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Foods high in folic acid

Healthwise
By Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS

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You can prevent or reverse folic acid deficiency anemia by eating a diet that includes foods high in folic acid.

Some foods that provide folic acid:

Foods with folic acid
Food Serving size Folic acid (folate)

Fortified breakfast cereal

3/4 cup

400 ug (0.4 mg)

Liver

3 oz

185 ug (0.2 mg)

Avocado

1/2 cup

45 ug

Orange juice

3/4 cup

35 ug

Asparagus, boiled

4 spears

85 ug (0.1 mg)

Spinach, cooked

1/2 cup

100 ug (0.1 mg)

Spinach, raw

1 cup

60 ug (0.1 mg)

Green peas, boiled

1/2 cup

50 ug (0.1 mg)

Wheat germ

2 Tbsp

40 ug

Oranges

1 small

30 ug

Broccoli, cooked

1/2 cup

50 ug (0.1 mg)

Broccoli, raw

2 spears, 5 in. (12.7 cm) long

45 ug

Note: Cooking vegetables often makes the vegetable smaller. A cup of cooked vegetable weighs more than a cup of raw vegetable, so the amount of folic acid in each will be different.

Other folic acid food facts

  • Many breakfast cereals and breads are fortified with folic acid. Read labels to see if the amount of folic acid meets your daily requirement.
  • Eat vegetables raw or lightly steamed. Cooking may destroy some of the folic acid found in food.
  • Drinking orange juice or other juices high in vitamin C increases the amount of folic acid your body absorbs from food.

Credits

Author Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Editor Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor Denele Ivins
Primary Medical Reviewer Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Brian Leber, MDCM, FRCPC - Hematology
Last Updated December 23, 2008
Last Updated: 12/23/2008