Folic acid is measured in micrograms using Dietary Folate Equivalents (DFE). Here are the daily recommended amounts of folic acid:
- Babies 0–6 months old need 65 mcg (micrograms) DFE each day.
- Babies 7–12 months old need 80 mcg DFE each day.
- Children 1–3 years old need 150 mcg DFE each day.
- Children 4-8 years old need 200 mcg DFE each day.
- Children 9–13 years old need 300 mcg DFE each day.
- Children over 13 years old need 400 mcg DFE each day.
- Men need 400 mcg DFE each day.
- Women's needs vary.
- Pregnant women need 600 mcg DFE each day.
- Breastfeeding women need 500 mcg DFE each day.
- Most other women need 400 mcg DFE each day.
Talk to your doctor if you have questions about any of these recommendations.
Folic acid is found in vitamin supplements and folic-acid-fortified foods such as breakfast cereals and breads. The natural form of folic acid is called folate. Foods high in folate include liver, citrus fruits, and dark green vegetables like spinach. Read food labels to see how much folic acid or folate the food contains.
Folic acid and folate are measured in micrograms using Dietary Folate Equivalents (DFE). Here is a list of some foods that contain folic acid or folate.
Estimates of folic acid or folate in certain foods| Food | Serving size | Amount |
|---|
| Beef liver, cooked | 3 oz | 215 mcg (micrograms) DFE |
| Spinach, cooked | ½ cup | 131 mcg DFE |
| Fortified breaskfast cereal (with 25% of the daily folic acid requirement) | 1 cup | 100 mcg DFE |
| Enriched white rice, cooked | ½ cup | 90 mcg DFE |
| Asparagus, boiled | 4 spears | 89 mcg DFE |
| Avocado, raw | ½ cup | 59 mcg DFE |
| Frozen broccoli, cooked | ½ cup | 52 mcg DFE |
| Frozen peas, boiled | 1 cup | 47 mcg DFE |
| Fortified white bread | 1 slice | 43 mcg DFE |
| Crab, Dungeness | 3 oz | 36 mcg DFE |
| Orange | 1 small | 29 mcg DFE |
Folic acid tips
- Breads, breakfast cereals, and pasta are often fortified with folic acid. Read labels for the folic acid amount.
- Eat vegetables raw or lightly steamed. Cooking may destroy some of the folate found in food.
- Multivitamins often contain folic acid.
Folic acid is one of the B vitamins your body needs for good health. The vitamin is also called folate.
- Folate is the natural form of this vitamin. It's found in leafy green vegetables, oranges, nuts, and beans.
- Folic acid is the human-made form. It's put into vitamin pills and fortified foods, such as fortified breakfast cereals.
Getting enough of this vitamin prevents folate deficiency anemia. It also prevents certain birth defects.
Most people just say "folic acid" for either form of this vitamin.
Folic acid is measured in micrograms using Dietary Folate Equivalents (DFE). The recommended amounts of folic acid for women are:
- 400 mcg DFE for those who are not pregnant.
- 600 mcg DFE during pregnancy.
- 500 mcg DFE while breastfeeding.
People who don't get enough folic acid before and during their pregnancies are more likely to have a child born with a birth defect, such as:
Even with healthy eating habits, you may not get enough folic acid to prevent birth defects unless you also take a supplement. So experts say that anyone who is able to get pregnant should take a daily supplement that has 400 to 800 mcg of folic acid.
Some people may need even higher doses of folic acid before and during their pregnancies. Talk to your doctor if you are planning to get pregnant and you:
- Have a family history of neural tube defects.
- Have had a previous pregnancy that had a neural tube defect.
- Take medicine for seizures.
Follow your doctor's advice about how to get higher amounts of folic acid. Don't just take more multivitamins. You could get too much of the other substances that are in the multivitamin.
Folic acid recommendations for people who aren't planning to get pregnant
Even if you aren't planning to get pregnant, your doctor may recommend a daily supplement.
Many pregnancies aren't planned. And the birth defects that folic acid can prevent start to form in the first 6 weeks of pregnancy. This is often before someone even knows they are pregnant.
Getting enough daily folic acid—even before you get pregnant—is important. If you are pregnant and you have not been taking a vitamin containing folic acid, begin taking it right away.
