One doesn’t have to look very hard (especially with the Internet) to understand that pregnant women (and breastfeeding too) need to take prenatal vitamins. With the onset of the industrial revolution and the invention of chemical pesticides, our food just isn’t as nutrient dense as it used to be. This means that we are not getting all the nutrients that we need to be healthy. While being healthy should be an important goal for everyone, it is paramount for pregnant women.
We know that a balance of nutrients are essential for expecting mothers. We also know that conventional foods cannot provide all these nutrients. Thus, it stand to reason that pregnant women MUST take a prenatal vitamin to make up for the inevitable deficit in their diet. The question that remains is what kind of prenatal vitamin to take.
Most prenatal vitamins are acceptable and sufficient. When I was deciding on which prenatal vitamin to take for preconception, during pregnancy, and while breastfeeding my son, I didn’t want one that was just acceptable or simply sufficient, I wanted the best. So once again I hit the books. I began researching how are bodies absorb vitamin supplements, how vitamin supplements are made, and which vitamins where particularly essential for pregnancy and in what amounts (pregnant women need more of certain vitamins than those who are not).
Many if not most vitamin supplements, including prenatal vitamins, are made with synthetic vitamins (Synthetic vitamins are also added to many of our foods e.g. milk, orange, juice, nutrition bars, etc.). The problem with these synthetic vitamins is that our bodies cannot always properly absorb them. If we cannot absorb them, then our bodies cannot use them. Additionally, natural vitamins exist within an entire micro-nutrient system which enables each vitamin to work together so that our bodies can properly absorb them. Synthetic vitamins do not have this naturally occurring micro-nutrient system.
The alternative to synthetic vitamins are vitamin supplements that are cultivated from whole foods. Specific vitamins and minerals are absorbed from soil into plants that are the combined with other specific vitamin and/or mineral cultivated plants to create a supplement that is not only absorbable but also recognized by our bodies as food. Thus, the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients found in these supplements constitute a truly perfect prenatal vitamin, and combined with a healthy diet, it will ensure that mother and child are receiving all the nutrients they need.