When the term ‘carnitine’ comes to mind, I’m instantly reminded of ‘Carne’, the word for meat in both Portuguese and Spanish. But does that mean you can only get it from meat or are there also plant-based sources that contain carnitine?
Yes, you can obtain carnitine from vegetables, fruits, and grains such as asparagus, avocado, and whole wheat bread, but they’re available in very small amounts. If you want a richer source of carnitine, some sources cite tempeh as being the best.
Here Are Known Vegan Food Sources of L-Carnitine
As I’ve mentioned, carnitine can be found in various plants, and there are probably way more than the ones listed below, but these are some of the known ones:
| Foods | L-carnitine (per 100g) |
|---|---|
| Tempeh | 19.5 mg |
| Potatoes | 2.4 mg |
| Lentils | 2.1 mg |
| Avocado (medium-sized) | 2 mg (per avocado) |
| Sweet Potatoes | 1.1 mg |
| Raisins | 0.8 mg |
| Whole wheat bread | 0.36 mg |
| Carrots | 0.3 mg |
| Bananas | 0.2 mg |
| Apples (without skin) | 0.2 mg |
| Asparagus | 0.195 mg |
| White bread | 0.147 mg |
| Peanut butter | 0.083 mg |
| Rice | 0.0449 mg |
Apart from tempeh, the other sources have residual amounts of carnitine, though that isn’t considered much of an issue since you can synthesize it from other amino acids, which I’ll be explaining below.
Do Vegans Actually Need To Consume L-Carnitine?
Carnitine is a non-essential amino acid found primarily in animal products, but like most non-essential amino acids, you don’t need to obtain it from an external source since your body is able to naturally produce it.
If you are eating enough protein, your body should make what you need—for instance, we can produce l-carnitine from the amino acids lysine and methionine.
Vegan sources of lysine and methionine include:
| Food | Lysine (mg per 100g) | Methionine (mg per 100g) |
|---|---|---|
| Tempeh | 754 | 173 |
| Tofu (firm) | 582 | 184 |
| Lentils (cooked) | 624 | 43 |
| Black beans (cooked) | 523 | 110 |
| Quinoa (cooked) | 442 | 148 |
| Pumpkin seeds | 1,384 | 554 |
| Watermelon seeds | 1,078 | 368 |
| Chia seeds | 1,034 | 297 |
| Soybeans (cooked) | 1,269 | 206 |
| Spirulina | 1,297 | 384 |
| Amaranth (cooked) | 515 | 152 |
| Peanuts | 863 | 287 |
While there is no reason for most vegetarians or vegans to be concerned with carnitine, there have been cases of vegans who do not thrive unless they are taking carnitine supplements.
What If You’re Weightlifting?
As you probably know, carnitine supplements are often promoted by supplement companies for weight loss, however, research paints a different story.
A study revealed that for the majority of non-vegetarians, l-carnitine supplementation didn’t equate to weight loss.
Furthermore, there’s currently no concrete evidence or studies showcasing the direct impact of l-carnitine supplementation on weightlifting or bodybuilding performance.
Interestingly, the dietary pattern seems to play a role in carnitine levels in the body. Studies, such as this one, found that individuals on low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets often have diminished carnitine levels.
Yet, this reduced intake doesn’t necessarily lead to a deficiency, as when the intake is low, the excretion rate of carnitine also decreases.
If you research further, you’ll find that vegetarians, including vegans and lacto-ovo vegetarians, tend to exhibit lower carnitine levels in the bloodstream.
However, the consensus among researchers is that these lower levels aren’t detrimental to health. But a lingering question remains: Could these levels potentially influence athletic performance? Unfortunately, current scientific literature doesn’t provide a definitive answer.
This study offers an intriguing perspective, suggesting that the muscles of vegetarians might absorb carnitine at a lesser rate compared to omnivores.
This could be compensated by other untested tissues or muscles absorbing the carnitine, given that vegetarians excrete less of it.
The typical non-vegetarian diet contains between 100-300 mg of carnitine daily. Given this, it might be reasonable for vegans or vegetarians who are keen to supplement to stay within this range. But caution is warranted.
A different study showed that while supplementing with 120 mg/day over two months, the plasma carnitine levels of the 11 vegan participants didn’t notably increase.
Instead, there was a rise in urinary carnitine excretion, hinting that they might have been expelling most of the supplemented carnitine, although there’s a possibility of some utilization.
It’s vital to note that while moderate carnitine supplementation might seem benign, overdoing it could have repercussions.
Consuming large amounts, like 2,000 mg twice daily, led to side effects such as nausea and diarrhea in a significant proportion of study participants.
So if you plan to take a vegan-friendly carnitine supplement, do so with caution!
What’s The Bottom Line?
The bottom line is while there might be a few plant-based sources of carnitine, most of them, aside from maybe tempeh, contain carnitine in very few amounts.
However, it’s also important to mention that carnitine is a non-essential amino acid, in other words, your body can produce carnitine from other amino acids that can be found abundantly in plant-based foods.
With that said, if you have a metabolic condition, it could be that you may have to supplement carnitine, but if that’s the case, it is wise to seek medical advice rather than just following any advice you read online.
Editor’s note: The content on this website is meant to be informative, but it should not be taken as medical advice. The content of our articles is not intended for use in the diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. It’s always best to speak with your doctor or a certified medical professional before making any changes to your lifestyle, diet, exercise routine, or trying a new supplement.
