Facts about Folic Acid

Folic Acid (or Vitamin B9) is a vitamin that's extremely important for overall health, but a lack of it is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies there is.
 
Your level might be low if...

If your diet is lacking in certain vegetables, you have celiac's disease, are obese, an alcoholic, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, you might be prone to deficiency.  The elderly have an increased risk as well. 


Symptoms:

Some symptoms of low levels of Folic Acid can include: Diarrhea, headaches, weakness, appetite loss, thinning hair\hair loss, insomnia, dry skin, weight loss, paranoia, irritability and depression. 



Recommended allowances:
The recommended dietary allowance about 400 mcg\day, but can vary from person to person - especially women.  For example, women who are planning a pregnancy or are breastfeeding should take in a little more than the average adult.  

Can I get too much?
Since Vit. B9 is water soluble, any excess is usually flushed out of the body, so the risk of toxicity is low.  However, if a patient is taking anti- convulsant medication, there is evidence that extreme levels of the vitamin can produce seizures, so those patients should be sure to check with their doctor before taking any supplement!  As a general rule, you shouldn't consume more than 1000 mcg a day.

The best way to get in a good dose of the ol' Folate is so eat a diet full of different kinds of vegetables (especially green leafy ones!), and a take a multivitamin.

What really brought this post on is that I've been having a few symptoms of low levels, so I've started taking a supplement...I'll give it a month or two and I'll let you know if I see a difference!

Do you take any supplements? If you do, what do you take?

I usually try to take a multivitamin, and now a Folic Acid supplement. 

{I've just been able to quickly pop online here, but we made it to Malawi safely! We just got back from spending 3 days in the village doing a seminar for ladies - can't wait to get back and tell all about it and show pictures!!}

A tornado came through...

...My room.  This is how my room looked this morning, with all my clothes in neat stacks waiting to be packed.  

I'm not sure what happened, but they're still not in my bag, and somehow my bed does not look like that anymore...

We leave at 3 a.m. (bury me now) on Friday morning, so tomorrow is our last day to finish everything up! 

I still need to:

 - Portion out Panya's food and put it in bags for when Carey feeds her

 - Give Panya a bath

 - Finish packing

 - Get blog post(s) ready for when we're gone. I should've thought earlier to ask   one of y'all to do a guest post.

 - Charge camera batteries {Hello 16 hours in the car!}

   ....

Am I sure going to miss this little girl. This picture makes me laugh - she just looks so thrilled!

She really does love me - don't be fooled

Wise words, indeed.

On a random note, I decided to try to learn Spanish. Er, ya know...Espanol.  When we went back to visit the States the first time, alot of things were in Spanish.  The second time we went back even more things were in Spanish.  I admit, if I were just picking a language to learn simply because it was super cool, Spanish probably wouldn't be my first choice, but I think it's one that I could really end up using if we move back.  

I've found some really good sites that have all sorts of grammar lessons, etc., and then others where you can practice using what you've learned.  

_____

I need to get outta here and get some sleep...hopefully I'll get everything on my to do list done, and have an informative post ready for y'all! Well, if you want to know about Folic Acid. 

Sock filth, soft pretzels, and trips to different countries

I've been MIA a bit lately, but the past week or so I just haven't had energy to do much on here...for some reason the last week all I've felt like doing in the evenings is hunker down, sitting on my neck, and watch Man vs. Food.  I'm pretty sure it's because insomnia has been worse lately, but thankfully the last couple of nights I've been able to sleep better!

We decided to try to incorporate one trail run a week into our schedule.  It's hard, but so worth it - the scenery is beautiful! It is so dusty, though.  I was super low on socks, so Jake was nice and gave me a pair of his...he even wrote my name on them!  He was so funny when he gave them to me - he said, "Aw, weell....the colors of sharpie looked good together before they were on the socks...".

One 4 mile run and this is what my socks looked like

My feet aren't actually 4 different colors, the flash and dust just makes it look that way.  I understand if you have to de-follow me after seeing this picture, but for reasons I still don't understand it seemed like a good idea to immediately walk in the house and take a picture of my post run feet.  Calm down, veins, the run is over now.

 

 Filthy!

Let's move on...

Soft pretzels, oh yes! These are so easy, and quick to make.

Soft Pretzels:

2 1\2 tsp Yeast          4-5 C Flour

1 1\2 C Water            Pretzel Salt

1 tsp Salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add salt, sugar and flour to make stiff dough.  Knead 5-8 minutes. Shape into twists, brush with egg whites, sprinkle with coarse pretzel salt.  Bake at 425º for 5 minutes or until golden brown.  When taken out of oven, brush with butter.

We leave for Malawi on the 12th! The plan is to leave at some horribly early hour since it's going to be about a 15 hour drive.  I have my lesson done, though, and am getting final stuff together to teach a children's class one Sunday morning.  We're planning for a minimum of 50 kids. Yeah, 50!  We'll be gone for two weeks, but hopefully I can get a post ready and set it for while I'm gone.  Heh heh, real tech savvy.

Mom has been needing to make a trip to visit her parents, so we made the plans for her and I to go to California to visit them, and then also to visit my sister in Tennessee! I am so excited to make a visit to the States!  We'll leave in the beginning of November, and spend a month before we come back.

Are your feet hideous right after a run?

Mine, obviously yes...I guess I'll have to take a picture of them normally to even things out. 

Soft pretzels - like em?