Folic Acid Deficiency Anemia

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You can prevent or reverse folic acid deficiency anemia by eating a diet that includes foods high in folic acid, including citrus fruits, leafy green vegetables, and fortified cereals. The Canadian government sets dietary guidelines to recommend nutrition levels for healthy people.

Recommended daily intake of folic acid:²

Category	Age	Amount of folic acid (folate)
Babies	0 to 6 months	65 micrograms (mcg)
	7 to 12 months	80 mcg
Children	1 to 3 years	150 mcg
	4 to 8 years	200 mcg
Males	9 to 13 years	300 mcg
	Over 13 years	400 mcg
Females	9 to 13 years	300 mcg
	Over 13 years	400 mcg
Pregnancy	All ages	600 mcg
Nursing (lactation)	All ages	500 mcg

 

Foods that provide folic acid^{3, 4}

Food	Serving size	Amount of folic acid (folate)
Asparagus, fresh	½ cup	100 micrograms (mcg)
Broccoli, cooked	½ cup	50 mcg
Green peas, boiled	½ cup	50 mcg
Liver	85 g (3 oz)	100 mcg
Most fortified breakfast cereals	1 cup	100 mcg
Oranges	1 small	40 mcg
Orange juice	1 cup	100 mcg
Spinach, fresh	1 cup	100 mcg
Wheat germ	¼ cup	100 mcg

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

• In Canada, most breakfast cereals and breads are fortified with folic acid. Read labels for the folic acid amount.
• Eat vegetables raw or lightly steamed. Cooking may destroy some of the folic acid found in food.
• Drinking orange juice or other juice high in vitamin C increases the amount of folic acid that your body absorbs from food.
• Vitamin supplements often contain folic acid.

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Author:	Douglas Dana Ralph Poore	Last Updated: April 23, 2007
Medical Review:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Brian Leber, MDCM, FRCPC - Hematology
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