Happy Mothers’ Day is a greeting many women love to hear. One start to a joyful Mothers’ Day is the birth of a healthy baby.
            What nutrient is vitally important for all future mothers? Folic Acid - simple to get, and essential to have.
            Two thirds of women in the U.S. do not get enough folic acid in their diet. The lack of Folic acid can cause serious birth defects. Folic acid is a Vitamin B that helps the body make new cells. It is also essential for the proper development of unborn babies in the first few weeks of pregnancy.
            Folic acid is needed even before a woman becomes pregnant. It is crucial to the development to the neural tube, which becomes the spinal cord, spine, brain, and skull, which all forms during the first few weeks after conception. Neural tube defects cause serous problems in the spine or brain ranging from learning disabilities to paralysis and even death of the baby.
            Folic acid is easy to find. It can be found naturally in fruits, green, leafy vegetables and dried beans and peas. Certain flours, cereals, grain products like rice and pasta have folic acid added to them. A vitamin supplement can also be taken to provide adequate amounts of folic acid.
            The recommended daily amount of folic acid is 400 micrograms or .4 milligrams. Over 80% of neural tube defects can be prevented by consuming the recommended amount of folic acid.
           The importance of folic acid to women in the prevention of devastating birth defects is well known. However, folic acid has also been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, Alzheimers, and some forms of cancer.