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Folate RDA

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

Folate, Recommended Daily Allowance

The following chart depicts the RDA (recommended daily allowance) for Folate, the water-soluble B-vitamin that is important in the development and maintenance of cells. Folate is the water-soluble B-Vitamin.

Chart for Folate RDA

Data Compiled by Diet Bites, Copyrighted With all Rights Reserved

Gender and Age Ranges

Recommended Daily Allowance Based on  µg's

Children

1 yr - 3 yrs

150

 

4 yrs - 8 yrs

200

Males/Females

9 yrs - 13 yrs

300

 

14 yrs +

400

 

19 yrs +

400

  Pregnant

14 yrs +

600

Lactating

14 yrs +

500

Food Sources for Folate

Folate-Fortified Cereals - 3/4 cup - 100 to 400 µg's. We have more information on this food below.

Beef Liver, 3 ounces braised - 185 µg's. See our health notes below for liver.

Cowpeas, 1/2 cup - 105 µg's. Try roasting them on the stove top in a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkling them with cracked black pepper. Delicious!

Great Northern Beans, 1/2 cup cooked - 90 µg's. Great Northern Beans are a terrific choice for your diet plan. They stick to the ribs and are low in calories.

Raw Spinach - 1 cup - 60 µg's. Raw spinach is as close to natural as one can get. Go for the green!

Notes on the Rich Food Sources for Folate

Liver, Extreme in Vitamin A Content

While beef liver contains an impressive amount of folate, it's the worst choice in our list and the fat content as well as the method of preparation may cancel out any healthy benefits provided by the folate content.

Beef Liver is typically dredged in flour, then in eggs and then again in flour before being dipped in oil. In addition it's extreme in Vitamin A content.

Iron-Fortified Cereals Cancel Out Dietary Fiber, Encourage Constipation & Slow Gut

As to fortified cereals, one cup of 'almost any food' isn't that much quantity to eat, particularly when it comes to cereal.

It's very easy to get carried away and instead of enjoying the recommended 3/4 cup or 1 cup serving size - the dieter may end up enjoying 3-4 times that amount.

But most concerning is that an overabundance of iron in the daily diet contributes to slow gut which in turn poses in increase risk for constipation. Therefore, the dietary fiber benefits contained within the cereal is pretty much, canceled out.

Freshman 20 Effect of Cereal

There is a common term for students entering college called the 'Freshman 20'. With the student now out of their own and with many living in dorms without access to a proper stove, many grab convenient foods like cereal.

While cereal is a healthy choice when its low in sugar content, too much can trigger weight gain and therefore the term Freshman 20.

It's not uncommon for new students to gain 10, 15, 20 or more pounds as they enter their freshman year of college.

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