Add These Folic Acid Foods To Your Diet To Ensure An Adequate Intake Of This Important Nutrient
Folic acid is also known as vitamin B9.
It is one of the eight B vitamins. All the B vitamins are water soluble, which means they are excreted from the body when we urinate so this means we must ensure we get enough each and every day.
Folic acid is needed in the body for a number of reasons.
Folate contributes to maternal tissue growth during pregnancy.
Folic acid also contributes to the normal function of the immune system and it contributes to normal psychological performance, as well contributing to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
Folic acid also contributes to normal homocysteine metabolism, an important factor in heart health. Homocysteine is produced when proteins are broken down, such as those from our foods.
There are a number of folic acid foods we can incorporate into our diets to ensure we are getting enough folic acid...
How Much Folic Acid Do We Need?
Adults need 200µg of folate a day. This is recommended by the UK Department of Health. However if you're pregnant, trying for a baby, or could potentially get pregnant, it's also recommended that you take a 400µg folic acid supplement daily before you are pregnant and until you're 12 weeks pregnant. Folic acid is also beneficial beyond 12 weeks of pregnancy for maternal tissue growth.
What Are The Best Food Sources Of Folic Acid?
Folate, measured in micrograms (mcg or µg), is found in small amounts in many foods. Try incorporating the below foods into your diet.
- Edamame Beans - 482μg per cup
- Lentils - 358μg per cup
- Asparagus - 268μg per cup cooked
- Spinach - 263μg per cup cooked
- Broccoli - 168μg per cup cooked
- Avocado - 163μg per avocado
- Mangoes - 71μg per cup
- Lettuce - 64μg per cup
- Sweet Corn - 61μg per cup cooked
- Oranges - 30μg per 100g
From September 2021, the UK government announced that folic acid will be added to UK white flour in the future, in a bid to help increase the amount of folic acid in maternal diets.
However, the UK Department of Health still recommends that women trying to conceive until the 12th week of pregnancy, should take a daily supplement containing 400μg of folic acid.
Simple ways to incorporate folic acid into your diet include lentil salads filled with spinach, sweet corn and broccoli or even a fruit salad containing oranges and mango. You could add asparagus to eggs on toast for breakfast and even try mashing edamame beans into a paste to spread on sandwiches and crackers.
Our Best Supplements Containing Folic Acid
Worried you might not be getting enough folic acid from diet alone?
Ultra Folic Acid combines 400µg of folate with vitamin B12, which contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
Ultra Vitamin B Complex includes 200µg of folic acid along with the other seven B vitamins. It is ideal for anyone wanting extra nutritional support, as well as vegetarians, vegans, the over 50s, athletes and those with hectic lifestyles.
Our Best Supplements For Conception And Pregnancy Containing Folic Acid
Pregnacare offers a range of supplements providing the recommended level of folic acid for before conception and throughout pregnancy, and also in supplements for after pregnancy,
Pregnacare Conception contains 400µg of folic acid plus vitamin B12, iron, magnesium and 20µg of vitamin D3. These all have a role in the process of cell division. It also includes zinc which contributes to normal fertility and reproduction.
Pregnacare Him and Her Conception is a specialist dual-pack for both men and women trying to conceive; it contains Pregnacare Conception tablets for her and Wellman Conception tablets for him. We recommend that these are both taken for three months before trying for a baby. Wellman Conception provides zinc which contributes to normal fertility and reproduction, plus Siberian Ginseng and Co-Q10.
Pregnacare Original contains 19 important nutrients, specially formulated by experts for during pregnancy. This includes 400µg of folic acid as well as vitamin B2, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.
Pregnacare Plus comes with an additional Omega-3 capsule. This capsule provides a rich source of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), found to contribute to normal brain and eye development of the foetus.
Pregnacare Max offers 400µg of folic acid and includes L-methylfolate, a more advanced form of folic acid, along with 500mg of calcium, plus the 300mg Omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) capsule. Maternal intake of DHA contributes to the normal eye and brain development of the foetus.
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