It is standard medical advice that women trying to conceive should start taking a prenatal vitamin. This is to help reduce the risk of neural tube defects by having sufficient amounts of folic acid. It is so serious that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that all women between 15 – 45 years of age consume 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. This is because 1/2 of all US pregnancies are unplanned. The most crucial time frame for folic acid is 3-4 weeks after conception. Most women do not realize at this point in pregnancy that they are pregnant, which is why it is recommended for all women to take.

Folic acid is a B vitamin that every cell in your body needs for normal growth and development. Folic acid is called folate when it is found in food vs a supplement. (Just to make things confusing.) Here is a list of foods that have folate.

• Beans, like lentils, pinto beans and black beans
• Leafy green vegetables, like spinach and Romaine lettuce
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Peanuts
• Citrus fruits, like oranges and grapefruit
• Orange juice (Check the labels)

Some foods are fortified with folic acid as well.

• Cereal (usually 50-100%)
• Pasta
• Bread

If you are 150% sure that you are consuming 400 micrograms of folate daily, then you probably don’t need to take an additional supplement. Check with your doctor anyways. But, when it comes to potential neural tube defects in babies, I think the $5-10 a month is well worth reducing the risks!

You don’t have to take a prenatal vitamin to get folic acid. You can take any vitamin that has 400 micrograms of folic acid. I really dislike pills, so I take gummy vitamins. If you already have kids please make sure you keep it out of their reach. Overdoses of vitamins can be very toxic, and it looks like candy to kids.

Are you taking vitamins that include folic acid? If so, what is your favorite?