Key Nutrients For A Healthy Pregnancy
“Good nutrition is essential for well-being throughout your whole life, but during pregnancy it plays a specific and vital role in every aspect of your baby’s development.”
By eating a varied and wholesome diet you’re giving your baby a very healthy start in life. So you can continue to make nourishing food choices, let’s take a look at the specific vitamins and minerals you and your developing baby need throughout each trimester of pregnancy.
As your baby develops with each trimester, so does the importance of certain vitamins and minerals.
For example, during early pregnancy, folic acid is vital for the healthy development of your baby’s spine. During the second trimester vitamin D supports the development of the skeleton. And during the third trimester it’s important to build up stores of iron in preparation for labour.
So although a balanced diet of nutrients are needed throughout pregnancy, it’s vital to ensure particular nutritional deficiencies don’t occur at specific stages of pregnancy.
This is the basis upon which our signature online program, The 40 Weeks Program, is built.
Your body can manufacture some of the nutrients you and your baby need during pregnancy, but many need to come from your diet.
For example, fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K can be stored by your body. Water-soluble vitamins C and B-complex which are only stored in the body for a short time need to be consumed in your diet on a regular basis to get the right levels needed for a healthy pregnancy. Essential fatty acids DHA and EPA must also be obtained from your diet as the body cannot make these.
The 40 Weeks Program helps you make the right food choices each week of your pregnancy so you can get the correct amount of the vitamins and minerals essential to your health and your baby’s optimal growth and development.
With 9 out of 10 pregnant women not meeting the recommended intake of iron, vitamin A, calcium, zinc, magnesium and iodine, focused attention on what you eat during pregnancy is vital.
What are the key nutrients essential for each stage of pregnancy?
Water — Water is an important nutrient needed for nearly every physiological function. You can derive water from fresh, raw fruits and vegetables and by drinking 2-4 litres of filtered water per day.
Carbohydrates — Carbs are the main source of energy in your diet and also provide many of the essential minerals required during pregnancy. Opt for complex carbohydrates over simple or refined carbohydrates. Complex carbs provide a more sustainable release of energy, supports a healthy weight gain and lower risk of gestational diabetes. Examples of unrefined and complex carbs include brown rice, sweet potato, oats, whole grains, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms.
Fibre — Throughout your pregnancy, especially in the second and third trimester, you should be getting about 28g of fibre from food sources every day. In addition to helping prevent and ease constipation, fibre is associated with a reduced risk of gestational diabetes, as well as better glucose and insulin regulation. Whole plant foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains are an excellent source of fibre. There’s virtually no fibre in meat, dairy products, oils or refined sugars.
Fats — Healthy fats are essential for human life. Fats power every cell in your body, are essential for your baby’s brain, heart and eye development, and required for absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K. It’s essential to get omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids from your diet as these cannot be made by the human body. Wild-caught fish is the best source of these valuable fats. Other sources of omega-3s include beans, walnuts, flaxseed, chia seeds, avocado.
*Omega-3s from plant sources, such as flaxseed, don’t convert into DHA and EPA well at all. The best sources of EPA and DHA is fatty fish or a quality fish oil or algae supplement.
Proteins — Protein is needed for every cellular function, and your baby needs a lot of protein to grow and develop optimally. Good protein sources include nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, wild fish, organic dairy products, eggs and meats.
Vitamin A — Vitamin A comes in two forms: retinol (found in animal products) and carotenoids (found in plants). Adequate vitamin A is essential for normal organ development. Aim to fulfil your vitamin A requirements by eating plenty of healthy carotenoid-containing vegetables like sweet potato, carrots, mangoes, eggs, spinach, kale, capsicum.
Folate — Vitamin B9 is one of the most crucial B vitamins during pregnancy. It’s needed for the production of DNA in the developing baby’s cells. And critical to baby’s brain and spinal cord development. Dark leafy greens, lentils, beans, broccoli are good sources of folate.
Vitamin B12 — Essential to the development of the brain and nervous system as well as for a healthy blood supply. It works closely with folate and having adequate levels of both of these vitamins can reduce the risk of spina bifida, cleft lip and cleft palate in the baby. Vitamin B12 is also essential to preventing maternal anemia. Foods containing this vitamin include sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, spirulina, eggs.
Vitamin B6 — Vitamin B6 is known to bring relief from nausea and vomiting, and is crucial to nervous system development. Foods rich in vitamin B6 include spinach, bananas, potatoes, chickpeas, wild fish.
Choline — Choline is absolutely vital during pregnancy. It’s recommended early in pregnancy, along with folate and vitamin B12, to prevent neural tube defects. Later in pregnancy, choline will enhance baby’s brain development. Eggs and beef liver are the richest sources of choline. Pinto beans, brussels sprouts, broccoli deliver much lower levels of choline and it would be difficult to eat 450mg from vegetarian sources alone.
Iodine — Iodine deficiency in pregnancy is a worldwide issue. Iodine is needed for the early stages of your baby’s growth and nervous system development. Depending on your pathology results, it could be beneficial for you to take a pregnancy multivitamin that contains iodine plus eating foods rich in iodine such as eggs, cod, seafood, seaweeds (dulse, kombu, nori, arame, wakame).
Vitamin C — Vitamin C is essential for creating collagen. It’s involved in building healthy skin, bones, teeth and connective tissues, and is an important antioxidant during pregnancy. It’s important for wound healing and for fighting off infection, so is a useful nutrient after birth. It also supports iron absorption from food. Vitamin C is found in strawberries, green leafy vegetables, capsicum.
Vitamin D — Vitamin D supports brain and immune system development and helps with the absorption of calcium and phosphorus for building healthy, strong bones for you and your baby. The second trimester is a crucial time for the development of your baby’s skeleton, so vitamin D and minerals such as calcium are especially important in this trimester. Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy puts you at higher risk of preeclampsia, having a low birth weight infant, and gestational diabetes. Sardines, mackerel, shiitake mushrooms, egg yolks, beef and of course sunlight are good sources of vitamin D.
Vitamin E — With its powerful antioxidant action, Vitamin E helps protect your cells and those of your baby against damage from daily wear and tear. It may also protect your baby from developing asthma and allergies later in life. Natural sources of vitamin E include avocados, grass-fed or organic meat, sunflower seeds.
Calcium — Calcium helps the baby grow a healthy skeleton, teeth, cardiovascular system and heart rhythm. It’s also needed for muscle contraction and blood clotting during labour and birth. If you don’t supply enough calcium via your diet, your growing baby will take the calcium it needs out of your bone stores, leaving you vulnerable. Broccoli, bok choy, Chinese cabbage and dairy products are rich in calcium.
Iron — Iron is needed for the healthy brain development of your baby and for building a healthy blood supply. Low iron is often associated with fatigue. During pregnancy, your iron needs increase, especially during the second trimester. This is because, by the time you reach the third trimester, your iron stores need to be high in preparation for labour and because your baby will accumulate 2mg of iron a day to support its growth for the first six months after birth. Heme iron comes from animal sources and is easier for the body to absorb. Non-heme iron comes from both plant and animal sources. Iron is better absorbed when consumed with vitamin C or acidic foods. Iron-rich foods include lentils, dark leafy greens, chicken thigh, beef, pepitas, eggs.
Vitamin K — Helps lay down calcium in the bones and is needed for normal blood clotting. Healthy bacteria in the gut is involved in producing vitamin K so it’s important to optimise your levels of this. Natural sources of vitamin K2 include fermented foods such as sauerkraut, grass-fed animal fats in butter and cheese, all leafy green vegetables, kale, broccoli, sprouts.
Zinc — Supports cell division, which is extremely rapid in the early stages of pregnancy. Zinc deficiency can block folate absorption so eating a zinc-rich diet is paramount for you and your baby. Zinc also supports your baby’s immune system and nervous system, aids the digestion of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, and is needed for wound healing and growth. Foods rich in zinc include pumpkin seeds, almonds, chickpeas, lamb.
Selenium — Helps build a strong immune system and can protect against chromosome breakages — a cause of birth defects and miscarriages. Having a good intake of selenium during pregnancy may prevent your baby from developing eczema and wheezing (an early sign of asthma). Foods high in selenium include whole grains, brazil nuts, fresh tuna, eggs, lentils, red meat. N.B. The selenium content of food is directly proportional to the selenium content of the soil in which it’s grown. Due to modern day farming practices, soils have lower nutrient levels).
Magnesium — Fixes calcium into the bones and is also beneficial for normal bowel function, muscle relaxation, and mental calmness. It’s also used for muscle contractions and regulates blood pressure. Industrial agriculture and food processing have led to magnesium deficiency in our diets. To counter this, eat magnesium-rich plant foods, take Epsom salt baths, and consider taking a prenatal vitamin containing magnesium. Dark leafy greens, nuts, beans, avocado, quinoa, banana are rich in magnesium.
Phosphorus — This mineral is essential for your baby to build strong and healthy bones and teeth. It’s also critical for normal blood clotting and heart rhythm, muscle contractions and nerve signaling. Foods rich in phosphorus include plain yoghurt, eggs, black beans. Any food that contains protein will also contain phosphorus.
Potassium — Helps maintain electrolyte and fluid balance. Potassium is also involved in muscle contraction and brain and nerve function. Sweet potato, oranges, lentils, banana, kale are good sources of potassium.
Copper — Is needed for collagen synthesis. Collagen has many important functions, including providing skin with structure and strengthening bones. Copper is also the cofactor needed to incorporate iron into haemoglobin. Sesame seeds, cashews, shiitake and crimini mushrooms, and turnip greens are rich in copper.
How much do I need?
Now that you’re aware what key nutrients are needed for a healthy pregnancy, you’re probably wondering how much of each nutrient you need each day. To answer your question, we’ve compiled a quick reference chart to help you navigate which nutrients you need when.
To help you determine if you need to supplement any of these key nutrients, we recommend working with a qualified natural health practitioner to identify your current status via various pathology tests. If you’d like to receive a copy of the pathology tests our in-house naturopath recommends, please email bianka@40weeks.com.au.