Important Micronutrients
Micronutrients, which include vitamins and minerals play a crucial role in supporting a healthy pregnancy for both you and your baby. Popular over the counter supplements will always make you feel like you are doing the best for your baby, however many of the vitamins currently on the market don't meet recommended daily intake requirements.
So which micronutrients are important and where can we incorporate them into our diet?
The following micronutrients are pivotal for adequate fetal development, preventing birth defects, lead to overall increased maternal health and stabilises
energy metabolism.
Choline
Choline plays a vital role in fetal brain development, helps prevent neural tube defects and aid's placental function. Additionally, it can have effects on maternal mental health and help prevent pregnancy conditions like preeclampsia and cholestasis of pregnancy.
Brain Development: Choline is a precursor to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that is essential for brain development. Adequate choline intake during pregnancy is linked to improved cognitive function in the developing baby.
Preventing Neural Tube Defects: Choline is involved in the early stages of neural tube development. Sufficient choline intake during pregnancy is associated with a lower risk of neural tube defects in your baby.
Memory Function: Choline is important for memory function and learning. Maternal intake of choline has been linked to better memory and cognitive abilities in children.
Liver Health: Choline is vital for proper liver function, and during pregnancy, the demand for choline increases to support the growing baby's liver development.
Reducing the Risk of Preeclampsia: Adequate choline intake has been associated with a reduced risk of preeclampsia, a condition characterised by high blood pressure during pregnancy.
Sources of choline include:
Eggs - on average someone who consumes eggs while have double the intake of choline then non-egg eaters. Our recommended daily intake of choline is 450mg a day. One egg with yolk contains around 110mg of choline. Even if you prefer runny eggs, you are far better off consuming them if this is the only way you like your eggs as your chances of contracting salmonella from fresh farm eggs is around 1:20,000! Eggs also contain no carbohydrates so won't mess with your blood glucose levels.
Meat - in particular 30grms of liver contains around 120mg of choline and won't exceed your Vitamin A requirements.
Vegetables - like brussels sprouts, quinoa and broccoli contain around 30mg of choline per serve.
Dairy - full fat dairy like yogurt provides 20mg choline per serve.
Electrolytes
Maintaining a healthy balance of electrolytes in pregnancy can be difficult, especially when nausea and vomiting may make fluid and electrolyte intake difficult.
Sodium (salt) has been given a bad reputation over the years as being a contributor to the cause of high blood pressure and heart disease. While excessive salt intake does have long term health effects, it also plays a critical role in regulating fluid balance in the body, helping neural pathways and helps support normal stomach acid levels – which is critical in aiding absorption of other important minerals and vitamins such as Vitamin B12.
During pregnancy it is important to maintain a healthy level of salt intake. Don’t skimp on the salt when cooking as salt restriction in pregnancy can have a negative effect on fetal hormonal, vascular and renal systems.
If you are struggling with consuming adequate amounts of fluid and electrolytes, particularly in early pregnancy, then consider an electrolyte supplement once a day.
Vitamin D
Did you know that in Australia, despite abundant sunlight, there is a notable prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency.
Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world, with people in Queensland facing the highest risk of developing melanoma. While it is critical to protect your skin by using sunscreen and limiting sun exposure, an unintended consequence of this can be a reduced vitamin D intake.
During pregnancy, the demand for Vitamin D is heightened, and deficiency can pose risks to both maternal and fetal health. Vitamin D facilitates the absorption of calcium, a critical component for bone growth. Additionally, it supports the immune system, shielding both you and your baby from potential infections. Vitamin D also plays a role in insulin sensitivity. Maintaining optimal Vitamin D levels may contribute to better insulin function, which helps manage blood glucose levels.
90% of the Vitamin D we absorb is through direct sunlight, which means only 10% is absorbed through our diet. Dietary sources include egg yolks, dairy, mushrooms, fatty fish and liver. Supplements may also be required to correct low Vitamin D levels.
As part of the healthy pregnancy and development of a fetus, it is critical to maintain Vitamin D levels – but this is not permission to go outside and get sunburnt. To keep up with healthy Vitamin D levels, only a few minutes of sun each day is required in during summer in Australia. People living in cities further away from the equator, such as Hobart, Melbourne or Adelaide, may require 2-3 hours of sunlight exposure a week during winter months to maintain Vitamin D levels.
Omega 3 and DHA
There are many forms of omega 3 fatty acids, but DHA omega 3 is one of the most important during pregnancy as it is the building blocks of our baby's rapidly developing brain. Fatty fish like salmon and sardines contain the most concentrated sources of DHA, are low in mercury while also being high in Vitamin D.
Omega 3's are also associated with lower inflammatory markers, reducing your child's potential to develop allergies, and has also been associated with reducing premature birth due to preterm labour. Plant based sources of Omega 3's include chia seeds, walnuts, avocado and flaxseeds however they do not convert to DHA so if you are vegan, a DHA supplement is highly recommended.
It is important to maintain DHA post-partum, as omega 3’s are used in developing breast milk and stabilising mood, which may help in managing postpartum mood disorders.
Folate/Folic Acid
Folic acid (Vitamin B9) is a synthetic form of the micronutrient Folate that is naturally found in food. It is well known that folic acid can help prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida in our babies in the early stages of development. 60% of the population is thought to have issues with absorbing folic acid, with women who carry the MTHFR gene mutation having a reduced ability to break down folic acid.
Folate plays a pivotal role in creating DNA, red blood cells, and helps to grow and repair our cells. Women who are pregnant should be supplementing around 600 micrograms (0.6 milligrams) of folic acid daily.
Women living with diabetes may have a reduced ability to absorb micronutrients such as Folic Acid and experience higher rates of neural tube defects during pregnancy. In these cases it is important to supplement the intake of folic acid, where 4-5 milligrams per day is the recommended dose.
During pregnancy it is important to increase the intake of folate rich foods like spinach, kale, collard greens, legumes, citrus fruits, avocado, papaya, beets, sunflower seeds and edamame. Many foods are fortified with additional Folate in the form of Folic acid. For people who have the MTHFR gene mutation and have trouble breaking down folic acid, further advice may be required to review the dietary intake of folic acid and folate.
Full fat dairy
Obviously one of our main sources of calcium comes from dairy but not everyone can tolerate dairy.
During pregnancy your body not only has to regulate its own calcium requirements, but it also needs to grow your baby's entire skeleton and start forming its teeth.
Dairy is also a primary source of Vitamin K2 which regulates calcium absorption, ensuring it absorbs into our bone tissue, rather than soft tissue.
During pregnancy if your nutrient stores are low, your body will cleverly breakdown stored nutrients. This can particularly impact women with a predisposition for osteoporosis later in life, as each pregnancy will deplete stored calcium in our bones leading to decreased bone density.
The full-fat content also helps in absorbing fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin D, further supporting the overall well-being of both the mother and the growing baby. Incorporating full-fat dairy into the diet ensures a well-rounded source of essential nutrients, promoting a healthy and thriving pregnancy.
If you are lactose intolerant or vegan, then supplementation of calcium and Vitamin D is highly recommended.
