How can Folic Acid prevent birth defects?

There are many types of foods that are rich in Folic Acid. Folic rich foods would be Lentil, dried beans, peas, nuts, avocado, dark green veggies, citrus fruit and also juice. For more info, click here.
If you do not eat foods that are rich in Folic Acid, there is another option that you can go with and that would be taking a Folic Acid pill everyday. The recommended amount of Folic Acid for a women is about 400 micrograms a day. Folic Acid should be taken both before and during pregnancy. This can reduce the neural tube defect by 50 to 70 percent. The birth defects that are caused by lack of Folic Acid are such as NTD, heart defects, spina bifida and more. 5 Folic Acid rich cereals are Fiber one cereal, Raisin Bran, Wheat Chex, and Honey Toasted Oat.