Your body will provide all of the nutrients that your baby receives while it is in the womb, and that’s why it is so essential to choose the right prenatal vitamins to support the growth and development of your child. Vegan prenatal vitamins often contain a healthy dosage of necessary nutrients that your body needs during pregnancy, and with the added benefit of using natural and environmentally proactive ingredients to help nourish both you and your baby. Keep reading to find out more about prenatal vitamins, why they’re so important and what kinds of ingredients to seek out when searching for the right vitamins for you.
Pregnancy Health
Prenatal vitamins help support a healthy pregnancy overall. While they will contain a number of ingredients and nutrients to specifically help your baby develop, there are also a great deal of vitamins and nutrients that will help the person carrying the baby retain their own strength during pregnancy. You’re not just taking care of your baby, you’re taking care of yourself so you can give your baby the safest and strongest nutrients it needs to grow strong and healthy. Prenatal vitamins will vary slightly in their components, but there are a few major compounds that most will contain. Keep reading to learn more.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
You may have heard of omega 3 fatty acids before. That’s likely because they have been a major discovery for nutritional scientists in recent decades. We know now that our body needs omega 3 acids, but doesn’t create them on its own. That’s why we need to supplement our diet to include omega 3 rich foods like seafood. Alternatively, you can take fish oil to supplement omega 3. However, that isn’t necessarily the best extraction of fatty acids to ingest. For one thing, fish oil means fish farming, which is bad for the ecosystem. Try searching for brands that make their omega 3 fatty acids from self contained farming methods, such as salt water algae farms.
EPA and DHA
There are several kinds of omega 3 fatty acids, two major ones being EPA and DHA. The second one, DHA, is absolutely essential for brain function. It is a building block for our brains, but again, we can’t make it ourselves. So developing babies will need to have some form of DHA entering the womb to make sure their brain is getting everything it needs. EPA has its own set of benefits like preventing inflammation, immune function and bone health to name just a few. These fatty acids are an essential component to any prenatal vitamin, so make sure that the one you choose does too! Alternatively, there are omega 3 supplements that can be taken separately.
B Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins will contain an assortment of essential vitamins, one of which is the B vitamin family. The B vitamins are most famously known for turning carbohydrates into energy, which is why vitamin B shots are thought to give us a little boost of energy. And in fact, this is the main function of most of the B vitamins. They are responsible for taking whatever nutrients we ingest and turning them into useful energy throughout the day. They can also help support the development of the nervous system, including the production of myelin. Myelin coats the nerves, and allows messages to pass through quickly. If sufficient myelin isn’t present, those messages can stall and get delayed.
Essential Body Functions
Vegan prenatal vitamins will help your baby develop its brain, heart and bone health as it grows. The only place your baby can get nutrients from is you, so make sure you take the steps to find the best prenatal vitamins out there. They help support both you and your baby's essential body functions. They will keep you strong so your body can support the life growing inside.
Ultimately, the best prenatal vitamins are going to depend on your specific needs! Everyone is different, and everyone has different health risks to consider. The best prenatal vitamins will likely include a healthy amount of omega 3 fatty acids which are essential building blocks for our heart, brain, immune, and bone health just to name a few of the major benefits. They will also include a healthy amount of essential vitamins like A, B, C, D and E which all help in various ways to support healthy growth and a healthy brain when the day finally comes to meet your little one. So, take the time today to do some research into the best prenatal vitamins out there!