What Is Choline & What Foods Can I Find It In?

Choline is an essential nutrient.

The total amount of cholines counted here includes both choline and choline phospholipids.

To maintain health, cholines must be obtained from the diet as choline or as choline phospholipids, like phosphatidylcholine.

Choline deficiency is rare, but it can cause nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and muscle damage.

While excessive consumption of choline can cause low blood pressure, sweating, and diarrhea.

Choline In The Body

Humans can produce choline in the liver, mostly as phosphatidylcholine, but the amount that the body naturally synthesizes is not sufficient to meet our needs.

This means that we must obtain some choline from the diet. (source ◳)

Choline is essential for the normal function of the cell membrane and also plays an important role in the transmission of nerve impulses.

Choline is important for the brain and nervous system, and for the muscles. It helps your liver function.

Choline is also needed for the development of the fetal brain.

Choline In Food

Many foods contain choline. Particularly rich in choline are meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and eggs.

It can also be found in smaller amounts in cruciferous vegetables and certain beans. (source ◳)

Foods You Can Find Choline In

You find choline mostly in dairy and egg, beef, sausage and luncheon meat, and seafood.

Examples of food sources include

• Egg Yolk
• Dried Whole Egg
• Simmered Beef Kidneys
• Cooked Kidney
• Simmered Beef Brain
• Black & Red Caviar
• Roe

Foods in our nutrition tool

You can find regularly updated, top ranked lists of foods for over 200+ nutrients in our nutrition tool.

If you are interested in what foods contain the most choline, we recommend you visit our tool.

Here's our top ranked list of foods that contain Choline.