If you can eat a diet that’s a well-balanced variety of unprocessed or minimally processed foods every day you don’t need to take a prenatal vitamin supplement at all. But not everyone had access to nutritious food on a daily basis, which is why it’s worth considering taking vitamin for nutritional … [Read more…]
Fiber: Your Pregnancy Best Friend
Fiber isn’t considered an essential macronutrient, but it can help your pregnancy experience in some major ways: it helps you digest and feel full, prevents constipation and hemorrhoids, lowers cholesterol and slows down sugar absorption, reducing your risk of diabetes. All plant foods contain some … [Read more…]
Calcium And Pregnancy: How Much And What Kind?
Have you heard the rumor that babies take calcium from their mothers’ teeth? While that’s not technically true, any calcium you take in will go to the baby first, with you getting whatever’s left. So it’s important to get at least 1,000 mg of calcium every day for the sake of your own bone density, … [Read more…]
Magnesium and Pregnancy: How Much Do You Need?
Magnesium is needed for more than three hundred biochemical reactions in the body and is needed for bone and tissue cell function. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady and bones strong, and some studies suggest it can lower your risk of preeclampsia and low … [Read more…]
Is Tea Safe to Drink During Pregnancy?
Most tea is safe to drink during pregnancy and makes a great lower-caffeine substitute for coffee. Just note that some teas may contain herbs or ingredients that haven’t been tested for safety during pregnancy. Avoid teas with pennyroyal, comfrey, yarrow, goldenseal, valerian, nettle root and … [Read more…]