The guide to a vegan diet: What is Folate?

in #food6 years ago (edited)

The guide to a vegan diet: Folate

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Introduction

Hello again dear reader, today we will look closer at another very important compound, folate, and I ll try to keep it short and informative.

This is something that vegans should have no trouble with, since there are so many delicious sources of folate. Both me and my girl is vegans and we are expecting a baby in December, so put here on diet with higher folate content earlier in the pregnancy, since it is very important for the development of the feuds brain, spinal cord and general DNA production, to mention a few things.

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What is Folate?

Folate in nature comes in a few different forms, either active B-vitamin, B9 actually, or folacin / folic acid which has to be activate in the body and turned to THF - tetrahydrofolate. So far we have only discussed B12 which is much harder for vegans to acquire. Folate is known to be available in many different vegan products so it is just a matter of known which ones really. Folate means leafy and leafy vegetables contains loads of folate.

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The man-made folic acid is given as supplement or is used to fortify different products, but as a vegan, you will get more than enough natural folate from your diet, if it's not too one sided. The folic acid is not as effective as many natural occurring forms of folate and must be turned to its active form, this can cause unmetabolized folic acid to build up and cause damage.


Why do we need it?

The vitamin B9 is directly involved in the formation of methionine from homocysteine, important to form blood cells. We need it to make certain DNA bases or amino acids, since it is a very common coal donor. It is needed to form SAM, an important cofactor for lots of things, e.g methylating DNA to turn its transcription status on or off. The B9 molecule is extremely important and when looking at some more of the reactions it is involved in, we can see why.

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https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/life-science/learning-center/biofiles/biofiles-5-6/folic-acid-metabolism.html

As you can see folate or the active form in the middle, THF, is used for many reactions in our body so it is essential to consume it on a regular basis.

There are interactions between B12, folate and Iron so having to little of one, might be masked by the other, always be sure to have all three of these in your diet on a steady basis. For example high folate in your diet could mask iron deficiency until the iron levels is very low if taken in excess.


What to eat? Do we need supplements?

As a vegan there is no need to take supplements since folate is found in many vegetables and plants. If you only eat meat and little vegetables, you are worse off and might need supplements. Below, the best groups of foods that is rich in folate is listed:

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  • Soy / edamame: The green soybeans are very high in B9 a good addition to a salad or as side dish. Some B9 is transferred to products like tofu or soy milk.

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  • Beans & Lentils: Another great source of B9 a portion of beans or lentils contain more B9 then you need for the day, be sure to have them in your diets.

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  • Green vegetables: Broccoli, spinach, Brussels Sprouts, avocado and even lettuce & asparagus contains B9. Avocado also contain healthy fats and spinach / broccoli is rich in iron, these are great to eat on a steady basis.

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  • Fruits:Some fruits like mango, lemons or oranges got some B9 but also healthy enzymes and many other beneficial nutrients like vitamin C, always have fruit at home.

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  • Nuts & Seeds: Many different seeds or nuts contain folate. Almonds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are some examples.

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  • Fortified products: Just like with vitamin B12 and D, many products are fortified with vitamin B9, cereals, milk or milk substitutions and of course donuts :) along with many other products so there are really never any needs for supplements.



The first recipe of two, in a post i recently made, contains both tofu, beans and a served with lentils, loads of folate!

Read the recipe here!

A nice stew with sweet potatoes, chili, beans and tofu served with lentils, a folate bomb :)

Pcitures from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page




Thanks for checking my posts out, much appreciated!

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Peace

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Very informative, brilliant and truly interesting read. We are, what we eat!!! having said that, a right balanced nutritive diet is the building blocks for the body to sustain, grow, repair and manage the vital functions of the human body. Either surplus or deficient both are bad. Rational, periodic and specific intake of vital supplements is also crucial as our food technically (all the time!) does not fulfill all the daily needs.

We are indeed, I think that most diseases and conditions of bad health stem in low nutritional intake or just toxic food.

Thanks for the kind words and reading my post :)

Peace

I love vegan food, especially Indian cuisine. Your post is very useful and informative for the vegan community who don't know much about the sources of vitamins and minerals.

Tthanks for checking it out :) Yeah indian food is delicious!

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Thank you for sharing such an informative information in this article. I am a thalassemia carrier. And the major supplement which I have to take in order to boost up my blood cell is folic acid. Now I know which vegi and beans consists of high folic acid. and it give me more reason to be vegan.

Thanks for the kind words and reading my post :)

God luck with the diet, Peace!

I want to say a big thank you for the Upvote I've been enjoying from you.
Thanks a lot.

Of course :) Thanks for checking this post out as well :)

Peace!

Thank you for sharing and educating! :)

I had heard so much about vegan diet. this is healthy and nutritious. I will definitely try to follow this after reading your blog.keep up with good work always.

Yeah you should try vegan food for a while, feels good :)
Thanks!

soy vegano me gusta este tipo de alimentación porque a través de ella me sano en una forma natural y también evito la muerte de animales. Es un estilo de vida muy saludable.

A lot of information 😍 think you

:) thanks for reading!

I love all vegan actions, let's make all people aware, that it is time to stop killing animals. Thanks for you job!

I agree :) Thanks for checking in!

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