Xiao Xu, pregnant at 15 weeks, was annoyed by constant phone calls from salespeople promoting various supplements, revealing her privacy. “Should I buy these? Will I lack nutrition if I don’t?”
First-time expectant mothers often feel confused. Experts emphasize that natural foods are the best source of nourishment. Pregnant women should obtain most nutrients from daily diets—excessive supplement intake may do more harm than good.
A. Beware of Overdoing "Herbal Supplementation"
"Many expectant mothers today are actually overnourished, not deficient!" said Dr. Qiu Jiamin, Deputy Director of Obstetrics at the First Maternal and Child Health Hospital. "Recently, cases of 'giant babies' weighing nine pounds due to overnutrition have occurred. Our hospital conducts weekly nutritional assessments every Monday and Wednesday morning, inputting the pregnant woman’s weekly diet, height, and weight into computers to analyze whether nutrition is sufficient and advise balanced food combinations."
Experts warn that high-protein diets may overload the digestive system, affecting absorption of other nutrients and causing imbalance. Excessive calcium intake—drinking too much milk or taking too many calcium tablets—can harm the fetus. Over-supplementing calcium may cause fetal hypercalcemia, leading to widened, protruding jawbones, affecting appearance. Excessive vitamin A intake may result in birth defects like cleft lip, congenital heart disease.
How to deal with pregnancy-related constipation?
B. "Food-Based Nutrition" Is Naturally Healthy
Journalists saw Xiao Xu’s healthy diet: one cup of soy milk, one cup of milk, three or more fruits daily, plus fish and grains. She believes a balanced diet provides sufficient nutrition. Similarly, Ma Xiao, eight weeks pregnant, adheres to "food-based supplementation," avoiding extra supplements. If any deficiency arises, doctors will promptly inform her.
"The best way to absorb calcium is from food!" said Dr. Qiu Jiamin. "Pregnant women’s nutritional needs are already met through food. For instance, drinking two 500 ml glasses of milk daily provides all necessary calcium."
Other sources: Citrus fruits are rich in folate; to get vitamin A, eat more dark green vegetables and fruits; calcium-rich foods include small dried fish, soy products, eggs, milk, green vegetables, radishes, broccoli, salmon, oysters, kale, shrimp, and clams; iron-rich foods include egg yolks, meats, animal livers, other offal, egg yolks, grains, dark green vegetables, peaches, almonds, raisins, and shellfish; vitamin C, which boosts immunity, is abundant in strawberries, green vegetables, broccoli, and cabbage.
How can expectant mothers use traditional Chinese medicine for beauty?
C. Don't Underestimate Trace Elements in Food-Based Nutrition
"Food-based and herbal supplementation complement each other. If genuine deficiency exists, dietary supplements may be used," said Dr. Sun Jianqin, Head of Nutrition Department at Huadong Hospital. "International data show that supplementing 400 micrograms of folate can reduce neural tube defect incidence by 70%, decreasing birth defects. Thus, pregnant women may take folate tablets or add folate to breakfast cereals—affordable and technologically mature."
Experts remind expectant mothers: to smoothly pass through pregnancy, trace elements like iodine, zinc, and manganese must not be missing—these can all be obtained from food.
Over-processing food may lead to manganese deficiency. Studies indicate manganese deficiency may cause intellectual impairment; maternal deficiency may lead to multiple fetal deformities, especially affecting bone development. Thus, deficient pregnant women should eat more vegetables and grains. Iodine is essential for thyroid hormone synthesis. Iodine-deficient infants are prone to cretinism. Deficient women should eat more iodine-rich foods and use iodized salt regularly. Zinc deficiency may cause congenital malformations; prenatal zinc deficiency can severely affect embryo development. Pregnant women should eat more zinc-rich foods like oysters, seaweed, dried shrimp, animal offal, egg yolks, soybeans, sesame paste, peanuts, walnuts, and apples.
|
