Folate and Florida Orange Juice

What is Folate?

Folate is a B vitamin that can be found naturally in a wide variety of foods. It also can be found as folic acid in fortified foods and as supplements. Folate is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning that our bodies don’t store very much. So, it’s important to get enough folate from the food we eat.1,2

Benefits of Folate

Folate helps to make red blood cells.  The need for folate increases during pregnancy and especially at the early stages of pregnancy, often when you may not even know you are pregnant. Folate is a factor in normal early fetal development of the baby’s brain and spinal cord.

Foods with Folate

Foods particularly rich in folate include dark leafy green vegetables, legumes (e.g. lentils, peanuts, soybeans), asparagus, and fortified cereals and grains.3 100% orange juice is one of the few fruit juices considered a good source of natural folate8 and is a great addition for a folate-rich diet.

An 8-ounce (1 cup) serving of 100% orange juice provides 15% of the recommended Daily Value for folate.*

Folate Deficiency

To prevent potential folate deficiencies, certain foods are fortified. In Canada, folic acid must be added to foods such as flour, white flour, enriched flour or enriched white flour.4

If your folate levels are low, you might also have other vitamin deficiencies, and these can be due to a poor diet. Low intakes of folate can lead to problems with your red blood cells, causing one type of anemia. Some common symptoms of low folate are changes in your skin and hair, as well as sores on your tongue and mouth.1 

In Orange Text is the phrase "Did you know?"

100% orange juice is one of the few fruit juices considered a good source of natural folate3 

Through the Life Stage

Here’s why folate is important at all life stages:

Prenatal

  • Pregnant women need 600 micrograms of folate each day, and breastfeeding women need 500 micrograms per day.1
  • Folate is important for pregnant women or if you are trying to become pregnant because getting enough folate may reduce the risk of birth defects.
  • According to Health Canada, folic acid is vital to the normal growth of your baby’s spine, brain and skull.5
  • Getting the recommended amount of folate can be difficult from food alone, so a folic acid supplement of 400 micrograms every day plus eating foods rich in folate (such as 100% orange juice, dark leafy green vegetables, legumes) is recommended for all women of childbearing age.1

Kids, Teens & Young Adults

  • Contributes to normal amino acid production, the building blocks of protein. Helps build red blood cells, which supply the body with oxygen to help maintain energy levels.

Adults

  • Contributes to normal amino acid production, the building blocks of protein. Helps build red blood cells, which supply the body with oxygen to help maintain energy levels.

* Values based on a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrient values may vary based on manufacturer, brand, and product types.

References

  1. Health Professionals Fact Sheet. Office of Dietary Supplements. National Institutes of Health.
  2. Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. 1998:150- 188.
  3. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 28 (slightly revised). US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Nutrient Data Laboratory; May 2016.
  4. Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 2018 May 11. Reference Information: Foods to which vitamins, mineral nutrients and amino acids may or must be added [D.03.002, FDR].
  5. Government of Canada, 2018 Jan 29. Folic acid and neural tube defects.