National Folic Acid Awareness Week January 6 - 12, 2013

The National Council on Folic Acid (NCFA).
The mission of the National Council on Folic Acid (NCFA) is to improve health by promoting the benefits and consumption of folic acid.

National Folic Acid Awareness Week is January 6 -12, 2013. Adequate folic acid intake is important for the prevention of birth defects. 

Healthy Food Choices for Folic Acid

Messages NCFA wants all women 
of childbearing age to know.

Please visit NCFA to view
all the messages and links. 

1. Folic acid is a vitamin that can help prevent birth defects. Women of childbearing age need an extra 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid each day.

2. Women can get the recommended 400 mcg of folic acid by taking a daily multivitamin or by eating fortified foods. Check the label of your cereal to see if it has 100% DV (daily value) of folic acid.

3. Important growth of the baby happens very early in pregnancy, before most women know that they are pregnant. Folic acid can prevent birth defects of the baby’s brain or spine if a woman takes it before and during pregnancy.

4. If you are pregnant, remember to take a prenatal vitamin with iron and folic acid every day.

Nutritional Habits 
Although all enriched cereals and grain products in the U.S. are fortified with the B-vitamin folic acid, only one-third of U.S. women of childbearing age consume the recommended amount from their diet. Taking a multivitamin with folic acid every day is a key way that women can get the recommended amount of 400 mcg.
Be Prepared Before Pregnancy 
Women need folic acid, even if not planning to become pregnant, since 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned. Taking folic acid before pregnancy reduces the risk of birth defects of the brain and spine, called neural tube defects (NTDs), by up to 70%.
Message to the Hispanic Community 
Hispanic babies are 1.5 to 2 times more likely than others in the U.S. to be born with an NTD. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that Latinas in the U.S. consume the least amount of folic acid and have the least knowledge about folic acid among racial or ethnic groups.

Not only is this a father 
with a beautiful song, 
but he has an important message 
about folic acid and Birth Defects.