News and Alerts
Posted: January 9, 2008
National Folic Acid Awareness Week
January 7 - 13, 2008
You Don't Know What You're Missing!
The National Council on Folic Acid (NCFA) is celebrating National Folic Acid Awareness Week, January 7 - 13, 2008. The focus is on the importance of folic acid in the diet of women who may become pregnant.
Folic acid is a B vitamin that has been shown to help prevent major birth defects of the baby's brain and spine if the mother has enough folic acid in her body before she becomes pregnant. Learning about folic acid is especially important due to the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets. Women who do not eat enough fortified grains, such as breakfast cereals, pasta, and bread products, may not be getting enough folic acid.
To best prevent birth defects, folic acid must be taken 3 months prior to and during pregnancy. Taking 400 micrograms of folic acid before and during very early pregnancy can help prevent birth defects by up to 70 percent! Since over 50 percent of pregnancies are unplanned, all women of childbearing age should take folic acid to be safe.
You can get 400 micrograms of folic acid by:
- Eating a daily serving of any one of the 50 cereals 100% fortified with folic acid (look on the label to see if it is fortified with folic acid)
- Eating a healthy diet including folic acid rich foods such as:
- Orange Juice
- Green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, mustard greens, etc.)
- Dried beans (kidney beans, black beans, black eyed peas, etc.)
- Broccoli or Brussels sprouts
- Taking a basic multivitamin/mineral daily
So take your folic acid today and spread the word!
Online Resources
Getting Familiar with Folate
Folic acid that is found naturally in foods is called "folate." Play this interactive game to learn more about these foods. Requires Flash plug-in.
Source: March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.
Barriers to Folic Acid
Many common substances interfere with the absorption of folic acid. Play this interactive game to learn more about these barriers. Requires Flash plug-in.
Source: March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.
Folic Acid: Every Body Needs It (pdf)
This flyer explains the importance of folic acid in your daily diet, and lists foods that are a good source of folic acid.
Source: March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.
About Folic Acid
As part of its work to promote folic acid, the March of Dimes offers a number of valuable online resources that healthcare providers can use with their patients.
Source: March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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