Nov 22nd Nutrition Nutrition 5 Things to Know About Choline. 1. Not a vitamin or a mineral!Choline isn’t actually a vitamin or a mineral, but rather a nutrient that is vital for early brain development and one that impacts lifelong brain function. Our body can only make a small amount of choline—not nearly enough to meet our requirements—so we NEED to get this brain-powering nutrient from our food. 2. Brain Development!Choline is a key nutrient to help support brain development. For a smart start, babies and toddlers need choline in their diet. The brain uses choline—particularly during the first 1000 days—to support the parts of the brain involved in memory storage, recognizing people’s faces, spatial awareness, language and learning. Your baby is getting smarter everyday (but you already knew that!). 3. Move those muscles!Remember when your baby first rolled from back to front? Or when she first pulled herself up to cruise along the edge of the sofa? Well, your baby’s tiny muscles needed choline to activate them. Choline is used by cells in your little one’s muscles to get them moving. 4. Don’t forget mama!The need for choline is higher for pregnant women and even higher for those who are breastfeeding (1,2). Up to 90% of pregnant women in the U.S. do not get enough choline (1). Prenatal vitamins typically have little to no choline. Welp! What’s more, a growing baby in the womb accumulates tons of choline, which means less Choline for mama. How’s that for some #parentlife foreshadowing? 5. Eat your Choline!Choline is found in a variety of animal-based and plant-based foods. However, it is found in relatively small amounts in a baby/toddler portion of each of these foods, making it challenging to get enough of. This is why we made sure Cerebelly pouches have a meaningful amount of choline in every one of our flavors. Up to 35% daily value per pouch to be exact. References1 Derbyshire E. Choline, Neurological Development and Brain Function: A Systematic Review Focusing on the First 1000 Days. Nutrients. June 2020.2 National Institute of Health on choline. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/