Is Folic Acid Dangerous?

This week, I am posting an article I found on the blog of Dr. Joel Fuhrman M.D., a board-certified family physician who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods. I have removed several sections from the article, so click here to read the full post as well as to obtain the references provided. 

DO NOT take multivitamins
that contain folic acid.
and
If you are pregnant,
DO NOT take prenatal vitamins! 

 Folic acid supplementation is dangerous – especially for pregnant women

Women who take supplemental folic acid increase their breast cancer risk by 20-30%, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers collected data on women's folic acid intake from multivitamins over a 10-year period – they found that the women who took multivitamins containing folic acid were more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than those that did not. ^1,2

Another new study, has found that folic acid supplementation by pregnant women increases the risk of childhood asthma by 26% ⁵, and yet another study linked folic acid supplementation during pregnancy to increased incidence of respiratory tract infections in infants, especially those resulting in hospitalization.⁶

Most alarming was another study that compared women who took folic acid during their pregnancy to those that did not. Thirty years later those women who followed the typical recommendations to take folic acid were twice as likely to die from breast cancer.⁸ Shocking info huh!

If folic acid can have these dangerous effects, why is it included in most
multivitamins, prenatal vitamins and fortified grain products?

Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, a member of the family of B vitamins that is involved with DNA synthesis and DNA methylation, which essentially turns genes on and off. Because of these crucial functions, folate plays important roles in fetal development and nerve tissue health as well as cancer initiation and progression.

The protective effects of folate against neural tube defects (NTDs) have received much attention in the past. Unfortunately, this knowledge and public attention did not result in a campaign by the U.S. government encouraging women to get plenty of natural dietary folate from vegetables – instead, pregnant women are pushed to take folic acid supplements.

Folic acid is chemically different from dietary folate, which results in differences in uptake and processing of these two substances by the cells in the intestinal wall. Some folic acid is chemically modified to be more similar to natural folate, but the intestinal cells are limited in how much folic acid they can modify – excess folic acid often enters the circulation unmodified. Scientists do not yet know the implications of circulating synthetic folic acid. Many Americans, through multivitamin use and consumption of fortified foods, are taking in excessive amounts of folic acid, and thus may have unmodified folic acid circulating in their blood – this could contribute to the cancer-promoting effects.^9,10-11

The recommendation that pregnant women take folic acid supplements is especially troubling – these women could safely increase their folate status and prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) by eating green vegetables, but instead they are instructed to take folic acid supplements, which put them at risk for breast cancer later in life. The children are also put at risk –women who take folic acid supplements as a substitute for good nutrition fail to provide their unborn children with the additional nutrients in folate-containing foods. Maternal nutrition is a critical determinant of childhood health – there are inverse associations between maternal vegetable intake and childhood cancers.^12-13

Rich sources of food folate

As a reference point, the U.S. RDA for folate is 400μg.
Below is the approximate folate content for a 100-calorie serving.¹⁶

Spinach, raw	843 μg
Endive	835 μg
Romaine lettuce	800 μg
Asparagus, cooked	750 μg
Mustard greens, raw	700 μg
Collards, raw	550 μg
Okra, cooked	520 μg
Bok choy, raw	500 μg
Brocolli Rabe, raw	375 μg
Arugula, raw	340 μg
Artichokes, cooked	330 μg
Brussels sprouts, cooked	300 μg
Broccoli, cooked	300 μg
Cauliflower, raw	225 μg
Red leaf lettuce	225 μg
Celery, raw	225 μg
Edamame	225 μg
Tomatoes, yellow	200 μg
Tomatoes, orange	180 μg
Chickpeas	150 μg
Red peppers, raw	150 μg
Papaya	90 μg
Snow/Snap peas, raw	100 μg
Summer squash	100 μg
Tomatoes, red	85 μg
Strawberries	75 μg
Oranges	70 μg
Beets, cooked	50 μg
Blackberries	55 μg
Avocado	50 μg
Sunflower seeds	40 μg
Quinoa, cooked	35 μg

So with that being said... how do YOU feel about getting all your folic acid from food and not taking it in pill form?  Does it scare you?  Are you afraid to go against what our society has said is the "right way" for so many years?  

Tell me!!

PB&J's Change the World!

A healthier planet, one meal at a time. 

What adult doesn't have nostalgic childhood memories of yummy, messy (and crust-less) peanut butter & jelly sandwiches?  The folks over at the PB&J Campaign "approaches positive change one meal at a time by illuminating the differences one single dining decision can make."  They promote reduction in animal protein consumption from a strong environmental point of view, rather than focus on the health aspects or even one's moral reasons.

USA Today wrote a story earlier this year about what you eat and how it impacts energy efficiency. They stated that "meat is less efficient because we eat the animal that eats the grain instead of eating the grain ourselves." According to the Department of Agriculture, it takes about 15 pounds of feed to make 1 pound of beef, 6 pounds of feed for 1 pound of pork and 5 pounds of feed for 1 pound of chicken.

Add to the feed the cost of raising, transporting and producing cattle, and beef is by far the least energy-efficient meat. Nathan Fiala, a doctoral candidate in environmental economics at the University of California-Irvine, estimates it requires about 15 pounds of carbon dioxide to produce 1 pound of beef. "A family of four that gives up eating beef one day a week has basically traded in their pickup for a Prius," he says.

Meatless Monday has a weekly "Ask the Experts" section on their website.  A week or two ago, they featured Monique van Dijk Armor, producer of the 2007 Dutch documentary, Meat the Truth.  I was fascinated with some of the statistics from the article and thought it would be perfect to showcase them here!

If everyone is the US went meatless one day a week:

The carbon savings would be the same as taking 19.2 million cars off U.S. roads for a year.

They would also save 99.6 megatons of greenhouse gas emissions, the same as 46 million round trip flights from New York to Los Angeles!

If everyone in the UK went meatless one day a week:

They would save 13 million tons of CO2 greenhouse gas emissions. This would result in a bigger carbon savings than taking 5 million cars off the road in the UK!

If everyone in The Netherlands went meatless one day a week:

It would lead to the same carbon savings as taking 1 million cars off the road for a year.

So there you have it!  It's about lunch time over here and I think I am going to eat my Almond Butter & Strawberry Sandwich on sprouted grain bread (with the crust!).  

What is YOUR favorite PB&J combo?   

Meatless Monday: Almond Butter Cups

This is my last Meatless Monday post for 2009 (I'm taking a week off from filming to prepare for Christmas).  We are having a half-veg-half-meat lovers holiday with all the fixin's and, of course, some amazing friends to join our family for Christmas dinner.  Today I have the perfect dessert recipe for your holiday party.  Enjoy my healthier version of Peanut Butter Cups, made with dark chocolate, almond butter, and flax seeds.  

Also, the first minute of this week's video features me interviewing some shoppers outside of a local grocery store, asking them how they would feel about going Meatless on Monday's in 2010.  If you still haven't given MM a shot, would you pledge to give up meat one day a week as one of your New Year's Resolutions? 

Almond Butter Cups:
Makes 20 Almond Butter Cups

20 mini muffin cups (tins)
1 12oz bag dark chocolate chips (I use 70%)
1 C Almond Butter
1/4 C Nutritional Yeast (optional)
3 TB golden flax seeds (whole, not ground)
3 TB hemp seeds (optional)

Melt the chocolate chips in a small saucepan over LOW heat.  While the chocolate is melting, mix the almond butter with the nutritional yeast*.  Once the chocolate is melted, spoon about 2 tsp on the bottom of a muffin cup and spread around the bottom so it forms a solid layer.  Add approx 2 heaping tsp of almond butter to the center of the muffin cup.  Top off with more melted chocolate (about 2 more tsp) and turn the muffin cup to all sides to allow the chocolate to melt down each side, covering the almond butter completely.  Top with a sprinkle of flax seeds and help seeds on the top.

Place all completed Almond Butter Cups in the freezer and allow them to harden (approx 15 minutes).  Eat & Enjoy!

Food Review: Dr. Cow's

Last night I had some girlfriend's over for a "cheese and wine" night, but without the cheese, of course!  Instead, we sampled the AMAZING Dr. Cow's tree nut cheeses, paired with crackers, crusty bread, this cheeze fondue, lots of veggies, lentil salad, hummus, wine, and the most amazing group of girls!!  
Two of my friends from last night are NOT vegan, so this would be the true test!!  The Dr. Cow's comes in 5 flavors:


1. Aged Cashew and Hemp Seeds Cheese
2. Aged Cashew Nut Cheese
3. Aged Macadamia Nut Cheese
4. Aged Cashew and Brazil Nut Cheese
5. Aged Cashew and Cyrstal Algae Cheese
Bonus: Cashew Cream Cheese

My friend Tammy & I LOVED the aged cashew & hemp seeds cheese the best.  It was very sharp like an aged cheddar cheese (which we both love!).  My Mom and Julieanna's (this dietitian) favorite was the aged cashew & blue green algae, which I have to say was quite surprising in flavor!  My friend, Lori, loved the plain-ol' aged cashew as it was more mild and very creamy.  I don't know if anyone was fond of the aged cashew and brazil nuts cheese.  The flavor of the brazil nuts were too strong and overpowered the cheese.  Last but not least, the aged macadamia nut cheese was also a hit; very creamy, spreadable, not too mild and not too sharp.  Overall, all 5 girls thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Cow's night! 

My favorite... aged cashew and hemp seeds cheese

Not too sharp, not too mild, perfect texture!  Aged macadamia nut cheese.

YUM!  I want it to be last night again!!

 How could you go back to real cheese when you could have Dr. Cow's?  Anybody??

Why Are My Green Smoothies Purple??

I am determined to make a green smoothie.  But no matter how much spinach and greens I pack into my new Vitamix, my smoothies always seem to come out purple!  Then after a few minutes, they turn this strange, bruised-like-greenish-purpley color.  Sounds appetizing, right?  Yes, there are blueberries... but no where near in proportion to the amount of greens.  As I scout out my fellow bloggers, all YOUR smoothies look perfectly green!  What's your secret?   


Barely Bruised Smoothie:
1 C Water
1/2 C Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 C Frozen Blueberries
1/2 Frozen Banana
1/4 C Canned Pumpkin

3 Scoops Vega Smoothie Infusion
As much organic, raw baby spinach I can pack in
ICE

Meatless Monday: Potato Cashew Cheeze Fondue

My best friend and I have been having cheese and wine "dates" for years.  Sometimes we have opted for sliced cheese and crackers, and other times we've gotten fancy and made fondue.  My recent conversion from veg to vegan has caused a slight riffle in the tradition.  What is a girl to do?  I found 3 veg-friendly fondue recipes to begin our NEW tradition and the best part was, my BFF was all for it :)!  Watch the video below to see how they fared.  Next stop... a Dr. Cow's cheeze & wine night with the girls.  Stay tuned for the review (although I have heard nothing but amazing things.)



Potato Cashew Cheeze Fondue: adapted from Vegan Yum Yum 

1 Cup Peeled, Finely Chopped Potatoes
1/4 Cup Peeled, Finely Chopped Carrots
1 Cup Water

1/3 Cup Raw Cashews
1 Tbs Miso (any kind)
1 Tbs Tahini
1 Tbs Lemon Juice (sub: 2 tsp White Wine Vinegar)
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/3 Cup Earth Balance Margarine
1/3 Cup Nutritional Yeast
1 to 1 1/2 tsp Salt
Black Pepper to taste
Paprika for sprinkling (I used at least 1 tsp)

White wine, to taste

Place the chopped potatoes and carrots in small sauce pan that has a lid. Add the 1 cup of water. Boil covered until tender, 10-15 minutes.

While the potatoes and carrots are cooking, add the remaining ingredients to the blender (cashew, miso, lemon juice, mustard, earth balance, nut. yeast, wine, salt and pepper). Once potatoes and carrots are done cooking, add them and their cooking water to the blender as well. Blend until VERY smooth. Taste for seasoning.  Add blended cheeze to fondue pot or sauce pan on stove and cook until very warm.

Serve with your favorite veggies, sliced apples and bread.

WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO

PETA is known for a lot of things; being extremists, radicals, preachers and "crazy people."  But they also do such great work behind the scenes to reveal the shocking but true nature of the unethical treatment of animals.  This video is not about being Veg.  It is not about what you eat or what you don't eat. This video as well as the purpose of this blog (as well as thousands of others) is to provide you with information.  It's better to not know what's happening because then you don't have to think about it, right?  But guess what?  The information is here and it's here for a reason.  Educate yourself and educate others.

This video takes a shocking look inside the Chinese Fur Farms, where there is no governement regulation.  "The globalization of the fur trade has made it impossible to know where fur products come from. China supplies more than half of the finished fur garments imported for sale in the United States. Even if a fur garment's label says it was made in a European country, the animals were likely raised and slaughtered elsewhere—possibly on an unregulated Chinese fur farm." - PETA

Pledge to go fur-free at PETA.org.