Question 1

How much choline do I need per day?

Accepted Answer

The National Academies of Medicine set the Adequate Intake (AI) at 550 mg/day for adult men and 425 mg/day for adult women (increasing to 450 mg during pregnancy and 550 mg while breastfeeding).

Question 2

How much choline do adults need per day?

Accepted Answer

The Adequate Intake (AI) for choline is 550 mg/day for adult men and 425 mg/day for adult women, set by the National Academies of Medicine. Needs increase during pregnancy (450 mg/day) and lactation (550 mg/day). Many people fall short of these targets regardless of diet. The practical strategy for plant based eaters is straightforward: regular inclusion of soy products, shiitake mushrooms, and cruciferous vegetables alongside betaine-rich foods like beets and quinoa reliably covers daily needs across all life stages except pregnancy, where closer attention is warranted.

Question 3

What is betaine and is it the same as choline?

Accepted Answer

Betaine is a choline metabolite formed when choline is oxidised. It is found in high concentrations in beets, spinach, and quinoa. While betaine is not identical to choline, it can fulfil several of choline's metabolic roles, making betaine-rich foods particularly valuable for plant based eaters.

Question 4

What is betaine and how is it related to choline?

Accepted Answer

Betaine is a metabolite of choline — the body converts choline to betaine through oxidation in the liver and kidneys. Betaine is also directly available from foods, particularly beets, spinach, quinoa, and wheat products. Betaine participates in the same methylation pathway as choline and can partially substitute for it as a methyl donor in homocysteine metabolism. High betaine intake can partially offset lower choline intake, which is important for plant based eaters to understand.

Question 5

Can you get enough choline on a plant based diet?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Soybeans, lentils, quinoa, flaxseeds, nuts, and whole grains all provide meaningful choline. Betaine (from beets and spinach) also helps spare choline needs through metabolic conversion. A varied plant based diet covering these food groups can meet the 425–550 mg/day Adequate Intake.

#		Group
1	Soy flour, defatted	Legume Products	190	120	1.5	63	7	0.8	2.8
2	Cereals ready-to-eat, wheat germ, toasted, plain	Breakfast Cereals	180	130	2.2	23	18	2.7	410
3	Spices, mustard seed, yellow	Spices and Herbs	120	46	0.4	75	0.9	0	1.9
4	Soybeans, mature seeds, raw	Legumes	120	47	1.1	65	2.9	0	2.1
5	Coffee, instant, decaffeinated, powder	Beverages	100	94	0	0	8.2	0	0.7
6	Peanut butter, with omega-3, creamy	Legumes	95	39	1.8	53	1	0	0.6
7	Beans, navy, mature seeds, raw	Legumes	87	50	0	33	4.5	0	0.1
8	Soy protein powder, dietary supplement, cholesterol free, low fat enriched with vitamins	Legume Products	86	15	0	70	1.1	0	0.2
9	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, KRETSCHMER Toasted Wheat Bran	Breakfast Cereals	81	54	2	19	5.9	0.9	320
10	Seeds, flaxseed	Seeds	79	39	0.6	36	3.1	0	3.1
11	Nuts, pistachio nuts, dry roasted, with salt added	Nuts	71	11	8.5	51	1.7	0	0.8
12	Amaranth	Grains	70	37	0.2	25	6.8	0.7	68
13	Quinoa	Grains	70	38	0.4	17	14	0.7	630
14	Spices, garlic powder	Spices and Herbs	68	42	1.3	7	18	0	6.1
15	Spices, chili powder	Spices and Herbs	67	49	2.2	14	1	0	2.8
16	Beans, pinto, mature seeds, raw	Legumes	66	32	0.8	31	2.9	0	0.4
17	Peanut butter, smooth style with salt	Legumes	66	26	0.7	38	1.1	0	0.4
18	Spices, curry powder	Spices and Herbs	64	42	1.4	20	1.1	0	29
19	Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted, with salt added	Seeds	63	40	2.3	20	0.9	0.7	1.5
20	Nuts, cashew nuts, oil roasted, with salt added	Nuts	61	20	0.9	37	3.3	0	11
21	Peanut butter, chunk style, with salt	Legumes	61	25	2.2	33	1.3	0	1
22	Cereals, QUAKER, Oat Bran, QUAKER/MOTHER\'S Oat Bran, dry	Grains	59	4.4	0.7	20	33	0	36
23	Edamame, frozen, unprepared	Vegetables	56	9.2	4	43	0.3	0	0.7
24	Edamame, frozen, prepared	Vegetables	56	6.9	2	46	1.5	0	4.5
25	Nuts, pine nuts, dried	Nuts	56	8.4	2.1	45	0.7	0	0.4
26	Spices, basil, dried	Spices and Herbs	55	50	0	3.2	1.3	0.4	16
27	Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, dried	Seeds	55	18	1.3	29	5.6	0.7	35
28	Buckwheat groats, roasted, dry	Grains	54	32	0.7	21	1.1	0.4	2.6
29	Peanuts, all types, raw	Legumes	53	18	1.8	32	1.3	0	0.6
30	Spices, paprika	Spices and Herbs	52	34	3.8	11	2	0	7.1
31	Nuts, almonds	Nuts	52	9.4	1.9	40	1.2	0	0.5
32	Muffins, blueberry, commercially prepared	Baked Products	52	3.9	0.7	41	3.6	2.2	22
33	Spices, turmeric, ground	Spices and Herbs	49	21	3.2	22	2.3	0	9.7
34	Cereals ready-to-eat, KELLOGG, KELLOGG\'S ALL-BRAN Original	Breakfast Cereals	49	26	1.7	18	4.3	0	360
35	Nuts, hazelnuts or filberts	Nuts	46	15	0.9	25	5	0	0.4
36	Baking chocolate, unsweetened, squares	Sweets	46	34	0	11	0.9	0	2.6
37	Nuts, macadamia nuts, dry roasted, with salt added	Nuts	45	11	1.1	30	1.8	0	0.3
38	Beans, navy, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt	Legumes	45	21	0	22	1.9	0	0.1
39	Spices, ginger, ground	Spices and Herbs	41	33	0.9	6.2	1.4	0	3.4
40	Brussels sprouts, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt	Vegetables	41	23	0	14	3.2	0	0.2
41	Nuts, pecans	Nuts	41	9.7	1.3	23	6.1	0	0.7
42	Fast foods, hamburger, large double patty with condiments and vegetables	Fast Foods	41	9.5	0.8	21	5.7	3.1	46
43	Formulated bar, SLIMFAST OPTIMA Meal Bar, Chocolate Peanut	Snacks	41	19	0.8	18	1.9	0.9	2.2
44	Broccoli, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt	Vegetables	40	8.5	9.3	21	1.3	0	0.1
45	Spices, onion powder	Spices and Herbs	39	25	1.6	7.8	4.4	0	0.4
46	Cauliflower, cooked, boiled, drained without salt	Vegetables	39	25	1.8	12	0.7	0	0.1
47	Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added	Vegetables	39	26	4.3	6.2	1.7	0.1	0.4
48	Nuts, walnuts, english	Nuts	39	7.3	0.8	21	10	0	0.3
49	Seeds, pumpkin and squash seeds, whole, roasted, with salt added	Seeds	39	13	3.8	18	3.6	0.4	0.3
50	Fast foods, cheeseburger, large, double patty, with condiments and vegetables	Fast Foods	39	5.4	1	23	6.2	3.6	30

Choline in Plant Based Foods

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Choline on a plant based diet

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Choline on a plant based diet

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