Folic acid (also called folate and Vitamin B9) is needed by your body to make red blood cells and some necessary chemicals for the nervous system (seratonin and norepinephrine). Folic acid helps normalize brain function and the synthesis of DNA. It is a critical part of spinal fluid.

Getting enough folic acid before you become pregnant and during the first few months of your pregnancy can greatly reduce the risk of your baby developing neural tube birth defects, such as spina bifida (malformation of the spine with possible paralysis), anencephaly (a partially or completely missing brain) and encephalocele (a hernia of the brain).

If you, like most women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, have no idea if you got enough folic acid prior to getting pregnant or even during the first month or two of your pregnancy, you may not have anything to worry about. Because of the high incidence of babies born with neural tube defects (1 in 1,000 in the U.S.), the U.S. government mandated on January 1, 1998, that American food manufacturers fortify breads, pasta, rice and cereals with folic acid.

You may be getting enough folic acid through your regular diet, but to be safe, eat fortified foods, foods rich in folate, and take a supplement that contains 0.4 mg of folic acid. To get plenty of folic acid in your diet eat leafy vegetables, citrus fruits and juices, whole wheat bread, fortified cereals and pasta, and legumes. (Various fresh and dried beans are legumes, but green beans are not.) Here are some other suggestions.

• 1 cup cantaloupe
• 1 papaya
• 1/2 cup broccoli
• 4 spears asparagus
• 1 oz. wheat germ
• 1/2 cup lentils
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup beef liver