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It’s well-documented that we should eat a balanced diet, but one vitamin in particular doesn’t seem to get enough attention.
Despite the importance of folate to our health, 75% of Brits don’t know that folate is naturally found in food, and one in five It turns out that people think that only pregnant women need to take folate.
But that’s not the case. Folate is important for all of us, from anemia to cardiovascular disease and even mental health, but not getting enough folate (also known as vitamin B9) can lead to a variety of health problems. there is. However, these can be avoided by making some simple adjustments to your diet to get more folic acid.
The latest Parliamentary Nutrition Inspection Report shows that levels of folic acid in the UK diet are not as high as they should be. In fact, average blood folate levels have decreased by 25 to 28 percent across all age groups over the past 11 years.
The lack of folic acid in many people’s diets may be due to confusion about who needs this important vitamin. Besides the misconception that folate is only necessary for pregnant women, the study found that 1 in 10 people believe that folate is only necessary for adults, when in fact they should be taking it. Only 3 out of 10 people were aware of this.
“Folate is actually important at every stage of life, so the majority of people not only don’t know how much folate they should be getting every day, they also know that folate should be 200mg. It’s alarming that only 6% of people have access to it, and we don’t even know where they can get it from,” says dietitian Jenny Chiche.
Fortunately, folic acid is naturally found in a wide range of everyday foods, including green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach, chickpeas and beans, and liver.
Spinach and kale contain 194ug and 141ug of folic acid per 100g respectively, making them two of the best sources available and also two of the most versatile vegetables. Ziesche created a family-friendly recipe using spinach and kale. This will help ensure that you are meeting the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for this important vitamin. These include spinach and kale mini quiches, lemon chicken and kale and potato traybake, and kale pasta sauce, a delicious alternative to classic pesto pasta. Each recipe contains at least 30 percent of your folic acid intake per serving.
“One of the most common causes of folic acid deficiency, especially in children, is low intake of fresh fruits and vegetables,” says Chiche. “Vitamin is a very important vitamin that we all should get enough of, and eating more green leafy vegetables is a great way to do that. As well as folic acid, spinach and kale also contain vitamin K. It also contains other important nutrients such as , A, C and calcium.
Telltale signs that you’re not getting enough folate include::
1. Feeling tired
2. Depression and anxiety
3. Swelling of the tongue
4. Stomatitis
5. Early gray hair
6. Decreased sense of taste
7. Growth issues
Spinach and kale mini quiche recipe
make:8
Preparation time: 10 minutes | cooking time:25 minutes
material:
90g spinach
Kale 90g
3 tablespoons water
6 large eggs
Fresh pesto 180g
ground black pepper
A little olive oil for grease
You will need an 8-hole muffin baking tray. Each muffin hole should hold at least 125 ml.
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C or gas mark. 5. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the spinach, kale, and water. Boil for a few minutes until the leaves wilt and become smaller. Let it cool. Place these leaves in a food processor and blend on medium speed.
2. Meanwhile, mix the eggs with the pesto and pepper, add to the cooled leaves of the food processor, then mix on top speed.
3. Grease the 8 holes of the muffin tin with a little oil or to prevent the cases from sticking. Fill 8 holes of greased muffin with equal amount of egg mixture. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cocktail stick inserted into the quiche comes out clean.
4. Can be served hot or cold.
Nutritional information per serving (2 quiches): 358kcal, 6.01g of carbohydrates, including 1.14g of sugar, 33.57g of fat, 6.9g of saturated fat, 10.43g of protein, 122ug of folic acid.
folate: 30% of RDA
Lemon Chicken Traybake Recipe with Kale and Potatoes
service:Four
Preparation time: 10 minutes | cooking time:half an hour
material:
1 large green onion (chopped)
300g miniature/baby potatoes, boiled and cut in half
4 cloves garlic (peeled and lightly crushed)
Olive oil, divided into 2 tablespoons, 1 1/3 tablespoons and 2/3 tablespoons (2 teaspoons)
8 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
1 small pack of fresh thyme
Kale 350g
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 210C (fan) 230C (standard).
2. In a large bowl, toss the green onion slices, potatoes, and garlic with 1+1/3 tablespoons olive oil. Season to taste.
3. Spread on 1 or 2 baking sheets.
4. Add the chicken thighs to the same bowl and stir in the paprika, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Season to taste.
5. Place the coated chicken pieces on top of the vegetables and top with the thyme sprigs.
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the kale in the remaining 2/3 tablespoons, or 2 teaspoons, of olive oil. Stir each portion well before adding to the baking tray, stirring everything well in between.
7. Bake for another 15 minutes, stirring once. Make sure the chicken juices are clear and if you have a meat thermometer, make sure the internal temperature in the thickest part is at least 74 degrees Celsius.
Nutritional information per serving: 828kcal, carbohydrates 28.13g, including carbohydrates 4.44g, fat 55.94g, saturated fat 14.162g, protein 54.01g, folic acid 164ug.
folate: 41% of RDA
kale pasta sauce recipe
service:Four
Preparation time: 10 minutes | cooking time: 10 minutes
material:
Pasta 500g
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kale 280g
3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
3 tablespoons water
90g grated Parmesan cheese
Vegetable stock 240ml
180g cream cheese (low fat used for nutritional analysis)
Method:
1. Boil the pasta according to the package instructions.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the kale and garlic and stir-fry for about 1-2 minutes until the leaves start to wilt slightly, then add the water and continue stirring for a few more minutes. Transfer the kale and garlic to a food processor and blend for a few minutes, then add the grated Parmesan, vegetable stock, and cream cheese. Blend on full speed until light green and creamy in texture. Add this to the boiled pasta, mix and warm gently before serving.
Nutritional information per serving: 445kcal, carbohydrates 52.27g, including carbohydrates 5.35g, fat 19.41g, saturated fat 8.7g, protein 18.43g, folic acid 123ug.
folate: 30% of RDA
For inspiration on the health benefits and different ways to enjoy vegetables, visit: www.discovergreatveg.co.uk
