8 Foods in Aurora That Increase Folate In Your Body

Though most of us know to eat more vitamin C when we’re feeling lousy and to get outside for some vitamin D, it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to the B vitamin folate!

It’s important for the development of an unborn child in addition to playing a crucial role in the production of healthy red blood cells. Some of the best sources of folate which we want you to know about as an Aurora compounding pharmacy can be found in your food choices, including:

Spinach and Kale

In terms of folate content, spinach and kale are the best choices. You can get enough folate in your diet by including both of these foods.

Even if you don’t like leafy greens, mixing kale and sweeter fruits like raspberries and blueberries into a smoothie is a great way to ensure you’re getting enough folate in your diet every day.

Brussel Sprouts and Asparagus

Brussels sprouts and asparagus are extremely high in folate, so adding them as a side dish at dinner can boost your folate intake.

Cooked vegetables lose folate since it is water-soluble. Avoid boiling vegetables as much as possible to prevent this from happening. To preserve the vitamin content in your vegetables, consider steaming or microwaving them.

Broccoli and Cauliflower

In addition to their folate content, broccoli and cauliflower make great side dishes. You can add the chopped stalks of these vegetables to curries and stews to increase the folate content while bulking up the meal.

Chickpeas and Kidney Beans

It is easy and cheap to get folate in your diet by eating a chickpea or kidney bean curry. Kidney beans and chickpeas can be added to many dishes and are super versatile foods. Add chickpeas to any salad to boost your folate intake at lunch.

Oranges and Orange Juice

Vitamin C, which is necessary to keep our immune systems strong, is found in oranges. A lesser-known fact is that oranges contain dietary folate, making it even more important! Depending on your mood, you can either eat them or take fresh orange juice.

Bread, Pasta and Rice

Some bread, pasta and rice also have folic acid. These are known as ‘fortified’ products. Folate is found in these products in the form of folic acid. It is a synthetic form of folate. Folic acid is more easily absorbed in our bodies than folate.

To maintain adequate folate levels, make sure that you eat a portion of one of these enriched foods at every mealtime.

Fortified Breakfast Cereals

Getting enough folic acid in the diet is easy and cheap when consuming fortified breakfast cereals. Breakfast cereals fortified with folic acid can provide a large percentage of the recommended daily amount of folic acid.

Some fortified cereals can contain 100% of the daily recommended amount if the right amount is consumed.

Folic Acid Supplement

You can get enough folate by eating a balanced, varied diet, but it’s difficult to get enough folate from diet alone for women. To prevent this, you should take 400 micrograms of folic acid per day until you reach 12 weeks gestation. To know more about folate and its sources, talk to your doctor.

You should consider taking the test if:

• You are trying to conceive
• or you are expecting
• after gastrointestinal surgery
• If you have Crohn’s Disease or Coeliac Disease
• there is a possibility that you are (or were) an alcoholic.
• you eat a vegetarian or vegan diet
• you have anemia
• you don’t get enough vitamin B12
• You take anticonvulsant medication to treat a seizure-causing condition

If you are already taking multiple medications, you can talk to your compounding pharmacist serving an Aurora compounding pharmacy. They can lower the number of pills you take and even change the formulation. They can also remove any allergen in the medication.