Folate/Folic Acid

Vitamins, Health & Weight Loss
Good diet nutrition is essential for optimum health – including efficient metabolism, stable blood sugar levels and appetite, all of which affect weight control and how fast we lose weight. Vitamins play an essential role in diet nutrition and weight control.

Folate/Folic Acid

Part of the vitamin B-complex; also known as vitamin Bc. One of the easiest vitamins to be deficient in! Also, it is depleted by large doses of vitamin C, so if you take a vitamin C supplement, increase your intake of Folic Acid accordingly.

How Folate/Folic Acid helps

Protects against certain types of cancers
Can prevent spina bifida in the unborn child
Good for the heart
Improves digestion and appetite

Good food sources of Folate/Folic Acid

Brewer’s yeast. Wheatgerm. Wheat bran. Green leafy vegetables. Liver. Peanuts. Almonds. Carrots. Cantaloupe melons. Apricots. Avocados. Beans. Beetroot. Broccoli. Citrus fruits. Free range eggs.

Enemies:
Sunlight. Long term storage. Food processing. Canning. Lost in cooking water, unless reused.

Deficiency symptoms of folate include

Weakness and lethargy. Fatigue. Breathlessness. Irritability. Insomnia.

People with an increased risk of folate deficiency include

Heavy drinkers
Pregnant women
Women on the pill
The elderly

Recommended daily allowance for Folate/Folic Acid

US RDA: 400mcg
EU RDA: 200-360mcg

The Importance of a Balanced Diet
If you have been a regular follower of fad diets, regular fasting, single food diets, yo-yo dieting or diet/weight loss pills, you may already be deficient in vitamins and minerals. This may be why you find it difficult to lose weight, or sustain weight loss in the long term.

Solution: Follow a balanced diet that offers slow steady weight loss and includes advice on exercise. Anne Collins Weight Loss Diet Program is a good choice.