Folic acid, also known as folate or vitamin B9, is an important nutrient for growth and development. Pregnant and nursing women are advised to take 500-600mcg of folate a day to help prevent neural tube defects in the developing fetus and to promote the health of breastfeeding children. Children should consume 100-300mcg of folic acid per day, depending on age. Women who are not pregnant or nursing, as well as adult men, should take 300-400mcg of this important micronutrient daily.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables provide a healthy natural source of folate, the natural form of folic acid. Spinach and other green leafy vegetables are good sources of folate. Other vegetable sources of folate include broccoli, asparagus and okra.
Fruits with the highest levels of folic acid are citrus fruits. Some fruit juices also have high levels of folate, including orange, grapefruit and tomato juice. Orange juice has the highest levels of the juices, with 60-100mg per cup.
Enriched Grain Products
Many grain products are fortified with folic acid. These include many breakfast cereals, breads, rice, pasta, barley and wheat germ. Fortified breakfast cereals have some of the highest levels of folic acid of any food. Many are fortified with up to 400mg, the recommended daily allowance for this nutrient.
Legumes, Nuts and Seeds
Legumes include beans, lentils, peas, soybean products and peanuts. All of these are great sources of folate, with between 90 and150mg per half cup.
Eating plenty of nuts and seeds is another way to add folic acid to the diet. Sunflower seeds, which weigh in at 150mg per half cup, are an especially good source.
Proteins
Eggs contain some folate, about 25mcg per egg, but are not considered to be high in folic acid. Other types of foods have much more folate---you would need to eat multiple servings of eggs to get the recommended daily amount of folic acid. Liver, on the other hand, is an excellent folic acid source, with 185mcg in a 3-ounce serving. Most other proteins are low in folate.
Vitamin Supplements
For people unable to get enough folic acid in the diet, vitamin supplements are widely available for this nutrient. Most multivitamins contain the recommended daily allowance of folic acid, as do prenatal vitamins for pregnant women.
Warning
For most people, it is difficult to overdose on folic acid. The nutrient is safe in quantities up to 1,000mcg. If this amount is exceeded, you might be getting too much folic acid which can trigger a deficiency in vitamin B12. This can be prevented by monitoring folic acid intake or taking vitamin B12 supplements.
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