"Every letter is needed, letters are all important!" - an excellent statement about the effect of vitamins on human health and life. Among the many "helpers" of our body for a special contribution to the birth of a new healthy life and not just coronation, vitamin B9 (Vs, M) or folic acid deserves. It is to her that we are obliged by the normal metabolism, the formation of blood cells, the formation of immunity and the uninterrupted operation of the gastrointestinal tract.
And such symptoms as irritability, fatigue, loss of appetite, and soon the accompanying vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, skin discoloration, the appearance of small ulcers in the mouth, indicate a lack of vitamin in the body and the urgent need to replenish it. The consequence of a lack of folic acid is anemia.
Super-vitamin-folic acid
The role of this vitamin in human embryonic development can not be overemphasized. Admission of folic acid during pregnancy is the key to successful formation of the placenta and fetus without the pathology of the development of the neural tube (spinal cracks), hydrocephalus, anencephaly (absence of the brain and spinal cord), cerebral hernias. Deficiency of vitamin B9 in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy makes it difficult to divide the cells of the embryo, inhibits the growth and development of its tissues and organs, processes of hematopoiesis, and increases the risk of mental retardation of the baby. That is why the daily norm of folic acid in pregnancy should be from 400 mcg.
The internal reserve of vitamin B9, necessary for the maintenance and functioning of the body, synthesizes the normal intestinal microflora. But only its own "folic" forces, especially during pregnancy and lactation, the body is not enough. In addition, folic acid does not have the ability to accumulate in the body, it requires daily and regular replenishment of its reserves from the outside.
Sources of folic acid
On this basis, it is very important to know where folic acid is contained. Since the name of the vitamin resembles the Latin "folium" - a leaf, then, in the first place, it is mainly dark green foliage:
- spinach;
- parsley;
- green onions;
- salad.
Folic acid is present in the following vegetables:
- cabbage and broccoli;
- carrot;
- beet;
- tomatoes;
- potatoes.
Also there is in such fruits:
- most of all in citrus fruits (for the same reason, juices and fresh from them are useful);
- avocado;
- peaches;
- watermelons.
But the leaders among natural products containing folic acid are walnuts and legumes:
- green pea;
- lentils;
- beans.
Also excellent sources of vitamin B9:
- asparagus;
- mushrooms;
- soybean;
- wheat germ;
- products from wholemeal flour;
- rice, oats, millet and buckwheat groats;
- yeast;
- tomato juice;
- sunflower seeds.
To products of animal origin with folic acid are:
- beef liver;
- Cod liver;
- kidney;
- caviar;
- horse mackerel;
- egg yolk;
- cheese;
- cottage cheese;
- kefir;
- cream.
When consuming foods rich in this vitamin B group, it is necessary to take into account the fact that during heat treatment it collapses and loses up to 90% of the amount in raw form: a boiled egg loses 50% of folic acid, and fried meat products - up to 95%. In this regard, to preserve vitamins, at least vegetables should try to eat in raw form.
But even the constant consumption of natural plant and animal products with vitamin folic acid, given the above, may not be enough, especially in the cold season. In this situation, you just need to take the vitamin in the form of medications: in individual tablets or in the vitamin complexes. For example, in the recommended multivitamin during pregnancy, a sufficient preventive dose of folic acid is contained: "Elevit" - 1000 μg, "Vitrum Prenatal" - 800 μg, "Multi-table perinatal" - 400 μg, "Pregnavit" - 750 μg.