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.
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