Folate or folic acid is one of the most important nutrients from the B-group of vitamins. The nutrient is very important for pregnant mothers to support the growth of the fetus’s neural tube. The neural tube is an important component as it facilitates the growth of many important organs of the newborn. Some of those important organs include the nervous system and the spinal cord.
Thus, pregnant women and women looking forward to getting pregnant must never make the mistake of ignoring the importance of folate vitamins. Many studies suggest that consuming folate supplements before conception or even during pregnancy can help prevent seven out of ten cases of congenital neural tube defects.
Different Sources Of Folate Acid
As with most other vitamins, women get most of their folate from their diet. Yet, the amount or concentration of folate one receives can vary among people. This is primarily because vitamins are often affected by the way food is stored and cooked. Hence, this makes it very challenging to precisely predict the exact amount of folate one is consuming through their diet.
Nonetheless, experts still recommend consuming at least 400 mcg of folate foods on a daily basis. This amount further increases to 600 mcg daily, only for pregnant women. In case you are planning to get pregnant, experts recommend increasing your folate intake at least a month before conception.
If you are interested in increasing your folate intake, here are a couple of things to help you get started on the right foot.
- Start consuming folate supplements.
- Increase the consumption of foods high in folate vitamins, such as many veggies, fruits, nuts, cereals, and legumes. Green vegetables such as spinach, asparagus, and broccoli are excellent sources of folate. Besides that, you can consume more strawberries, oranges, and bananas to suffice your folate requirements.
- Finally, you must also focus your efforts on consuming more fortified foods and cereals with a much higher concentration of vitamin B and folic acid.
Why Must You Consider Consuming Folate Supplements?
It is no secret that folate is a highly sensitive vitamin to temperature. This means if one consumes 100 grams of raw spinach, you will be suffering 49% of your recommended folate consumption. But then again, if you cook the spinach, the folate concentration comes down to about 38%. Thus, if you overcook, it will automatically bring down the folate concentration in the food.
Another important thing you ought to know about your folate intake is that it is a water-soluble vitamin, so your body has no way to store it. So replenishing it every day is not an option because there is no way around it. Research shows that 22% of women between the age of 12 and 49 do not have sufficient amounts of folate in their bodies. This makes it challenging for the body to prevent all defects associated with the neural tube, especially in the case of pregnancy.
If someone is suffering from digestive complications, increasing your folate intake becomes even more important. This is primarily because digestive complications can have an adverse impact on the body’s folate absorption capacity through diet. Also, any woman with Celiac disease or IBS might find it more challenging to absorb and retain folate than other individuals.
In case someone in your family has a history of suffering from any neural tube defects or even has a child with similar defects. It is recommended you increase your dosage of folate supplements. This ensures that your body retains and absorbs the right amount of folate to support the growth of your unborn child.
What Kind Of Folate Supplement Must You Take?
It is not very difficult to find different fortified supplements and food that can provide you with the right amount of folic acid. There is another form of vitamin B that your body converts into folate with a special type of enzyme. But it would help if you kept in mind that the conversion capacity of this enzyme is generally limited. This consequently results in an increase in unutilized folic acid in the bloodstream. This increase in folic acid can often result in negative health complications.
Thus, the best way to counter your folate deficiency is to consume folate supplements. Methyl folate. This form of a vitamin does not require any conversion, and your body can absorb it directly. This is also better than consuming any artificial sources of folate. So no matter if you are consuming folate supplements for pregnancy or as a part of a healthy diet, always make sure to consume it in the form of methyl folate.
In Conclusion
As you can see, folate acid has numerous benefits for pregnant as well as women planning to conceive. So hopefully, you have a clearer idea of what is folate acid and all the folate benefits that can help you raise a fine child. Therefore, maintain your optimum folate intake and bear a healthy child.