THE TICK THAT BIT ME

Snacking in the name of choline 05/06/2012

Since I spend a lot of time working from home, it’s difficult to resist a lot of snacking. Now I believe that eating small meals throughout the day is healthy; however, when you factor in my mighty sweet tooth and the fact that my better half keeps visiting the Entemann’s bakery outlet on his way home from work (he can’t resist the deals), well…you see the predicament. So I decided this week that if I’m going to be ‘bad’ and indulge in a few fattening or sugary or salty snacks, I had better make sure I was getting my choline. Here are some of the choline-rich snacks that my research turned up.

Savory Choline Snacks

Peanut Butter (21 mg in 2 tbsp) and Carrots (6 mg in 1 large carrot)

This is an established favorite for both me and my dad. I used to feel guilty about putting peanut butter on something that is otherwise pretty healthy, but with about 10 mg of choline per tablespoon, I don’t feel that bad. I do, by the way, buy the reduced fat peanut butter. If you prefer almond butter, it has about 8 mg of choline per tablespoon.

Carrot ♥ Jif in my kitchen.

Pistachios (20 mg in 1 oz)

I’m a girl who likes to play with her food, so these are one of my favorite snacks. Sometimes I like to eat them with a few chocolate chips and some dried cranberries. If you’re wondering how many dry roasted pistachios are in an ounce, it’s about 49.

(Image via Wikimedia Commons)

Edamame (56 mg in 100 g—about 2/3 cup)

I usually order edamame (boiled soybean pods) as an appetizer when I go out for sushi with friends. Some grocery stores also have it in the freezer section.

(Image via Wikimedia Commons. Credit: habitatgirl)

Sweet Choline Snacks

Peanut Butter (21 mg in 2 tbsp) and Banana (11 mg)

Yes, you can see I have a propensity to put peanut butter on a lot of things. This is a third-generation snack in my family that originated with my grandma. I find a glass of chocolate milk goes well with it. (One cup of chocolate milk also adds 42 mg of choline!)

Banana and Jif hanging out on my counter. If Carrot finds out, you are sooo busted, Jif!

Baked Sweet Potato (23 mg for a large one)

Sweet potatoes are so underrated. I try to substitute them for boring old russet potatoes whenever I can, including when I make home-made french fries. The easiest (and laziest) way to prepare a sweet potato, though, it to stab it with a fork a few times and then pop it in the microwave. I like mine with a little butter and brown sugar, but season salt or garlic powder is also good.

(Image via Wikimedia Commons)

Ready for the finale? My most exciting discovery in my choline research is that chocolate is a great source of choline. (Which means, all those times when I was craving chocolate, it wasn’t just me, it was also my neurotransmitters.) I could list about 100 chocolatey snacks here, but I’m going to have some self-restraint and just do one.

Chocolate éclair (79 mg)

This one takes me way back to when I was too short to even see over a bakery counter. (Thanks, Mom, for getting me addicted to these at such a young age.) When I discovered this dessert, I considered changing my name to Claire, just so I could be “Chocolatey Claire.” Is an éclair the same as a doughnut? Of course not, silly! It’s far, far better. I recommend a tall glass of milk with this one.

(Image via Wikimedia Commons. Credit: georgie_grd)

If you want to try making some éclairs from scratch, here’s a yummy recipe over at Moo’s Pantry.

That’s all I’ve got for today. What high-choline treats would you add to this list?

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