Ensure adequate intake of folic acid from "summary" of Eat This, Not That! When You're Expecting by Jennifer Ashton, MD,David Zinczenko
Folic acid is a crucial nutrient for pregnant women. It helps prevent major birth defects of the baby's brain and spine. That's why it's important to make sure you're getting enough of it. The recommended daily intake of folic acid for pregnant women is 600 micrograms. You can get folic acid from foods like fortified cereals, leafy green vegetables, beans, and citrus fruits. However, it can be hard to get enough through diet alone. That's why many doctors recommend taking a prenatal vitamin with folic acid. If you're planning to get pregnant, it's a good idea to start taking a prenatal vitamin with folic acid before you conceive. This can help ensure that your body has enough folic acid in the early stages of pregnancy when the baby's neural tube is developing. Remember, neural tube defects happen in the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before a woman even knows she's pregnant. So it's important to have enough folic acid in your system from the start. If you have a history of neural tube defects in your family or if you've had a baby with a neural tube defect before, your doctor may recommend a higher dose of folic acid. They may also suggest taking folic acid in combination with other vitamins to further reduce the risk of birth defects.- It's still a good idea to make sure you're getting enough folic acid in your diet. Folic acid plays a role in cell growth and development, so it's important for overall health. Plus, if you do become pregnant, you'll already have a good supply of this essential nutrient in your system. So whether you're trying to conceive or not, it's important to ensure you're getting an adequate intake of folic acid.
