Pregnant: Vitamins, minerals and folic acid

Our bodies do not produce enough vitamins and minerals themselves. Yet they are indispensable. These chemical compounds play an important role in maintaining good health, our growth, the proper functioning of our body and in the recovery of our body. Eating a healthy and varied diet according to the Wheel of Five is important to provide ourselves with the right amounts of vitamins and minerals every day. When you are pregnant, you not only want to be healthy yourself, but you also want to ensure that your child is not deprived of anything. That is why it is important, especially during your pregnancy, that you consume the right vitamins and minerals in the right amounts every day.

Which vitamins and what quantities?

During pregnancy, it is important for both you and your unborn child that you take the recommended daily amounts of vitamins:

mg = milligram
mcg = microgram

What is the effect of the vitamins and what does it contain?

Vitamin A

For the proper development of your child, the amount of vitamin A you need is slightly higher than when you are not pregnant. If you have a vitamin A deficiency during your pregnancy, this can cause poor resistance for your child when he is an adult. Too much vitamin A can cause harm to your baby. Therefore, keep a close eye on the amount you take. Vitamin A is found in dairy products, low-fat margarine, fish, liver and baking and frying products.

Vitamin B

Vitamin B comes in different types. This vitamin ensures good metabolism and you need it for proper functioning of the nervous system and brain. You can get vitamin B from food products such as potatoes, nuts, vegetables, meat, dairy products and fish.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is necessary for building resistance, building connective tissue and the absorption of iron. Too much vitamin C is not good; this causes diarrhea and intestinal complaints. Food products that contain vitamin C are fruit (especially oranges, strawberries and lemon and kiwi), potatoes and vegetables.

Vitamin D

This vitamin contributes to calcium absorption. Calcium is important for the growth and maintenance of bones and teeth.
You get vitamin D from sunlight and your own body also produces it. Foods such as oily fish, eggs, margarine, low-fat margarine and baking and frying products are rich in this vitamin.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E plays an important role in the metabolism in our cells. It also protects the cells, the cell wall, our tissue and the bloodstream. Vitamin E-containing foods include bread, grain products, nuts, vegetables, fruit and sunflower oil.

Which minerals, what quantities and where are they contained?

The intake and functions of minerals are at least as important as those of vitamins. Our body is not able to produce minerals, we can only get them from our food. The minerals you and your baby need are:

• Calcium : 1000 mg per day. Sources of calcium include milk, spinach, cheese and green beans.
• Phosphorus : 700 mg per day. Phosphorus is found in almost all foods, but foods such as potatoes, meat, milk and fish contain relatively large amounts of this mineral.
• Iron : cannot be expressed in mg or mcg, but more than someone who is not pregnant. The main sources of iron are spinach, meat, apple syrup and chickpeas.
• Copper : 1 mg per day. Copper is mainly found in crustaceans and shellfish, nuts, grain products and organ meats.
• Potassium : 3100 mg per day. This mineral is found in almost all foods. The products that contain the most potassium are broccoli, potatoes and bananas.
• Iodine : 175 mcg per day. Iodine occurs naturally in water (groundwater, drinking water and seawater). That is why foods such as seaweed, catfish and salmon are good sources of this mineral.
• Magnesium : 280 mg per day. Magnesium is found in many foods. The standouts among the magnesium-containing foods are spinach, whole wheat pasta, bananas and dark chocolate.
• Selenium : 60 mcg per day. The selenium content of plant foods is highly dependent on the selenium content of the soil. Grains of any kind generally contain more selenium than vegetables.
• Manganese : 3 mg per day. This mineral is found in nuts, grains, meat, rice, fish and leafy vegetables.
• Molybdenum : 65 mcg per day. Legumes, nuts and grains are rich in molybdenum.
• Zinc : 9 mg per day. Meat, fish, whole wheat bread, rice and legumes contain a lot of zinc.

Dietary supplements: Vitamin D and folic acid

From approximately the third month of your pregnancy it is advisable to take extra vitamin D in the form of nutritional supplements. You need more vitamin D than you can get from food. Vitamin D plays an important role in the formation of a strong skeleton. Taking folic acid reduces the risk of spina bifida, which is already formed in the early stages of pregnancy. Furthermore, folic acid is important for the development of the baby’s nervous system. From four weeks before you are pregnant to eight weeks after fertilization is the most important period to use this supplement. A pregnancy is not always planned and sometimes comes unexpectedly. In this case, it is important to start taking folic acid as soon as you know you are pregnant.