It is recommended for expecting, pregnant and postpartum and/or lactating women to take a prenatal multivitamin throughout these stages to ensure you and your baby receive adequate nutrients for growth, development and recovery.
Choosing a multivitamin on its own is not an easy thing to do! As an expecting or new mama, choosing the prenatal multivitamin that’s best for you can be even more confusing.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about choosing a prenatal multivitamin.
3 main tips on choosing the right prenatal multivitamin:
· Meets the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance): Ensure it contains enough of each nutrient
· Good Absorbability: some forms of nutrients are better absorbed than others
· A short non-medicinal ingredients list: the less fillers & additives, the better!
In addition to the there tips above, looking for key specific nutrients, their dosage and their absorbable forms are also important.
Key Nutrients & Dosage:
Vitamin A: An important nutrient for the immune system and the skin
Daily dose: 2567 IU/day OR 770ug/day
Absorbability: Look for a multivitamin that contains both Beta Carotene (plant-form) and Retinol (animal-form) forms of Vitamin A
B Vitamins: Important for the nervous system and supporting energy levels
Look for a multivitamin that contains all the B Vitamins, including: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9 & B12
B1 (Thiamin) RDA: 1.4mg/day
B2 (Riboflavin) RDA: 1.4mg/day
B3 (Niacin) RDA: 18mg/day
B5 (Pantothenic Acid) 6mg/day
B6 (pyridoxial-5’-phosphate) RDA: 1.9mg/day
B9 (5-methyltetrahydofolate) RDA: 600ug/day
B12 (methylcobalamin) RDA: 2.6ug/day
Absorbability: The names of the B Vitamins (in brackets) are the most absorbable forms
Vitamin D: Important for the development of bones and teeth
Daily dose: 600IU/day
Absorbability: Look for a multivitamin that contains Vitamin D3 “Cholecalciferol” as this is the active form of D3
Choline: Important for cognitive function, stress and energy
Daily dose: 3500mg/day
Iron: Important for energy and blood oxygen supply
Daily dose: 27mg/day
Absorbability: Heme-iron sources are best absorbed, however, if you experience constipation, look for “Iron-Glycinate” (a form of Iron attached to the amino acid called “Glycine” to make it more gentle on your stomach)
Minerals: Important for cell signalling, bones and teeth
Look for a multivitamin that contains a variety of trace minerals such as magnesium, calcium, boron, copper, zinc, molybdenum, manganese, phosphorus & selenium
Omega-3 Fats: Important for cognition and brain development
Daily dose: minimum of 200 to 300mg per day
Additional Tips
- Look for “EPA” and “DHA” omega-3 fats in the ingredients list of your prenatal multivitamin. Not all prenatal vitamins include omega-3s, therefore eating low mercury fish such as Salmon, Herring and Anchovies 2X per week or taking an additional omega-3 supplement may be beneficial.
2. To get the most of your prenatal multivitamin, take it with a meal or a snack to help your body absorb all the nutrients!
3. Now that we’ve gone over some of the key nutrients to look for and their dose, it is also important to consider the non-medicinal ingredients list.
Simply put, the shorter the non-medicinal ingredients list, the better. This often means that prenatal vitamins delivered in capsule or tablet form are preferred over gummies, as these tend to have a longer list of non-medicinal ingredients as well as added sugar & additives.
4. It is also important to note that taking a prenatal multivitamin is only an “assurance” that you are getting the full spectrum of vitamins and minerals. The majority of these nutrients will be provided by the foods that you eat, so having healthy eating habits are very important.
Still confused about how you can make sure you’ve picked the right prenatal multivitamin for you? Feel free to reach out to me for more information & resources on this topic!
Until next time,
~ Novella