3 Reasons You Need Vitamin B1

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B vitamins support adrenal function, calm and maintain a healthy nervous system, promote key metabolic processes, turn starch and sugar into energy (by aiding in the metabolism of carbohydrates) and play an important role in nerve communication.

Vitamin B1, more commonly known as thiamin (or thiamine), influences a variety of physiological functions, including:

1. Nervous system and muscle functioning
2. Carbohydrate metabolism
3. Healthy digestion

Good dietary sources of thiamin include legumes (beans, lentils), pasture-raised beef and pork, brewer’s yeast, steel-cut or rolled oatmeal, rice bran and wheat germ, whole milk, nuts, seeds and oranges. I recommend taking thiamin daily as part of a B-complex supplement that contains a full spectrum of B vitamins as it seems best to supplement all the B vitamins in a group unless your provider feels that a single vitamin is necessary. Be ready for a yellow or yellow-green change in urine color, which is a by-product of the B vitamin riboflavin and not a sign that you are getting rid of extra vitamins that you do not need.

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