Top 6 Foods That are High in Folic Acid

Folate is a type of vitamin B9, a water-soluble vitamin, and is widely present in various foods. A folic acid is a synthetic form of folate that plays a significant role in the synthesis and maintenance of new cells. It is widely present in food, specifically in greens, vegetables, fruits, and animal liver.

In healthy adults, daily consumption of 400 mcg folate per day is recommended to stay healthy and to avoid folate deficiency (1).

As a medication, folic acid is advised for women who are planning to conceive or who are pregnant. Folic acid helps in the production of healthy cells, fetal growth, and reduces the risk of congenital disabilities.

Why is Folic Acid Important in Your Diet?

Folic acid helps your body to produce healthy cells. For instance, folate helps in the production of new red blood cells (RBCs) that carry oxygen throughout your body. Insufficient production of RBCs may result in anemia, weakness, and fatigue. 

Folic acid also helps in the synthesis and repair of DNA and genetic material, and it plays an essential role in cell division.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends women of her reproductive age to consume 400mcg of folic acid every day. Studies show that Folate deficiency may lead to neural tube irregularities in newborn children (2).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suggested to include folic acid in daily food consumption like bread, pasta, rice, and other grains in the US. This has reduced the percentage of babies born with neural tube irregularities in the US (3).

Top 6 Foods That are High in Folic Acid or Folate

1. Broccoli

Broccoli is high in folic acid; it helps in good digestion, avoids constipation, and maintains blood sugar levels. One cup of broccoli has 104mg of folate.

Broccoli is known for its various health-promoting factors; intake of broccoli in your diet can provide you with a variety of essential vitamins such as vitamin-C, E, K, A, Iron, calcium, and fiber. 

Folic acid in broccoli prevents cell damage that may cause cancer.  It similarly includes a wide range of valuable properties such as antioxidants, and the presence of sulforaphane content in broccoli helps reduce blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetes. 

The preservation of folate in several foods very much depends on the method of cooking, and sometimes the quantity of folate decreases when boiled. Broccoli can be consumed both raw and cooked, and recent studies suggest that steam cooking is the best way to retain the nutrients (4).

Summary: Broccoli is an excellent source of folate, and it helps to prevent cell damage. 

2. Legumes

Legumes play a vital role in our diet in regions worldwide and are rich food sources of folate. According to the USDA, nutrient database legumes contain very high quantities of folate. Mung Beans, lentil, and chickpea are a great source of folic acid.

In cooked legumes, the folate content is 133 to 203 µg/ 100 g for peas, 53 to 81µg/100g for beans, and from 39 to 22 µg/ 100 g for small and large lentils, respectively (5). The quantity of the folate in raw legumes is listed in Table1.

Legumes are full of folate and nutrients, and with low calories, it makes you feel full. Also, the digestion of legumes takes time, providing steady energy to your body. Legumes help to lower your blood sugar, heart rate, blood pressure, and other heart diseases.

Legumes have folate and antioxidants that help to prevent cell damage and to generate new cells to fight against diseases and aging. Legumes are also rich in protein, fiber, vitamin B, Iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc. Legumes are low in fat. Legumes have the same nutrients as meat, with low levels of Iron and no saturated fats.

Table 1: Folate content in legumes

Summary: Legumes are a great source of folic acid, and consuming legumes will help you fight against the disease, build new immune cells, and prevent cell damage and cell aging.

3. Citrus Fruits

Citrus is known as a good source of vitamin C. Citrus fruits also contain other essential nutrients like folic acid, potassium, calcium, vitamin B, magnesium, riboflavin, and a variety of phytochemicals.

A 225 ml glass of orange juice provides 75 mcg of folic acid. Regular intake of citrus foods can help supply sufficient folate and decrease the risk of birth defects in newborns (6).

The consumption of a folate diet and nutrient-dense foods help to prevent the problems associated with cognitive function in the elderly. 

Regular consumption of folate-rich foods, such as oranges juice and orange fruits, tends to increase plasma folate levels and decreases homocysteine levels (7).  Less dietary folate consumption leads to reduced plasma folate and increased plasma homocysteine levels leading to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.  So it is necessary to have an adequate amount of folic acid in your diet.

Table 2: Folate content in Citrus fruits

Summary: Consumption of citric fruit juices prevents newborn defects in pregnant women, prevents damage of cognitive functions in elders, and generally, it reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

4. Leafy Greens

Green leafy vegetables are very rich in folates, nutrients, dietary fiber, vitamins, magnesium, and low lipids.

Dark leafy veggies like spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, and romaine lettuce have a maximum folate amount.

Asparagus and spinach have the highest amounts of folic acid and is also rich in various vitamins like vitamins K, C, A, and manganese.

Green leaves have high folate, Mg, and fiber content that helps to lose glucose levels in type 2 diabetes. Green leaves have folic acid,  polyphenols, and antioxidants and help in antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory properties (8). 

The excellent nutrition profile of green leaves is advantageous in reducing the probability of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Table 3: Folate content in Green Leafy Vegetables

Summary: Green leafy veggies have a great nutrition profile and lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

5. Eggs

Eggs are the best source of High-quality protein, folate, vitamin D, B6, B12, Iron, carbohydrates, zinc, and carotenoids. Eggs are low cost and low-fat dietary sources.

Each egg has 22 mcg of folate in it. In recent times eggs are fortified to enhance the folate content; fortified eggs are of the same nutrition as the regular eggs with added benefits. One fortified egg contains 53 mcg of folate, which is equivalent to 13% of the recommended daily intake (9).
 
Eggs are rich in folate, and choline content helps in brain development and memory enhancement. The egg has many diseases fighting nutrients and vitamins like Zeaxanthin and Lutein. These carotenoids have antioxidant effects that reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration, which leads to blindness in adults (10).

Summary: Eggs are a great source of proteins, vitamins, and minerals and are nutrient-rich low-cost food. Fortified eggs contain 53 mcg of folate that helps in brain development and memory enhancement, reduces age-related macular degeneration, and enhances new cells’ growth. 

6. Tropical Fruits

The acceptance of tropical fruits has been continuously growing during the last few years. Nutritional and health-related values of these fruits are gaining more and more importance. Tropical fruits such as papaya, banana, jackfruit, mango, and avocado are rich in folate and other nutrients. 

Here are a few fruits which are very rich in folate content:

Papaya

Papaya is a nutrient-rich tropical fruit grown in American tropics; however, nowadays, papayas are grown worldwide. Total folate content in papaya is around 61.6 µg/ 100 g. According to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) database, papaya has folate content of 37.0 µg/ 100 g (11).

Around 140 grams of raw papaya pulp has 53mcg of folate (12). Papaya is also high in Vitamin C, Potassium, and antioxidants like Carotenoids.

Papaya is a delicious fruit; it also has many beneficial properties such as antioxidant, anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory, and reduces cardiac-related health problems.

Studies suggest avoiding unripe papaya during pregnancy as its consumption may lead to early contractions in pregnancy (13).

Banana

Bananas are rich in nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. Bananas are rich in folate and can help you to meet daily needs. A medium-sized banana has 23.6mcg of folate. Banana is rich in Potassium, Vitamin B6 and Manganese too (14). 

Bananas have nutrients that help to moderate the blood sugar levels, improve your digestion, help in weight loss, and also contain antioxidants.

Summary: Tropical fruits are a great source of folate, and it also helps to moderate the blood sugar levels and helps in weight loss too.

Final words

Folate and folic acid are the essential micronutrients present throughout your diet. Eating various healthy fruits, vegetables, fortified foods, and seeds is the best way to increase your folate intake. 

These foods are a power pack of nutrients and vitamins too. Having folate in your food is very beneficial for you to stay fit and healthy.