A baby’s smile is infectious. You can’t help
but smile in return.
I’d like to tell you about some people dedicated
to helping keep our next generation of babies healthy and content. Some
are official members of the North Dakota Folic Acid Task Force, a group
I’m privileged to work with. Others are “unofficial”
but vital task force members who help us get the messages to people across
the state and region.
They represent the North Dakota State University Extension
Service and College of Pharmacy, University of North Dakota, North Dakota
Department of Health, United Tribes Technical College, county extension
service offices, local public health departments, hospitals, clinics and
other agencies. We are funded by the March of Dimes, an organization dedicated
to saving babies.
The task force members are all busy people, but they make
time in their schedules to teach classes, distribute brochures, put up
our “signature” pink and black posters and displays and do
radio and TV interviews.
They work with our unofficial task force members: the
radio stations that play the public service announcements, the clinics
and pharmacies that place brochures in their waiting areas and the healthcare
providers who tell young women how vital it is to consume adequate folic
acid if they are capable of having a baby.
Why do they work so hard to get this message to women?
Folic acid can help prevent birth defects, like spina bifida, if it is
consumed before and during pregnancy. All women of childbearing age should
consume 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. If all women of childbearing
age consumed enough folic acid, up to 70 percent of birth defects could
be prevented.
Spina bifida is sometimes called “open spine.”
The condition can be mild, causing few problems, to severe, causing paralysis.
Other birth defects, like anencephaly, are fatal. Most birth defects occur
very early in a baby’s development, between the 17th and 30th day
of conception, usually before the mother-to-be knows she is pregnant.
If you’re male or a woman beyond childbearing years,
folic acid is good for you, too. Consuming enough folic acid (or its natural
form, folate) can help reduce risk of getting heart disease, certain types
of cancer and possibly even Alzheimer’s Disease.
Folic acid is found in most multivitamin supplements or
as an individual supplement. Many foods like breakfast cereals, flour
and pasta are fortified with folic acid. Some cereals contain 100 percent
of the recommended daily value for folic acid. Read the Nutrition Facts
label to find out how much your favorite cereal contains. Unlike most
vitamins, the manmade form, folic acid, is absorbed better than the natural
form, folate.
The following list shows the amount of folate in foods
especially rich in folate/folic acid:
Pasta Pizza
15 lasagna
noodles
5 qt. water
1 15-oz. can pizza sauce
3 c. shredded, reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, divided
4 oz. thinly sliced pepperoni
1 can (8 oz) mushrooms, steps and pieces, drained
1/4 c. diced green pepper
1/2 c. pitted ripe olives, sliced
Cook noodles
in water according to package directions. Spray a 15 x 10-inch pan with
nonstick cooking spray. Arrange 5 noodles in the pan and sprinkle with
1 cup mozzarella cheese. Add a second layer of 5 noodles and another
cup cheese. Use remaining noodles for a third layer, but don’t
sprinkle cheese. Instead, spread pizza sauce evenly over noodles and
bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and add pepperoni,
mushrooms, olives and green peppers to pizza. Top with remaining cheese.
Bake another 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Makes 10 servings per
pizza.
Each serving
contains about 190 calories, 18 grams carbohydrate and 11 grams fat.
