Nutrition Newsletter

Summer 1999

 

Prepared by:  Linda B. Bobroff, Ph.D., R.D., LD/N,  

Fortify Your Folate Levels Before Becoming Pregnant

Women thinking of becoming pregnant are advised to indulge in a folate-rich diet. Folate is found in orange juice, oranges, dried beans, and green leafy vegetables, as well as grain-based foods fortified with folic acid.

Folate is involved in DNA synthesis, and therefore folate plays an important role in fetal growth and development early in pregnancy. Folate has been shown to reduce the risk of spina bifida and other defects of the neural tube, the structure that becomes the spinal cord.

Spina bifida is a condition in which part of one or more vertebrae fails to develop, leaving a portion of the spinal cord exposed. The defect, which can result in physical and mental disabilities, affects nearly 4,000 babies each year. It is estimated that diets rich in folate or folic acid could cut that number by 50 to 70 percent. The critical period for spinal development is the first few weeks following conception, when most women don't even know they are pregnant. That's why women who are capable of conceiving are advised to eat a diet rich in folate.

Although women can get enough of this vitamin through natural sources, most only consume about 230 micrograms each day. This is well below the recommended 400 micrograms. To help consumers meet their folate needs, the government has recently added folic acid to the list of vitamins used to fortify rice-, corn- and wheat-foods. Some fortified breakfast cereals can provide a woman's daily requirement in a single serving. Check the Nutrition Facts panel. Flour, breads, pastas, and ready-to-eat cereals that are produced in the U.S. are required to be fortified, but imported foods are not.

Folate/Folic Acid in Foods

Micrograms

Fortified breakfast cereal, 1 ounce Lentils, boiled, 1 cup Chickpeas, boiled, 1 cup Black beans, boiled, 1 cup Asparagus, boiled, 6 spears Spinach, boiled, ½ cup Black-eyed peas, canned, 1 cup Baked beans, homemade, 1 cup Orange juice from concentrate, 1 cup Broccoli, frozen, boiled, ½ cup Pasta, enriched, cooked, ½ cup Peas, frozen, boiled, ½ cup Romaine lettuce, raw, ½ cup Cantaloupe, 1 cup White bread, enriched, 1 slice

100-400* 358 282 256 131 131 123 122 109 52 51* 47 38 27 24*

*Check the label for fortification
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