Folic Acid - Is Everything In Green?
Misc vegetables
Folic acid belongs to vital vitamins. It is involved in growth processes as well as blood formation in the body. Our body can not make it by ourselves and must therefore absorb it through the food. Our nutrition expert Vadim Vl. In the following, Popov will provide you with natural sources of folic acid and answer important questions concerning the supply of folic acid.
Why does your body need folic acid?
Folic acid is water soluble and belongs to the group of B vitamins. The human body can not make it by itself and must therefore absorb it through the food. Strictly speaking, there is a distinction between so-called folates, which are found in nature, and industrially produced folic acid.
In our body, folic acid plays a role in growth processes and cell division. Since the blood-forming cells in the bone marrow are very common, adequate supply with this vitamin is important for the blood formation.
What foods contain folic acid?
A natural source of folic acid is mainly green leafy vegetables such as spinach or chard . Therefore the name is derived - "folium" is the Latin word for "leaf".
Other folic acid suppliers are:
- Green asparagus
- Cabbage
- Soybeans
- Tomatoes
- Peas and sugar snacks
- Bran
- Whole grain bread
- Egg yolk
- Liver
Daily requirement of folic acid
The German Society of Nutrition (DGE) recommends the following daily intake of folic acid (calculated in so-called folate equivalents):
- Adults and children 13 years and older: 300 micrograms
- Pregnant : 550 micrograms
- Breastfeeding: 450 micrograms
- Infants under 4 months: 60 micrograms
- Babies from 4 to under 12 months: 85 micrograms
- Small children under 4 years: 120 micrograms
- 4 to 7 year olds: 140 micrograms
- Under 10-year-olds: 180 micrograms
- 10- to under 13-year-olds: 240 micrograms
How can you cover your daily needs?
The daily requirement of 300 micrograms of folic acid can be covered by, for example, regular green leafy vegetables such as spinach, chard and salads, mainly field salad, tomatoes, whole grain products, eggs and liver to the diet. The colorful mixture is a good basis for your assured folic acid supply.
What should you look for when processing folic acid-containing foods?
When processing foods containing folic acid, you should pay particular attention to the fact that especially the vegetables are prepared as gently as possible. For example, by boiling briefly under low heat and low water. Because folic acid is soluble in water and is largely lost by heat during cooking.
What happens if the folic acid is deficient?
Folic acid deficiency occurs with a one-sided diet with finished products, alcohol abuse or the use of certain drugs for the therapy of cancer or epilepsy. A supply of folic acid can lead to a loss of blood and a negative effect on the mucous membranes. In the case of the unborn child, too low a folic acid intake can promote malformations.
What happens when folic acid is overdosed?
A folic acid overdose is not possible over the food alone. No hazards have so far been known which are directly attributable to a too large uptake of natural folic acid. For synthetic folic acid, a complete systematic investigation is still pending.
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