Contents
Foods with phenylalanine
FOODS CONTAINING THE AMINO ACID PHENYLALANINE
Where is phenylalanine?
Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that the body can not synthesize and therefore must be provided by the diet.
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Almost all foods contain phenylalanine, both of plant origin, as animal origin. However, the richest foods are:
* Meat products with phenylalanine
The richest foods in this amino acid are dairy-rich proteins (such as cheese and powdered milk), meat, fish, eggs and offal.
* Plant foods with phenylalanine
Richest phenylalanine plant foods are legumes, especially soybeans and soy products (tofu, tempeh, soymilk,…). Beans, lupins, or concentrated foods such as peanut butter contain a similar amount.
Cereals such as rice, barley, oats, wheat and wheat products (bread, flour, and especially seitan) are also rich in phenylalanine.
Nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.)
Seeds: In particular, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds contain a lot of phenylalanine
Fruits and vegetables are low in phenylalanine.
Other sources of phenylalanine
There are other sources of this amino acid to consider:
– Protein supplements or hyperproteic supplements
– Gelatin desserts: When gelatin is made from fish protein it contains phenylalanine. If you want to reduce the intake of this amino acid, such as phenylketonuria, you should use gelatins with vegetable gums such as agar agar.
– Aspartame sweetener: It takes part of many drinks such as soft drinks, colas, gum, etc. (Hence the importance of reading the food composition in people with phenylketonuria)
– Medications: Some medications may contain phenylalanine, especially if they are sweetened.
NUTRITIONAL TABLE OF AMOUNT OF PHENYLALANINE IN FOOD
(By order of high to low amount)
100 mg. phenylalanine found in… g. of food |
| Powdered milk – 5 |
| Hard cheese- 6 |
| Soy- 6 |
| Veal- 7 |
| Lamb- 8 |
| Chicken – 9 |
| Pig – 10 |
| Hake- 12 |
| Oats – 12 |
| Eggs- 16 |
| Rice – 28 |
| Bread – 25 |
| Cow milk – 58 |
| Mushrooms – 60 |
| Artichokes – 140 |
| Potatoes – 140 |
| Honey- 165 |
| Butter – 175 |
| Escarole – 180 |
| Bananas – 180 |
| Celery – 200 |
| Woman milk – 220 |
| Onions – 260 |
| Strawberries -330 |
| Melon – 330 |
| Apricots – 330 |
| Cherries – 330 |
| Plums – 330 |
| Grapes – 330 |
| Peaches- 330 |
| Carrots – 380 |
| Pineapples – 400 |
| Pears- 660 |
| Apples – 1.000 |
IMPORTANT!
For a correct reading of the table: Lower numbers correspond to the richest foods in phenylalanine.
A correct reading is, for example, to ingest 100mg of phenylalanine we can take 6g. of cheese (¼ slice; a very little amount of cheese) or 1 kilo of apples (about 4-6 apples, a high amount of apples). Apples have very little phenylalanine compared to other foods analyzed.
* Related information:
– How to combine vegetable proteins
List of amino acids in food | |
Essential amino acids | Nonessential amino acids |
Phenylalanine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Valine | Aspartic acid, Glutaminic acid, Alanine, Arginine, Cysteine, Cystine, Glycine, Hydroxyproline, Proline, Serine, Tyrosine |
More information on amino acids.
