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Is the Vegan Diet the Healthiest Diet?
That means we have to put in the effort to meet our choline needs through diet and possibly supplementation—especially for vegans, as the highest food sources of choline are animal products. And if our nation is already vastly deficient in this nutrient, forgoing them entirely could pose an even larger issue.
6 Foods to Eat If You’re Skipping Meat
Unfortunately, the best food sources of choline aren’t foods we consume regularly—like beef liver and egg yolks—and if we do, some of the major players have potential health and environmental consequences. Ten top food sources of choline are listed below:
Americans ate nearly10 ounces of red meat and poultryeach day in 2018, which is close to double the national recommendations of 5-6.5 ounces a day. While the average American probably isn’t getting a lot of their meat intake from beef liver—eggs, steak and chicken are all very commonplace in our diets. So, how and where are we missing the mark when it comes to choline?
Turns out, you don’t have to eat like a full-on carnivore to get all the choline benefits you need each day. While meat-eaters can certainly enjoy a3-4 ounce steak twice a weekas part of a healthy diet, it’s important to consume a wide variety of foods for well-rounded nutrition and to meet your dietary choline needs.
“Like with most nutrients, you don’t need to obsess over choline or tally your intake. Focus on eating a variety of foods and include plenty of choline-rich options in your diet. If you’re pregnant or completely plant-based, it’s not a bad idea to talk to a dietitian or your doctor to get more individual recommendations based on your needs,” Valente says.
Elizabeth Shaw, M.S., R.D.N, C.P.T, nutrition expert and author of Shaws Simple Swaps, is passionate about choline education and takes a similar stance.
“My personal philosophy is what I preach to my clients as well—choose foods that you enjoy and make you feel the best,” Shaw says. “For some, that certainly includes meats, while for others, a plant-based diet is preferred. Point being, eating more or less red meat is not the answer to solving the choline crisis! But, rather, looking at your entire dietary picture and seeing what foods will help meet your needs based on what style of eating you enjoy best. Then, consider a supplement as a safety net for those days you fall short of meeting your needs.”
Just eating two eggs, either scrambled with some veggies or in a breakfast sandwich on whole-grain bread, will already set you over half your daily needs if you are omnivorous or vegetarian. Vegans could add a glass of soymilk to a bowl of oatmeal topped with wheat germ, peanut butter and sliced banana to get25% of their needsto start the day. Then, depending on your dietary restrictions and/or preferences, it’s important to prioritize healthy protein sources like chicken, seafood and soy, along with whole grains, beans, dairy and potatoes.
Shaw also noted some vegetables contain choline—like brussels sprouts and lima beans—which she says are an excellent addition to any diet.
The moral of the story is that we could likely all use a wider range of protein sources and plant foods in our diet to help meet all our nutritional needs, not just for choline. Enjoying more whole foods over processed is a surefire way to boost your intake of a wide variety of nutrients.
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