Folic acid is the artificial form of an essential nutrient that is needed in making new cells in the body.
It is one of the B vitamins, making it water-soluble. Water soluble vitamins cannot be stored in the body and the left over amounts are secreted through sweat and urine. Since folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin, the body needs continuous supply of it on a regular basis. This vitamin, B9, aids the body in protection from certain conditions such as heart diseases, gout, gingivitis, depression, insomnia and is also very helpful for pregnant women.
One of the easiest ways to keep folic acid in the body is through the foods that an individual eats on a daily basis; these can be found on the folic acid rich foods list given below.
Folic acid or vitamin B9 is the most complex and largest vitamin currently known to man. Deficiency of vitamin B9 can lead certain conditions such as mania, depression, fatigue and anemia and insufficient amount of this vitamin for a long period of time can permanently damage the central nervous system and to the brain.
Folic acid is the form found in supplements, while folate is used in reference to the the forms found naturally in the body and foods.
Folic Acid Deficiency Symptoms
Some of the folic acid deficiency symptoms include the following:
- No appetite
- Intestinal and stomach problems such as constipation and diarrhea
- Smooth, red and painful tongue
- Fatigue and tiredness
- Anemia
- Insomnia
- Mental fatigue
- Poor memory
- Prematurely graying hair
- Cracked lips
Recommended Dietary Allowance for Folate
| AGES | FOLATE (µg/day) |
| Infants 0 to 6 month | 65 AI |
| Infants 7 to 12 months | 80 AI |
| Children 1 to 3 years | 150 |
| Children 4 to 8 years | 200 |
| Children 9 to 13 years | 300 |
| Adolescence | 400 |
| Adults 19 years and older | 400 |
| Pregnant women | 600 |
| Nursing women | 500 |
Folic Acid Rich Food List
The below is a mixture of folate and fortified folic acid rich foods list.
|
FOODS |
SERVINGS |
AMOUNT (mcg) |
| Almond nuts | ½ cup | 50 |
| Apple | 1 medium | 10 |
| Asparagus spears (boiled) | 4 medium | 85 |
| Avocado, raw | ½ cup | 45 |
| Banana | 1 medium | 20 |
| Bread, White (Fortified) | 1 Slice | 25 |
| Broccoli, cooked | 1 cup | 50 |
| Cashew nuts | ½ cup | 50 |
| Cereals (fortified 100% DV) | ¾ cup | 400 |
| Cereals (fortified 25% DV) | ¾ cup | 100 |
| Cheddar cheese | 75 grams | 25 |
| Endive lettuce | ½ cup | 50 |
| Egg Noodles (Fortified) | ½ cup | 50 |
| Grapefruit | ½ cup | 25 |
| Lentils, cooked | ½ cup | 179 |
| Onion, raw | 1 small | 25 |
| Parsnip, cooked | ½ cup | 50 |
| Pasta, cooked | 1 cup | 60 |
| Raspberries | ½ cup | 25 |
| Rice, cooked (fortified) | 1 cup | 60 |
| Salmon, cooked | 100 grams | 10 |
| Soy flour | ¼ cup | 100 |
| Spinach, raw | ½ cup | 131 |
| Sweet potato, cooked | ½ cup | 25 |
| Tofu | ½ cup | 50 |
| Tomato | 1 small | 10 |
| Turnip, cooked | ½ cup | 30 |
| Walnuts | ½ cup | 50 |
| Wheat germ | 2 tablespoons | 40 |
Folic Acid rich foods list references and Further Reading
LPI; Wikipedia: Ohio State University: NIH; University of Nebraska.