Which Prenatal Vitamin Should I Take?
Determining the most essential prenatal vitamins can be difficult, especially with all the incorrect information and advertising aimed at the expecting mother by the media. Our community has come together to assist you in determining the best prenatal vitamins for you and your baby.
The three most important ingredients for the soon-to-be mother are Folic Acid, Calcium, and Iron. We will explain to you why these three are absolutely essential in ensuring that your baby will be healthy during the development process, as well as inform you about the foods that naturally contain these essential prenatal vitamins.
Taking Prenatal Vitamins
It is recommended that women trying to become pregnant should take 400 milligrams of Folic Acid daily, while women who are already pregnant should obtain 600 milligrams of Folic Acid per day through food and supplements. Folic acid guards your developing baby against neural tube defects, such as Spina Bifida. This rather severe condition occurs when the spine is developed incompletely and can result in paralysis and mental retardation. Therefore, it is crucial that you ingest the recommended amount of Folic Acid to reduce your baby's risk of having a neural tube defect. Some foods that are a rich source of Folic Acid are broccoli, spinach, beets, peas, nuts, beans, oranges, and strawberries.
Calcium, another crucial prenatal vitamin, furthers bone growth in the fetus. Because Calcium from your own bones can be delivered to your baby in the event of a shortage in this important mineral, taking enough calcium aids in maintaining your own bone density as well. It also benefits the circulatory, muscular, and nervous systems of both mom and baby. During pregnancy, you should take from 1,000 to 1,300 milligrams of calcium a day. If you look to natural foods for your daily source of calcium, dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, and eggs, contain an abundant store of this mineral.
Muscle development, reducing the risk of anemia and prevention of low birth weight and premature delivery are some of the benefits of including a healthy dose of Iron in your diet as an expecting mom. 27 milligrams is a good amount of iron to ingest per day to keep baby healthy. Iron can be found in red meat (beef and pork), spinach, and dried beans.
When shopping for supplements, be sure to look to see if they include the recommended amounts of these three best prenatal vitamins--Folic Acid, Calcium, and Iron--all essential for the development of a healthy baby. Pick one in a form that you are comfortable with, whether liquid, capsule, chewable, or the classic tablet form. Keep in mind that experts agree that prenatal supplements in capsule form are the easiest to absorb.
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