Saturday, September 26, 2009

Necessary Vitamins and Minerals While Pregnant

You may have been living on Diet Coke and Starbucks Lattes in the past, but now your baby is depending on you to take in key vitamins and minerals to prevent birth defects, ensure proper brain development, and to just make sure that your little one gets everything he or she needs to be a healthy, happy baby! Not getting enough of certain minerals can also wreak havoc on your own good looks and raise your potential for stretch marks, lifeless hair, and blemished skin. Yikes! To make this process a little less daunting, I’ve made a list of key vitamins and minerals, how much you need while pregnant, and where you can get them. Either add this list to your grocery list or check your multi-vitamin to make sure that you are getting everything you both need.

Vitamins and Minerals For Hot Mamas

Folic Acid- 600 mcgs/daily

Fortified breakfast cereals

Lentils

Pinto beans

Asparagus spinach

Wheat germ

Orange Juice

Iron- 30mgs./daily

Fortified breakfast cereals

Lean red meat

Dark meat of poultry

1 egg

Boiled soybeans (edamame)

Zinc- 25mgs/daily

Lean red meat

Whole grains

Legumes

Nuts

Sunflower seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Calcium- 1,000-1,300 mgs/daily

Nonfat or low fat dairy products

Tofu

Almonds

Broccoli

Vitamin C – 500mgs/daily

Red peppers

Green peppers

Strawberries

Oranges

Mango

Tomato

Broccoli

Baked potato with skin

Vitamin A- try to get from food, supplements can be toxic, high doses can cause birth defects

Sweet potato with skin

Carrots

Collard greens

Dark green lettuce

Egg with yolk

Fortified cereal such as cheerios




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