Plant-Based Pregnancy Outcomes and Breast Milk
The composition of breast milk is compared between vegetarian and nonvegetarian women.
Folate
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.
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