Every woman who is concerned about the health of her unborn child must follow certain guidelines to help ensure the most positive outcome for herself and her baby. One of the key guidelines to follow is eating a balanced diet that is nutritiously sound. Good nutrition is important not only to pregnant women, but to all women in general and especially during your child-bearing years in regards to giving birth to a healthy infant.
Significance
Folic acid is a B vitamin that is available in the foods you eat as folate; folic acid is the term for the synthetically produced form of this vitamin. The March of Dimes explains that folic acid helps to prevent neural tube defects in your developing baby. The neural tube is that portion in the early development of the baby that will form the brain and spinal cord. The two most commonly occurring neural tube defects are spina bifida and anencephaly, reports MedlinePlus.
In the United States, nearly 3,000 pregnancies are affected by neural tube defects, states the March of Dimes; almost 70 percent of neural tube defects could be avoided if women had an adequate intake of folic acid before becoming pregnant and during the first 28 days of pregnancy.
Benefits
Ensuring that your daily diet is rich in folic acid during your child-bearing years can reduce your anxiety about the health of your developing baby should you become pregnant. The March of Dimes explains that half of all pregnancies are unplanned, meaning you may become pregnant even when you are not trying to conceive. Since many women do not know they are pregnant during those crucial first weeks of pregnancy and the development of the neural tube in the unborn child, the importance of a diet rich in folic acid is paramount.
Prevention/Solution
The American Pregnancy Association recommends taking 400 mcg of folic acid daily for one month prior to conception and continue during the first trimester of pregnancy. If you learn you are pregnant and have not been taking folic acid supplements, the American Pregnancy Association recommends beginning folic acid supplements now and continuing their use throughout the remainder of the first three months of pregnancy.
Sources
The best single food source that supplies the total daily value of 400 mcg of folic acid is three-fourths cup of cereals that have been fortified with folic acid, explains the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Other food sources include green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, beef liver, whole-wheat products, beans and melons, as outlined by the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements and the Ohio State University.
Recommendations
The recommended daily intake of folate/folic acid have been developed by the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements and are as follows for women age 14 years and older: 400 mcg daily for non-pregnant, non-lactating women; 600 mcg daily during pregnancy; and 500 mcg daily while lactating/nursing.
Warning
Both the March of Dimes and the American Pregnancy Association recommend that the folic acid supplement you choose be a folic-acid only supplement. Both agencies warn not to take a multivitamin supplement without consulting your health care practitioner.
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