Slice of Life- Folate and Pregnancy

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We often associate citrus fruits with vitamin C. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that aids in the growth and repair of body tissue. Vitamin C helps heal wounds and repair and maintain healthy bones, teeth, skin, and cartilage.

Let’s talk about folate!

Folate is also known as folic acid and is vital during pregnancy. Folate helps to reduce the risk of spine and brain deformities (known as neural tube defects).

Citrus fruits also provide a rich source of folate. Pregnant women need 600 mcg of folate each day, and breastfeeding women need 500 mcg per day. An average orange contains about 30 mcg of folate and an 8-ounce serving of 100% orange juice provides 15% of the recommended Daily Value for folate, due to fortification.

Some other foods rich in folate include beans, avocados, and spinach and fortified foods such as grains.

If you are considering getting pregnant, our dietitians at Banister can talk to you about a folate-rich diet during preconception for the optimal spine and brain development.

KD

Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. 1998:150- 188.

Healthy Eating Decreases Risk of Depression

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A healthy diet may reduce the risk of severe depression, according to a prospective follow-up study of more than 2,000 men conducted at the University of Eastern Finland. Depressed individuals often have a poor quality of diet and decreased intake of nutrients.
 
“The study reinforces the hypothesis that a healthy diet has potential not only in the warding off of depression, but also in its prevention,” says Ms Anu Ruusunen which presented this in her doctoral thesis in nutritional epidemiology.
 
A healthy diet characterized by vegetables, fruits, berries, whole-grains, poultry, fish and low-fat cheese was associated with a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms and a lower risk of depression during the follow-up period. Folate was also associated with a decreased risk of depression foods such as vegetables, fruits, berries, whole-grains, meat and liver are the most important dietary sources of folate.
 
Compared to an unhealthy diet characterized by consuming high amounts of sausages, processed meats, sugar-containing desserts and snacks, sugary drinks, manufactured foods, french rolls and baked or processed potatoes was associated with an increased prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms.
 
Depression is one of the leading health challenges in the world and its effects on public health and quality of life are vast. If you are dealing with depression, make your first choice today by living a healthy and nutritious lifestyle.
SSG

 

Source: Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, European Journal of Nutrition, Public Health Nutritionand Diabetic Medicine.