Are You Getting Enough Foods Rich In Folic Acid?
Can you eat enough foods rich in folic acid to satisfy your daily needs? In todays society that’s doubtful so a supplement is recommended. Folic acid is an important B vitamin that is vital to early fetal development as well as helping with depression. It has been shown to help in heart disease as well as certain cancers such as breast, colon and cervical. Since Folic Acid helps protect neurons responsible for memory and learning it may be able to help in prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
But even if you take a supplement, you should try to eat foods rich in folic acid, as they are also rich in many other vitamins and minerals that add to your overall health. The US RDA for this vitamin is 150 to 400 MCG. Women of child bearing age should take the upper end to insure good fetal health and help prevent neural tube defects in babies.
Foods Rich In Folic Acid
Many processed foods are enhanced with folic acid and include cereals, bread, pasta and rice. Read the labels to see what amounts are in a serving to determine if you are getting enough or need to supplement. In addition, the following are natural foods rich in folic acid:
Lentils – ½ cup – 180 mcg
Chickpeas – ½ cup 140 mcg
Collard Greens – 1 cup boiled – 175 mcg
Brocolli – ½ cup steamed – 50 mcg
Asparagus – 4 spears steamed – 85 mcg
Orange – 1 med – 40 mcg
Strawberries – ½ cup – 40 mcg
papaya – 1 med – 115 mcg
Folic Acid Deficiency Symptoms
If you are not getting enough supplementation or foods rich in folic acid you may have loss of appetite, weight loss, diarrhea, headaches, heart palpitations and irritability. Then again, you may have no symptoms at all. If you are thinking about having a child, you should check with your doctor to get his or her recommendation for a folic acid supplement. It is important to start taking it before you start trying as the neural tube defects it can prevent all happen within the first 4 weeks of pregnancy and you want to make sure you build up enough folic acid before you become pregnant.
Of Interest
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