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Vegan Sources of Choline

by Alyssa Stinton
(Bradenton, Florida)

25 weeks!

25 weeks!

What are some good vegan choline sources for pregnancy, and what is the recommended amount needed per day?

Answer:

Most people have never even heard of choline, let alone know why we need it in our diets, so this is a particularly sage question!

As a quick recap for the vast majority of us, choline is a vitamin that acts like a nutrient, and is typically grouped with the B vitamins.

Our bodies actually make choline in the liver, but we do need to supplement it to ensure our cells, liver, metabolism, and nervous system all function properly. It's crucial for pregnant women to get enough of it because it helps develop our fetus's brain cells and protect against neural tube disorders.

When you're pregnant you need 450mg of choline per day and that bumps up to 500mg when breastfeeding. Your prenatal vitamin probably has some, but not quite the recommended daily amount.

Choline is abundant in fatty things like animal liver and embryos (like egg yolks), so some people might raise it as a concern for vegans. Luckily, there's no need to worry, as you'll probably realize when you check out the list below.

Here's a list of some of the best sources of vegan choline:

-spinach
-potatoes
-garbanzo beans
-lentils
-pinto beans
-soybeans
-lima beans
-wheat germ
-pistachios
-sunflower seeds
-pumpkin seeds
-almonds
-cashews
-cauliflower
-cabbage
-broccoli
-bok choy

See? Nothing to worry about! A vegan with a dedication to eating a healthy, balanced diet and sticking to whole foods will have no problem getting plenty of brain-building choline during pregnancy.


Source:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=50

Comments for Vegan Sources of Choline

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May 03, 2019
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Daily requirement
by: Anonymous

7 cups of collard greens? Thats 2 large green smoothies. So, I think thats do-able for a day. Plus everything else a person eats.


May 28, 2018
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Not exactly...
by: Chase

Hi there, I appreciate your list of foods containing choline but your advice is not sound.

Even the vegan foods highest in choline contain relatively low ammounts of it. Collard Greens (the highest plant food on the list) contain 73 mg of Choline per cup. That means you need to eat nearly 7 cups of the stuff to get your RDA.

With a veggie lower on the list like green beans (23mg per cup), you need to eat over 20 cups to get the RDA. Not feasible.

This deeply important for pregnant woman. Simply stating that "you can get plenty of choline" is not accurate (if you are trying to follow the RDA). The numbers don't add up. Pregnant women should consider a supplement. Please spread information thoughtfully.

Best,
a fellow vegan

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