Jordan: Hi, I'm Jordan Rubin, welcome to Ancient Medicine Today brought to you by draxe.com.
We're going to talk about a powerful vitamin called folate.
We're going to tell you why you need it, we're going to tell you how to get it, and we're
going to tell you what form is best for you.
Ancient medicine Today is here each weekday, Monday through Friday at 10:30 a.m. central
time and you can watch hundreds of videos on demand, all by subscribing to this YouTube
channel.
We're going to talk about this B vitamin that you've heard of primarily related to pregnancy
and developing of a healthy child, but folate does so much more.
Let's get started.
What is folate?
You might want to know this trivia answer.
Folate is vitamin B9, so ask your friend, "Hey, what's vitamin B9?"
It's called folate, it's needed for copying and synthesizing DNA, producing new cells,
supporting nerve and immune functions, it is a water-soluble B vitamin, which means
it doesn't store, so you need to replenish it.
Naturally present in some foods and a supplement version of it is called folic acid, remember
that for a little bit later.
There's a difference though, folate is naturally occurring in foods, easily absorbed and metabolized
in the small intestine.
Folic acid is a synthetic B vitamin in supplements and fortified foods.
It requires a specific enzyme called dihydrofolate reductase, another good trivia question if
you can remember that one, B9 and dihydrofolate reductase.
Those are going to make you sound really smart at the next dinner party.
Side effects of consuming folic acid, sex hormone changes, concentration issues, sleep
and mood problems and it can make you deficient in B12.
High levels of folic acid are linked to cancer and folic acid is a mandatory food fortifier,
which is kind of scary.
Now, here's the deal folks, if you're taking a supplement and folic acid is in it, if the
vitamin is fermented, particularly if it says fermented whole food, it can be much safer
but we want to go for the food source of folate if it all possible.
How do you know if you are deficient in folate?
If you get sick often could be a folate deficiency, chronic low energy, poor digestion, developmental
problems during pregnancy and infancy, anemia, canker sores in the mouth, tender and swollen
tongue could be a folate deficiency, changes in mood or irritability, pale skin, premature
gray hair, those can all be symptoms of a folate deficiency and by the way, the standard
American diet does not provide enough folate rich foods which is why the government fortifies,
but as we talked about they're fortifying with the wrong form.
Let's get going here and talk about some of the benefits of consuming folate.
Healthier pregnancies, if you've heard of folate, you know it's important for pregnancy,
a lot of good research on that.
It helps prevent anemia and it can also lower homocysteine levels.
Possible cancer prevention.
A stronger heart, that's due to the homocysteine.
Protects your brain.
And can help fight depression.
These are powerful benefits from vitamin B9 folate.
Now we're going to talk about 12 folate rich foods.
By the way, if you just started watching us I'm Jordan Rubin and we're here on Ancient
Medicine Today telling you about the benefits of vitamin B9 folate and now we're going to
talk about 12 foods that are rich in folate.
By the way you still have time to send this link to somebody who needs this information,
think about all the benefits of folate and you want to know what foods are rich in this
powerful vitamin.
Spinach, in fact all greens, look how much folate is in spinach, one cup of cooked spinach
262 micrograms, MCG stands for micrograms which is one thousandth of a milligram, I
love the metric system, I just don't feel like we use it enough in America, just want
to mention that.
Number two, beef liver.
I know it's not a favorite food, I know you're probably watching and saying, "My mom made
me liver and onions."
Liver is so nutritious, especially when it comes from a grass-fed organic source.
Three ounces, 215 micrograms, that is a powerful food high in folate.
Number three black eyed peas, I'm not talking about the rock group, I'm talking about these
little legumes.
Look at that, 210 micrograms of folate vitamin B9, again, I want you to have all this great
information.
I have not had a black eyed pea in a very long time, they look so cool on the screen.
I need to add that to my diet.
Asparagus, good for a lot of reasons, eight spears 178 micrograms, we probably should
qualify what size the spear is because I've seen really big spears and really thin spears
but eight average spears contains 178 micrograms, that's nearly half of the daily value.
Broccoli, one cup cooked, 104 micrograms.
I think you're getting the theme here, green vegetables have folate.
Brussel sprouts, one cup cooked contains 156 micrograms of folate.
Mustard greens, I have not had this in a while, very rich in sulfur compounds and folate 104
micrograms when cooked.
Kidney beans are another good source, 92 micrograms.
Romaine lettuce, 64 micrograms.
You're seeing the more green the more folate.
Avocado, I love avocados, 1/2 cup a nifty 59 micrograms of folate and all kinds of other
great benefits potassium, vitamin E, monounsaturated fats, really, really amazing.
Wheat germ, which is the most nutrient dense part of wheat, keep in mind if you do purchase
wheat germ, which is one of the original health foods, you want to make sure to store it in
the refrigerator because it can go rancid very quickly, 40 micrograms in two tablespoons,
that's a lot.
And orange, you might have seen orange juice recommended as a source of folate, one medium
orange 29 micrograms, orange juice has a lot more.
Folks I'm Jordan Rubin here for Ancient Medicine Today talking about folate, why you need it,
how to get it.
And if you know somebody, maybe a childbearing age female, someone who's pregnant, maybe
someone who really wants to know how to construct the best diet possible, I recommend that you
click the Share button, share this link because folate is so important and the World Health
Organization believes that there's a widespread deficiency in folate leading to birth defects
and other issues.
Precautions.
Folate from food is usually fine, that's the theme folks, when you eat food you usually
don't overdose on any nutrients.
Folic acid supplements can interact with medications and aggravate health conditions.
Remember if you're consuming a multivitamin or a B vitamin, folic acid's okay, better
if it's in its fermented form.
Folate in food is even better.
Here's some interactions methotrexate, antiepileptic medications and sulfasalazine, they can all
interact with folic acid supplementation.
So what are the benefits of folate?
One more time, this powerful nutrient vitamin B9 something that we all need for healthier
pregnancies to prevent anemia, possible cancer prevention, stronger heart, protecting our
brain and fighting depression.
Now you know that folate is so wonderful.
And where do you get it folks?
A lot of green vegetables, liver, certain legumes have it, avocado, orange, you saw
that list, those are delicious foods, really healthy for you.
And speaking of foods Ancient Medicine Today is brought to you by draxe.com.
We're here Monday through Friday at 10:30 a.m. central time giving you powerful information
to transform your health.
I want to encourage you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, join hundreds of thousands
of people who love this powerful information.
And speaking of information, draxe.com is the number one natural health website in America
I encourage you to head on over there to find nearly 2,000 articles on herbs, spices, essential
oils, superfoods, hundreds of recipes, articles on just about every diet and health condition
you can think of.
Subscribe and join nearly our two million subscribers who help take their health to
the next level by learning how to use food as medicine.
I'm Jordan Rubin for Ancient Medicine Today.
See you next time.
Dr. Axe: Hi Dr. Axe here.
I want to say thanks so much for checking out this YouTube video and also, don't forget
to subscribe if you want to get more great content on things like herbs, essential oils,
natural remedies and how to use food as medicine.
Also, check out more of our content on my YouTube channel.
Thanks for watching.