What Indian foods should we eat for folic acid during pregnancy?

Parentree-editors 2008-08-30 12:40:36

A number of Indian foods have naturally occurring folic acid but the percentage is very small.

Indian women who are pregnant or planning to have a baby must have atleast 400mg of folic acid every day. It is impossible to get so much folic acid every day from Indian foods. Therefore, to get the right quantity of folic acid, Indian women should eat folic acid tablets (as prescribed by the doctor) and not rely only on dietary sources.

Folic acid supplementation is extremely critical for pregnant women as research has shown that Neural Tube Defects (Spina bifida, anencephaly etc.,) can be decreased by supplemental folic acid.Some foods that have moderately high folic acid are

Spinach, Palak, Pasalai keerai, Palang sag
Eggs
Liver (Goat and Sheep)

References

1. All the data used for this article was obtained from "Nutritive Value Indian Foods", a publication of the National Instititue of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad.
Authors: C. Gopalan, B.V. Rama Sastri, S.C. Balasubramanian, B.S. Narasinga Rao, T.G. Deosthale, K.C. Pant
We strongly recommend that a copy of this book be bought by everyone who is interested in understanding the nutritive value of the foods they eat. The information is provided clearly and concisely and the price of the 2007 edition is only Rs. 40/-. It can be obtained at all leading booksellers.