Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps your body produce and maintain new cells. It's available in vitamin form and is added to some foods such as breakfast cereal. It also occurs naturally in some food such as spinach and beans, in the form of folate.
Why Folic Acid Is Important
Folic acid is critical when cells are rapidly growing and dividing, such as pregnancy and infancy. Folic acid prevents some birth defects, which is why women who are pregnant or could become pregnant need to get enough folic acid, even during the first few weeks of pregnancy.
Sources of Folic Acid
Folic acid is found in vitamins and foods like breakfast cereals that have 100 percent of the daily value of folic acid. For a list of cereals that provide the daily requirement, visit the enters for Disease Control and Prevention's C folic acid website.
Folic acid is also in fortified foods such as enriched breads, pastas and other grains. Check the label to see if it meets 100 percent of the daily requirement, which is 400 micrograms.
Folate, a natural form of folic acid, is found in these foods:
- Spinach and other greens
- Asparagus
- Beef liver
- Oranges and orange juice
- Wheat germ
- Peanuts
- Green peas
- Beans, especially cowpeas and Great Northern beans
- Avocado
For a more complete list, see the National Institutes of Health's folate fact sheet.
Getting Enough Folic Acid When Pregnant
If you plan to become pregnant, are pregnant or are breastfeeding, talk with your doctor about folic acid. Your doctor can help you decide how much folic acid is right for you. You may need more folic acid if you have a health condition or are taking certain medicines.
Folic acid supplements in pill form are covered under the new Affordable Care Act (ACA). Depending on your insurance plan, you may be able to get folic acid supplements at no cost to you. For a list of services available under the ACA, visit HealthCare.gov.
Information in this article was taken from healthfinder.gov and the National Institutes of Health.
