Folic Acid Sources

Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, which can be found in fortified foods like cereals and other supplements. Folate is a type of vitamin B, which is found naturally in food products. This is a water soluble vitamin. If a balanced diet is followed, then you can get folate from natural folate rich foods itself. However, due to our day-to-day lives it is difficult to maintain the daily requirement of folate, hence eating some fortified folic acid sources like cereals or bread is a good choice. But, why is folate/folic acid so important to our health?

Folic acid deficiency can lead to loss of appetite, and weight loss. Deficiency of folic acid can also cause weakness, heart palpitations, sore tongue, headache, irritability and behavioral disorders. Folic acid is especially important for women who are going to conceive. As pregnant women with deficiency in folic acid, give birth to low birth weight and premature infants, and infants with neutral tube defects due to folic deficiency is common. Anemia occurring in adults can be due to advanced folate deficiency. So, what is the function of folate which makes it an essential vitamin?

Folate helps in producing and maintaining new cell growths. This makes it especially important during the rapid cell division and growth such as infancy and pregnancy. Folic acid helps in making DNA and RNA which are the building blocks. It also helps to avoid any changes in the DNA which can lead to cancer. Another important function of folic acid is that it is required to make red blood cells and anemia. So, how to gain the health benefits of folic acid/folate?

Sources of Folic Acid

By taking adequate amount of folic acid from the natural and dietary sources of folic acid, you can prevent any folic deficiency. Here are the natural best sources and other dietary good source of folic acid, and the daily recommended value of folic acid mentioned below.

Natural Sources
Here are the percentage daily values for 1 cup serving of vegetables and 4 oz-wt serving of calf's liver.

• Romaine lettuce - 29
• Spinach, boiled - 65.7
• Calf's liver, braised - 215.2
• Asparagus, boiled - 65.7
• Pinto beans, cooked - 73.5
• Turnip greens, cooked - 42.6
• Garbanzo beans (chickpeas), cooked - 70.5
• Broccoli, steamed - 23.5
• Lentils, cooked - 89.5

Dietary Sources of Folic Acid
Here are the various fortified folic acid sources in food and their percentage daily values.

• 1 slice of fortified white bread - 10
• 1/2 cup of breakfast cereal - 10
• 1 cup cooked fortified oats - 129
• 3" bagel, enriched - 61
• 1 large pita bread - 57
• 1/2 cup of spaghetti, cooked, enriched - 54

Folic Acid Recommended Dosage
For infants:

• 0 - 6 months: 65 mcg/day
• 7 - 12 months: 80 mcg/day

For children:

• 1 - 3 years: 150 mcg/day
• 4 - 8 years: 200 mcg/day
• 9 - 13 years: 300 mcg/day

For Adults and Adolescents:

• Males age 14 and older: 400 mcg/day
• Females 9 - 13 years: 300 micrograms
• Females 14 years and older: 400 micrograms
• Pregnant females of all ages: 600 micrograms
• Lactating females of all ages: 500 micrograms

Source: Institute of Medicine

Folate, which is the natural vitamin from foods can be lost during cooking or storing. So, to retain the most folate, serve fruits and vegetables raw as much as possible. While cooking, steaming, boiling, and simmering vegetables with minimum amount of water is recommended. Also, store vegetables and fruits in the refrigerator.