Folic acid is extremely vital and you should take it not just during pregnancy but as soon as you hit childbearing age. If you haven’t been taking folic acid but are trying to get pregnant, it is time to start! You should either go for supplements or include foods in your diet that are rich in folic acid. The reason why folic acid is very important during pregnancy is that it lowers the chances of your baby developing spine and brain defects including spina bifida. This B vitamin is extremely vital also because it helps in the enhanced formation of red blood cells and also plays a role in preventing heart disease. Claim Your 20 Free Pregnancy Tests – Click Here
Deficiency of this vitamin can cause you a lot of harm. Thus, it is unwise to be careless. You should include foods containing folic acid in your diet right from the time you decide to get pregnant and you should continue consumption throughout the pregnancy. Here are some of the foods that are rich in folic acid.
Fortified foods are the best source of folic acid. They are also very common and thus, you can easily include them in your diet. You can be absolutely sure that fortified foods contain folic acid because that is the law! The law clearly states that all fortified foods must have folic acid in them.
Some of the best fortified foods include breakfast cereal, pasta, rice, breads, and so on. In fact folic acid in breakfast cereal is very high. In only one serving you will have about 400 mcg of folic acid and that is very significant. Buy breakfast cereal with 100% folic acid and eat one bowl every day. That will help you a very great deal!
Take for example dried lentils. Just one cup of these cooked foods contains 180 mcg of folic acid! You can also go for pinto beans. Only a half-cup of these beans will give you 105 mcg! Black-eyed peas are another example of folic acid foods. A half-cup contains 105 mcg of the B vitamin.
You may not like beans but they are extremely good for health and you must incorporate them in your diet. You can eat them in combination with other foods if you wish. Replace meat with beans. Instead of using meat in burritos, nachos, and tacos, use beans and that will help you a lot. You don’t have to do this all the time. Just twice a week is enough to get all the folic acid you need. Another good idea is to make soup. Hearty bean soup and veg soup are good choices.
Fruits and vegetables are extremely good sources of folic acid. You should eat a number of fruits and vegetables everyday! Leafy and green vegetables are an excellent source. Eat okra or raw spinach and you will have consumed 58 mcg of folic acid per cup.
Asparagus contains 110 mcg folic acid for five spears. Kale greens and cooked collard are also good choices. Coming to fruits, you can include watermelon, bananas, strawberries, and citrus fruits in your diet. You can also drink pure fruit juices to get the required folic acid.
It is important to remember that folic acid is not the only nutrient you can take while trying to conceive. Know the other fertile foods that can boost your chances of conceiving.
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