Folic-Acid-and-Pregnancy

Folic Acid and Pregnancy

The most important supplement for a pregnant women is folic acid. It is folic acid that supports the brain growth in a fetus throughout the first weeks of life. While all prenatal supplements contain large amounts of folic acid, for the pregnant woman who finds out about the pregnancy well into the first month, the crucial need for folic acid may already be in full swing. The best way to prepare the body for pregnancy is to treat it to high levels of folic acid before getting pregnant.

Folic acid is a naturally occurring, water-soluble B vitamin. Due to the fact that it is most commonly related to spinach, many people do not even attempt to add folic acid to their diets. But, thanks to the advancements in fortified foods, folate is now tastier than ever.

Folic acid can be consumed by eating fortified cereals on a daily basis. Many of these fortified cereals contain more than 100% of the RDA for folic acid. A minimum of 400 mcg of folic acid are needed per day for a woman who is pregnant. A lack of this essential vitamin can lead to neural tube defects. But, for those women who eat enough folic acid before they are pregnant and during their pregnancy, the chance of neural tube defects drops by 70%.

Folic acid is the most important vitamin you can feed both your body and your baby in the first months of pregnancy. For women who are planning to become pregnant, adding more folic acid to the diet at least a month before conceiving is the right thing to do.
posted 2/26/2008 © www.nowchic.com image source:dt-2964071

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