78 Orange juice from concentrate 4 oz. 54 Chickpeas, canned 4 oz. 80 Broccoli, boiled 4 oz. 39 Folate, the form of folic acid that occurs naturally in food, is only about half as available to the body as the folic acid in supplements or in fortified foods that have had folic acid added to them. Because folic acid is not a very stable vitamin, about half the amount that comes from food is easily lost during cooking, processing, meal preparation and storage.
Different sources recommend different amounts of folic acid, depending on the health effect desired.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance to avoid deficiencies is 180 micrograms for women and 200 micrograms for men. The U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance, which is aimed at promoting health and preventing chronic disease, is 400 micrograms a day. The U.S. Public Health Service recommends that women of childbearing age get 400 micrograms from a pill or supplement daily to prevent NTD, or neural-tube birth defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly. This is also the amount recommended for people with high levels of the amino acid homocysteine in their blood. High levels of homocysteine have been associated with the risk of heart disease and stroke.