Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Taking a Folic Acid Supplement Correctly
• Method 2 of 3: Taking Folic Acid During Pregnancy and Other Special Circumstances
• Method 3 of 3: Consuming folate (a natural analogue of folate) with food
• Tips
• Warnings

Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps the human body generate new cells and tissues. Most often, dietary supplements with folic acid are taken by pregnant women and women who are trying to get pregnant - this vitamin helps to increase blood production and has a beneficial effect on the health of the unborn child. You can also increase your folate intake through dietary changes — choose foods that have been fortified or naturally high in folate (such as leafy greens, broccoli, and citrus fruits).

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Taking a Folic Acid Supplement Correctly

1. 1 Take folic acid in a multivitamin and tablet. Folic acid is found in most multivitamins that you can buy at drug stores and supermarkets. If the supplement you are taking contains less than 400 micrograms (mcg) of folate, you do not need to double your dose and take more than one type of multivitamin. It is best to purchase a pure folate supplement from the pharmacy - these tablets usually contain 400 mcg of the active ingredient.
   • If you have a family history of a fetal neural tube defect, you need to take a very high dose of folic acid. Your doctor will likely prescribe you folic acid supplements at a dosage of about 5,000 mcg per day.
2. 2 Take folic acid at the same time every day. To maximize the benefits of the supplement for your body (and during pregnancy, also for the developing embryo), select a specific time to take folic acid. This can be early morning right after waking up, breakfast time, or lunchtime.
   • However, you do not need to take a double dose if you miss one day. For example, if you remember on Friday that you forgot to take folic acid on Thursday, you do not need to double your dose on Friday. This can potentially harm your body.
3. 3 Take the tablet with a glass of water. Folic acid can be taken with or without food, so it does not need to be taken with food. However, it is recommended that you take your folic acid or multivitamin with a glass of water to help you swallow the pill and keep your body hydrated.
4. 4 Store tablets in a cool dry place. Folic acid and multivitamins have a long shelf life. They will retain all their useful qualities at their best if kept away from humid and warm places. It is best to store these tablets in a bathroom or kitchen cabinet, where the temperature stays consistently cool throughout the day.
   • Keep multivitamins and folic acid out of the reach of children.

Method 2 of 3: Taking Folic Acid During Pregnancy and Other Special Circumstances

1. 1 Talk to your doctor about taking folic acid. If you are pregnant or trying to conceive, talk to your doctor about taking folic acid. This must be done as early as possible, preferably even before actual conception. Ideally, folic acid should be taken for a full month before conception and during the first trimester of pregnancy.
   • If the pregnancy is not planned, and you find out about it in the second or third month, consult your doctor and start taking folic acid as soon as possible.
2. 2 Tell your doctor if your family has had a fetal neural tube defect. Folic acid is extremely important for fetal development as it helps prevent neural tube defect.This pathology can lead to congenital disorders of the brain or spinal cord, such as anencephaly and spina bifida, respectively. If someone in your family has a neural tube defect, your doctor may recommend a higher dose of folic acid. This will help prevent your child from developing this defect.
   • Also tell your doctor if you suffer from kidney disease, alcoholism, or any type of anemia. If you have any of these conditions, your doctor will need to adjust your folate dose.
   • If your doctor recommends taking a higher dose of folic acid due to a health problem, follow your doctor's recommendations.
3. 3 Take at least 400 mcg of folate daily. This is the recommended daily dose for pregnant women. Some health organizations recommend that you take 600 mcg of folate per day during pregnancy. It is generally accepted that a pregnant woman can safely take up to 1000 mcg of folic acid per day, but it is still best to consult with your doctor about the correct dose for you.
   • If you are taking prenatal vitamins, chances are they already contain the correct dose of folate. Typically, these vitamins contain 800-1000 mcg of this useful substance.
4. 4 Keep taking folic acid while breastfeeding. Do not stop taking folic acid after your baby is born. By continuing to take the supplement during breastfeeding, you are providing your baby with the vitamin needed for proper growth and development. Check with your doctor to make sure you continue to take folic acid after childbirth.
   • Typically, while breastfeeding, a woman needs to take 500 mcg of folic acid every day.
5. 5 Take folic acid to prevent or treat anemia. With anemia, people suffer from low energy levels and other health problems caused by low red blood cell counts. In this case, doctors usually recommend taking folic acid - often along with other medications - for several months to increase the rate of blood cell regeneration.
   • As with any medical condition, consult your doctor before taking folic acid for treatment. The dosage prescribed by your doctor may differ from the average recommended dosage, so self-medication without consulting a doctor can be dangerous.
   • The dose recommended by your doctor will depend on your age and the severity of your condition.

Method 3 of 3: Consuming folate (a natural analogue of folate) with food

1. 1 Supplement your folate intake with folate-rich foods. If you're pregnant and taking a multivitamin or folate tablet, try to include folate-rich foods in your diet anyway.
   • If you are not pregnant (or you are a man), then you do not need to worry about this. Men and women over the age of 13 are advised to take 400 mcg of folic acid per day. In most cases, this figure can be easily achieved with the right foods.
2. 2 Eat lots of dark, leafy vegetables. Foods such as spinach, kale and mustard greens have the highest amounts of natural folate. One cup (240 grams) of spinach contains 263 mcg of naturally occurring folate. The same serving of kale or mustard greens contains about 170 mcg of folate.
3. 3 Add green vegetables such as asparagus and broccoli to your diet. While not leafy, these dark green vegetables tend to be high in folate too. Add foods like asparagus, avocado, broccoli, okra, and Brussels sprouts to your diet.
   • One cup (240 grams) of cooked okra contains 206 mcg of folate.
   • The same serving of avocado contains about 100 mcg of this beneficial substance.
4. 4 Eat citrus fruits. They are also rich in natural folic acid. Fruits like lemon, lime, and grapefruit are good options for increasing the folate in your diet (oranges are especially rich in this vitamin). One orange contains 50 mcg of folate. Grapefruit, although larger, is only 40 mcg.
5. 5 Eat foods artificially fortified with folate, including starchy foods. Breads and flours, cereals, white rice and pasta are foods that are often fortified with folic acid. Typically, this vitamin is added in the manufacture of foods that contain refined and processed grains. (Whole grains are usually not fortified with folate.)
   • When you go shopping, read the information on the product packaging carefully. If it says “fortified”, it means that the product may contain folic acid as well. The label should also indicate how much folate is in one serving.

Tips

• Women of childbearing age need to take a folic acid supplement in case they become pregnant. Otherwise, most people only need to include foods rich in natural folate in their diet to get the vitamins they need.
• Folate and folic acid are similar but not identical. Folate is the natural version of this chemical found in foods. Folic acid is a synthetic form of vitamin B9.
• If you are taking the drug methotrexate (Methotrexate Ebeve) to combat the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis, your doctor may recommend taking folic acid supplements to reduce unwanted side effects.

Warnings

• You can take too much folic acid, but you cannot take too much folate. This means you won't have any side effects from eating too much asparagus, Brussels sprouts, or citrus fruits. However, if you take more than 1000 mcg of folate per day, it can damage the nerves over time.