FOLATE

[Guest guest]

--- In , " Filippa " <filippa91@y...>

wrote:

> Thanks Heidi. Do you think it's OK to assume I'm getting enough

folic acid from my diet or do you think it's important to take a

supplement?

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the RDA is 400 mcg (600 mcg for pregnancy). if 1/2 of a 2000 calorie

diet contains decent (i'll pick .4 as a random cutoff) sources of

folate, then that gives **at least** 400 mcg. in addition, if 20% of

this diet contains excellent sources of folate (i'll pick 1.0 as a

random cutoff), then that gives **at least** 640 mcg. throw in a few

blowout sources, and it's not too hard to double or triple the RDA.

here's my personal list for folate-density.

folate (mcg/cal):

(from usda database)

chrysanthemum leaves 7.4

turnip greens 7.2

mustard greens 7.2

chicken liver 5.9

goose liver 5.5

duck liver 5.4

veal liver 4.8

chicory leaves 4.8

arugula 3.9

coriander leaves 2.7

celery 2.6

beets 2.5

broccoli stalks 2.5

spearmint 2.4

sweetpotato greens 2.3

radish sprouts 2.2

mung beans, sprouted 2.0

moth beans 1.9

broccoli 1.9

mung beans 1.8

cabbage 1.7

beef liver 1.7

lamb liver 1.7

pork liver 1.6

peppermint 1.6

chickpeas 1.5

lentils 1.3

alfalfa, sprouted 1.2

beef kidneys .99

lentils, sprouted .94

pepper, sweet .81

beet greens .80

tomato .71

dandelion greens .60

kale .58

crab .52

chicken heart .47

peanuts .42

pork kidneys .42

sunflower seeds .40

egg, yolk .40

egg, whole .30

lamb kidneys .30

veal kidneys .21

cuttlefish .20

octopus .20

sesame seeds .17

oats .14

wheat .12

lobster .10

milk .08

coconut .07

almonds .05

beef brain .03

beef heart .02

lamb heart .02

remarks:

some common foods with virtually no folate content were included for

reference, like milk and grains. other than some organs, no meat

(land or sea) has any signficant folate content.

some of this data is suspicious... keep in mind the limitations of

the usda data...

check out the HUGE variation in folate content among different greens

in the usda database!! could it really be true that turnip greens

have 12 times the concentration of folate as kale, even though

they're from the same family???

here's an interesting passage from a website (the bit about masking

b12 deficiency is misleading i think--i don't think it CAUSES the

deficiency, only makes it difficult to recognize):

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The synthetic form of folate is more easily absorbed by the body than

the natural folate. Consequently, 1 mcg food folate = 0.6 mcg of

synthetic folic acid from a fortified food or a supplement when

consumed at a meal or snack. When taken on an empty stomach, only 0.5

mcg is needed to equal 1 mcg of food folate. The upper limit, (its UL

or tolerable upper limit) is 1 mg (1000 mcg). Intakes of 1 mg folate

or more can mask vitamin B12 deficiency resulting in permanent nerve

damage. This is another instance of " more is not necessarily better. "

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mike parker