Vegan Diet Can Provide Enough Choline for Toddlers
By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
Choline is a nutrient that is important for brain development early in life. In the United States, animal products including meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and eggs are the main sources of choline. That’s not to say that these are the only foods that supply choline, it’s simply that these are foods that are most commonly eaten. Other foods that are rich in choline include cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli for example) and dried beans and lentils. Nuts, seeds, other vegetables, and whole grains are also good sources of choline.
The recommended amount of choline for toddlers age 1 to 3 years is 200 milligrams of choline per day.
To plan a menu for a vegan toddler that would meet recommendations for choline, I chose a variety of whole foods including some foods known to be higher in choline such as soymilk, quinoa, tofu, and lentils. These foods do not have to be included every day since there are other foods such as chickpeas and other dried beans, wheat germ, nuts and nut butters, choline-fortified pea protein based milk, and vegetables that could be used to meet choline needs. Some multivitamins include choline.
Here is a sample menu for a toddler indicating the amount of choline in each food.
Breakfast
| Food | Choline (milligrams) |
| ¼ cup cooked quinoa with | 10 |
| ½ cup soymilk | 28 |
| ½ banana | 6 |
Lunch
| Food | Choline (milligrams) |
| Stir fry with: | |
| ¼ cup tofu cubes | 18 |
| ¼ cup collard greens | 8 |
| ¼ cup broccoli | 8 |
| ¼ cup cooked brown rice | 4 |
Snack
| Food | Choline (milligrams) |
| ½ cup soymilk | 28 |
| ½ slice whole wheat toast with | 5 |
| ¼ avocado | 8 |
Dinner
| Food | Choline (milligrams) |
| Casserole with: | |
| ¼ cup cooked lentils | 15 |
| ¼ cup cooked quinoa | 10 |
| ¼ cup cooked sweet potato | 8 |
| ½ cup soymilk | 28 |
Snack
| Food | Choline (milligrams) |
| ½ cup soymilk | 28 |
| ¼ cup peeled, sliced peaches | 2 |
Total: 214 milligrams of choline
To read more about feeding vegan toddlers see:
Vegan Nutrition in Pregnancy and Childhood
Tips for Parents of Young Vegans
