What is Folate (Folic Acid)?
by Anai Rhoads Folic acid, or folate, is a B vitamin. Folate helps your baby’s spinal cord and brain develop. A lack of folate in your baby’s first three to six weeks may cause spinal cord defects. It is very important that you begin adding folate to your diet three months before you decide to conceive so that you have the proper amount of folate in your system to protect your baby. Folate can be found naturally in many foods, like oranges (and orange juice), beans and spinach. Folate supplement is found in multivitamins and fortified cereals and pastas. It is recommended that women who plan to become pregnant get plenty of natural folate from their diets and get at least 400 micrograms per day of folate from a prenatal vitamin. Pregnant women should get at least 600 micrograms per day of folate. It is highly recommended that women DO NOT exceed 1,000 micrograms a day.
