The Best Juicing Recipe for Pregnancy: Fresh Folate Juice
Did you know that folate is especially important in the early stages of pregnancy for healthy fetal development?
Folate or folic acid (the man-made form of folate) helps to prevent something called neural tube defects (or NTDs) such as spina bifida, which impact around 3,000 pregnancies in the US every year, or around 8 in every 1,000 births. Some studies show that if every woman took a folic acid supplement every day before getting pregnant and during early pregnancy, up to 70% of NTDs could be prevented.
Supplements are a good way to ensure you’re getting the nutrients, but it’s important to get a healthy amount of folate in your diet as soon as you start trying to conceive or know that you’re pregnant. And even if you’re past that stage, folate is good for you at any time as it plays a critical role in energy production. So today, we have an amazing fresh folate juice recipe for you.
Before you start, there are 2 key things you need to make great juice recipes: fresh fruits and veg and a quality juicer. Our personal favorite is the Nama J2 Cold Press Juicer — absolutely worth the investment!
Fresh folate juice recipe
Servings: 2 | Time: 5 minutes | Supplies: Juicer or blender
Not only is this recipe packed full of folate, but it will also give you a healthy dose of vitamin C (found in the carrots & oranges) and magnesium (found in the beetroot). Plus, if you’re struggling with nausea during pregnancy, then the ginger kick in this fresh folate juice could help!
One thing to note: This recipe contains spirulina, a serious superfood. Spirulina has more iron than spinach, more antioxidants than blueberries, and more beta-carotene than carrots. Some animal studies have found spirulina to be safe and even beneficial in pregnancy, but extensive research has not been conducted yet so we’ve left it optional in this recipe - this juice will work with or without it!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 medium cooked beetroot, washed, peeled, and diced
1 small orange, peeled
2 medium carrots, washed and roughly chopped
1.5 inch fresh ginger, peeled
Handful of fresh spinach, washed
1 TBSP spirulina (optional)
Here’s how to make it:
1. Add all ingredients (except spirulina) to your juicer and start juicing! If you don’t have a juicer, you can add the ingredients to a blender and mix with 240 mL (1 cup) of all-natural apple juice, or other liquid of your choice.
2. Stir the spirulina into your juice if you’re using it and mix until dissolved. Enjoy!
Let us know what you think in the comments & share your pictures with us on Instagram, @baby2bodyofficial!