Vitamins and minerals are vital for the proper functioning of the body. If your body is deficient in essential vitamins, then you might experience serious health issues. When you get pregnant, the role of vitamins and minerals in your body becomes more important. That is because the fetus must be properly nourished too. Its nourishment can only come from your body. To supply the needs of the fetus, you should improve your diet and you may have to take prenatal vitamins.
Choosing the Best Prenatal Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins are especially indicated to address the particular needs of pregnant women. To make sure that you are getting the right vitamins and minerals, it is important to select a supplement that would be suitable for your needs. Your doctor could help you in this aspect. Before taking any supplement, you should get a recommendation first from your prenatal care provider.
Prenatal vitamins should have higher doses of calcium, iron, and folic acid. Calcium is an essential mineral that promotes good bone development. Folic acid could help in the proper growth of neuron cells while iron is essential for the healthy development of red blood cells.
These minerals are especially needed during pregnancy because the fetus is growing fast. It needs enough supply of calcium, iron, and folic acid for optimum growth. If you have a nutritional deficiency, the unborn child could suffer. So when choosing prenatal vitamins, make sure that they contain vitamins and minerals that are needed by your baby.
Vitamins and Minerals from Foods
Prenatal vitamins are needed by pregnant women but it does not mean that you will forget to develop the right diet. Foods are still your best sources of vitamins and minerals. Eating the right foods will ensure that the fetus will be properly nourished.
Again, you have to carefully consider the quality of foods you eat everyday. It is not enough to increase the quantity of your consumption. The important thing is the quality of the foods you eat. As a rule of thumb, your diet should include dark green vegetables, fruits, dairy products, grains, and protein foods like meat and fish. Your calorie intake should be increased and it must come from these nutritious foods.
However, you may not be able to get sufficient vitamins and minerals from foods alone. This is particularly true for women who are allergic to certain foods. So you should take prenatal vitamins in order to ensure that your body and the fetus are sufficiently nourished.
Vitamins (interesting to know is that the Danes commonly call them vitaminer) are very important for your body. They become more important when you become pregnant because you also need to support a growing child in your womb. By eating right and taking prenatal vitamins, you are actually providing an optimal environment for the fetus to develop properly and grow healthy.
