What nutrients do you need to supplement during early pregnancy?

During pregnancy, women need to actively supplement adequate nutrients to better promote the development of the baby. During pregnancy, pregnant women must understand what nutrients they need to supplement, so that they can take the initiative to take effective measures to supplement adequate nutrients. So what nutrients do you need to supplement during pregnancy? If you are not clear, please read this.

What nutrients do you need to supplement during early pregnancy?

1. Egg white. Because the early embryo lacks the protein to produce carbohydrates, the carbohydrates needed for the baby's development cannot be produced by itself, so all supply and demand need to be balanced by the pregnant mother. If the pregnant mother does not consume enough protein, it may cause the fetus to grow slowly and be too small. Therefore, during this period, pregnant women should eat protein-rich foods that are easy to digest, absorb and utilize, such as poultry and livestock meat, milk, eggs, freshwater fish and beans, and ensure that at least 40 grams of protein is taken in every day to meet the needs of pregnant mothers.

2. Carbohydrate compounds. There are five major sources of carbohydrates in food: cereals, vegetables, fruits, milk and sugar. Carbohydrates provide balanced calories, especially glucose, which is the main source of energy for the fetus. Because the fetus consumes more glucose from the pregnant mother, it needs to be replenished in time to prevent ketone bodies from accumulating in the blood due to starvation, accumulating in the amniotic fluid of the pregnant woman, and being digested and absorbed by the fetus.

In the early stages of pregnancy, at least 150 grams of carbohydrates (equivalent to more than 200 grams of grains) should be consumed every day to ensure the needs of the pregnant mother and the fetus.

3. Minerals. The minerals mentioned here mainly refer to zinc and copper. Calcium deficiency in the early stage of test tube embryos can cause fetal growth retardation, bone and visceral malformations, and can also affect the mitosis and division of central nervous system cells. Severe calcium deficiency can cause fetal malformations such as spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Insufficient copper intake can also cause fetal skeletal and internal organ deformities. In the early stages of pregnancy, pregnant women should take foods containing zinc, copper and other nutrients necessary for the baby's development. Seafood, red meat, and animal offal are good sources of zinc. Dried fruits, cereal sprouts, and bran also contain zinc. Foods rich in copper include shellfish, animal kidneys, fish, dried fruits and dried beans. Oysters are particularly high in copper.

4. Vitamins. Women in the early stages of pregnancy need to supplement with adequate nutrients such as B vitamins, vitamin C, and folic acid tablets due to metabolic changes and pregnancy reactions. Pregnant women should eat more meat, eggs, various vegetables and fresh fruits to supplement vitamins in the early stages of pregnancy. If the vomiting is severe, you should eat more vegetables, fresh fruits and other alkaline foods to avoid metabolic acidosis.

5. Folic acid tablets. Severe folic acid deficiency or taking folic acid inhibitors in early pregnancy can cause neural tube defects in the fetus. Current scientific research has confirmed that supplementing folic acid intake before and after pregnancy can prevent the occurrence of most neural tube defects. Various vegetables, protein foods, kidneys, egg yolks, oranges, bananas, apples, yeast, etc. are all sources of food containing folic acid, and legume foods also contain a lot of folic acid.

Common questions about nutritional supplements for pregnant women:

1. Dietary nutrition during pregnancy should be balanced. The diet during pregnancy should be diversified and the nutrients should be balanced. The so-called reasonable diet means providing dietary standards and dietary recipes that meet national requirements, are comprehensive in nutrition, and are effectively formulated, and are reasonably allocated according to the actual situation of weight. Gaining less or more weight than you should is a mistake. Therefore, as a pregnant woman, you should avoid nutritional deficiencies in your diet, ensure that your body is in the best condition, and ensure that your blood contains sufficient nutrients needed by the fetus, but not lack of nutrition.

2. Pregnant women should supplement nutrients appropriately. When choosing multivitamin Chinese medicine preparations specifically for pregnancy and childbirth, pregnant mothers should pay close attention to the ingredients and dosage. Some nutrients do not need to be supplemented, and some should not be excessive.

3. There is no need to intentionally supplement iodine during pregnancy. Iodine is widely present in our living environment. Excessive iodine intake will significantly increase the incidence of hypothyroidism and autoimmune thyroiditis. Since iodine has been added to table salt in China, as long as a normal diet is taken, sufficient iodine can be guaranteed without additional supplements. Calcium is used in just the right amount.

4. The more folic acid tablets you take, the better. Folic acid tablets are water-soluble vitamins that are effective in preventing neural tube defects in newborns. In the early stages of pregnancy, a lack of folic acid tablets can cause neural tube defects as well as other congenital malformations and premature births. Folic acid also plays an important role in the formation of hemoglobin concentration. Deficiency will cause megalocytic anemia in mothers, but the more folic acid is taken, the better. Excessive intake of folic acid tablets may increase the risk of some idiopathic, unidentified neurological damage.