One of the B vitamin's, folic acid is essential for making healthy new cells in the body. Women who are pregnant are going to have particularly high needs for folic acid as their babies will just be growing and developing.

Without a sufficient intake birth defects can be seen in the spine or brain. Therefore, this is usually one supplement that most doctors will recommend those women who are currently pregnant go on.

Folic acid has health benefits for men and women of any age so it is not just for women who are pregnant. Many studies now show that this nutrient will help to prevent heart disease, stroke, some forms of cancer and potentially even Alzheimer's disease.

The best way to get enough is to eat a varied diet full of fruits and vegetables, as they are the richest sources. If you find doing so difficult, you can rest assured knowing there are supplemental forms as well.

The best food choices are going to be broccoli, nuts, asparagus, bananas, oranges, peas, spaghetti, bread, cereal and flour so try and choose these most often. You can also usually check the food label on any packaged foods to see if it contains the nutrient, however be aware that it may be called folate instead. This is the same thing and will count towards meeting your needs.

Men and women should be aiming to get 400 micrograms per day and women who are pregnant, in which case you would bump it up to 600 micrograms per day (breastfeeding women need 500 mcg).