Healthy Eating and Pregnancy

For more information about healthy eating and Eating Well With Canada’s Food Guide, or to create a personal version of the guide, see Eating Well With Canada's Food Guide.

For more information about healthy eating before, during and after pregnancy, see http://www.healthypregnancybc.ca

Folic Acid

“Folate” is one of the B vitamins found in foods. Folic acid is the form of folate found in vitamin supplements. Folate and folic acid are important for the healthy growth of an unborn baby's spine, brain and skull, especially during the first four weeks of pregnancy.

Low intakes of folate have been linked to heart disease, hypertension, cancer, Alzheimer's and other diseases. Women who take folic acid supplements and eat a diet rich in folate before becoming pregnant and during the first few weeks of pregnancy have a smaller chance of having a baby born with a Neural Tube Defect or NTD. NTD's are a group of serious birth defects. Spina bifida is the most common NTD.

You can help prevent NTDs by taking 0.4 milligrams (400 micrograms) of folic acid every day from a multivitamin supplement. You should not take more than 1.0 milligrams per day without consulting your doctor or health practitioner. If you take folic acid in a multivitamin supplement, be sure it also includes Vitamin B12 and does not contain more than 10,000 IU of preformed vitamin A*. Too much preformed vitamin A could increase the risk of birth defects.

* Preformed vitamin A is often listed as vitamin A acetate or succinate or palmitate. Beta-carotene is not preformed vitamin A.

For more information about folic acid, see www.HealthLinkBC.ca

Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Canada’s Food Guide recommends that pregnant women continue to eat at least 150 grams (five ounces) of cooked fish each week. Fish contains Omega-3 fats and other important nutrients for a healthy pregnancy.

Some types of fish contain environmental contaminants like methyl mercury. It is important to know that the mercury levels vary amongst the different types of fish available in BC. Fish absorb mercury, which you absorb when you eat the fish. The fish higher in mercury are usually big fish that eat smaller fish. Mercury cannot be removed or reduced by cleaning, preparing, or cooking fish. Mercury can damage a growing brain. Pregnant and breastfeeding women, babies and children in particular need to limit eating certain types of fish.

For more information and a guide to recommended consumption of fish, see www.HealthLinkBC.ca

Food sources of omega-3 fats are preferred over fish oil supplements. Pregnant women should avoid taking cod liver oil due to potentially excessive intake of vitamin A. Consult your physician or health care provider about taking fish oil supplements.

Iron

During pregnancy, women need more iron to support an increased blood volume and to assist the fetus in building iron stores for the first six months of life. Most pregnant women have trouble getting enough iron from their diet alone. A daily supplement containing 16-20 mg of iron is recommended during pregnancy. Not enough iron during pregnancy can cause fatigue, reduced work capacity, cardiovascular stress, lower resistance to infection and iron deficiency.

To increase the amount of iron absorbed from food, include a source of vitamin C at your meals, like a glass of orange juice or strawberries for dessert. If you drink coffee or tea, include it one to two hours between meals rather than with meals. If you take a calcium supplement or calcium containing antacids, take them one to two hours after a meal.

For more information about iron, see:
www.HealthLinkBC.ca - Iron in Foods www.HealthLinkBC.ca - Iron and Your Health