You hear about how important it is to take vitamins and have enough of this and that and when you are pregnant how it is even more important. But who really knows how much is enough? Does it change in different times such as before you're pregnant, during pregnancy and when you are lactating? Yes! So I'm going to let you know the ins and outs of how much of these nutrients you need and when.
Let's start with iron. Iron deficiency is the world's most common nutrient deficiency, both in developed and developing countries. Men need less on any given day than women. But when you are pregnant you need 3X as much as men. That's A LOT of iron! 27mg to be exact. For non-pregnant women daily intake should be 18mg.
To get 27mg of iron in a day, you would have to eat about 73 ounces of chicken breast, or 4 1/4 cups of boiled spinach. As you can see 27mg is VERY hard to consume this amount through the diet each day. That is why most pregnant women need to take an iron supplement daily. It is important to get as much as you can through your diet, because it is more easily absorbed by your body, but if you cannot meet this recommendation you should consider taking a vitamin. This will help prevent a baby with a low birth weight. Babies born with a low birth weight tend to have more health issues throughout their lives.
Next let's talk about another major nutrient called folate. Folate is a vitamin found in some foods, added to others, or available in a supplement. It prevents neural tube defects during pregnancy which are defects that affect the brain, spine or spinal cord. These defects happen in the first month after a baby is conceived. Most women do not even know that they are pregnant yet. So it is important that NON-pregnant women get enough folate, about 400mcg per day. If you are pregnant you should consume 600 mcg per day and 500mcg when you are lactating after pregnancy.
Folate is found in foods such as dark leafy green vegetables, fruits and fruit juices, nuts, beans, meat, eggs, grains, and many other foods. Breakfast cereal has folate added to it so it is another good source for this vitamin. But if you really like boiled spinach 2 1/4 cups will get you to the 600mcg needed per day. Prenatal vitamins are sold over the counter and they all contain folate, so another option would be to supplement the amount you need if you can't get to the daily requirement.
Below I have included sources for more information and other food sources of these nutrients.
Sources and More Information about Folate
Iron in Your Pregnancy
Do you need an Iron Supplement?
Spinach Picture
Hi Tiffany!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you picked such an important subject to talk about. I can't relate to the pregnancy, or anything yet, but I know there are a ton of ladies who have iron deficiencies on a regular basis and don't even know it. Perhaps it would be a good idea to mention some signs/symptoms of what a deficiency would look like in the mother? Perhaps not, just a thought. Excellent job mentioning sources of your nutrients. Rock on the spinach train! Have a lovely evening!