Folic Acid is one of the most important substances around for women before they conceive, because Folic Acid helps to prevent some of the problems that can arise in children very early on in the pregnancy. Specifically, Folic Acid prevents problems that occur in the first four weeks of the pregnancy. Since many of these problems are of a serious nature and can involve brain and/or spinal cord problems, it is recommended that women thinking of conceiving should start increasing the amount of Folic Acid in their diet approximately three months before the onset of pregnancy.
If you are serious about planning for your pregnancy before conception, this is absolutely a high priority change that you should make because of the potential implications that come with not getting enough Folic Acid during the early part of the pregnancy. The daily recommended dosage for women of Folic Acid is 0.4 mg per day. That might not sound like a lot, but keep in mind that a lot of the foods that have a high amount of Folic Acid are going to be foods that most people do not eat as part of their regular diet.
Any kind of vegetable that is dark green and leafy would be an example of something that would contain Folic Acid. Spinach is the best kind of food for getting Folic Acid in this category, but by the same token there are certain types of lettuce that can be helpful as well. The darker a green colour the food is, the better the Folic Acid content will be. Anything that can be considered a member of the cabbage group would also be good as an addition to your diet. Broccoli and cauliflower are both examples, as are Brussels’ sprouts.
Fruits can contain Folic Acid as well. If you are more open to adding fruits to your diet over the vegetable options discussed above, try oranges and bananas to begin with and cantaloupe as well if the opportunity is there. Milk contains Folic Acid as well as calcium, which makes it doubly effective for women before conception.
