What foods contain folic acid
Release time : 09/06/2025 09:30:03
You've made it a priority to conceive a child? Congratulations! That means you're going to need to start taking folic acid.
Generally speaking, it is recommended to take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily for the first three months of pregnancy.
In addition to taking folic acid supplements, you can also consume foods containing folic acid throughout your entire pregnancy.
So, are you wondering what foods contain folate? What foods have the most folate? Don't worry, let's answer these questions one by one.
Warm Reminder: It is best to consume folic acid after breakfast for about half an hour to one hour, as the morning or early morning is the optimal time for nutrient absorption. What foods contain folic acid? Leafy vegetables are a good source of folic acid. Generally speaking, once folic acid supplementation is confirmed, two methods can be used to intake it—one is through dietary supplementation, and leafy vegetables are a good source of folic acid. Animal liver and certain fruits also contain abundant folic acid.
Foods rich in folic acid for expectant mothers, as a reference: Aloe Vera: Containing 85-120 micrograms of folic acid per 100 grams. Aloe vera is one of the most abundant sources of folic acid in green vegetables. It is recommended to consume fresh aloe vera as soon as possible after purchase and to cook it by microwave, stir-frying, or quickly blanching to maintain its nutritional value.
Folic acid: are you taking it right? Oatmeal contains 190 micrograms of folic acid per 100 grams. Oats, a high-nutrient whole grain cereal, are rich in Vitamin B and especially folic acid can help fetal growth. You can make it into porridge or mix it into white rice for an easy way to get your folic acid fix.
Broccoli: Contains 120 micrograms of folic acid per 100 grams. Broccoli is low in calories and contains high levels of folate, which can help alleviate constipation during pregnancy. It is an ideal choice for pregnant women.
Take a small piece of folic acid every day, and love you more. Carrots: containing 67 (micrograms/100 grams) folate, carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which has antioxidant activity. Its folate content is also very abundant. It is recommended to wash it and mix it into juice for the most direct way to take up a large amount of folic acid.
How should you consume vegetables rich in folic acid? Kiwifruit: Contains 30 (micrograms/100g), Kiwifruit is not only a fruit that contains high levels of folic acid, but also its rich Vitamin C can stabilize folic acid, enhancing the absorption and utilization efficiency by the human body.
Foods containing folic acid include: oranges, strawberries, cherries, bananas, lemons, peaches, plums, apricots, plums, pomegranates, persimmons, azaleas, sour jujubes, hawthorns, grapes, kiwifruits, pears, hazelnuts, apples.
Vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, loofah, cauliflower, rapeseed, green cabbage, mustard greens, broad beans, pods, tomatoes, carrots, pumpkin, mushrooms, etc.
Beans: soybeans, soy products, walnuts, cashews, chestnuts, almonds, and pine nuts.
Animal liver, kidneys, poultry meat and eggs, such as pork liver, beef, mutton, chicken, egg yolks etc.
Whole wheat flour, barley, rice bran, wheat germ, buckwheat, etc.
Why supplement folic acid for planning to conceive or during early pregnancy? Folic acid is particularly important for expectant women. According to the latest data from China's Birth Defects Surveillance Network, about one out of every eight hundred newborns in China have neural tube defects.
If folic acid is insufficient during the first three months of pregnancy, it may result in neural tube defects and increase the incidence of encephaloceles and anencephalic babies.
Secondly, pregnant women often supplement folic acid to prevent neonatal underweight, preterm birth and congenital anomalies such as cleft palate (cleft lip).
Planning to conceive or expectant mothers in early pregnancy should take folic acid daily and eat foods rich in folic acid to reduce the risk of certain birth defects in their babies.
Folic acid deficiency in pregnant women may increase the risk of miscarriage.
By the 13th week of pregnancy (from the onset of the third trimester), if you decide to stop taking nutritional supplements, you can do so. However, continuing to take them throughout the entire pregnancy will not harm you or your baby.
The optimal time for folic acid supplementation is best taken half an hour to an hour after breakfast. The ideal timing for taking folic acid supplements should be from three months before pregnancy to the entire early stages of pregnancy, preferably taken half an hour to an hour after breakfast, when the nutrients are most absorbed in the morning or early in the day.
If you do not need to take folic acid, the amount of folic acid in your folic acid tablets should be 400 micrograms.
If you are not sure about your condition, you should consult a doctor.
For expectant mothers, one banana per day can supplement folic acid and prevent constipation. The supplementation of folic acid should continue throughout pregnancy, not pause.
In the mid and late stages of pregnancy, the synthesis of baby DNA, placenta, maternal tissue and red blood cells increases, so even if the baby's nervous system has been developed in the early stage of pregnancy, the lack of folate still causes megaloblastic anemia, pre-eclampsia and placental abruption.
In pre-pregnancy, it is important to avoid four common misconceptions regarding folic acid supplementation. Furthermore, both expectant parents should also ensure they consume adequate folic acid during their pregnancy.
Pregnant mothers often miss out on the optimal time to supplement folic acid during early pregnancy, as they may not be certain of their pregnancy status.
The expert advice from Mama.net is that women who may be pregnant or planning to have a baby should pay attention to daily supplement of folic acid to prevent the baby's arrival when they are not ready for it.
For men planning to become fathers, insufficient folic acid intake can reduce the concentration of semen and may cause chromosome separation abnormalities in sperm, greatly increasing the possibility of serious diseases in future babies. It's important not to overlook dads when it comes to supplementing folic acid. If you cannot determine when you plan to conceive, starting from conception is recommended, maintaining a habit of taking folic acid-containing multivitamins or supplements throughout pregnancy, which is also beneficial for your health.
It's important to know that if you have an accidental pregnancy, this habit will be even more critical.
Supplementing with folic acid involves either dietary supplementation or medication. It is important to note that there are many foods rich in folic acid, but since folic acid is unstable when exposed to light and heat, it tends to lose its activity, so not much of the folic acid actually gets absorbed from food.
Supplementing with food for folic acid may not be suitable, and taking folic acid supplements is better.
We often say "medicine is not as good as food". But in terms of folic acid supplementation, this saying should be reversed.
After storage of vegetables for 2 to 3 days, folate losses range from 50% to 70%; cooking methods like stewing can reduce folate by 50% to 95%; and soaking in saltwater significantly depletes the folate content in vegetables.
Therefore, foods high in folate content should not replace folic acid supplements; they can only serve as an adjunctive measure for supplementing folate.
However, pregnant mothers should not underestimate their diet because of the fact that folic acid supplementation may not be as effective as taking medication.
It is important to know that while a healthy diet may not provide sufficient folic acid, it does contain other natural substances that can help promote absorption.
Therefore, in order to ensure the health of both the mother and her unborn child, expectant mothers should maintain a balanced diet and also take folic acid supplements.
How to eat vegetables with folic acid for better nutrition, due to the characteristics of folic acid, pregnant women should change some cooking habits to reduce the loss of folic acid in their diet.
To maintain the nutritional value of food, it is important to follow these guidelines: 1. Fresh vegetables purchased should not be kept for too long.
When making, wash first and cut later. Prepare in advance and eat it all at once.
When stir-frying, use a rapid fire to cook for 3~5 minutes.
To cook vegetables, it is advisable to add them after the water boils to prevent the loss of vitamins.
The vegetable water left over when making fillings contains abundant nutrients and should not be discarded; it can be used to make soup.
2. Do not overly wash the rice with water, do not rub it hard, nor use hot water to rinse it.
Rice is best cooked by steaming or boiling, and it's not advisable to make a rice salad as it will cause significant loss of nutrients.
3. It is not advisable to add alkali while making porridge.
4. When cooking meat, it is best to chop the meat into dices, shreds or small slices and quickly stir-fry them over high heat.
Large chunks of meat and fish should be first boiled in cold water for a while before being stewed on low heat.
5. It is best not to eat fried food frequently.
What are some recipes for supplementing folic acid? Ingredients: Banana, Potato, Strawberry Condiments: Honey Instructions: Peel the banana and mash it with a spoon. Wash and peel the potato, steam it in a pot until cooked, then mash it into a smooth consistency. Let it cool.
Mix banana puree with potato puree, add strawberry and honey.
Effect: Bananas and potatoes are rich in folic acid
Consuming folic acid-rich food before and during pregnancy can aid in the development of fetal vascular and nervous systems.
Ingredients: - Lean pork belly, canned bamboo shoots, broccoli, and green onion. - Seasoning sauce: 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of rock sugar, and 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine. Instructions: - Clean the green onion and cut it into slices; cut the lean pork belly into square pieces. - Cut the canned bamboo shoots into pieces and blanch in boiling water, then remove and set aside.
First, place the pork belly in a pot and stir-fry it. Then add water and cook on low heat until all ingredients are cooked.
Benefits: Spare ribs are rich in nutrients and easy to absorb, providing nourishment for the skin and effectively enhancing beauty.
Broccoli is rich in various vitamins, minerals and a good source of folic acid.
How to Cook Boiled Rape Greens Ingredients: Rape greens, pork fat cubes, chopped green onions and ginger. Seasoning: Vegetable oil, soy sauce, chicken essence, and salt as needed. Instructions: Clean the rape greens; cut them into sections. Heat a small amount of oil in a pan, heat it until hot, then add the pork fat cubes and fry until semi-transparent. Add chopped green onions and ginger, immediately add the rape greens and stir-fry for a short while.
Effect: The rapeseed contains a rich amount of vitamins, especially folic acid, calcium and iron, which are particularly suitable for the consumption of pregnant women in early pregnancy.
* The medical content involved in this text is for reference only.
In case of discomfort, it is recommended to seek immediate medical attention for diagnosis and treatment at a clinician's examination.