Folate & Celiac Disease: Ten food sources to add folate to your diet every day!
There are two types of Vitamins, Fat Soluble and Water Soluble. Our fat soluble Vitamins include; Vitamins A, D, E and K and our Water soluble vitamins make up all the rest. Fat soluble vitamins can be stored in the body for later use when we eat more than we need in the moment. Water soluble vitamins, however, are not stored in the body. These vitamins need to be eaten daily and if we eat more than we need we simply pee the rest out. One such Vitamin is Folic Acid, a B Vitamin.
Why is Folate so important??? Well, Folate helps your body make red blood cells, create and repair DNA and can also prevent neural tube defects in babies (defects of the brain and spinal chord). Folate is particularly important for infants, children, pregnant women, women in general and individuals with certain Gastrointestinal diseases.
Folate is also extremely important for people who have Celiac Disease. Gluten containing foods such as white flour (breads), cereals, enriched pasta and cornmeal products have folate added to them, however, this is not the case for most gluten free products. Couple this with intestinal damage and horrible bathroom experience (you know I’m referring to Number 2) and you can understand why it might be difficult to get enough of this little nutrient in the Gluten Free Diet.
So where can you find folate naturally?
- Asparagus
- Spinach (and other dark green veggies)
- Edamame
- Avocado
- Chickpeas
- Black beans
- Pinto Beans
- Navy beans
- Nutritional Yeast
- Liver
*Dried beans, peas and lentils have a high amount of folate but the canned option is still a good source. Look for the gluten free symbol on cans and if you choose to use dried beans, peas and lentils, you can dump out the bag first, sort through the grain and wash thoroughly before use.
Recipe Ideas
Vegetarian Chili is always a hit at my house. You can make a big batch using chick peas, black beans, kidney beans and pinto beans. Bonus, it makes a big portion and freezes well. You can find my recipe here.
Avocado hummus is a super tasty snack that is also a welcome treat and freezes well. Try freezing it in ice cube trays for an easy personalized snack option. Here’s my recipe:
- 1 can chick peas
- 2 avocado
- 2 Tbsp Tahini
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp water
Roasted Broccoli or Asparagus with Nutritional yeast. Nutrition yeast adds a delicious cheesy and smoky flavor to roasted veggies. My recipe: Preheat oven to 400. Chop broccoli or asparagus to your liking. Place in a baggie or container and to this container add 1-2 Tbsp oil and 1/8 cup nutritional yeast plus onion and garlic powder to your liking. Bake for 20 minutes.
