Is your ‘fussy eater’ getting enough folate, the foilage vitamin?
(Please note ‘fussy eater’ used so people can find me. I do not call anyone a fussy eater as someone who has hated being called a fussy eater.)
Folate, also known as vitamin B9, is an essential vitamin that can be lacking in restricted diets. It’s vital for brain health, growth, mood, energy and metabolic health. Deficiency can show up on a blood test as low folate levels or even as high homocysteine (a marker of inflammation implicated in cardiovascular disease).
Folate is found in green leafy vegetables and organ meats. Organ meats are missing from most people’s diets, and green leafy vegetables are missing from a lot of ARFID diets (and honestly lacking in the general population too I would argue).
Supplementation with folic acid is an option. If your child is on a multivitamin, it’s important to check what it contains.
There is a particular retail brand of children’s nutrient gummies that is popular with the families in my clinic. Unfortunately as a certified practicing nutritionist (with AARPN) I cannot vouch publicly for any particular brand or product. This brand has a lot of products and some do contain folic acid, and some do not.
When I’m checking the folate requirements for a child in clinic, I utilise the Eat for Health website. If you search ‘folate RDI 4YO’ it might be the first option. This is the site https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/nutrient-reference-values/nutrients/folate
Often in clinic we are starting simply with increasing food and calorie intake in general. While I stand by this approach of zooming out, clinical experience has taught me that we need to be assessing for micronutrient deficiencies sooner rather than later.
If there is no food in a child’s diet providing folate, then I will check their supplements against the RDI (recommended daily intake). Sometimes we may need to add a supplement or simply switch one of their current multivitamins for one that contains folic acid.
Lots of foods are also fortified with folic acid which may be acceptable to a selective eater. These include bread, fortified cereals (e.g. Milo cereal) and even orange juice.
According to Eat For Health, cereals and cereal products are providing nearly as much folate to Australians and New Zealanders as vegetables and legumes. Fruit also provides some.
One reason for folic acid fortification in foods is because folic acid intake in pregnancy is well established to help reduce the risk of neural tube defects.
If you are curious whether your child’s diet contains adequate folate, there are a few options available for assessment.
you can search for a list of folate rich foods and see if your child eats any
you can check their supplements for folic acid
you can check packaged food for fortification with folic acid
you can type into Claude or a similar AI ‘these are the foods my child eats and the supplements they take, are any nutrients missing?’
you can sign up to foodzone for free to complete a diet diary and get an analysis
you can book an appointment with a nutritionist or start with your GP and request blood tests
Foodzone is a great tool that I use in clinic. Parents can fill out a diet diary for their child and that information can be linked straight through to me. It bases your child’s nutrient requirements on the government guidelines and utilises the AUSNUT database of food to tell you what nutrients each food is providing. They have an app coming soon too. You can also add in recipes or custom foods if a food your child eats has not yet been added to the database.
When it comes to folate intake, I encourage you to be alert but not alarmed. It is a deficiency I see in clinic and this is where nutritional knowledge and intervention can shine.
I know for myself I don’t regularly eat folate rich foods. Part of my supplement stack includes a combination product of magnesium, B vitamins including folic acid and holy basil, a herb utilised for mood support.
In the next live round of my course, Supporting your Selective Eater 2.0, there will be a module walking you through how to check your child’s nutrient requirements and assess if they are getting enough.
My mission is to continue to support the families in my clinic as well as those who find my content online to be empowered with nutrition knowledge.
