Vanessa Minnillo is making it a priority to share an important public health message with women nationwide by working with March of Dimes and Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals to help educate all women of reproductive age about the importance of Folate and folic acid through a national educational campaign called Girlfriends for Folate (GFF) (www.GirlfriendsForFolate.com).
This Tuesday, Vanessa hosted a luncheon at Robert Restaurant in New York City, where she could discuss the importance of both the program and the vitamin to women, ages 18-45.
While Vanessa's involvment with the program could potentially have rumors flying, she wants everyone to know that she is not pregnant! But, she says that she has friends who are and she hopes to have children one day. Consequently, this is definitely an issue that she feels very passionate about!
Regarding folic acid, Vanessa shared with fellow guests: “It’s not just for women who are pregnant or intending on becoming pregnant, it’s for ALL women of reproductive age. Half of the births in the U.S. are unplanned and that’s a scary statistic. Literally, half of the women plan it and the other half had no idea it was going to happen. By the time you guys go to the store and get that test, it’s four weeks in – at least! By that time, your baby is developing! It’s so important that women already have Folate in their system!”
Folate, a B vitamin (synthetically available as folic acid), helps regenerate cells. When taken before pregnancy and during the early months of pregnancy, it helps reduce the risk of serious birth defects of the spine or the brain, also known as neural tube defects (NTDs). March of Dimes recommends that all women of reproductive age supplement their diet with at least 400 mcg of folic acid daily. While many of our foods are enriched with folic acid, it is often the same foods that many of us are currently attempting to cut back on such as carbs, aka ‘enriched’ bread. For this reason, it is important for women to be aware of their daily intake and take supplements if neccessary.
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