Pregnancy Diary

Folate is a B vitamin found in a variety of foods and added to many vitamin and mineral supplements as folic acid, a synthetic form of folate. It is needed both before and in the first weeks of pregnancy and can help reduce the risk of certain serious and common birth defects called neural tube defects, which affect the brain and spinal cord.

The tricky part is that neural tube defects can occur in an embryo before a woman realizes she’s pregnant. That’s why it’s important for all women of childbearing age (15 to 45) to include folate in their diets. Adequate folate should be eaten daily and throughout the childbearing years, Folate’s potential to reduce the risk of neural tube defects.
This will give women one way to get sufficient folate: by eating fortified breads and other grain products, such as enriched pasta, rice, waffles and cereal bars. Other ways to do this are:
• Eat fruits, dark-green leafy vegetables, dried beans and peas, and other foods that are natural sources of folate.
• Eat folic acid-fortified enriched cereal grain products and breakfast cereals.
• Take a vitamin supplement containing folic acid.

Nutrition information on food and dietary supplement labels can help women determine whether they are getting enough folate, which is 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) a day before pregnancy and 800 micrograms a day during pregnancy.