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Folate
What foods provide folate?
Leafy green vegetables (like spinach and turnip greens), fruits (like citrus fruits and juices), and dried beans and peas are all natural sources of folate [5].
In 1996, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published regulations requiring the addition of folic acid to enriched breads, cereals, flours, corn meals, pastas, rice, and other grain products [6-9]. Since cereals and grains are widely consumed in the U.S., these products have become a very important contributor of folic acid to the American diet. The following table suggests a variety of dietary sources of folate.
Table 1: Selected Food Sources of Folate and Folic Acid
| Food | Micrograms (μg) | % DV^ |
|---|---|---|
| *Breakfast cereals fortified with 100% of the DV, ¾ cup | 400 | 100 |
| Beef liver, cooked, braised, 3 ounces | 185 | 45 |
| Cowpeas (blackeyes), immature, cooked, boiled, ½ cup | 105 | 25 |
| *Breakfast cereals, fortified with 25% of the DV, ¾ cup | 100 | 25 |
| Spinach, frozen, cooked, boiled, ½ cup | 100 | 25 |
| Great Northern beans, boiled, ½ cup | 90 | 20 |
| Asparagus, boiled, 4 spears | 85 | 20 |
| *Rice, white, long-grain, parboiled, enriched, cooked, ½ cup | 65 | 15 |
| Vegetarian baked beans, canned, 1 cup | 60 | 15 |
| Spinach, raw, 1 cup | 60 | 15 |
| Green peas, frozen, boiled, ½ cup | 50 | 15 |
| Broccoli, chopped, frozen, cooked, ½ cup | 50 | 15 |
| *Egg noodles, cooked, enriched, ½ cup | 50 | 15 |
| Broccoli, raw, 2 spears (each 5 inches long) | 45 | 10 |
| Avocado, raw, all varieties, sliced, ½ cup sliced | 45 | 10 |
| Peanuts, all types, dry roasted, 1 ounce | 40 | 10 |
| Lettuce, Romaine, shredded, ½ cup | 40 | 10 |
| Wheat germ, crude, 2 Tablespoons | 40 | 10 |
| Tomato Juice, canned, 6 ounces | 35 | 10 |
| Orange juice, chilled, includes concentrate, ¾ cup | 35 | 10 |
| Turnip greens, frozen, cooked, boiled, ½ cup | 30 | 8 |
| Orange, all commercial varieties, fresh, 1 small | 30 | 8 |
| *Bread, white, 1 slice | 25 | 6 |
| *Bread, whole wheat, 1 slice | 25 | 6 |
| Egg, whole, raw, fresh, 1 large | 25 | 6 |
| Cantaloupe, raw, ¼ medium | 25 | 6 |
| Papaya, raw, ½ cup cubes | 25 | 6 |
| Banana, raw, 1 medium | 20 | 6 |
* Items marked with an asterisk (*) are fortified with folic acid as part of the Folate Fortification Program.
^ DV = Daily Value. DVs are reference numbers developed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help consumers determine if a food contains a lot or a little of a specific nutrient. The DV for folate is 400 micrograms (μg). Most food labels do not list a food's magnesium content. The percent DV (%DV) listed on the table indicates the percentage of the DV provided in one serving. A food providing 5% of the DV or less is a low source while a food that provides 10-19% of the DV is a good source. A food that provides 20% or more of the DV is high in that nutrient. It is important to remember that foods that provide lower percentages of the DV also contribute to a healthful diet. For foods not listed in this table, please refer to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Database Web site: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl.
What are the Dietary Reference Intakes for folate?
When can folate deficiency occur?
What are some current issues and controversies about folate?
