TempoLife › Features › Reference intakes by nutrient, age and sex › women-19-50
Folate and folic acid for women who could become pregnant
The reference intake is 330 micrograms of dietary folate equivalents a day, the same as for men. What is different for this group is a separate, specific recommendation: 400 micrograms of folic acid a day as a supplement, starting before conception.
EFSA note on this row: plus a 400 microgram folic acid supplement if pregnancy is possible
These are published population reference values, not a diagnosis and not a prescription. A reference intake describes what covers a healthy group; it cannot tell you your own status, and no page can. Pregnancy, chronic illness, medicines and malabsorption all change the picture — take those questions to a doctor, midwife, pharmacist or dietitian.
Two numbers doing two different jobs
The 330 microgram reference intake is about ordinary nutritional adequacy, and food supplies it. The 400 microgram folic acid recommendation is a targeted preventive intervention against neural tube defects, and it exists on top of the diet rather than instead of it.
Conflating them is the commonest mistake made on this topic. A diet rich in leafy greens and lentils satisfies the first and does not replace the second, because the evidence for neural tube defect prevention comes from trials of folic acid supplements and from countries that fortify flour with folic acid.
Before conception is the whole point
The neural tube closes in the fourth week after conception, typically before a pregnancy is recognised and often before a period is even late. A supplement started when the test turns positive has missed the window for this specific benefit.
That is why the recommendation across European national guidance is framed the way it is: any woman who could become pregnant, not any woman who is planning to. About half of pregnancies are unplanned, and the recommendation is designed around that fact rather than around intentions.
Higher doses and why they are prescribed
A larger daily dose is recommended in some situations — a previous pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect, certain antiepileptic medicines, diabetes, and some other conditions. Those doses are set by a clinician, and they are the reason this page gives a general figure rather than a personal one.
The 1 000 microgram upper level for folic acid from supplements applies to self-selected intake, not to a prescribed dose, and the reason it exists is that high folic acid can mask the anaemia of vitamin B12 deficiency while nerve damage continues.
Food still matters
The food table below shows what ordinary portions contribute against the 330 microgram reference intake. Lentils, chickpeas, leafy greens, broccoli, beetroot and oranges do the work. Folate is heat-sensitive and water-soluble, so brief cooking and using the cooking water keeps more of it than long boiling.
How this compares with every other group
| Group | Reference value | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infants 7-11 months | 80 µg DFE | AI | |
| Children 1-3 years | 120 µg DFE | PRI | |
| Children 4-6 years | 140 µg DFE | PRI | |
| Children 7-10 years | 200 µg DFE | PRI | |
| Children 11-14 years | 270 µg DFE | PRI | |
| Boys 15-17 years | 330 µg DFE | PRI | the adult value is reached at 15 |
| Girls 15-17 years | 330 µg DFE | PRI | the adult value is reached at 15 |
| Men 19-50 | 330 µg DFE | PRI | |
| Women 19-50 | 330 µg DFE | PRI | plus a 400 microgram folic acid supplement if pregnancy is possible |
| Men 51 and over | 330 µg DFE | PRI | |
| Women 51 and over | 330 µg DFE | PRI | |
| Adults 65 and over | 330 µg DFE | PRI | |
| Pregnancy | 600 µg DFE | PRI | nearly double the adult value |
| Breastfeeding | 500 µg DFE | PRI |
Ordinary food against the 330 µg DFE figure for women 19-50
Top of this list: Lentils, 326 µg food folate in a 180 g serving (a portion, cooked) — 99% of the 330 µg DFE figure for women 19-50. It would take about 2 of those to cover a full day from that one food, which is why a real diet spreads it across several rows.
| Food | Ordinary portion | Per portion | Share of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lentils | a portion, cooked, 180 g | 326 µg food folate | 99% |
| Chickpeas | a portion, cooked, 150 g | 258 µg food folate | 78% |
| Black beans | a portion, cooked, 150 g | 224 µg food folate | 68% |
| Spinach | a large handful, 80 g | 155 µg food folate | 47% |
| Veal liver | a small portion, 100 g | 125 µg food folate | 38% |
| Beet | a portion, 100 g | 109 µg food folate | 33% |
| Soybeans | a portion, cooked, 150 g | 81 µg food folate | 25% |
| Avocado | half an avocado, 100 g | 81 µg food folate | 25% |
| Peanuts | a small handful, 30 g | 72 µg food folate | 22% |
| Sunflower seeds | 2 tbsp, 30 g | 68.1 µg food folate | 21% |
| Green peas | a portion, 100 g | 65 µg food folate | 20% |
| Broccoli | a portion, 100 g | 63 µg food folate | 19% |
Unit: The reference value is in dietary folate equivalents (DFE); the composition data is natural food folate, which converts to DFE one for one. Fortified products, where folic acid is absorbed about twice as efficiently, would need converting - none are ranked here.
Portion sizes are ordinary household servings chosen for this table, not official reference portions, and the shortlist is an editorial one: everyday foods eaten in this region rather than the highest per-100 g entries in the database. A raw per-100 g ranking would be topped by dried herbs, drink powders and fortified breakfast cereals, which answers a different question. The composition data is American, so where US fortification practice differs from European practice the row carries a dagger and the reason. For the full per-100 g ranking of a nutrient, the food-data section of this site publishes one.
The whole nutrient, not just this group
The Folate (B9) reference intake page carries the full age and sex table, the upper level, and what the value type means.
Related pages
Iron for women aged 19 to 50
The same life stage, a different nutrient.
Folate in pregnancy
The same nutrient, a different life stage.
Sources: EFSA Dietary Reference Values · Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII · USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy (food composition) · EFSA scientific opinion on dietary reference values for folate (2014) · World Health Organization guidance on periconceptional folic acid supplementation · checked 2026-09-06
Frequently asked questions
How much folic acid should I take before pregnancy?
National guidance across Europe advises 400 micrograms a day for any woman who could become pregnant, from before conception through the first twelve weeks. Higher doses are prescribed in specific circumstances.
Can I get enough folate from food instead of a supplement?
Food supplies the 330 microgram reference intake, but the neural tube defect recommendation is specifically for folic acid supplements, because that is what the evidence is built on.
When is it too late to start folic acid?
For neural tube defect prevention the critical window is the fourth week after conception, so a supplement started after a positive pregnancy test has largely missed it for that purpose. It is still worth discussing with a midwife or doctor.
Turn a reference value into your own week
TempoLife adds up what you actually ate, so you can see how a real week sits against the figure on this page.