Top 5 Common Food Sources of Taurine
Looking to get more taurine content in your diet? Look no further! My team and I have crunched the numbers and did all the math to determine the top 5 common food sources of taurine, per serving. Getting enough taurine as part of a healthy balanced diet is important since a large collection of studies show that getting nutrients from dietary supplements or multivitamins doesn’t improve health outcomes compared to getting nutrients from foods!
| Rank | Food | Nutrivore Score | Serving Size (Raw) | Taurine (mg/serving) | % Recommended Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scallops, Mixed Species | 645 | 4 oz / 115 g | 951.9 | 238 |
| 2 | Blue Mussels | 1564 | 4 oz / 115 g | 753.7 | 188 |
| 3 | Clams, Mixed Species | 1046 | 4 oz / 115 g | 598.8 | 150 |
| 4 | Oysters, Average1 | 2759 | 4 oz / 115 g | 456.2 | 114 |
| 5 | Octopus, Common | 1618 | 4 oz / 115 g | 448.5 | 112 |
Want to know more about this important nutrient including benefits of taurine in the body, how much taurine we need, and even more awesome taurine rich foods? Keep reading to learn all there is to know!
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What Is Taurine and What Does It Do?
Taurine is a sulfur-containing non-proteinogenic amino acid produced from cysteine. Non-proteinogenic amino acids are amino acids that are not encoded into our DNA nor incorporated into proteins but have biological roles in the human body. It is considered a conditionally essential amino acid, meaning it’s required under specific conditions – adults can make taurine but babies can’t and need to obtain it from breastmilk or fortified formulas.
Taurine plays an important role in neurological development, serves as a major component of bile (which helps to digest fats), and plays a role in water and mineral regulation within the blood (including through membrane stabilization and calcium signaling). Also, taurine helps regulates the immune system and serves as an important antioxidant, and it plays a role in heart health and the development of skeletal muscle.
How Much Taurine Do We Need?
Currently there are no official guidelines for taurine intake but we have set a recommended target of 400 mg for adults based on Team Nutrivore’s review of the scientific literature, established with the aim of providing improvements for overall health and reduction in chronic disease risk.
Nutrient Daily Values
Nutrition requirements and recommended nutrient intake for infants, children, adolescents, adults, mature adults, and pregnant and lactating individuals.
More Food Sources of Taurine
Taurine is found primarily in animal products, with the richest natural sources being shellfish (such as scallops, mussels, clams, oysters, octopus, and squid), fish (including tuna, flounder, sole, whitefish, and cod), red meats like beef, lamb, and pork, and poultry. Interestingly, when it comes to poultry, dark meat contains higher levels of taurine as compared to light meat. Dairy products also contain some taurine, though in lower amounts. Taurine is hard to get from plant-based foods, but can be obtained from seaweed.
Best Food Sources of Taurine
The following foods have high concentrations of taurine, containing at least 200 mg per serving, making them our best food sources of taurine.
Good Food Sources of Taurine
The following foods also have high amounts of taurine and are considered excellent sources or good sources, containing at least 40 mg (and up to 200 mg) per serving.
Top 5 Common Food Sources
If you’re looking for top 5 common food sources of other important nutrients check out these posts!
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