Prenatal Vitamins

Prenatal Vitamins

Prenatal vitamins are designed to deliver an extra dose of the essential nutrients a woman needs to support her growing baby. The most crucial nutrient in early pregnancy is folate, which is often lacking in the standard American and Indian diet but plays a vital role in the development of the baby's brain and spinal cord.Cooking especially the way Indians do can damage major part of folate being heat labile

Other useful nutrients in prenatal vitamins include:

- Vitamin A
- Vitamin D
- Iron
- Vitamins B12 and B6
- Calcium

These vitamins help to nourish your body and provide essential nutrients that may be lacking in your diet, especially if your pregnancy has made you a fussy eater or morning sickness has limited what you can keep down. A multivitamin allows you to absorb nutrition quickly and pass the benefits along to your developing baby.

Choosing the Best Prenatal Vitamin

Over-the-counter vitamins are plentiful in drug stores, supplement stores and even grocery stores. Knowing what to look for can help you choose the right brand for your budget and your needs.

Here are things to consider:

- Skip the prescription. Prescription-based prenatal vitamins aren't much different from what you can buy over the counter, but they can be much more expensive.

- Choose only tested and vetted products. Because vitamins are considered supplements, they are not vetted by the FDA. For the best results, choose a vitamin brand that has been approved by an independent regulator, like NSF International. This will ensure that the product has been quality tested.

- Prioritize folate. Folate, or folic acid, is the most important nutrient in prenatal vitamins and is one of the things that makes prenatal vitamins different from other multi-vitamins. You'll want a dose between 400 and 1,000 micrograms of folate.

- Look for minimal ingredient lists. Some supplements will be packed with extra "junk" ingredients that act as fillers or binders. Try to minimize your consumption of things like artificial colors, talc, magnesium silicate, titanium dioxide and carmine. These ingredients add no value to the supplement and can potentially pose toxicity problems if taken in too high a dose.

You may also wish to purchase supplements made with all-natural ingredients rather than synthetic nutrients. Food-based nutrients may be somewhat easier to digest and gentler on your stomach than synthetic vitamins. You can review the packaging to determine how and where ingredients are sourced, allowing you to make the right choice for your needs.

Saving Money on Prenatal Vitamins

For many women, the cost is an important factor in choosing the right supplement. Because it's recommended that women start taking prenatal vitamins before they start trying to conceive and then throughout pregnancy, you're looking at up to a year or more of vitamin usage. For this reason, you'll want to choose something easy on your pocketbook without sacrificing quality.

You can also take the help of vitamins and health Supplements to be more effective by supplementing them with a healthy diet of natural whole foods. Avoid taking your supplements on an empty stomach, and be sure to discuss any specific nutritional concerns or questions you may have with your doctor.