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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