Are You Getting Enough Folic Acid?

Eat these foods to up your folic acid intake


Have you had your daily helping of folic acid today? There’s no better time to get your intake of this vital B-complex vitamin that your body uses to create red blood cells on track than National Folic Acid Awareness Week (January 8-14).

You need 400 mcg of folic acid in your daily diet, according to The National Council on Folic Acid. Getting less can result in a number of serious health problems, including heart disease, cancer, obesity, macular (retina) degeneration, Parkinson’s disease, depression, anemia and rheumatoid arthritis (eek!). It’s also vital for expecting mothers as it can help prevent birth defects—including Down’s Syndrome—by 50 to 70 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Luckily there are plenty of ways boost your daily folic acid intake. Taking a folic acid supplement is the surest (and easiest) way, but eating fortified foods such as sunflower seeds, spinach, eggs, as well as grains, pastas, and cereals can also do the trick. So eat up!