Good sources of folic acid
Lettuce, vegetables (e.g. broccoli), tomatoes, potatoes, eggs, meat and wholemeal products are rich in folic acid. However, folic acid is very sensitive. Heat, light and oxygen will destroy it almost completely and make it ineffective. During pregnancy, it is nearly impossible to ingest sufficient folic acid through food. A pregnant woman would have to eat about 20 kg of broccoli per day to cover the increased requirements of folic acid.
That is why foods enriched with folic acid and special dietary supplements such as HiPP Mama are of prime importance for mother and child during this sensitive stage of life. Furthermore, folic acid is very quickly used up by the body, especially if twins or multiple births are on the way, or in cases of closely spaced pregnancies. It is good advice to always watch your folic acid intake, and not only during pregnancy. Your stocks should already be full before your pregnancy!
For women wanting a baby, a sufficient intake of folic acid is important, even before you realise that you are pregnant.
Deficiency symptoms
Folic acid deficiency causes tiredness and fatigue. In extreme cases developmental anomalies of the child may occur, like the so-called “split spine”, a defect caused by the incomplete closing of the neural tube. Further possible consequences: cleft lip and palate. That is why an intake of folic acid is of particular importance during the embryonic stage (the first trimester of pregnancy).
