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Betaine
@ourania This study might help. B vitamins in One-carbon metabolism. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7551072/
Ha, very interesting this comparison of overmethylation and undermethylation. I'd definitely put myself in the last category. Perfectionism tendencies, loner, addictive tendencies (smoking cigarettes, weed, not so much alcohol) and ritualistic behaviour, just to mention a few of the items which describe the syndrome.
Two things I learned today from the google machine (if we can believe it).
One, I was kind of scared to go out of my way to purposefully add a pigment to my diet. But it appears the body makes betaine. So, if the body makes it that takes some of my fear away because hopefully the body knows how to deal with it.
Two, I have a little hobby of trying to find the whitest version of vegetables and grow them. (Mostly I've found this is only worthwhile if you LIKE the white version of something. Peeled version of cucumbers tastes the same no matter whether the peel was green or white. Some might prefer the more delicate flavor of white corn especially when used as a grain. Somebody might like white grapes for what they are, but white wine is never going to be red wine. White sweet peppers and tomatoes are boring) I wouldn't be surprised if white beets have a less up-front vegetable flavor, and some might like that-- however--white beets DON'T CONTAIN betaine.
@lil-chick The body makes betaine from choline in two steps. White beets dont contain betalaine which is the pigment. I'm not sure if that then means there's no betaine. If you have a link that would be great cause I've never proved they have none in my searches. I think this concern for the pigments is overplayed. When eating beetroot or drinking fermented beetroot juice I find it's very helpful for my liver and digestive health. I agree with you about taste as well. The betaine wins in a sense. Although I'm not going to eat spinach for betaine.
This is an interesting study that does point out that very high intakes of betaine (4-6 grams/day) could increase total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides and choline (2.6 grams/day) could increase triglycerides but I dont think anybody is getting anywhere near these levels from foods.
Dietary choline and betaine intakes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3347848/
Dietary betaine reduces liver lipid accumulation by improvement of bile acid and TMAO metabolism in a fish. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31559407/
More on TMAO: it's context driven. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/8/2873/xml?fbclid=IwAR3DT4LG_FT2-bU7xsDKu43dDv0LlcUjW4djBwY8j_Tqn4ZAID9jOwd9dSQ
There's an interesting idea to increase betaine to half your choline needs. This would take many people away from lower levels of betaine at 100 mgs per day to at least 200 mgs a day. It's worth experimenting with whole wheat, beetroot and quinoa to see if it helps. I tend to have eggs with organic spelt flour in pancakes, fishcakes, apple sponges and beef burgers. This study indicates betaine may help phosphatidylcholine generation. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17156888/
Any good apple sponge recipes online, Andrew? Would love to try this. Fishcakes is also a thing we don't usually have here. I suppose we do have apple coffee cake and fish sticks or maybe you are talking more like a fritter.
"two countries separated by a common language"
This apple sponge recipe is similar to the Victoria cake recipe with the apples underneath. I use unrefined molasses sugar and often for those that have problems with too much butter I reduce it and add an extra egg. https://traditionalhomebaking.com/apple-sponge-eves-pudding/
Yes, it's more like a fritter with the egg mixed in with the chopped onions, herbs/spices, fish and flour. And then fried in frying pan or heated under a grill.
@andrew-b You inspired me to make an apple sponge this afternoon for the first time, and my husband raved about it! It’s going to be a regular dessert in this household in the future. Thank you. 🙂