Prenatal vitamins are a hot topic among many women these days and many of them are talking about the benefits of using them before getting pregnant. The reasoning is that prenatal vitamins may help prevent some birth defects. Prenatal vitamins, in my opinion, should probably become part of the diet plan for expecting mothers. Pregnancy greatly increases the need for some nutrients and it can be hard to meet these needs through diet alone. Iron and folic acid are two such nutrients. Pregnancy is a time when both mother and baby are growing quickly. This rapid growth increases the demand for all nutrients, and the development of the baby and placenta are directly influenced by the mother's nutritional status.
Doctor will often prescribe a prenatal vitamin to a pregnant patient, but some evidence suggests that vitamins are beneficial for women who are planning to conceive. The consistent use of prenatal vitamins during pregnancy and breastfeeding is advisable to reduce or avert the chances of nutrition deficiencies.
Most Prenatal vitamins are specially formulated to make up for nutritional deficiencies in a mother's diet, and contain supplements such as vitamins, zinc, iron, and calcium. Perhaps most important, they contain folic acid, which reduces the risk of serious birth defects of the brain and spinal cord. Prenatal vitamins could very well prove to play a vital role in a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby, due in large part to the great deficiencies now found in most of our food. However, prenatal vitamins are not meant to be your sole source of nutrients. They are meant to supplement, or prevent certain nutrient deficiencies. Eating a healthy, varied and balanced diet will go a long way toward ensuring the health of both mother and infant.
A FEW IMPORTANT NUTRIENTS FOR MOTHER AND CHILD:
DHA
DHA is a fatty acid that is crucial for baby's brain development from the earliest stages of pregnancy through the breast feeding years. DHA is a type of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids belonging to omega 3 families. There are two types of essential fatty acids - omega 3 and omega 6 families. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid that appears to be important for brain, eye, and heart health. The typical American diet is usually deficient in DHA.
IRON
Iron is an important mineral, and most prenatal vitamins will have 30 to 40 mg. If a woman is anemic, she should talk to her health care provider about whether she will need more. Additionally, a natural practitioner may recommend a different type of iron supplement. During the third trimester of pregnancy, the baby will use a tremendous amount of iron, which comes from the mother's stored levels.
FOLIC ACID
Folic Acid is very essential for a healthy pregnancy and healthy fetal development. It has been shown to decrease the risk of birth defects like spine bifida or other neural tube defects. Folic acid is naturally found in dark, leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, dried beans, and whole grain breads and cereals. Most cereals are also fortified with many other vitamins and can be a good dietary choice for the pregnant woman who cannot tolerate vitamins. Folic acid is an essential nutrient that can help prevent birth defects in newborns.
Folic acid has been proven crucial for a baby's neural tube development, especially during the first trimester when women are most likely to suffer from nausea and vomiting. In fact, some recommend women should start taking about 400 micrograms of folate at least a month before they start trying to conceive.
CALCIUM
Calcium is certainly important in the development of a new baby. Calcium, 400 mg/day, and magnesium, 300 mg/day, help protect the mother's bones and can help prevent pre-eclampsia. Chromium, 200 mg/day, helps control the mother's blood sugar, and look for the following B vitamins: B12, 120 mg/day; B6, 20 mg/day, and B5, also known as pantothenic acid, 20 mg/day. CALCIUM - A supplement that contains 2-300 mg calcium is just a start toward reaching the recommended 1200 mg daily. However, anything beyond 250 mg of calcium (or 25 mg of magnesium) should not be taken at the same time as supplemental iron since both calcium and magnesium interfere with the absorption of the iron.
Finally, not all prenatal vitamins are created equal... While most prenatal vitamins try to pack in as much as they can into the vitamin, they must be careful not to promote an excess of potentially toxic fat soluble vitamins. Vitamin A should be provided as water-soluble beta carotene at a level that won't cause vitamin A toxicity. Vitamin E should be included from an all-natural source and provided in a safe amount. Deficiencies in vitamin E in pregnancy have been linked to birth defects so having "just enough" is important. Vitamin K, another fat-soluble vitamin, which also needs to be provided in amounts that avoid toxicity. One highly recommended source of a prenatal vitamin can be found below.
Keith Henry is the Director Of Phase 3 Ministries Inc., located on Orlando FLorida. He is a medical missionary herbalist, and Naturopatheic Doctor Candidate(Traditional). He has found Vegan Prenatal One A Day to be an excellent prenatal vitamin, even suitable for both vegetarians and vegans.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_Henry
Doctor will often prescribe a prenatal vitamin to a pregnant patient, but some evidence suggests that vitamins are beneficial for women who are planning to conceive. The consistent use of prenatal vitamins during pregnancy and breastfeeding is advisable to reduce or avert the chances of nutrition deficiencies.
Most Prenatal vitamins are specially formulated to make up for nutritional deficiencies in a mother's diet, and contain supplements such as vitamins, zinc, iron, and calcium. Perhaps most important, they contain folic acid, which reduces the risk of serious birth defects of the brain and spinal cord. Prenatal vitamins could very well prove to play a vital role in a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby, due in large part to the great deficiencies now found in most of our food. However, prenatal vitamins are not meant to be your sole source of nutrients. They are meant to supplement, or prevent certain nutrient deficiencies. Eating a healthy, varied and balanced diet will go a long way toward ensuring the health of both mother and infant.
A FEW IMPORTANT NUTRIENTS FOR MOTHER AND CHILD:
DHA
DHA is a fatty acid that is crucial for baby's brain development from the earliest stages of pregnancy through the breast feeding years. DHA is a type of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids belonging to omega 3 families. There are two types of essential fatty acids - omega 3 and omega 6 families. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid that appears to be important for brain, eye, and heart health. The typical American diet is usually deficient in DHA.
IRON
Iron is an important mineral, and most prenatal vitamins will have 30 to 40 mg. If a woman is anemic, she should talk to her health care provider about whether she will need more. Additionally, a natural practitioner may recommend a different type of iron supplement. During the third trimester of pregnancy, the baby will use a tremendous amount of iron, which comes from the mother's stored levels.
FOLIC ACID
Folic Acid is very essential for a healthy pregnancy and healthy fetal development. It has been shown to decrease the risk of birth defects like spine bifida or other neural tube defects. Folic acid is naturally found in dark, leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, dried beans, and whole grain breads and cereals. Most cereals are also fortified with many other vitamins and can be a good dietary choice for the pregnant woman who cannot tolerate vitamins. Folic acid is an essential nutrient that can help prevent birth defects in newborns.
Folic acid has been proven crucial for a baby's neural tube development, especially during the first trimester when women are most likely to suffer from nausea and vomiting. In fact, some recommend women should start taking about 400 micrograms of folate at least a month before they start trying to conceive.
CALCIUM
Calcium is certainly important in the development of a new baby. Calcium, 400 mg/day, and magnesium, 300 mg/day, help protect the mother's bones and can help prevent pre-eclampsia. Chromium, 200 mg/day, helps control the mother's blood sugar, and look for the following B vitamins: B12, 120 mg/day; B6, 20 mg/day, and B5, also known as pantothenic acid, 20 mg/day. CALCIUM - A supplement that contains 2-300 mg calcium is just a start toward reaching the recommended 1200 mg daily. However, anything beyond 250 mg of calcium (or 25 mg of magnesium) should not be taken at the same time as supplemental iron since both calcium and magnesium interfere with the absorption of the iron.
Finally, not all prenatal vitamins are created equal... While most prenatal vitamins try to pack in as much as they can into the vitamin, they must be careful not to promote an excess of potentially toxic fat soluble vitamins. Vitamin A should be provided as water-soluble beta carotene at a level that won't cause vitamin A toxicity. Vitamin E should be included from an all-natural source and provided in a safe amount. Deficiencies in vitamin E in pregnancy have been linked to birth defects so having "just enough" is important. Vitamin K, another fat-soluble vitamin, which also needs to be provided in amounts that avoid toxicity. One highly recommended source of a prenatal vitamin can be found below.
Keith Henry is the Director Of Phase 3 Ministries Inc., located on Orlando FLorida. He is a medical missionary herbalist, and Naturopatheic Doctor Candidate(Traditional). He has found Vegan Prenatal One A Day to be an excellent prenatal vitamin, even suitable for both vegetarians and vegans.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_Henry
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