CHOLINE: THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS NUTRIENT FOR YOUR BABY’S DEVELOPMENT DURING PREGNANCY
Written by Sharon Natoli – Dietitian and Founding Director of Food & Nutrition Australia
Pregnancy is an exciting time in any expectant parent’s life, with many mums-to-be keen to ensure that their diet is meeting the nutritional needs of their growing baby and setting their child up for good health in later life. This can be tricky, especially when trying to avoid foods like processed meat, high mercury or raw fish and soft cheeses.
Advice on eating well during pregnancy is constantly evolving, with dietitians frequently discovering new associations between vitamins and minerals and their role in health and disease prevention. The essential nutrient choline is the latest topic of discussion as it has flown under the radar until now. However, research highlights its important role in contributing to brain and spinal cord development of unborn babies during pregnancy.
Found naturally in several food groups, choline could be as important as folate during pregnancy. As this nutrient is not usually included in common prenatal vitamins, it is important that pregnant Australian women are mindful of consuming foods that naturally contain choline. In fact, less than 1% of Australian pregnant and breastfeeding women eat enough choline.
Boosting your choline levels is surprisingly easy to do, with most women already consuming foods containing choline such as eggs, fish, meats and dairy to name a few. These foods can be easily incorporated into a balanced diet focusing on natural whole foods and lots of fruit and vegetables.
WHY IS CHOLINE IMPORTANT FOR ME DURING PREGNANCY?
Eating foods containing choline during pregnancy is extremely beneficial, as choline aids in development of the spine and reduces the risk of neural tube defects.
Research has also shown that eating high amounts of choline during pregnancy can help to regulate production of cortisol in unborn babies. This may reduce the likelihood of stress-related conditions for your child later in life, such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes and depression.
Eating choline rich foods during pregnancy may also be important for the brain development of babies, with research finding that it helps with brain function, including the speed of information processing, learning, memory and attention.
HOW CAN I BOOST MY CHOLINE LEVELS?
Choline is found in foods such as eggs, fish, dairy such as milk or yoghurt, poultry and red meat, wholegrains and some green vegetables.
Eggs are one of the best sources of choline, containing almost twice as much as other frequently eaten foods containing choline. Provided they are cooked well, eggs can be safely eaten during pregnancy. However, pregnant women should avoid raw and undercooked eggs (including from homemade mayonnaise and aioli) due to the risk of illnesses such as listeria.
With nearly all choline in the body coming directly from food, it’s a good idea to include choline-rich food in your diet daily.
For breakfast this might look like scrambled eggs, muesli with fruit and yoghurt, or cheese, tomato and avocado on wholegrain toast.
Choline rich lunch ideas include a vegetable frittata, wild rice, dukkah egg and pomegranate salad or lentil stew.
For dinner try snapper and grilled vegetables, chicken and sundried tomato pasta or marinated beef skewers and salad.
Boosting the amount of choline you consume through healthy whole foods is a great way to assist in the development of a healthy baby, and is easy to incorporate into a balanced diet.