A List of Foods With the Highest GABA

A List of Foods With the Highest GABA

A List of Foods With the Highest GABA
Everyday Health
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Updated on August 7, 2025
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Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter in your brain responsible for helping you feel relaxed. GABA supplements are touted as having many health benefits, but research is mixed.

Before you spend money on supplements that may not be effective, you may want to start with GABA foods. Many common foods are considered high in GABA.

GABA and Your Brain

GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, which means it helps calm things down or stop movement. GABA helps you relax, balances your mood, and puts you to sleep. GABA is also the neurotransmitter in your brain responsible for alleviating painful sensations.

By inhibiting neuron activity, GABA is thought by some people to relieve anxiety, improve sleep, fight stress, and manage mood disorders such as depression.

Do GABA Foods Work?

But while people may share positive anecdotal experiences, it’s also important to remember that researchers aren't sure if GABA taken by mouth is able to cross the blood brain barrier (BBB), according to a study.

Researchers have found limited evidence to support the supposed benefits on things like sleep and stress when it comes to oral GABA consumption. They also say that more studies are needed before inferences can be made about how well it works for these purposes.

The GABA Foods

While the jury is still out about whether you can benefit from GABA supplements, adding more GABA foods to your diet may be just as beneficial. Many of the GABA foods are also rich in other health-promoting nutrients, including fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They also appear on many superfood lists.

According to a study, foods that feature GABA include:

  • Beans (including adzuki and soy)
  • Chestnuts
  • Cruciferous veggies (broccoli, kale, cauliflower, etc.)
  • Peas
  • Grains (barley, buckwheat, oats, rice, wheat, etc.)
  • Potatoes and sweet potatoes
  • Shiitake mushrooms
  • Soy beans
  • Spinach
  • St John’s wort
  • White tea
  • Tomato
  • Wild celery

How to Add GABA Foods or Supplements to Your Diet

Supplements may seem harmless. But according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it’s still important to be aware of the risks, because supplement makers don’t have to prove the safety of their products before they hit the shelves.

If you’re searching for GABA foods or supplements as a natural treatment for your anxiety, fatigue, or depression, talk with your doctor before making any adjustments to your daily regimen.

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Additional Sources
  • Hepsomali P, et al. Effects of Oral Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Administration on Stress and Sleep in Humans: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Neuroscience. September 16, 2025.
  • Briguglio M, et al. Dietary Neurotransmitters: A Narrative Review on Current Knowledge. Nutrients. May 13, 2018.
  • FDA 101: Dietary Supplements. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. June 2, 2022.
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Reyna Franco, RDN

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.

In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.

Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size. She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.

She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.

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Jill Corleone, RDN, LD

Author

Jill Corleone is a registered dietitian and health coach who has been writing and lecturing on diet and health for more than 15 years. Her work has been featured on the Huffington Post, Diabetes Self-Management and in the book "Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation," edited by John R. Bach, M.D. Corleone holds a Bachelor of Science in nutrition.

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