Folate, like many nutrients, hadn't been heard of until it was isolated in the mid-20th century, but now it is known this vitamin, one of eight in the B group, is essential to good health.
Its most spectacular claim to fame is that it significantly reduces the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) such as spina bifida and anencephaly in which the spine or brain of a fetus does not develop properly.
To reduce the risk, women need a lot of folate at conception and during the first few weeks of pregnancy, which is before most even realise they are pregnant.
Most women do not get enough folate from their diet, which is why Food Standards Australia New Zealand has plans to require bread, except for organic and non-yeast leavened bread, to be fortified with folic acid (the synthetic form of folate) from September 27 this year. New Zealand is considering delaying this until 2012.
In the US and Canada, where bread has been mandatorily fortified since the late 1990s, NTDs have declined by 46% nationwide, according to Prof Murray Skeaff, of the human nutrition department at the University of Otago.
In New Zealand, about 50 babies are born with NTDs each year, but with mandatory fortification of bread this might be reduced by 10 or even 20, he said.
However, some people are concerned that folic acid may be implicated in increased risk of cancer - a claim Lydia Buchtmann, of Food Standards Australia New Zealand, says is not borne out by the US experience.
Prof Skeaff says: "I have to acknowledge that not all the scientific community agrees - no-one claims folic acid increases the risk of cancer. It's just an issue whether people say the evidence is certain enough to say it does nothing to cancer."
In Ireland, voluntary fortification has achieved what it is hoped mandatory fortification will do here.
New Zealand food manufacturers have not take up the opportunity although for 10 years they have been allowed to fortify products such as biscuits, bread, pasta, breakfast cereals, juices and drinks with folate, he says.
The recommended daily intake for women planning pregnancy is 400mcg-600mcg, and 200mcg for other adults.
But women of childbearing age in New Zealand on average have about 62mcg of folate a day. With fortified bread they would get about another 140mcg, so they would still need to take a supplement, Ms Buchtmann said.
Authorities agree it is difficult for women planning pregnancy to get the recommended amount of folic acid from food.
Those against mandatory fortification say a woman would need to eat about 11 slices of fortified bread a day to get the recommended amount, while those for fortification say she would need to eat about 900g of cooked spinach or broccoli to get the same amount.
The truth, is, as usual, somewhere in the middle - people won't eat only spinach or fortified bread, and anyway, we need more than just this nutrient for a healthy diet.
The best nutritional advice is to eat a wide variety of vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, legumes and fish, and smaller amounts of meat and dairy.
Folate (vitamin B9) is found in many foods, including dark green vegetables such as spinach, silver beet, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, avocado, herbs, and rocket.
It is also found in citrus fruit, berries, nuts (especially peanuts), yeast extracts such as Vegemite and Marmite, wheatgerm, whole grains and wholegrain breads, chickpeas, lentils, peas, dried beans, meats such as liver and kidney, and in fortified manufactured foods such as breakfast cereals.
A delicious dish that will boost your folate intake as well as lots of other nutrients.
Serves 4-6
450g chickpeas
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 slice wholegrain bread
50g almonds, roasted
1-2 cloves garlic
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp smoked paprika (use the hot one if you like a chilli bite, otherwise use sweet or a mix)
1 tin (about 450g) tomatoes in juice
570g fresh silver beet or spinach, washed and chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of water - they swell. Rinse and put in a saucepan with plenty of fresh cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 45 to 60 minutes until cooked. Drain. (Or you can use canned chickpeas.)
In a large saucepan or deep frypan, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and fry bread on both sides and the almonds until they turn golden. Remove and let drain and cool a little on a paper towel.
In the same oil, adding a little more if necessary, cook onion until softened. Stir in paprika and add chickpeas and tomatoes and juice. Break up the the tomatoes, stir and cook for a few minutes.
Add the silver beet, stems first because they take longer to cook, then the leaves. Simmer a few minutes with the lid until the stems are cooked and the leaves softened.
Stir in the picada (paste of toast, garlic and almonds). Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes over low heat, but it won't spoil if you need to keep it longer. It is good served at room temperature too.
This is a meal in itself, although you can stir in sliced chorizo or spicy sausage or serve it with simply grilled meat, crusty bread, a salad or other vegetables.
• WHERE IS IT?
Here is a sample of how much folate certain foods might contain - but remember that good food has other essential nutrients as well and nutritionists recommend eating a wide variety of fresh vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, fish and a little meat and dairy.
Food and quantity - Folate (mcg)
1 cup boiled drained spinach (168g) - 235
1 cup raw chopped spinach - 91.2
1 cup of boiled silver beet - 82.3
1 cup chopped raw silver beet - 30.6
1 cup boiled white cabbage - 47
1 cup raw white cabbage - 20.5
1 cup boiled green beans - 53
1 cup chopped raw green beans - 57
1 tbsp raw peanuts - 10.2
1 tbsp salted peanuts roasted in oil - 11.2
1 cup raw rolled oats - 41.4
1 whole-wheat biscuit - 55.6
1 slice heavy multigrain bread - 79.8
1 slice light multigrain bread - 111.5
1 medium slice wholemeal bread - 56
1 cup chopped boiled broccoli - 86.6
1 orange - 5.1
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (4 oranges) - 18
1 cup cooked chickpeas - 51.9
- Source: Carolyn Cairncross, New Zealand Nutrition Foundation
• USEFUL WEBSITES
www.nutritionfoundation.org.nz/nutrition-facts/vitamins/b-vitamins
www.foodstandards.gov.au/newsroom/factsheets/factsheets2009/mandatoryfol...
www.nestle.co.nz/Nutrition/Planning/FolicAcid/default.htm
