What supplements should I use during Pregnancy? - 14/06/2010
Today I want to talk about vitamins and what you can safely take during pregnancy. I spoke with our resident Dietitian Alessandra Winfield and she said that if you are eating a healthy variety of foods during your pregnancy, you should not need to take too many vitamin supplements.
For example a pregnant woman with an average age of 30 requires approximately 1000mg of calcium per day, to ensure both the unborn child and herself are meeting their daily calcium needs.Alessandra states that if you are able to eat at least 3.5 serves per day you do not need to take a calcium supplement.
However, if you are allergic/intolerant to dairy products or are vegetarian, then you will need to take a calcium supplement. If you are suffering morning sickness and your appetite isn’t good then you may want to look at a multi-vitamin especially designed for pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Most Pharmacy’s and Health Food stores have a variety of multi-vitamins specially designed for pregnant women.A multi-vitamin is also good as it provides pregnant women with larger amounts of nutrients such as iron and folate, which are very important for the development of your unborn child.
If you are suffering from constipation at any stage during your pregnancy Alessandra also suggests that women may like to take a supplement like Metamucil or alternatively try adding prunes to your breakfast cereal. You should also ensure you are drinking enough water. The current recommendation is approx 2 Litres a day. If you do this your constipation should be less interuptive to your lifestyle.
However everyone's pregnancy and personal situation is different, so please speak to your GP and/or Accredited Practising Dieitian for specific advice. If you wish to discuss your own personal circumstances or have special dietary requirements (e.g. vegetarian, celiac) you can book a private consultation with our Dietitian Alessandra Winfield on 1300 881 536 or email us at info@merendi.com.au
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