Folic acid is also known as folate and is one of the B vitamins. It's also an important nutrient that is often lacking in our diet. Folate is especially important for pregnant women to ingest to help protect their babies from birth defects. But for everyone, folic acid appears to offer protection against heart attack and certain types of cancer, as well as depression, Parkinson's disease and other forms of cognitive dysfunction, according to the Wheat Foods Council. And fortunately, folic acid can be found in a wide variety of foods.
Fortified breakfast cereals
Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals often have between 100 and 400 micrograms of folic acid per serving, so read the labels to find the cereals with the most folic acid packed into each serving.
Green leafy vegetables
Vegetables such as spinach, kale, cabbage and collard greens. According to the Ohio State University Extension Office, about one third of the folate we consume comes from fruits and vegetables.
Orange juice
While orange juice doesn't have the fiber that a whole orange offers, the juice does contain healthy amounts of folic acid, as do fresh oranges. A cup of orange juice has around 60 to 100 micrograms of folic acid. Cantaloupes and other melons are also good sources of folate.
Enriched grains and pasta
Enriched pasta has around 90 micrograms per half cup. Choose whole grains to get important nutrients such as fiber and antioxidants to help protect against free radicals.
Lentils
A cup of lentils contains 180 micrograms of folic acid, while other seeds, beans and nuts are also packed with folic acid, too. Just half a cup of dry-roasted sunflower seeds, for example, includes 158 micrograms of folic acid. Peanut butter can be a good and tasty source of folic acid, too.
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