folate

20 videos

Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): Paul

On average, those eating the standard American diet are deficient in folate (among other nutrients), and eating a plant-based diet typically provides higher levels of most nutrients, including folate.

Folate is found in dark green leafy vegetables, red lentils, ground flax seeds, and beans. Low folate may be associated with insomnia and depression. Homocysteine, a toxin associated with Alzheimer’s disease, can be detoxified from our body with folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6. Folate may be better absorbed if we chop our veggies first.

Folic acid is the synthetic version of folate, but it may not be as effective and may elevate our risk of some types of cancer.

All Videos for Folate

What is the Healthiest Diet?

What is the baggage that comes along with the nutrients in your food?

Preventing Gout Attacks with Diet

If the uric acid crystals that trigger gout come from the breakdown of purines, should gout patients avoid even healthy, purine-rich foods, such as beans, mushrooms, and cauliflower?

Industry Response to Plants Not Pills

The whole food is greater than the sum of its parts: how unscrupulous marketers use evidence that ties high blood levels of phytonutrients with superior health to sell dietary supplements that may do more harm than good.

Are Green Smoothies Good for You?

Smoothies (and blended soups and sauces) offer a convenient way to boost both the quantity and quality of fruit and vegetable intake by reducing food particle size to help maximize nutrient absorption.

Preventing Brain Loss with B Vitamins?

One week on a plant-based diet can significantly drop blood levels of homocysteine, a toxin associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. Without vitamin B12 supplementation, though, a long-term plant-based diet could make things worse.

Antioxidants & Depression

Neither antioxidant or folic acid supplements seem to help with mood, but the consumption of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables and folate-rich beans and greens may lower the risk for depression.

Do Vegetarians Get Enough Protein?

Nutritional quality indices show plant-based diets are the healthiest, but do vegetarians and vegans reach the recommended daily intake of protein?

Canned Beans or Cooked Beans?

Canned beans are convenient, but are they as nutritious as home-cooked? And, if we do use canned, should we drain them or not?

Nutrient-Dense Approach to Weight Management

Americans eating meat-free diets average higher intakes of nearly every nutrient, while maintaining a lower body weigh—perhaps due, in part, to their higher resting metabolic rates.

Eggs & Choline: Something Fishy

Too much choline—a compound concentrated in eggs and other animal products—can make bodily secretions smell like rotting fish, and may increase the risk of heart disease, due to conversion in the gut to trimethylamine.

Kiwifruit for Insomnia

Two kiwi fruit an hour before bedtime may improve sleep quality and duration, without the side effects associated with sleeping pills.

Fiber vs. Breast Cancer

Inadequate fiber intake appears to be a risk factor for breast cancer, which can explain why women eating plant-based diets may be at lower risk.