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Nancy O'Dell

A Star Committed to Babies

By Jessica Williams

Folic acid has been shown to reduce the risk of birth defects of the spine and brain by 50 to 60 percent. And although she and her husband are not planning to have children for a few more years, she knows that almost half of the pregnancies in the United States are unplanned.

"I thought it was pretty incredible that something so simple could help so much," O'Dell says. "I am not planning to get pregnant any time soon, but if it does happen, the folic acid will be in my body to help prevent birth defects. I learned you can get folic acid through certain foods like green leafy vegetables, orange juice, enriched breads, beans and grains. You can also get it through a multivitamin. A lot of people don't know about folic acid because the research wasn't widely known until the early 1990s."

O'Dell also understands how a change in anyone's diet, especially for a busy woman like herself, can be a challenge. But she reminds women that the benefits outweigh the inconvenience, and changing a routine can be easy.

"I think everybody can take time out in the morning to drink orange juice," she says. "Make an effort to get fortified cereals and breads. Folic acid comes in a lot of food, and taking a multivitamin doesn't take long."

When asked if her work with this campaign makes her an advocate in her daily life, she replies that she definitely tries to educate people.

"I give a little lecture, like, 'OK, you need to do this and this. Do you know about this? Are you taking your mltivitamin?'" she says. "And I really noticed a difference in my own diet. I don't like vegetables much; the only one I can eat is asparagus ... so I have been loading up on that! Women also need to make sure they are vaccinated against measles and Rubella (German measles), get regular checkups, maintain an ideal weight, exercise, review family history, don't handle cat litter or eat under-cooked meat, drink, do drugs or smoke."

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