package for the percentage of the U.S. RDA for a specific cereal.

WHAT IS A SERVING?

The serving sizes used on the list of good sources are only estimates of the amounts of food you might eat. The amounts eaten of some meats may be easier to estimate by the piece rather than by weight. For example, a selected serving size for pork is 1 chop, weighing about 2-1/2 ounces, or 3 ounces of pork depending on the cut.

WHAT ARE GOOD SOURCES OF THIAMIN?

     FOOD                             SELECTED      PERCENTAGE OF
                                      SERVING SIZE  U.S. RDA (1)


BREADS, CEREALS, AND OTHER GRAIN PRODUCTS(2)


Bagel, plain, pumpernickel, or	

  whole-wheat	1 medium	+

Bread, raisin, rye, or white	2 slices	+

Cornbread	1 piece

	 2 1/2 inches square  +

Farina, regular or quick, cooked	2/3 cup	+

English muffin, plain, plain with

  raisins, or whole-wheat	1	+

Grits, corn or hominy, regular

  or instant, cooked	2/3 cup	+

Macaroni, noodles, or spaghetti,

  cooked	1 cup	+

Oatmeal:

  Instant, fortified, prepared	2/3 cup	++

  Regular or quick, cooked	2/3 cup	+

Pita bread, plain or whole-wheat	1 small	+

Pretzel, soft	1	+

Ready-to-eat cereals, fortified	1 ounce	++

Rice, white, cooked	2/3 cup	+

Rolls:

  Hamburger or frankfurter	1	+

  White, hard	1 medium	+

Waffles, plain	2 4-inch squares	+

Wheat germ, plain	2 tablespoons	+


FRUITS


Melon balls (cantaloup and

  honeydew), frozen, unsweetened	1/2 cup	+

Orange juice, fresh	3/4 cup	+

Watermelon, raw	About 1 3/4	

	  cups diced	+


VEGETABLES


Corn, cooked	1/2 cup	+

Jerusalem artichoke, raw	1/2 cup	+

Peas, green, cooked	1/2 cup	+

Peas and carrots, cooked	1/2 cup	+


MEAT, POULTRY, FISH, AND ALTERNATES


Meat and Poultry

  Ham, roasted, lean only:

    Fresh	3 ounces	++

    Smoked or cured	3 ounces	+++

  Liver, beef or pork, braised	3 ounces	+

  Pork:

    Chop, baked or broiled,

      lean only	1 chop	+++

    Ground, cooked	3 ounces	++

    Roast, loin, roasted, lean only	3 ounces	+++

    Steak or cutlet, baked or

      broiled, lean only	3 ounces	+++


Fish and Seafood

  Mackerel or salmon, baked

    or broiled	3 ounces	+

  Mussels, steamed, boiled, or

    poached	3 ounces	+

  Oysters:

    Steamed	3 ounces	+

    Canned, undrained	3 ounces	+

  Pompano, baked or broiled	3 ounces	++


Dry Beans, Peas, and Lentils

  Peas, split, green or

    yellow, cooked	1/2 cup	+


Nuts and Seeds

  Brazil nuts	2 tablespoons	+

  Pine nuts (pignolias)	2 tablespoons	+

  Sunflower seeds, hulled,

    unroasted	2 tablespoons	++


(1) A selected serving size contains - 


    +    10-24 percent of the U.S. RDA for adults and children over 4 years of age

    ++   25-39 percent of the U.S. RDA for adults and children over 4 years of age

    +++  40 percent or more of the U.S. RDA for adults and children over 4 years of age


(2) Breads, pasta, cereals, and grits listed are enriched unless otherwise noted.  
See section on enriched or fortified foods.