The consumption of folic acid is considered a must by doctors, is recommended by the media and widely known amongst women who are of age to procreate. Why is it so important? Folic acid is derived from vitamin B9, also known as folate. Three decades ago, it was discovered that babies with spina bifida had low levels of this vitamin, and ever since then, health experts have worked on spreading the word and promoting the consumption of vitamin B9 through pills, supplements, and food.
A lot of the products we consume nowadays have some folic acid. Ever since its purposefulness was found, folic acid has been added to products such as pasta, bread, and cereals. However, for people who are pregnant, eating these are insufficient, and may even be counterproductive.
There’s plenty of publications by Harvard where they recommend decreasing consumption of food that has added folic acid, and instead choosing natural food that is rich in vitamin B9. Some of these natural foods are:
1/2 cup of cooked lentils – 180 mg
1/2 cup of spinach – 132 mg
1/2 cup of black beans – 128 mg
1 1/2 oz of sunflower seeds – 101 mg
1/2 cup of cooked turnip greens – 85 mg
1/2 cup of cooked broccoli – 84 mg
1 cup of fresh orange juice – 74 mg
1 1/2 oz of nuts – 62 mg
Mind what you eat and make sure it nurtures you. Use your creativity and the basic foods we shared with you in order to create new and delicious recipes.
