How To Improve Iron Absorption For Pregnancy
After the initial excitement or shock of seeing a positive pregnancy test, how many of us are aware that mom’s nutritional foundation sets up the future health of our babies. Pregnancy nutrition matters for baby and mum as it:
- Supports skeletal development
- Supports brain development
- Reduces risk of birth defects
- Prevents low birth weight
- Reduces preterm delivery
- Reduces risk of gestational diabetes
- Reduces risk of obesity later in life
- Reduces risk of chronic disease later in life
- Decreases nausea and other symptoms associated with pregnancy
- Decreases unnecessary weight gain
The average female adult requires between 10 and 18 mg of iron a day. During pregnancy, Iron needs are increased by 1.5 times. This increase can be even higher and even higher for vegetarians. The increase need for iron is because of the large increase in red blood cell production which is necessary to support the growth and development of baby, and the placenta. Low iron is linked to preterm delivery, low birth weight, and impairs the mother’s thyroid function. However, everyone’s iron needs can be variable depending on their constitution, their iron level at the time of getting pregnant, how many pregnancies have had, how close together they have been and the symptoms that they have during pregnancy.
The symptoms that you may experience during pregnancy that are associated with iron deficiency include:
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Anemia
- Fatigue
- Heartburn
Food Sources of Iron
- chicken liver (12.8 mg / 100 gm)
- beef liver (6.2 mg / 100 gm)
- ground beef, 75% lean (2.36mg/100 g)
- turkey, dark meat (2.30mg/100g)
- lamb, shank (2.11mg/100 g)
- haddock (1.35mg/100 g)
- halibut (1.07mg/100 g)
- lentils (6.6 mg/ cup)
- soybeans (8.8 mg / cup)
- dates (1.8 mg / cup)
- spinach, boiled (6.43mg/cup)
- olives (4.44mg/cup)
- shiitake mushrooms (3.59mg/cup)
- brussel sprouts, boiled (1.87mg/cup)
- broccoli, steamed (1.37mg/cup)
- Optimize your nutrition
- Understand whether you’re getting enough iron and other nutrients in your diet
- Ensure that your weight gain is optimal – not too little; not too much
- Relieve fatigue and other iron deficiency symptoms