Pregnancy is one of the main periods in woman’s life when we try to live as healthy as possible. Clearly, first trimester can overwhelm you with not very pleasant morning sickness or other symptoms when you glad to eat whatever and whenever. But, regardless of stage of your pregnancy, your doctor will prescribe you pregnancy vitamins. And since most of them have a daily recommended dose of all the necessary nutrients, we think that we’re covered.
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Nowadays, market offers us all kinds of pregnancy vitamins: organic, vitamins with DHA, or simply Folic Acid. For a very long time I consumed one of the top brand’s prenatal vitamins that I bought in Whole Foods. They were organic and that’s all I wanted to know. Hey, isn’t organic the best? But, as I recently started digging into this topic, I discovered that pregnancy vitamins have a lot of pitfalls which not many of us are aware of. And the main catch here is in the ingredients, which we think are just pure vitamins. But unfortunately all that glitters is not gold.
Folic Acid
The main revelation for me was that you don’t need a Folic Acid. In fact, you need a Folate which is a purest form of Folic Acid, found in fruits and vegetables, mainly in leafy greens. We all know, how important Folic Acid during pregnancy is, there are no doubts. But few of us know that Folic Acid listed as one of the ingredients, – is the synthetic form of Folate. And taking synthetic Folic Acid doesn’t give the same benefits as consuming a natural Folate. A couple of studies made on synthetic Folic Acid prove that women who take it, increase their breast cancer risk by 20-30%! Scary, right?
Next time you go to refill your pregnancy vitamins, make sure it has Folate, not Folic Acid.
Another ingredient that you should pay close attention to – is vitamin B12, which is responsible for metabolizing Folic Acid.
Most conventional pregnancy vitamins contain B12 in a form of Cyanocobalamin. It is a cheap synthetic compound that isn’t present in plants or animal tissues. Neither it is found in nature. Cyanocobalamin has a cyanide group. Cyanide has always been known as poison. And although it contains insignificant dose of it, you still don’t want it in your body. Cyanocobalamin is hard for your body to absorb and not beneficial to your liver.
Vitamin B12
In contrary, another form of B12 – Methylcobalamin is much better and healthier alternative to a synthetic Cyanocobalamin. Numerous studies have shown that Methylcobalamin stays longer in your body, hence providing more continues benefits than Cyanocobalamin. In addition, Methylcobalamin has many advantages over Cyanocobalamin. It’s not toxic, it absorbs better and is crucial for your nervous system health.
Stay away from corn and soy
What’s also important is to make sure that your vitamins don’t contain any soy or corn products. Unless your vitamins are organic, most soy and corn in America is genetically modified. And there were numerous researches on negative impacts of GMO products on health.
So far, after a thoroughly researching this topic, I found just one brand of pregnancy vitamins that contained natural Folate as well as B12 in a form of Methylcobalaminwhich. It is Garden of Life mykind Organics Prenatal Multi. Also, these vitamins are free from soy, corn and all vitamins are derived from organic food blend.
While many people say that if you eat a balanced diet rich in fruits and veggies, you can skip taking prenatal vitamins. But despite considering myself a healthy eater, I have those days when veggies are not on my plate and by taking a vitamin, I can at least be confident that I received my daily portion of necessary nutrients.
I hope that after reading my post, you got some understanding of the dangers of prenatal vitamins and of ingredients that should be avoided in your pregnancy vitamins. And if they are still listed on a label, make sure to stock up on a healthier alternatives next time you need a refill.
samera says
have you looked into Vitamin Code Raw Prenatals? I recently switched from Garden of Life to Vitamin Code, and was wondering if you had any thoughts regarding them. Here is the supplement facts link: http://thevitamincode.com/Portals/19/Images/Products/SupplementFacts/20150901/VC-RAW-Prenatal-90-Supp-Facts.png
Iryna says
Hi Samera,
When I researched this topic, I almost bought Vitamin Code Raw Prenatals. However, when I started reading the reviews, I noticed that many people claim that Raw Prenatals contain fermented soy, which is not even organic. Given that about 95 % of soy products in the US are GMO, I try to stay away from it.
However, today, when I carefully looked at the ingredients, I didn’t not notice any soy in there. They might have changed their formula, I don’t know.
If you still have concerns, you might want to contact them to clarify the issue further. But If they really excluded fermented soy from their ingredients, these vitamins might be a good choice too.
samera says
I just called them, and they do use Natto in order to obtain vitamin K.
Iryna says
I’ve made a little research on Natto and while it’s a really beneficial product for your health, it’s important that is was made from non-genetically modified soybeans. Did they by any chance mention if their Natto is organic?
Tracy Snyder says
Great tips for mamas to be! Thanks for sharing at Welcome Home Wednesdays.
Elaine Hodges says
Thanks for sharing on the Healthy Living Link Party
Jasmine says
Wow, I didn’t know that about folic acid.
Shann Eva says
I did know that about Folate and Folic Acid, but I didn’t know the other dangers. Great information, and I will be looking into it. Thank you!
Iryna says
I just recently found out this information myself. I always thought Folic Acid and Folate is the same thing.