The pregnancy It is one of the best stages that a woman can live in her life. In that case, the body needs a series of dietary and nutritional requirements in order to carry out embryonic development without setbacks.
Among the nutrients that are required in greater quantity during pregnancy are calcium, iron and calcium. 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 the spinal cord and brain of your future baby.
Know the 10 vegetables for greater contribution of folic acid
All vegetables included in the daily diet, can provide a significant contribution of folic acid, however, there are those that stand out for the high concentrations of this element.
Among the green leafy vegetables rich in folic acid, are the spinach, chard, watercress and arugula.
Other vegetables that you can not stop including in your diet, are the broccoli, cauliflower, parsley, cabbage, asparagus, and Brussels sprouts.
Spinach
Green leafy vegetables rich in vitamin A, B1, B2, calcium, iron and folic acid, with a high concentration of beta-carotene. It is known for its protective properties of eye tissue and for reducing food cravings.
Its combination of vitamins and antioxidants, favors the quality of the ovules and semen.
Chard
It is considered an ideal superfood due to its high concentrations of vitamins and minerals. Its consumption can completely supply 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
watercress It is a plant with small leaves that is usually eaten as 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, its consumption is ideal for improve fertility: prevents oxygenation problems of the fetus and the mother by protecting them from anemia.
Arugula
It is a green leafy vegetable considered as 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, being well known for its anticancer properties.
Su high folic acid content, which doubles that of lettuce, along with its peculiar flavor, make it an ideal option to include in the menu routinely during pregnancy.
Broccoli
Broccoli It is one of the richest vegetables in nutrients and one of the best used in the kitchen, due to its exquisite flavor and its power to satisfy. This vegetable, as well as most green vegetables, is rich in vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, C and E.
In addition, it has a high content of iron, folic acid, calcium and magnesium. He is known as a powerful body cleanser, 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 from 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 a pregnancy is desired thanks to its amount of folic acid.
Parsley It is rich in vitamin A and C, fulfilling almost all of the daily consumption of the latter in one serving.
These vitamins are powerful antioxidants and participate in preserving the quality of sperm and eggs.
Cabbage
For some people it would be difficult to think that the cabbage improves fertility, especially when it is often 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 intake of folic acid.
Your key 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 much appreciated by all Brussels sprouts They are small vegetables with great detoxifying power. In addition to the content provide folic acid, cabbages preserve tissue integrity by mediating clearance through the liver.
A body free of toxic agents is capable of releasing healthier gametes for enhance fertility.
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Why consume vegetables with folic acid?
El folic acid or vitamin B9, It is a molecule that is necessary in the organism to guarantee cell division, which is required for the embryonic development during pregnancy.
El folic acid does not participate directly as an enzyme, but is related to replication of DNA, a totally essential process for cell division, growth and tissue development.
This vitamin is usually found in animal visors, green leaves and nuts, so these foods must be found in the diet despite medical supplementation.
Consumption folic acid it is important even before pregnancy, since it participates in cell division.
Thus, the embryo can find a suitable uterine epithelium for its nesting, as well as having an adequate value of red blood cells.
What is the impact of consuming 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 level of the neurological system, 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 present to consume a balanced diet.
Supplementation with folic acid vs natural consumption
The question when starting 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 up to 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 folic acid that you can get naturally, which will be a fairly simple task…
If not, then you can use one meal 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 accompaniments to cereals and proteins. For example, eating a steak with baked potatoes and steamed broccoli.
You can also choose to buy a vegetable series for a week and the following week prepare different ones and rotate them so you don't get bored eating the same preparations.
Ideas to consume green leafy vegetables in 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 consommé.
Prepare salads with leaves of different types of lettuce and arugulaIt is also a very 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 of consuming this type of vegetables is 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 bit of garlic and olive oil, in order to obtain a tasty and satisfying dish.
Some ideas of dishes to cook these vegetables and enhance your daily menus
- Spinach, potato and smoked ham omelette.
- Watercress salad, arugula and cherry tomatoes.
- Broccoli, cauliflower and mushroom pie.
- Garlic Brussels sprouts with mushrooms.
- Cream pasta with parsley and garlic.
- Sautéed cabbage with turkey.
- Chard sautéed with potatoes and paprika.
- Cream of asparagus with chicken.
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