The pregnancy It is one of the best stages that a woman can experience in her life. In that case, the body needs a series of food and nutritional requirements to be able to carry out embryonic development without setbacks.
Among the nutrients that are required in greater quantities during pregnancy are calcium, iron and folic acid. It is for this reason that, if you are looking to get pregnant, you must adapt your diet to these new requirements.
Next, you will meet a top 10 vegetables with folic acid, which is an essential nutrient for the proper development of your future baby's spinal cord and brain.
Know the 10 vegetables for a greater contribution of folic acid
All the vegetables included in the daily diet, can provide a significant contribution of folic acidHowever, there are those that stand out for their high concentrations of this element.
Among the green leafy vegetables rich in folic acid, there are the spinach, chard, watercress and arugula.
Other vegetables that you cannot stop including in your diet are broccoli, cauliflower, parsley, cabbage, asparagus and Brussels sprouts.
Spinach
Green leafy vegetable rich in vitamin A, B1, B2, calcium, iron and folic acid, with a high concentration of beta-carotene. It is known for its properties to protect eye tissue and reduce food anxiety.
Its combination of vitamins and antioxidants, favors the quality of eggs and semen.
Chard
It is considered an ideal superfood due to its high concentrations of vitamins and minerals. Its consumption can completely meet the daily demand for vitamin C.
The chard provides an important contribution of vitamin A, B1 and B2, folic acid, as well as magnesium, iron and vitamin E.
With a role similar to that of spinach in nutrition, The chard significantly increases the semen quality due to its antioxidant power.
Watercress
The watercress It is a plant with small leaves that is usually eaten in the form of a salad. Despite its small size, this leaf is known to be a powerful tool against anemia and respiratory conditions.
It is a high source of vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, C, E and folic acid, as well as being rich in minerals.
Like other green leafy vegetables, their consumption is ideal for improve fertility: It prevents oxygenation problems for the fetus and the mother by protecting them from anemia.
arugula
It is a green leafy vegetable considered a superfood. Its leaves are rich in vitamin A, B1, B2, C and E, iron and folic acid.
In addition, they contain a high concentration of glucosinolate, which is widely recognized for its anti-cancer properties.
His high folic acid content, which doubles that of lettuce, along with its peculiar flavor, make it an ideal option to include on the menu routinely during pregnancy.
Broccoli
Broccoli It is one of the vegetables richest in nutrients and one of the best used in cooking, due to its exquisite flavor and its power to satisfy. This vegetable, like most green vegetables, is rich in vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, C and E.
In addition, it has a high iron content, folic acid, calcium and magnesium. It is known as a powerful body purifier, thanks to its activity in the liver, so its consumption is ideal when looking for a pregnancy.
Cauliflower
Although cauliflower It is not a green vegetable, it is endowed with a significant amount of vitamins and minerals.
It has a significant contribution of folic acid, which makes it an alternative to vary the diet During pregnancy.
Parsley
While is true that parsley It has a characteristic and predominant flavor, it is an herb that should be routinely incorporated into the diet when pregnancy is desired thanks to its amount of folic acid.
Parsley It is rich in vitamin A and C, meeting almost all of the daily consumption of the latter in one serving.
These vitamins are powerful antioxidants and participate in preserving the quality of the sperm and eggs.
Cabbage
For some people it would be difficult to think that the cabbage improves fertility, especially when it is usually avoided due to its ability to cause gas.
However, we can say that it is a vegetable rich in vitamins A and C, with a high contribution of folic acid.
Its fundamental role before and during pregnancy, is the protection of tissues from the action of free radicals, as well as the healthy development of the fetus.
Asparagus
asparagus They are vegetables of great importance in gastronomy and have a positive impact on reproductive health. These contain more than half of the daily intake of folic acid in a single serving.
In addition, they are a rich source of vitamin K, iron and selenium, essential nutrients in metabolism, calcium fixation and DNA synthesis.
Brussels sprouts
Not very appreciated by everyone, the Brussels sprouts They are small vegetables with great detoxifying power. In addition to the content that provide folic acid, cabbages preserve tissue integrity by mediating purification through the liver.
A body free of toxic agents is capable of releasing healthier gametes to enhance fertility.
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Why consume vegetables with folic acid?
He folic acid or vitamin B9, It is a molecule that is necessary in the body to guarantee cell division, which is required for embryo development during pregnancy.
He folic acid It does not participate directly as an enzyme, but it is related to the replication of DNA, a process totally essential for cell division, growth and development of tissues.
This vitamin is usually found in animal visors, green leaves and nuts, so these foods must be found in the diet despite medical supplementation.
The consumption of folic acid It is important even before pregnancy, since it participates in cell division.
Thus, the embryo can find a uterine epithelium suitable for nesting, as well as having an adequate value of red blood cells.
What is the impact of consumption of folic acid in pregnancy?
As you should already know, folic acid It is an essential vitamin for the correct development of the baby during pregnancy.
A low consumption of this vitamin can lead to the development of different disorders at the neurological system level, such as anencephaly or spina bifida.
This vitamin is so important that, even if you don't know you are pregnant, you should consume it daily to avoid the risk of malformations in the baby, since this type of pathology has a very early origin in the first month of pregnancy.
Disorders associated with the development of the baby due to lack of folic acid, are usually observed mainly in underdeveloped countries, due to the limited possibilities that their inhabitants have to consume a balanced diet.
Supplementation with folic acid vs natural consumption
The question when you start a pregnancy is: is it better supplement with folic acid or to guarantee the daily intake of this vitamin? There is no definitive or precise answer to this question.
The doctor's job is to guarantee the consumption of essential nutrients, regardless of the woman's tastes or habits.
In this case, the daily intake of folic acid It is between 400 micrograms and 1000 micrograms.
Although vegetables are a rich source of folic acid, it would be necessary to strategically plan the development of the menus to meet the intake with certainty.
How to vary the consumption of vegetables to take advantage of folic acid?
If you're vegetable lover, you can take advantage of the folic acid that you can obtain naturally, which will be a fairly simple task…
If not, then you can use a food planning and organization that you will prepare during the week and thus organize yourself better.
You can choose the easiest way to incorporate vegetables into meals: eat them steamed or boiled as a companion to cereals and proteins. For example, when eating a steak with roast potatoes and steamed broccoli.
You can also choose to buy a vegetable series For one week and the following week prepare different ones and rotate them so that you don't get bored of eating the same preparations.
Ideas for consuming green leafy vegetables during pregnancy
Parsley It is a vegetable that contains an important contribution of folic acidHowever, due to its strong flavor, it is preferable to use it finely chopped as part of salads or a warm chicken broth.
Prepare salads with leaves of different types of lettuce and arugula, it is also a quite practical option at dinner time.
It can also be very pleasant to eat a grilled breast fillet accompanied by steamed broccoli in the dinner.
Another slightly more caloric way to consume this type of vegetables is by preparing broccoli and cauliflower accompanied by carrots in a gratin cake.
If you want to eat something lighter, but with great taste, you can prepare a mix of sauteed vegetables.
In this case, I can use the Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, a touch of parsley and a little garlic and olive oil, in order to obtain a tasty and satisfying dish.
Some dish ideas to cook these vegetables and enhance your daily menus are the following:
- Spinach, potato and smoked ham omelette.
- Watercress, arugula and cherry tomatoes salad.
- Broccoli, cauliflower and mushroom pie.
- Garlic Brussels sprouts with mushrooms.
- Creamy pasta with parsley and garlic.
- Sautéed cabbage with turkey.
- Chard sautéed with potatoes and paprika.
- Asparagus cream with chicken.
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