What is Folate?

Folate is among the 13 essential vitamins that perform various functions, especially in the growth and development of cells. It is also known as vitamin B9. When present in natural foods, it is called folate, while it is called folic acid when it is present in fortified foods or supplements.

Folate is an essential water-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in fetal development and growth and also ensures that the risk of infant mortality and defect is reduced to the barest minimum. Folate is a vitamin that can easily be found in both plant and animal-based foods. Thus, it is quite rare to be deficient in folate.

However, if you do not consume food sources of folate over a long time, you suffer from folate deficiency. This is why adding folate-rich food sources to your diet or consuming healthy folic acid supplements is important. However, getting folate from food sources is natural and better. Studies have shown that the recommended and required daily intake of folate for every adult of 400 mcg, anything less than this over a long time could lead to a deficiency.

Health Benefits of Folate

Due to the benefits of folate to fetal growth, most people think that folate is an essential vitamin for only pregnant women to boost the development of their fetuses, hence the reason they call it “The Pregnancy Vitamin.” However, this is not the case, as folate adds other benefits to the body apart from enhancing fetal growth and development. Some of these other benefits include;

• Boosting of energy
• Preventing some old age relates to vision problems like macular degeneration
• Improved strength
• Prevention and maintenance of  some kinds of cancers like esophageal cancer
• Better concentration
• Enhanced muscle
• Regulation of blood pressure

Folate deficiency could lead to the reverse of these benefits. It could expose you to severe health conditions like cancers, heart problems, muscle weakness, depression, and memory loss in adults and young children. On the other hand, it can lead to brain and spinal cord birth defects in fetuses.

This article is packed with healthy food sources of folate that have been discovered to contain enough folate to meet your required daily intake value of folate. One amazing thing about folate food sources is that they do not just add numerous benefits to the health. They are also delicious. Some of these food sources are some tasty fruits and green leafy vegetables.

Healthy Food Sources of Folate

Asparagus

According to research, asparagus is the only food source that has the highest amount of folate in it. This is because just 4 spears of asparagus contain a whopping 89% of the required daily intake of folate in adults. It has a higher amount of folate than beef liver, which has the highest folate content of other animal-based food. It is one of the first foods you should run to if you are folate deficient.

Apart from folate, asparagus contains other vitamins like vitamin K and C. It also has a wealth of other properties like antioxidants and anti-inflammatory, which are essential in the development and proper functioning of the brain. Adding asparagus to your diet is quite simple. You can slice the asparagus spears up and add them to your salads.

Beef Liver

Beef liver contains high amounts of folate content. It is packed with 215 mcg of folate, which is over half of the daily intake value of folate in adults. It is also packed with other animal-based nutrients and is healthy for different organs in the body. Beef liver is delicious as it can be added to salads, sauces, stews, soups, and other foods like rice.

You can also boil beef liver with onions, turmeric, and other healthy spices for more bursts of nutrients and deliciousness. Beef liver, just like other organ meats, is packed with numerous nutrients content that can improve the function of the human organs.

Legumes

There are different legumes, all of which are healthy sources of folate. Although their folate content varies. However, they supply the body with significant amounts of folate. Beans, lentils, and peas are types of legumes, and all of them have been proven to contain a considerably high amount of folate. One cup of beans can provide you with over 30% of your required daily intake value of folate, while the same measure of lentils can provide up to 90% of your required daily intake value of folate.

Besides supplying your folate needs, legumes are also rich sources of other essential nutrients like magnesium, iron, and potassium. In addition, they have a wealth of antioxidants.

Broccoli and Other Cruciferous Vegetables

According to research, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables have high folate contents, as just half a cup of broccoli provides the body with 50 mcg of folate, which is about 13% of your required daily intake value of folate. Coupled with folate, broccoli and some other cruciferous vegetables also contain other nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.

Boiling your broccoli before consuming is good, but steaming it is better if you do not want to lose the folate content to the water you used to boil it (since folate is water soluble.) However, if you wish to boil it, ensure that you add the broth into your soups, stews, and sauces to avoid losing out on the folate content in the broccoli broth.

Spinach and Other Dark Green Leafy Vegetables

Spinach and some other dark green leafy vegetables contain numerous essential nutrients, both micro and macronutrients. One of these nutrients is folate. Studies reveal that dark green leafy vegetables are great sources of folate and can be consumed by everybody, especially expectant mothers.

You can enjoy these vegetables in stews, soups, and sauces. Experts have suggested that while you add spinach to your foods, you should also add a few turnip greens and beetroot greens to the spinach sauce, soup, or stew to boost the folate content in the food. What is more? These dark green leafy vegetables contain potassium, magnesium, and other vitamin Bs.

Eggs

Eggs are mostly known for their protein content. However, it is not surprising to know that eggs are part of the most nutritious foods in the world. This is because they are stuffed with almost all the essential nutrients and contain over half of the 13 vitamins. Although one boiled egg provides about 6.5% of the required daily intake value of folate, eating 2 per day with other folate-rich food sources will help boost your folate levels.

Studies reveal that pregnant women who eat boiled eggs daily will give birth babies without any developmental issues. This is because, just like other folate-rich food sources, eggs enhance the growth and development of the fetus and eliminate every chance of birth defect. Eggs are easy to be in incorporate into your diet. You can eat boiled eggs alone. You can also slice the eggs up and add them to your vegetable salads.

Citrus Fruits

One beautiful thing about this folate food source is that it is not just nutrient dense. It is also delicious and tasty, and it adds flavor to edibles. Citrus fruits like grapefruits, oranges, lime, and lemon contain considerably high folate. Although their folate contents vary, each of them provides not less than 15% of the required daily intake value of folate.

Citrus fruits are also rich sources of other vitamins like vitamin C, which acts as an antioxidant that prevents diseases and boosts the function of the immune system. Recent studies showed that consuming citrus fruits daily can beat your chances of suffering from breast, pancreatic, and stomach cancer. You can make juices out of these fruits. You can also add them to your fruit salads, yogurt, or smoothies to enjoy them.

Conclusion

Vitamin B9, also known as folate, is an essential vitamin that can boost health generally. It boosts energy and strength concentration and prevents the occurrence of different health conditions like cancer and heart diseases. Consuming foods rich in folate can help beat down your chances of suffering from these health conditions.