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Proper Nutrition Pre- and Post-Pregnancy

Why Eating Right Is Key to Pregnancy Preparation and Recovery

By Crystal Patriarche

During pregnancy, getting adequate nutrition and proper vitamins is top of mind for most moms-to-be. But the importance of vitamins should be considered before and after pregnancy in addition to those beloved nine months.

Many women of childbearing age in the United States do not maintain good nutritional status before, during or after pregnancy. National studies indicate that intakes of vitamin B6, vitamin E, iron, magnesium, zinc and especially calcium are at less than recommended levels for women between 20 to 49 years of age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

These days, doctors encourage women to begin a prenatal vitamin even before pregnancy to get the recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals and to prepare the body for the months to come. A prenatal vitamin includes all the daily vitamins needed in a woman's diet plus folic acid, which is very important during pregnancy to help decrease the risk of birth defects.

"Pregnancy is the most important time to eat the right foods for yourself and your baby," says Nicole Britvan, a San Francisco, Calif.-based registered dietitian for the Kaiser Permanente Outpatient Nutritional Clinic. "Will the prenatal cover everything? It may, but we never encourage that. Prenatals are coverage to make sure you get what you need."

First and foremost, it's important for women to be getting a balance and a variety – fruits and vegetables, lean protein and adequate hydration, says Britvan. She always encourages people to get their nutrition from food rather than supplements and to start even before pregnancy. "Women who are considering getting pregnant should be looking to bump up fruit and vegetable consumption," she says. "If they find that they are 7 weeks pregnant, they've missed that time important for neural tube defects when nutrition including folic acid are important."

According to Britvan, folate (folic acid), calcium and iron are the three most important things to consider when thinking of getting pregnant.