Prenatal Vitamins: What Should You Be Looking For?
Forget everything your mother told you about prenatal vitamins! It’s 2010 and your Flinstone vitamins no longer cut it! No matter how good you think you eat, there is a good chance that your diet is lacking key vitamins and nutrients that are essential to your well-being and the proper development of your baby.
Do not underestimate the power of a high quality prenatal vitamin and the risks of taking a low quality multivitamin. A high quality prenatal vitamin used to be defined as one that had the RDA (Recommended Daily Amount) of Folic acid, Iron, and Calcium. Those are three very important nutrients but researcher have since discovered that women who are either trying to conceive, currently pregnant, or lactating need more nutritional support that only high quality prenatal vitamins can provide.
There are 4 things that make up a High-end Prental Vitamin:
1. Absorbability: Liquid vitamins will absorb at a much faster rate but the taste is sure to make you gag! A prenatal vitamin will do you no good if you are unable to keep it down. Other options involve the dreaded chewable tablets, that are usually a chalky orange flavor- YUCK! The only thing worse than the jumbo-size TUMS is trying to swallow a horse-size tablet. Tablets typically are the slowest to be absorbed and tend to get stuck in your throat, making them useless, unless you are intentionaly trying to gag yourself. Experts and moms both agree that the best form of prenatal vitamins are vegetarian capsules, they absorb quickly, cause no gastric distress and they are easy to swallow.
2. Quality: Quality doesn’t always have to be expensive and it doesn’t necessarily require a prescription either. There are select prenatal vitamins on the market that actually surpass prescription prenatal vitamins when it comes to quality and absorbability.
3. Key Nutrients: When it comes time to shop for prenatal vitamins there are 4 key nutrients you should look for:
- DHA- Supports fetal eye and brain development
- Folate- Protects agains neural tube defects (NTD’s) like spina bifida and anencephaly
- Calcium- Helps build strong bones and teeth and assures circulatory, muscular and nervous systems function properly
- Iron- Supports blood and muscle cells and prevents anemia, pre-term labor and low birth weight
4. High-end supplements:
- CoQ10- Reduces your risk of developing preeclampsia
- Probiotics- May prevent spontaneous miscarriages in the 1st Trimester and help reduce eczema and allergy rates by 50%. Probiotics also help improve both you and your baby’s digestive health.
Prenatal Vitamins are not created equal!
Take caution when shopping for prenatal vitamins, over the counter vitamins are not regulated by the FDA and generally don’t contain the ingredients they claim to. Only buy prenatal vitamins from trusted manufacturers. You want to make sure you are getting a prenatal vitamin that contain the correct amount of essential vitamins and nutrients. Until recently, only prescription prenatal vitamins were allowed to contain 800-1000 mcg’s of folic acid. Nowadays, we are seeing more and more over the counter prenatal vitamins that have 800 mcg’s or more of folic acid.
Vitamin A is necessary for the normal development of a baby, but doses that exceed 5,000 IU may cause fetal poisoning, birth defects and may induce calcium loss, which contributes to osteoperosis.
Most women who take low quality prenatals are STILL deficient in many key vitamins and minerals and when they are deficient so are their babies and that leads to preventable birth defects and even death. The best gift you can give your baby is a healthy start in life, and this can be achieved if you are diligently taking a high quality prenatal vitamin.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Do Not Neglect Your Diet!
It is easy to toss nutrition out the window when you are pregnant, especially when the thought of food makes you want to hurl. It’s important to know that prenatal vitamins are not a replacement for a healthy, well balanced diet. The combination of eating right and taking a high quality prenatal vitamin will go a long way to support your health and well-being as well as your growing babies.
The Best Prenatal Vitamins
It is hard to classify a prental vitamin as “the best” since pregnancies are all so different. With the help of experts we have compiled a list of the all-around 3 Best Prenatal Vitamins. Before you buy prenatal vitamins we suggest you consult with your physician. Next to your physician, PrenatalVitamins.net is your #1 source for the best prenatal vitamins.
Trimedisyn® has stolen the throne from Prenatlgyn and is officially the new Queen of Prenatal Vitamins! Aside from the standard vitamins and nutrients we look for in prenatal vitamins Trimedisyn also contains a powerful Probiotic Blend, Brain Boosting formula and clinically proven, patented ingredients. Sound familiar? We thought so too. If you were to compare Trimedisyn and Prenatalgyn you would think they were the same product, but if you take a closer look you will see that Trimedisyn contains Co-Enzyme Q10, or CoQ10 to their formula. CoQ10 has been proven to help reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia. When so many things can go wrong during pregnancy it is very important that you take every precaution possible, and by adding CoQ10, Trimedisyn has set a new standard when it comes to preventing birth defects and other pregnancy related complications. Trimedisyn, like our previous #1 prenatal vitamin, will helps alleviate some of the glamorous side effects we experience while pregnant, like constipation, nausea, upset stomach and diarrhea. Trimedisyn is without a doubt the best prenatal vitamin on the market. You will not find a more complete prenatal vitamin. If you happen to come across a better prenatal vitamin please tell us and we will be sure to give it a fair review.
Prenatalgyn is a perfect blend of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that you and your baby need before, during and after pregnancy. Prenatalgyn has a substantial amount of Folic acid, Calium, Iron, and DHA which are possibly the 4 most essential nutrients for your baby’s development as well as 23 other ingredients including 2 Patented, Clinically proven ingredients. Prenatalgyn also has a Probiotic Blend that is beneficial in relieving nausea, constipation, diarrhea, IBS, allergies and skin problems-all the things we LOVE about being pregnant! These friendly bacteria help create a more stable environment for your growing baby, they also help you feel more “stable” by eliminating a few of those awful prenancy side effects. Ingredients like ChromeMate® help reduce cravings, so your husband can finally sleep with ease knowing he won’t have to make midnight runs to grocery store. Prenatalgyn is the new standard in the world of prenatal vitamins and comes highly recommended by physicians, midwives and the experts at PrenatalVitamins.net
Perfect Prenatal® is an organic prenatal vitamin that promotes physical stamina and emotional well-being while nurturing mother and baby. This organic prenatal vitamins delivers 23 different easily digested, energizing and protective probiotic vitamins and minerals as well as 13 stress-balancing and free-radical scavenging herbs cultured for maximum effectiveness. Herbs like lavender and lemon balm have been revered for their soothing properties while other antioxidative herbs like peppermint, clove and rose hips provide key health benefits that support and sustain.
