Posted by As fall turns into winter in these Midwestern parts of the United States people hunker down and cozy up in their homes. As the weather turns cold gardens shrivel up for the winter and yearn for the warmer days of summer to flourish again.
As a result, fresh home grown fruits and vegetables are harder to come by unless you have a local source of canned garden delights. With a decrease in the availability of fresh vegetables people might become deficient in some key vitamins and minerals.
Among that list is a whole host of B vitamins. B-vitamins are found in fresh foods like greens, spinach, lentils and meats as well as citrus fruits and avocados. One B Vitamin in particular is folic acid. It is a key element because our bodies do not produce this crucial vitamin.
To make matters worse folic acid is particularly important for mothers to be as this is one vitamin many expecting mothers do not get. Or worse cannot process effectively from their food.
Thanks to a genetic mutation called MTHFR about 60% of the US population cannot convert folic acid into the active form the body needs called methylfolate or simply folate.
Active methyl folate is what the body uses for heart and brain health. Active folate is especially important during fetal development when baby needs this crucial vitamin to avoid spina bifida and other neural tube defects.
Folate comes to the rescue as adequate levels protect mommy and baby from this devastating genetic abnormality.
When Preparing for Parenthood Your Health Really Does Matter
Since winter in the upper Midwest is a time to cuddle up and get cozy one would correctly assume that cuddling up might lead to an increase in babies come summer.
As a side note, did you know if you track pregnancies in correlation to big fall and winter sporting events, let’s say the NFL Super Bowl, you would notice an increase in pregnancies from the winning team’s state.
No lie, look it up.
Regardless of your sporting team alliances this time of year is important to get the right nutrients in ones body to have a good chance of staying healthy throughout the winter.
When It comes to the health of our children we only want the best. A healthy happy baby is a wonderful addition to a family. So make sure you take care of your body so you can pass on those healthy genes to your new baby.
Whether you stock up on healthy nutrient dense fruits and vegetables or simply supplement with specific vitamins you are lacking, your body and your baby will thanks you.
This fun video below talks about the difference between folic acid and folate.
