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by Alyssa Stinton
(Bradenton, Florida)
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
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