Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Certain Foods Protect Children Before Birth

Parents try to protect their children from anything that would cause them harm. They can start protecting them before they are born by eating certain foods before and during pregnancy, and by teaching them to eat those foods. They could be protected against birth defects, cancer, heart attacks and strokes.

Foods that will help offer this protection are those that contain folate. Folate is a B vitamin that can help prevent birth defects of the brain and spinal cord when ingested before pregnancy and in the early weeks of pregnancy.

The neural tube does not close completely, the baby is born with a neural tube defect. This can happen before the mother even knows that she is pregnant, so that is why it is crucial for a woman to have enough folate in her body before pregnancy.

The most common neural tube defect is spina bifida, which can lead to lower body paralysis, and anencephaly, which is a severely underdeveloped brain and cleft lip/palate. About 4,000 babies are born with these defects every year, and many other affected pregnancies end in miscarriage or stillbirth.

Although most women can get enough folate through natural sources, most only consume about 230 micrograms each day, quite a bit below the recommended daily consumption. To protect her baby it is recommended daily take a multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folate daily, in addition to eating a healthy diet of foods rich in folate.

Foods having high amounts of folate include orange juice, citrus fruits, leafy green vegetables, beans, peanuts, broccoli, asparagus, peas, lentils and whole-grain products.

Since January 1, 1998, many grain products like breads, cereals and flour products have been enriched with folate by law. Some fortified ready-to-eat cereals can provide a woman's daily requirement in a single serving.

To be "nutrient smart" look for the Nutrition Facts information on the food labels. While flour, breads, pastas and cereals produced in the United States are required to be fortified, imported foods are not.

In recent years, folate has been shown to be important in preventing heart disease, certain cancers, stroke and anemia. Thus, by eating folate-rich foods throughout your lifetime, and teaching children to eat them, you will offer them a great start on a healthy life and protect them from birth defects and disease.

For more information about nutrition and how it affects health, contact the Clark County office of the Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas, at 423 Clay Street in Arkadelphia, or call 246-2281.