Foods That Contain Folic Acid

Foods That Contain Folic Acid

Some good sources of naturally occuring folic acid (folate) are found in: orange juice, lentils, dried beans, spinach, broccoli, peanuts, and avocados.

Enriched grain products - such as most breads, flour, crackers, rice, macaroni, and noodles - must be FORTIFIED - with folic acid.

Some breakfast cereals are fully fortified at 400 micrograms per serving - 100 percent of the daily recommendation for most people.

Check the Nutrition Facts on the label of grain products to see if folic acid has been added and how much.

Here are some foods that contain folic acid and the typical amount of micrograms found in each.

• Breakfast cereals, fortified with folic acid (3/4-1 cup) 100-400mcg
• Spinach, boiled (1/2 cup) 130mcg
• Navy beans, boiled (1/2 cup) 125mcg
• Orange Juice (1 cup) 110mcg
• Wheat Germ (1/4 cup) 100mcg
• Avocado (1/2) 80mcg
• Pasta, fortified with folic acid, cooked (1/2 cup) 50mcg
• Rice, fortified with folic acid, cooked (1/2 cup) 45mcg
• Peanuts, dry roasted (1 oz.) 40mcg
• Bread, fortified with folic acid (1 slice) 30mcg
• Romaine lettuce, shredded (1/2 cup) 30mcg

Health Benefits of Foods
That Contain Folic Acid

• Folic acid plays an essential role in making new body cells by helping to produce DNA and RNA, the cell's master plan for cell reproduction.
  

• Folic acid works with vitamin B12 to form hemoglobin in red blood cells.
  

• Folic acid may help protect against heart disease.
  

• Folic acid helps lower the risk of delivering a baby with neural tube defects such as spina bifida.
  

• Folic acid helps control plasma homocysteine levels, linked to increased cardiovascular disease risk.

Folic Acid and Pregnancy

Folic acid is the form of folate found in fortified foods and supplements. Folate is essential to good health, and your body needs it to manufacture new cells and genetic material.

Soon after conception, folate helps develop the neural tube, which becomes a baby's spinal cord and brain. Women who consume enough folate, particularly in the weeks prior to conception and during the first three months of pregnancy, may reduce the risk of neural tube defects, which occur when the neural tube does not close completely.

Even a varied, well balanced eating plan may not supply enough folate to protect agains birth defects. So nutrition experts advise that all women of child bearing age consume 400 micrograms of folic acid daily from fortified foods, vitamin supplements, or a combination, in addition to the foods that contain folic acid.

Pregnancy increases the recommended amount to 600 micrograms daily; during breast-feeding, 500 micrograms are advised.

Consult your doctor or a registered dietitian about appropriate levels of supplements with folic acid. Taking too much folate (more than 1000 micrograms a day) can mask the symptoms of pernicious anemia which can cause nerve damage. (Pernicious anemia may result from a vitamin B12 deficiency)

Eat a variety of foods that conatin folic acid - for example, citrus fruits and juices; dark green leafy vegetables; nuts; legumes; and liver.

Much more than foods that contain folic acid discussed back at the Home Page