The Moody Foodie--Fill Up on Folate

You've heard the old saying...You are what you eat! At the very least, what we eat impacts how we feel. Low levels of folate have been linked to depression. In fact, a Harvard study showed that 38 percent of depressed women are deficient in folate.

According to the DSM-IV*, a medical reference commonly used by health care professionals to aid in diagnosis, a major depressive episode consists of many of the following symptoms, occurring nearly every day for at least two weeks.

Depressed mood most of the day; feeling sad or empty, tearful
Significant loss of interest or pleasure in activities that used to be enjoyable
Significant weight loss (when not dieting) or weight gain; decrease or increase in appetite
Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
Agitation; or slowing down of thoughts and reduction of physical movements
Fatigue or loss of energy
Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
Poor concentration or having difficulty making decisions
Thinking about death or suicide


Folate Rich Foods
Foods that are naturally good sources of folate include many beans and vegetables and some fruits:

•Black-eyed peas
•Lentils
•Okra
•Kidney beans
•Great Northern beans
•Broccoli
•Iceberg lettuce
•Beets
•Lima beans
•Sunflower seeds
•Spinach
•Brussels sprouts
•Corn
•Asparagus
•Baked beans
•Green peas
•Baked potato
•Cabbage
•Avocados
•Peanuts
•Romaine lettuce
•Tomato Juice
•Orange juice
•Strawberries
•Oranges
•Eggs
•Bananas
You can read food labels to see how much folate your kids are getting from each of these foods.

Folate-Fortified Foods
In addition to the many vegetables, fruits and beans that are naturally good sources of folate, many foods are fortified with folic acid. Serving your kids folate-fortified foods is a good way to make sure they are getting enough folate in their diet:

•Malt-o-Meal cereal
•Fortified Breakfast cereal (Total, Product 19, Special K, Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Raisin Bran, Wheaties, Honey Nut Cheerios, etc.)
•Fortified soy milk
•Enriched pasta
•Enriched egg noodles
•Enriched bread, bagels and muffins
•Enriched white rice

So, remember to fill up on folate at your next meal. Ciao!