July Cooking Demo - B-9 (Folate)

_{July 28, 2023}
July brought another month of educational nutrition opportunities for our local seniors! This past month, the Chardon Senior Center welcomed Chef Jason to host a cooking demo with a focus on vitamin B-9 (also known as Folate and Folic acid).



We served our guests a teriyaki marinated chicken breast topped with pineapple-mango citrus salsa. We chose complimentary side dishes of coconut rice, and a vegetable medley consisting of squash, green beans, red pepper strips, and roasted garlic. Last but not least, the dessert was a peanut butter cheesecake with an Oreo crust and dark chocolate ganache on top. The meal as a whole provides well over 100% of our Folate-recommended daily allowance.



Folate is a necessary mineral that aids our bodies in forming DNA and RNA. Folic acid is a man-made form of folate/B-9. It assists the body in breaking down amino acids, including harmful ones, to fuel cell division. Folate is an essential nutrient but our bodies do not make it, which means we need to ingest it and find ways to work it into our diet.

One of the best sources of Folate is yeast spreads, while not popular in America, the U.K. and Australia use marmite and vegemite as a regular part of their diet. Other foods high in Folate are dark leafy vegetables, dark chocolate, beans, seeds, asparagus, lentils, eggs, chicken, lamb, liver, duck, goose, beef, pork, citrus fruits, bananas, avocado, brussels sprouts, apples, broccoli, berries, mango, and papaya to name a few.

Be on the lookout for next month's cooking demo with Chef Jason!