Folic acid is a B vitamin that
promotes cell growth. Your skin, hair and nails make new cells every day. Folic
acid also plays an important role in helping red blood cells carry oxygen from
your lungs to all parts of your body. Some studies even show that folic acid
may help protect you from heart disease.
Folic acid can be found in its
natural form (called folate) in spinach, black beans, peanuts and orange
juice. But it is really hard to get the
amount you need from food.
The manufactured or synthetic form
of folate is called folic acid. There are many synthetic forms of folic acid:
fortified grains, pastas and breakfast cereals. “Fortified” means that folic
acid has been added to the food. However, the easiest way to get your
recommended folic acid dose, is to take a multivitamin containing at least 400
mcg of folic acid per serving (or 600 mcg if you are pregnant) every day.
As this week is National Folic Acid Awareness Week, it is a good
time to check your diet and vitamin pills to be sure that you are getting the
recommended amount of folic acid.
If you are like me, and don’t like
swallowing pills, you can find a variety of chewable and gummy multivitamins at
your local grocery, pharmacy or discount store to suit your tastes and needs.
Just be sure to read the labels – some serving sizes, particularly the gummy
vitamins, require you to take two tablets to meet your daily recommended dose.
So even if you are not planning on
becoming pregnant anytime soon, with so many benefits, you have all the reason
you need to start getting your daily recommended folic acid fix.
Tags: B vitamin, birth defects, cell growth, folate, folic acid, multi-vitamin, National Folic Acid Awareness Week
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