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Folic Acid: Foods
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Fortified foods such as breads and cereals are good dietary sources of folic acid. Other good sources are dark green leafy vegetables (such as asparagus and broccoli), brewer’s (nutritional) yeast, and liver. Orange juice, beets, dates and avocado are ... good sources. Poor sources of folic acid are chicken, milk, most fruits and meats.
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Since the folic acid fortification program took effect, fortified foods have become a major source of folic acid in the American diet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia used data from 23 birth defect registries that cover about half of United States births and extrapolated their findings to the rest of the country. This data indicates that since the addition of folic acid in grain-based foods as mandated by the Food and Drug Administration, the rate of neural tube defects dropped by 25% in the United States.[29]
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Folic acid is considered a brain food and is needed for energy production and the formation of red blood cells. It strengthens immunity by aiding in the proper formation and functioning of white blood cells.
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The easiest way to get the required daily amount of folic acid is to take a daily multivitamin containing a minimum of 0.4 mg of folic acid. Taking a vitamin does not reduce or replace the need for eating a healthy, well-balanced diet according to Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating. You should eat food high in folic acid, such as broccoli, spinach and orange juice, as well as foods fortified with folic acid, such as white flour, enriched pasta and enriched cornmeal.
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The government has set an upper limit for folic acid from pills or fortified foods at 1,000 micrograms a day, since higher levels can worsen the neurological damage of a vitamin B12 deficiency. This is especially a problem in older people. Such high levels can ... "mask" a B12 deficiency and thus delay its diagnosis and treatment.
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Despite this benefit, the decision to add folic acid to food is difficult because it's so tricky to estimate what people eat. Most of the folic acid studies have been done with vitamin pills, not plates of food. It's hard for scientists to translate the results of those controlled studies into recommendations for the ever changing eating habits of Americans.
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