A Dietitian's Recommendations for Supplements and Vitamins in Pregnancy
We know we are supposed to take vitamins during our pregnancy. But, what’s the best kind? What should the supplement have in it? How do you know you are really getting what you need?
Navigating the world of vitamins and supplements can be tricky in any circumstance, but it feels especially important to make a good choice when you’re buying prenatal vitamins. There are countless options, especially between what’s available on store shelves and what you have access to through the internet.
Unfortunately, the circulation of conflicting information and advice is also endless and makes your decision that much more difficult and complicated. Here at Halve Your Cake, one of our main goals is to partner with women so that pregnancy and postpartum nutrition is one less thing you have to worry or stress about. We get asked often about which prenatal vitamins we recommend, so in this post we’ll go through a few of our favorites as well as highlight some individual nutrients that are extra important during pregnancy.
Prenatal Vitamin Recommendations
Full Well Prenatal
One of our all time favorite options is Full Well Prenatal. This company prioritizes including forms of individual nutrients that are readily available to your body for absorption, like active B vitamins and folate instead of folic acid. They also divide the total dose into eight capsules per day, which may at first seem annoying, but they have their reasoning. They divide the dosage of all your nutrients so that your body is getting more equal absorption throughout the day instead of one large mass of nutrients to try and absorb all at once.
They also include choline, a nutrient that not all prenatal vitamins have. We mention this one specifically because 90-95% of women consume less choline than the adequate intake level, but choline is critically important for the baby’s development. One thing to note about this option is that it does not include any iron, DHA or EPA (omega-3 fatty acids). They say the quality of DHA and EPA is compromised when you combine them with other nutrients in one capsule, so you are better off taking a separate DHA/EPA supplement. Also, iron needs vary between the beginning and end stages of pregnancy. Iron supplements may cause GI issues like constipation, so if you don’t need them at a given stage, it might be easier on your body not to take them. Iron status is something to discuss individually with your doctor, assessing your iron status and making a plan for supplementation based on what your body needs.
Theranatal Preconception and Complete
Another option that is great for when you are trying to conceive and throughout your first trimester is Theranatal CorePreconception. This option provides an optimal dose of the nutrients that are especially critical during preconception and early pregnancy with higher vitamin D, lower iron (your needs are lower during early pregnancy), and methylated folate. This option is also dye-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarian.
If you go with the Theranatal option, then for your second and third trimesters you’ll want to switch over to Theranatal Complete. They break up the supplement into three different tablets each day, which prevents the compromise of the fatty acids (DHA and EPA) that can happen when they are mixed with other ingredients.
This includes your daily omega-3 fatty acid supplementation as well as increased doses of choline, iron, vitamin D and B6 (above what is provided in the CorePreconception option). This option is ideal as a “one-stop-shop” that should cover most if not all of your supplement needs during pregnancy. It’s always good to double check with your provider and make sure you don’t have a unique need for supplementing an individual nutrient above what is provided in a prenatal vitamin.
Thorne Prenatal
The last option we want to share is Thorne Prenatal. It is specifically formulated to be gentle on the stomach and use a form of Iron that is less likely to cause constipation. There is no choline, so make sure you are getting plenty of choline from food (see suggestions below) if you go with this option. Additionally, this company highlights that this supplement is made without gluten or other major allergens including no eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, dairy, yeast, shellfish, or fish. Thorne also breaks their dosage up into three capsules so you can easily spread out your nutrient absorption throughout the day.
Important Nutrients During Pregnancy
While we’re talking about vitamins, nutrients and supplements, we wanted to highlight a few of the nutrients that are especially important during pregnancy and share with you about what they’re doing in your and baby’s bodies.
Choline
Choline is a major factor in membrane biosynthesis, metabolism, neurotransmission and normal brain circuit development. As we mentioned before, the vast majority of women are not consuming the recommended amount of choline through their normal dietary intake. Not all prenatal vitamins have it, so it’s something to be aware of and make sure you are getting plenty of in your food intake if it is not included in your prenatal vitamin. Some food sources of choline include: eggs, beef, chicken, soybeans, milk, yogurt and broccoli.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D contributes to bone development and growth, optimal fertility, healthy fetal development and preventing pregnancy complications. It is also required for your body to absorb calcium and phosphorus, two other essential nutrients. Your body can synthesize vitamin D through sun exposure and it can be found in oily fish, eggs and fortified food products, but to ensure that your vitamin D status is sufficient, it’s best to take a prenatal vitamin that includes it.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 Fatty Acids are vital building blocks for fetal brain and eye development and are essential during pregnancy. Your body cannot synthesize them so they must be consumed through food and supplements. The main dietary source is fish, but many pregnant women don’t consume much or any fish during their pregnancy. It’s a good idea to supplement with a fish oil or algae omega-3 source during pregnancy to ensure that you’re getting adequate amounts of this critical nutrient, especially if your consumption of fish is low.
Summary
We laid out our top three recommendations for prenatal vitamins - FullWell, Theralogix, and Thorne. Top nutrients to make sure your prenatal vitamin regimen contains are Choline, Vitamin D, and Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Remember not all vitamins contain the essentials. This is a great starting place, but if you have questions or concerns always reach out to your prenatal provider and Registered Dietitian (like us!). We don’t do strict meal plans or diets. We just come alongside you in your pregnancy and postpartum journey to help you navigate the world of nutrition advice, body image with a rapidly changing body, and gentle self-care. We hope to help set you and your little one on the right trajectory for your health and wellness through compassion and evidence-based practices.
Reach out to us here to schedule a free discovery call or check out the Eat for Two course.
This blog contains affiliate links.
