What is folic acid, and what is it for?

Everyone who is not indifferent to their health is obliged to take care of a balanced diet. In our body, an extensive set of various substances, microelements and vitamins should arrive. To ensure normal life is necessary to ask about what contains folic acid. This is an alternative name for vitamin B6, which is very important for health and well-being. This substance is actively involved in hematopoiesis, and its deficiency can lead to various forms of anemia.

What is folic acid?

First of all, pay attention to vegetable products of green color. It can be:

• Bulgarian peppers of the same color;
• White cabbage;
• broccoli;
• peas;
• mint;
• leaf salad;
• parsley;
• Cucumbers;
• asparagus;
• Green beans.

Many other vegetables and fruits also contain folic acid. It:

• Beets, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, beans, lentils, pumpkin, soybeans;
• Apples, pineapples, oranges, apricots, pears, bananas, lemons;
• Nuts.

Where is folic acid yet? Rich in this substance are cereal: rye, wheat, oats. Buckwheat also has a high level of vitamin B6. Do not deny yourself a small amount of flour products. No proper and healthy diet should exclude from your diet bread baked from wholemeal flour.

Folic acid is found in foods of different origin: both vegetable and animal. If you do not follow the principles of vegetarian nutrition, regularly eat:

• Lamb;
• Pork;
• liver;
• tuna;
• salmon;
• Eggs (chicken and quail);
• Milk and dairy products.

The opinions of different experts about which foods (animal or vegetable) folic acid is digested better, were divided. Therefore here, as always, the balance and the golden mean are important.

It is important to note that folic acid has the property of breaking down under prolonged exposure to high temperatures. Therefore, if possible, fruits and vegetables are better to eat raw. As for milk, in the purchased product, which is usually subjected to pasteurization, there is no vitamin B6 at all. You can find it only in home milk.

The question "what is folic acid" should be asked by every woman who wants and is going to have children. During pregnancy, and before and after it, it is important to consume about 600 μg of folic acid per day. As a rule, gynecologists write out to women special tablets with the acid contained in them.

If vitamin B6 in the body of a future / nursing mother is not enough, it can lead to complications and problems. For example, there is a possibility of detachment of the placenta, a threat of miscarriage. A child may have congenital malformations. Folic acid is a participant in the process of the formation of breast milk, its number depends on it.

And future mothers, and all other people it is important to periodically give blood for analysis, so that the doctor could determine the level of this important substance in the body.

Now that you know what folic acid is, try to analyze your diet and, if necessary, adjust it.