Folic Acid

Supplements can be an important way to get folic acid, but food offers the benefit of great taste! Get yourself into a good habit of including a variety of foods with folic acid in all meals. When you are grocery shopping, check the labels on bread and cereal products to choose those higher in folic acid. The meal and snack suggestions and the table below show examples of foods that provide at least 10% of the recommended daily amount of folic acid.

Breakfast bonanzas

Orange juice and fortified cereal
Whole wheat toaster waffles with frozen berries
Whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter
Oatmeal with sliced berries

Luscious lunches

Lentil soup and whole wheat crackers
Spinach salad with chickpeas
Bean chili with a green salad
Tuna sandwich with a fruit salad
Veggie soup with whole wheat roll

Quick snacks

Whole orange or banana
Toasted soybeans
Peanuts or pistachios
Whole grain cereal and milk
Tomato juice

Delightful dinner dishes

Baked beans
Steamed asparagus or beets
Stir-fried broccoli
Three bean salad
Spinach and avocado salad

FOOD/SERVING SIZE	% DAILY VALUE
Spinach, 2 cups raw	55%
Spinach, 1 cup cooked	50%
Lentils, 1/2 cup cooked	45%
Chickpeas, 1/2 cup cooked	35%
Asparagus, 1/2 cup cooked	30%
Orange juice, 1 cup	27%
Peanuts (dry-roasted), 1/3 cup	25%
Pistachios (roasted), 1 oz.	25%
Strawberries, 8 medium, raw	20%
Wheat germ, 1/4 cup	20%
Enriched bread, 1 slice	10%

Folic acid during pregnancy

The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends that all women of child-bearing age consume 400 micrograms of folic acid each day. This is because half of US pregnancies are unplanned and folic acid can prevent birth defects that occur very early in pregnancy, before most women know that they are pregnant.