This week is Folic Acid Awareness Week. And, as I have commented on this topic before, I was not surprised to read Latinas are the least likely group of expectant moms to be taking Folic Acid during their pregnancies. In a statement issued by the March of Dimes, only 17% of Latinas of childbearing age are taking a daily multivitamin. Combined with the fact that Latinas, as a group, are most likely to get pregnant before the age of 20 (more than half of which are unplanned pregnancies,) and voilá - you have the group with the highest rate of nerual tube defects in their newborn babies.
Actually, I had forgotten some stuff about which foods contain high levels of this vitamin. Did you know breakfast cereals are a great source of folic acid? If you'd like to "test" your Folic Acid IQ, the March of Dimes has a great little quiz here.
The good thing is, I have always been a cereal junkie for breakfast and most are fortified with this important vitamin. So's a nice big glass of oj.
Overall, the March of Dimes is a super great resource for pregnant mamis. They have an English site here, and a Spanish site here.
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