Shopping for Cheap Foods that Contain Folic Acid
How to Find Inexpensive Food at the Grocery Store Rich in Folate
Oct 30, 2008
Folic acid is essential for a healthy diet...especially among pregnant women. You can find cheap sources of folic acid, if you know where to look.
Folic acid or folate is an important B vitamin that lowers the risk of certain birth defects. But this nutrient isn’t just for pregnant women. Folic acid may also lower your risk for certain cancers. Sure, you can take a multi-vitamin, but some foods also contain folic acid and other important vitamins as well.
How to Find Inexpensive Food Rich in Folate:
- Buy oranges and grapefruit in season. These citrus fruits are high in folic acid and vitamin C. They also contain fiber and are inexpensive if you buy them in bulk. Bags of six or more are usually cheaper than if you hand pick them from the produce department. But if you want to make sure they’re fresh, simply squeeze different parts of the bag. The bags are usually made of mesh, so you can still examine most of the fruit inside. Color is not as important as firmness. You don’t want to buy over-ripe oranges or grapefruit. They won’t last as long once you get home. Be sure to store them in the vegetable bin in your refrigerator so the fruit stays cooler and lasts longer.
- Look for fortified breakfast cereal. Total and Product 19 are good choices. Be sure to read the label on the box to determine how much folic acid the cereal contains. Buy cereal in bulk at a warehouse club and check for coupons on the manufacturer’s web site. Also, pay attention to sales at grocery stores. Many supermarkets put certain cereals on sale at different times of the month. If you watch carefully, you might see a pattern develop.
- Eat lots of green leafy vegetables. Broccoli and romaine lettuce are good choices. Salads are healthy, but not if they only contain iceberg lettuce and no dark green vegetables. Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh, as long as you don’t overcook them.
- Buy trail mix on sale. Every grocery store and warehouse club has their own version of trail mix. And often generic brands are cheaper and just as nutritious. Many varieties of nuts contain folate. Walnuts and almonds are especially nutritious. Even peanuts contain folic acid. Just make sure you don’t have a peanut allergy. Look for "two for one" sales on peanut butter. Check carefully to be sure the label says "0 transfats."
How Much Folic Acid do You Need in Your Diet?
The March of Dimes recommends 400 micrograms a day. And they say you can’t really ingest too much folate. But the Centers for Disease Control recommends no more than 1,000 micrograms of synthetic folic acid everyday.
The copyright of the article Shopping for Cheap Foods that Contain Folic Acid in Consumer Education is owned by L. Marie Dubuque. Permission to republish Shopping for Cheap Foods that Contain Folic Acid in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
 |
