Choline in foods: sources, servings and how to read the numbers
Clinical review pending
Which foods provide choline, how plant sources contribute, and why a reference value signals neither a deficiency nor a need for supplements.
Eggs, meat and fish provide choline, and soybeans and vegetables also contribute to intake. What matters is the amount people actually eat. That is why a ranking per 100 grams and a list per serving answer different questions. [1]
Among other things, the body needs choline for cell membranes and for the messenger molecule acetylcholine. The body can make some choline itself, but not enough to fully cover its needs. Diet therefore comes first when it comes to intake; that does not translate into a general recommendation to take a supplement. [1]
Six foods compared by serving
The figures below come from the food table of the US NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. They refer to the preparations and serving sizes given there, not to any food that happens to share the same name. [1]
| Food and preparation | Serving size in the source | Choline per serving |
|---|---|---|
| Beef liver, pan-fried | 3 ounces, about 85 g | 356 mg |
| Egg, hard-boiled | 1 large egg | 147 mg |
| Soybeans, roasted | ½ US cup | 107 mg |
| Chicken breast, roasted | 3 ounces, about 85 g | 72 mg |
| Cod, cooked | 3 ounces, about 85 g | 71 mg |
| Broccoli, boiled | ½ US cup | 31 mg |
The servings reflect everyday amounts as given by the shared source. Comparing choline concentration would instead require uniform amounts. For soybeans and broccoli, the volume measure was not converted to grams, because matching food weights were not available. The liver row is a nutrient figure, not a recommendation to eat liver often or during pregnancy.
How much choline is a sensible guide?
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) sets an adequate intake of 400 mg per day for adults. For pregnant women the value is 480 mg, and for breastfeeding women 520 mg. [2] These are European reference values; US daily values may differ.
“Adequate intake” is a specific type of reference value. The data were not sufficient to derive an average requirement and, from that, a classic recommended intake. The value is a guide for population groups. It is neither a lab cutoff nor proof that an individual person with a lower calculated intake is deficient. [2]
Nor does every single day have to hit exactly the same value. A diet is made up of changing foods and amounts. For a personal assessment, looking at several typical days tells you more than judging a single meal.
Which plant sources help?
In the table, roasted soybeans are a relevant plant source. Vegetables can contribute too, even though a serving of vegetables provides less choline than an egg. A plant-based diet should therefore be judged by the combination of foods and the amounts actually eaten, not by the search for a single replacement food. [1]
The exact food description matters here: roasted mature soybeans, edamame, tofu and soy drink differ in water content and recipe. The table value for roasted soybeans must not be applied to the same amount of tofu. The same goes for raw versus cooked foods.
Why food tables show different numbers
Nutrient values depend on the samples, the preparation, the database version and how a serving is defined. The publicly available 2008 USDA choline database contains values per 100 g along with information on data quality. It remains useful as a traceable historical source, but it is not a new set of measurements from 2026. [3]
The editorial team has the full USDA data extract on file separately. The table above uses only the NIH serving values, because the two versions differ visibly, especially for eggs. Anyone who combined values from different versions for a conversion would hide that uncertainty behind a number that only looks precise.
Betaine and total choline are not interchangeable either. The USDA file contains both, but does not count betaine as part of total choline. [3] A choline ranking therefore has to use the right data field.
Does low choline automatically mean a supplement?
No. A calculated gap to the reference value is, first of all, a reason to look at the underlying data and at the diet. It is not a diagnosis. Particular life stages or a medical question can make individual advice worthwhile; this food table can be used to derive neither a personal diagnosis nor a supplement dose. [1,2]
Sources
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Choline, Health Professional Fact Sheet, especially Table 2. Serving values and background; accessed 29.10.2026.
- EFSA: Dietary reference values for choline and scientific opinion, 2016. European reference values and how they were derived.
- USDA Database for the Choline Content of Common Foods, Release 2, 2008. Historical reference; not used for the serving table above.