Discovering the mini in the making is all emotional and exciting for every woman. So when you’re all set for the mommy thing, you probably got to prep up your body to provide a healthy growing environment for your baby.
Taking care of yourself and heeding any changes in your health will probably go a long way towards delivering a healthy baby without any defects.
On this note, I want all the mom-to-be and mom wannabes, to go through this article, since its all about that one major player that nourish the junior you in the womb to step out genius…read on to learn more on its importance in women health and during pregnancy.
Every year around 40 percent moms are giving birth to babies, suffering from spina bifida (spinal defect), anencephaly (defect in brain and skull), which might be due to insufficient intake of vitamins, especially folic acids (vitamin B9).
This is why expectant mothers are advised to watch what they eat and ensure that they have nutritious food rich in essential nutrients.
What is Folic Acid?
Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin B. It can’t be synthesized or store in the human body, which is why it’s important that we consume it through diet to meet its daily requirements. Naturally, folic acid is obtained in the form of Folate.
Health Benefits of Folic Acid
- Folic acid foods are very essential for DNA and RNA synthesis which are essential for the formation of genes and protein synthesis.
- Promotes the synthesis of blood cells, when combined with vitamin B12
- It aids in the rapid growth and cell division.
- It reduces the risk of neural birth defects, when taken by the pregnant women.
- Before planning to be a pregnant, you should add folic acid rich foods to your diet so that you can prevent neural tubes defects
- It enhances the memory power and speeds up the thinking process.
Some more uses are there, where research is going on
- Folic acid decrease’s the homocysteine levels, so that it may reduce the risk of heart attacks.
- According to some studies, folic acid may delay the occurrence of some type’s cancer, though the exact mechanism was not yet known to confirm this statement!
- Folic acid may improve fertility in men.
- It aids in the prevention of clinical depression
- Prevents memory and mental agility problems
Simply knowing the folic acid benefits might not be a good idea, even you should know its deficiencies and symptom.
Folic Acid Deficiency Disorders
Folic acid deficiency mainly leads to neural birth defects and anemia.
Symptoms to identify your folic acid deficiency
- Fatigue, tiredness
- Feeling generally weak
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- heart palpitations
- Forgetfulness
- Behavioral disorders
- Being irritable, easy irritated
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
If you observe any of the above symptoms, rush to the grocery store or to the pharmacy or consult your gynecologist.
Folic Acid Rich Foods
Mainly, Dark Green Veggies are rich in folic acid.
To be more specific, folic acid is rich in the following sources:
- Cauliflower
- Egg yolk
- Asparagus
- cabbage
- Lentils
- Kidney
- Lettuce
- Liver (pregnant women should not consume liver)
- Peas
- Many fruits have moderate amounts; papaya and kiwi have more
- Spinach
- Milk
- Baker’s yeast
- Oranges
- Broccoli
- Parsnips
- Brussels sprouts
- Sunflower seeds
- Jacket potato (large)
- Whole wheat bread
Make sure you meet the daily requirements of folic acid during pregnancy. If you’re more deficient try poping a pill, so that you can meet your requirements.
These folic acids nourish your junior to step out genius…
