What to eat to supplement folic acid when planning pregnancy

We know that with the popularization of the concept of eugenics, many people will take it as early as possible when planning to get pregnant. Moreover, for some expectant mothers who have become pregnant without taking folic acid supplements before, if they have a prenatal check-up, the doctor will prescribe medicine to further supplement folic acid. Folic acid needs to be supplemented scientifically to be most reasonable and effective. What should I eat to supplement folic acid after pregnancy?

Why take folic acid supplements?

Folic acid is a B vitamin widely found in green vegetables, also known as B9. Because it was first extracted from plant leaves, it was named "folic acid". Our body needs it to produce red blood cells, norepinephrine and seratonin (a chemical component of the nervous system). Folic acid helps synthesize DNA (the body's genetic material), maintains normal brain function, and is an important component of cerebrospinal fluid.

It is an indispensable substance for the rapid growth and development of the fetus, and is involved in the synthesis of many important substances and proteins in the body. However, the human body cannot synthesize folic acid, nor can it be stored in large quantities in the body. It must be obtained from the outside every day to meet the needs of body functions. Folic acid deficiency is one of the important causes of miscarriage, stillbirth and fetal death in pregnant women, and is also one of the main causes of lifelong disability in children.

According to data from the China Birth Defects Monitoring Network in 2011, approximately 1 in every 800 babies born in China has a neural tube defect. If there is a lack of folic acid during the first three months of pregnancy, it can lead to neural tube defects in the fetus, thereby increasing the incidence of split-brain and anencephaly. Secondly, regular folic acid supplementation by pregnant women can prevent congenital malformations such as low birth weight, premature birth, meningocele, spina bifida, and cleft palate (cleft lip) in infants.

At the same time, for expectant mothers, folic acid can prevent anemia in pregnant women. The survey shows that the prevalence of anemia among Chinese women of childbearing age is 20.6%. Insufficient folic acid intake may also cause anemia in pregnant women.

Therefore, when planning pregnancy, women should take folic acid regularly. Once conceived, this can fully meet the fetus's need for B vitamins, which is important for effectively preventing fetal defects and maternal anemia. The early pregnancy is also a critical period for folic acid supplementation, so doctors generally recommend taking folic acid from 3 months before pregnancy and continuing until 3 months after pregnancy.

Taking medicine and food supplements at the same time, will I overdose on folic acid?

The vegetables and fruits we usually eat contain folic acid, but usually not much folic acid can enter the body and be absorbed in daily food. There is a large gap between the daily requirement and the toxic amount of folic acid. Therefore, in addition to daily diet, it is safe to take an additional folic acid of less than 1000 micrograms. Of course, if you are worried, you can take folic acid supplements under the guidance of a professional doctor.

If you are planning to get pregnant, you can first supplement folic acid through your diet

If you are planning to have a baby, we recommend that you start taking folic acid supplements from the time you try to conceive, and try to increase the intake of folic acid-rich foods through dietary adjustments to supplement your folic acid needs.

List of foods rich in folic acid

Kind tips:

There are many foods that contain folic acid, but because folic acid becomes unstable when exposed to light and heat and easily loses its activity, the human body can only obtain very little folic acid from food. For example, vegetables lose 50% to 70% of their folic acid after being stored for 2 to 3 days; cooking methods such as making soup can cause a 50% to 95% loss of folic acid in food;

In summary. Once a pregnant woman is pregnant, she needs to seriously supplement folic acid. Moreover, vegetables soaked in salt water often lose a lot of folic acid in vegetable ramen. Therefore, if people want to supplement folic acid scientifically, they need to eat clean vegetables and increase the intake of foods rich in folic acid. But you can't eat spicy food casually.