Folate Foods: A Guide to a MTHFR Diet

WHY FOLATE FOODS?

‘Folate’ encompasses all forms of vitamin B9.¹ When we eat it, this vitamin is metabolized with the aid of MTHFR enzymes to become methylfolate (5-MTHF).² For those of us with a MTHFR variant, this process doesn’t always happen so smoothly. If you’re like me and your MTHFR gene only successfully metabolizes about 30% of the folate you eat, you’ll likely want to keep the folate nozzle on full-blast. ³ 

To do that, you need to know which foods are high in folate.

[30%, huh? Read Common MTHFR Mutations: A1298C & C677T to learn more about the most common MTHFR variants and their effects on MTHFR enzyme activity.]

WHAT ARE FOLATE FOODS?

So what foods are great sources of dietary folate? ⁴

When you think folate, it helps to think green.

• Leafy greens
• Spinach
• Collard greens
• Romaine
• Kale
• Arugala
• Cabbage
• Sprouts
• Mustard green
• Broccoli
• Brussel sprouts
• Peas
• Green beans
• Asparagus
• Cauliflower
• Beets
• Okra
• Squash
• Artichoke
• Eggs
• Animal organs
• Lamb
• Black beans
• Chickpeas
• Kidney beans
• Pinto beans
• Black-eyed beans
• Edamame
• Split peas
• Peanuts
• Walnuts
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Quinoa
• Lemons
• Oranges
• Limes
• Grapefruits
• Bananas
• Avocados
• Papayas
• Melons
• Berries

FORTIFIED FOODS: FOLIC ACID

Hold up—you may be looking at the list above and wondering why I excluded fortified foods.

[THE MORE YOU KNOW…

Enriched or fortified foods are those that a synthetic form of folate, folic acid, is added to during its production.⁵ These include:

• Rice
• Flour
• Grains
• Cereal
• Cornmeal and corn flour
• Pasta

If you’re ever wondering if a food has been treated with folic acid, search the label for terms like ‘fortified’ and ‘enriched’. Even then, it doesn’t always show up, so it’s a good idea to memorize the list above and scan ingredient lists for them.]

Well, friends, here’s where there’s a divergence in thought among some experts and official American nutrition institutions. It all comes down to this: is folic acid the same thing as natural folate?

The short answer? No, it’s not.

FOLATE VS FOLIC ACID

Folic acid is a synthetic substance, meaning it’s a manufactured version of folate. Chemically, it’s made to look identical to folate, so it’s attracted to and received by the folate receptors in your body. But the problem is that folic acid requires an extra step to be broken down to a state that’s nearer to natural folate—and for that step to happen, your MTHFR gene needs to be up to the task.^{6 7}

If you have one of those pesky MTHFR variants that cause issues with your metabolism of folate, or if you’re ingesting folic acid in large quantities, your MTHFR gene could become overwhelmed and unable to keep up. ^{8 9} Some sources say even if you don’t have a MTHFR polymorphism, eating excess folic acid can have you experiencing similar symptoms! ¹⁰

When your MTHFR gene and enzymes are overwhelmed, they can’t do their work and excess folic acid ends up sitting around in your system. ¹¹ Once it’s there, it doesn’t leave easily! And because it’s similar enough to folate to hang out on folate receptors, it can also block natural folate from getting through. ^{12 13}

Recently, there are studies indicating that having a ton of folic acid squatting in your body could have adverse reactions…^{14 15 16}

THE BOTTOM LINE

Eating folic acid can actually hinder your ability to absorb natural dietary folate, especially if you have a MTHFR gene variant that already makes it more difficult for you to metabolize folate. For this reason, I avoid it.

In My MTHFR Lifestyle, I strive to avoid all products that contain folic acid including fortified foods. I focus on packing my diet with folate-rich foods. By adhering to this lifestyle, I find that my overall health and happiness is much greater than when I lacked dietary folate and clogged up my receptors with folic acid.

DISCLAIMER

I am not a healthcare professional. None of the content on this blog is meant to replace or substitute the advice of your doctor, nor should it be seen as health advice. Use your own good judgement and research to take what you will.

SOURCES

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9380836/#ref13
• https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/21/4699
• https://www.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/files/page-files/folate.pdf
• https://ods.od.nih.gov/pdf/factsheets/folate-consumer.pdf
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8961567/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5697735/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10338559/
• https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-020-04320-3

YOUR TURN

What are your favorite folate-foods? Do you notice a difference when you eat fortified foods versus when you avoid them? Share your MTHFR lifestyle tips in the comments below!