Hi everyone, I'm Melissa and welcome to CloudMom.com.
So, there are a lot of very important vitamins
and nutrients that you're going to wanna make
sure, you have in your body when you're pregnant
or even when you're thinking about being pregnant.
And one of the real biggies is folic acid.
So, this blog is about what is folic acid?
When do I need to get it and why?
And number three, what are good sources for
folic acid, okay?
So, here it goes.
To start off, folic acid is basically the
synthetic version of a B vitamin called folate.
It's actually vitamin B9, okay?
Say that three times.
Vitamin B9, vitamin B9, vitamin B9.
I'm gonna put a quiz up on my site.
This is very important, if you're pregnant
or you think you might want to become pregnant.
Why?
Because folic acid can help reduce the likelihood
that your baby will develop what is called
a neural tube defect such as spinal bifida,
and this occurs in the very, very early weeks
of pregnancy.
Sometimes, before women even know that they're
pregnant.
So, it's a really important thing, okay?
Two other incredible studies that you're gonna
wanna know about that happened quite recently.
One study in 2009, found that a deficiency
in folic acid could increase the likelihood
of preeclampsia, and another significant study
that came out in 2013 in Norway, found that
women taking folic acid before getting pregnant
were 40% less likely to have a child with
autism.
Now, the women in this study were getting
the folic acid, four months before conceiving,
and they continued with it during the first
eight weeks after becoming pregnant.
For this reason, many medical authorities
recommend that all women of child-bearing
age get at least 400 mcgs of folic acid a
day, okay?
So, in all likelihood, if you go to your doctor,
you say you wanna have a baby, they're gonna
be like, "folic acid, folic acid, folic acid."
And they're gonna give you a supplement.
There are also lot of foods though that are
great sources for folic acid which is really
healthy for you.
So, we're gonna go through those now.
I'm sure you're going to love all of them.
Okay.
Starting out, spinach.
Okay?
Popeye knew what he was doing.
Eat your spinach.
The guy was a genius.
It wasn't really for sailors.
It's for pregnant women and it's for women
who might wanna be pregnant.
Spinach is really good.
Also collard greens, romaine lettuce, forget
about the iceberg.
I'm sorry.
I know it's crunchy, but you don't need it
anymore.
Okay, beans.
Pinto beans, chick peas, like hummus, very
good for you, navy beans, and black-eyed peas,
and not the rock band, [chuckle] okay?
Other sources, liver, I know, not my favorite,
edamame, really good, asparagus, broccoli,
eggs, also fortified pastas and cereals, all
really great sources of folic acid.
One more word about folic acid.
If you decide you wanna become pregnant or
if you are newly pregnant, go over your diet
with your doctor and your supplements.
Also make sure, you're not getting too much
because that can obscure other vitamin deficiencies.
So, you wanna make sure you're targeting the
right amount.
So, I hope this is helpful.
Anyone has any other great ideas about folic
acid, please share them on the site by commenting
on cloudmom.com.
Thank you so much for watching, and best of
luck having a very, very healthy pregnancy.
Thanks for watching.
