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WIC - Folic Acid |
Your Body Needs Folic Acid
Your body needs Folic Acid, a B vitamin also known as B9, to produce red blood cells throughout your life. Folic acid is also one of the few nutrients known to prevent neural tube birth defects, such as spinal bifida, which affects one in every 1,000 babies born in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control report that women who take the recommended daily dosage (400 mcg) of folic acid reduce their baby's risk of some types of birth defects by 50 percent.
Where do you get Folic Acid? Eating a variety of fortified breakfast cereals, bread, rice, pasta, beans, peas, fruits and vegetables and drinking orange juice can provide adequate folate.
Sources
Excellent Sources (contain 400 mcg):
- 1 cup of fortified cereals like Total and Product 19 contain 100% of the folic acid you need for one day.
 Very Good Sources (contain >50 mcg):
- Seaweed and Kelp (3oz)
- Split Peas and Lentils (1/2 cup)
- Beef and Moose Liver (3 oz)
- Spinach and Greens (1 1/2 cups)
- Cereals (1 cup)
- Dried Beans (1 cup)
- Orange Juice (1 cup)
- Duck Eggs (1)
Good Sources (contain 25 – 50 mcg):
- Broccoli (1/2 cup)
- Blackberries (1 cup)
- Green Peas (1/2 cup)
- Oranges (1)
- Corn (1/2 cup)
- Raspberries (1 cup)
- Peanut Butter (2 TBSPs)
Many other Alaskan wild greens and berries may also contain folate.If you are not eating these foods every day, a daily multi-vitamin with folic acid is recommended. Do not take more than 1000 mcg (1 mg) per day. Download the Folic Acid Poster
(928 KB) |
Folic Acid Poster
You can download Alaska's Folic Acid Poster. (size: 8.5 X 11)
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