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Are you looking for super strength?
Folate is your best friend.
| Fortify Yourself With Folate |
Oxygen
#65, pg. 70 |
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By Beverly Burmeier
 Nutrition gurus warn us not to skip breakfast because our bodies need fuel in the morning. But there is another equally important reason to spoon down a bowl of cereal and drink a daily glass of orange juice. Fortified cereals and citrus fruits are high in folate, a B vitamin that is crucial for making new, healthy cells, says Janice Hermann, Oklahoma State University cooperative extension service, nutrition education specialist.
Nutrition gurus warn us not to skip breakfast because our bodies need fuel in the morning. But there is another equally important reason to spoon down a bowl of cereal and drink a daily glass of orange juice. Fortified cereals and citrus fruits are high in folate, a B vitamin that is crucial for making new, healthy cells, says Janice Hermann, Oklahoma State University cooperative extension service, nutrition education specialist.
Although not as well known as vitamins C, D or E, folate is critical to maintaining good health. “It’s a nutrient that the body doesn’t make but every individual needs daily,” adds Dr. Gail Frank, professor of nutrition at California State University at Long Beach and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
Folate occurs naturally in leafy green vegetables, broccoli, beans, peanuts, corn, oranges, whole grains and wheat germ. The recommended dietary allowance for adults is 400 micrograms daily, the amount in most multivitamins. NIH recommends an increase to 500 micrograms for breastfeeding mothers and 600 micrograms during pregnancy.
It’s easy to add folate to your life. Eat your greens and beans – as well as cereal and orange juice for breakfast.
“Dietary folate is important for all aspects of life,” says Robert J. Pawloskey, a senior research chemist with NIH who has developed methods for folate analysis in foods and tissue specimens, and analyzes the amount of folate in food and its bioavailability, or absorption rate. Since breakfast is one meal where it’s easy to consume folate-rich foods, either naturally (grains and citrus fruits) or fortified (cereal or bread), the first meal of the day is a must-do for women.
Also include these GOOD dietary sources of Folate in your menu:
• Artichokes
• Raspberries
• Tomato juice
• Romaine lettuce
• Rice
• Eggs
• Corn
• Papaya
• Avocados
• Brussels sprouts
• Cantaloupe
• Cauliflower
• Whole wheat bread
• Okra
• Oranges
• Peanuts |
To read the full article, pick
up a copy of Oxygen
#65
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