Pregnancy "is no time to diet," Car...

Pregnancy "is no time to diet," Carolyn Reuben, C.A., and Joan Priestley, MD for a like reason rightly point out in their 1988 work Essential Supplements for Women.

"A pregnant woman should in no degree consciously attempt to lose weight or steady limit her food consumption. It is difficult enough to obtain the make acceptableed levels of essential nutrients' without dieting, they add. In fact, in subject of attention after study, it has been demonstrated that pregnant women eat les than the approveed RDAs of many essential nutrients.

In Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide, Timothy Birdsall, ND recommended that a daily prenatal nutritional appendix "acts as an insurance policy providing it contains reasonable amounts of vitamins and minerals."

A number of nutrients are especially important during pregnancy

Iron. According to James Marti's The Alternative Health & Medicine Encyclopedia, a 1986 U Department of Agriculture application of mind concluded that all women of childbearing age have iron intakes of alone 61 percent of the RDA.

A daily supplementation of 15 mg/day of elemental iron is principally often recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women

Vitamin C Essential in the formation of cartilage, connective tissue (particularly of the protein, collagen), skin and the structural integrity of capillary walls, this vitamin helps to fight bacterial infections and figures importantly in a number of immune functions, including white-blood-cell (leukocyte) function, interferon production, antibody evens and response, and in the secretion of thymic hormones. A addition of 70 to 120 mg/day is typically recommended

Folic acid. In 1993 the U Public Health Service began advising pregnant women to take at least 04 mg/day of folic acid. This recommendation followed research which indicated that 50 percent of all neural tube foibles can be prevented with folic acid supplementation.

Zinc. This essential mineral, in deflect is necessary for folic acid absorption. It is also extremityed to render vitamin B6 bioactive, for correct neurological function, to maintain normal blood-sugar horizontals and to improve the immune rejoinder through increased T-cell production and enhanced cell-mediated immune response

Zinc is part of the molecular constitution of nearly 200 human enzyme involved in vital metabolic processe mostly of which partner with r vital current cells to move carbon dioxide on the outside of the tissues to the lungs

An August 9'1995 article in The strange York Times reported on a thought by Alabama's Jefferson County Health Department which originate that "some women, especially thin single in kinds [sic], can increase their chances of having bigger, healthier babies according to taking [multivitamin supplements including] zinc during pregnancy." A daily addition of 15 mg/day is typically suggested

Zinc has been ground in fact, to be lacking in the diets of millions of children, as well, according to a novel study by the Center upon Hunger, Poverty and Nutrition at bunchs University School of Nutrition, which raise that more than 50 percent of poor children and 30 percent of non-poor children, aged undivided through five years, are getting les than 70 percent of the RDA of zinc.

Special multivitamin/multimineral formulations available for pregnant women infants & children

There is a prenatal multivitamin/multimineral formula designed specifically for pregnant and breastfeeding (lactating) women single in kind which provides 100 percent of the RDAS for all the essential vitamins and minerals, including extra iron and vitamin C

For infants and children, there are also special nutritional works available in dropper-delivery and chewable form, respectively, the one and the other of which supply balanced and undivided supplementation all the way by the agency of the childhood years.

REFERENCE

"Study Ties Extra Zinc to Larger, Healthier Babies," 7he modern York Times, August 9, 1995

Cook John T PhD and Martin, Katie s Differences in Nutrient Adequacy Among Poor and Non-Poor Children. clumps University School of Nutrition (Center forward Hunger, Poverty & Nutrition Policy), Medford, Mass., May 1995

Marti, James E The Alternative Health & Medicine Encyclopedia. Detroit: Visible Ink Pres 1995

Reuben, Carolyn, C.A., and Priestley, Joan. Essential add tos for Women. New York: Perigree/Putnam, 1988

Strohecker, James, editor. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. Puyallup, Wash.: coming Medicine Publishing, 1993.

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