Which Foods Have Phenylethylamine (PEA)?

Which Foods Naturally Contain Phenylethylamine?

Which Foods Naturally Contain Phenylethylamine?
Everyday Health

Phenylethylamine (PEA) is a central nervous–system stimulant that occurs naturally in people, animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria, according to the American Chemical Society, a nonprofit chemistry organization. Foods made from cocoa beans may contain PEA, according to a study.

While eating excessive amounts of chocolate isn’t likely to provide a lot of PEA, you might be able to help boost the levels in your body by consuming other foods rich in the amino acid phenylalanine. PEA is also available in supplement form and is used to alter appetite, mood, and mental alertness, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency, which has banned its use in sports.

Talk with your doctor before trying PEA or phenylalanine in food or supplement form. They can have side effects, contraindications, and interactions.

People with the health condition phenylketonuria (PKU), for example, can’t consume foods that contain phenylalanine, according to Rupa Health, a lab test provider. Similarly, people with chronic kidney disease may be advised to eat less food that’s rich in certain amino acids, including phenylalanine.

Chocolate Contains PEA

Heart chocolates

Chocolate contains PEA from cocoa beans.

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Chocolate famously contains phenylethylamine. But one scientist’s erroneous conclusion, shored up by creative copy writing used to sell candy, has led to the myth that PEA can act as a medicinal food when it comes to mood, according to McGill University in Montreal.

Unfortunately, the PEA in chocolate is believed to be metabolized during the digestive process before it can ever reach the brain, according to McGill University. Researchers using simulated digestion in a lab found that chocolate made with under-fermented cocoa beans allowed PEA to remain available for intestinal absorption, however, according to a study. More research in humans is needed to confirm whether PEA in chocolate is ever absorbed, and if so, how much.

Beans, Lentils, Nuts, and Seeds Provide Phenylalanine

raw lentil for cooking

Lentils contain the amino acid converted by the body into PEA.

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Phenylalanine is the amino acid in foods that your body uses to make PEA, according to PubChem. It’s one of nine essential amino acids, meaning your body can’t produce it on its own — it can only come from food sources.

Foods high in phenylalanine include chickpeas, beans, and lentils, according to Parkview Health, a healthcare system based in Indiana and Ohio. Soybeans and soy products like tofu, tempeh, and soy milk also contain phenylalanine, according to MetwareBio, a biotechnology company.

Nuts and seeds contain the amino acid, too. These include almonds, peanuts, and sunflower seeds. Pumpkin seeds are also an excellent source of phenylalanine, according to BOC Sciences, a chemical supply company.

Meat, Seafood, and Poultry Contain Phenylalanine

Italian salami

Salami, like all animal proteins, contains phenylalanine.

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Animal proteins contain all nine essential amino acids, including phenylalanine, according to Piedmont, a healthcare system based in Georgia. This means the amino acid can be found in meats like:

  • Beef
  • Lamb
  • Goat
  • Pork
  • Turkey
  • Goose
  • Chicken

Seafood including cod, salmon, tilapia, tuna, crab, lobster, shrimp, and other sources provide it as well.

Dairy and Eggs Also Have Phenylalanine

Raw egg cracking

Eggs contain phenylalanine, as well as the eight other essential amino acids.

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Because animal proteins all contain the nine essential amino acids, that means dairy and eggs provide phenylalanine as well, according to Piedmont. So milk, yogurt, kefir, skyr, hard cheeses, soft cheeses, curd-based cheeses (like cottage cheese and ricotta), ice cream, and any other product containing dairy protein will offer phenylalanine.

Both the yolks and whites of eggs also contain the amino acid, according to a study.

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.

Sylvia E. Klinger, DBA, MS, RD, CPT

Medical Reviewer

Sylvia Klinger, DBA, MS, RD, CPT, is an internationally recognized nutrition expert who is relentlessly passionate about helping people fall in love with creating and enjoying delicious, safe, and nutritious foods.

As a food and nutrition communications professional, Dr. Klinger is a global nutrition professor, award-winning author, and the founder of Hispanic Food Communications.

She is on the board at Global Rise to build a formal community nutrition program as part of an ambitious initiative to create a regenerative food system in Uganda in partnership with tribal and community leaders. This program included an extensive training session on food safety and sanitation that displayed cultural sensitivity and various communication strategies and incentives to spread these important food safety and sanitation messages into the communities.

Her Hispanic background fuels her passion for nutrition, leading her to empower and encourage those in her community through the foods they enjoy in their kitchens. At the same time, she understands everyone’s needs are different and seeks to individualize nutrition and exercise to best fit each person and their journey to a happy, safe, and healthy life.

Her latest book, The Little Book of Simple Eating, was published in 2018 in both Spanish and English.

In her spare time, Klinger explores food and culture all over the world with her family, realizing the power a healthy lifestyle has to keep people together.

Don Amerman

Author

Don Amerman has spent his entire professional career in the editorial field. For many years he was an editor and writer for The Journal of Commerce. Since 1996 he has been freelancing full-time, writing for a large number of print and online publishers including Gale Group, Charles Scribner’s Sons, Greenwood Publishing, Rock Hill Works and others.