January is Folic Acid Awareness Month. Folic acid is a B vitamin that is good for women’s health. Every woman needs folic acid to help form the healthy new cells the body makes daily. Think about your skin, hair, and nails. These―and other parts of the body–make new cells each day. Taking folic acid daily also helps prevent major birth defects of the baby’s brain and spine if you decide to become pregnant or get pregnant before you are ready.
Here are some helpful tips for making sure you are getting the proper amount of folic acid daily:
- Take a vitamin with folic acid every day unless you eat a serving of breakfast cereal that says it has 400 mcg of folic acid on the nutrition label.
- Place vitamins by your toothbrush or on the kitchen counter to help you remember to take them daily.