How to Choose the Right Prenatal

There are so many prenatal supplements on the market today. As a Holistic Nutrition Consultant for pregnancy, postpartum and babies, I will share with you how to choose the right prenatal.

High quality prenatal vitamins are formulated to support a woman’s nutritional needs throughout pregnancy and replenish her nutrient stores after having a baby.

It is important to consider prenatal supplements as a supplement to a nutrient-rich diet (ideally), not as a replacement of your diet.

Sadly, many prenatal supplements do not contain the required nutrients crucial for a healthy pregnancy, like choline, omega 3 or zinc. Additionally, many prenatal supplements contain synthetic nutrients, so even if they have the required nutrients and doses fit for pregnancy but are superficially formulated, they will not be absorbed into the body as well.

Take Vitamin B9 (or folate) for example. Folate is needed to reduce the risks of neural tube defects in babies. However, folic acid, which is the synthetic version of folate, does not cross the placenta like methylated folate does. This could be detrimental to a woman who carries the MTHFR gene and is more likely to pass down neural tube defects to her baby if she is not eating sufficient folate in her diet or is taking a folic acid supplement, rather than a supplement containing folate.

So, let’s look at what we need to look for when it comes to taking the right kind of prenatal supplement.

What will be covered

Which kind of prenatal supplement to avoid
How to choose the right prenatal
Which brands I trust

Which kind of prenatal supplement to avoid

As I mentioned before, most mainstream prenatal brands contain synthetic ingredients.

Let’s look at the most popular prenatal in Australia: Elevit.

Most, if not all, ingredients listed are synthetic versions. Folic acid, ferrous fumarate, thiamine, pyridoxine and copper, to name a few.

It is also important to note that Vitamin D needs fat to be absorbed and that Elevit does not contain other important pregnancy nutrients like choline, which is especially important for the first trimester of pregnancy.

As much as it is ideal to eat foods rich in nutrients like choline, folate, vitamin B, vitamin D and iron, our western diet typically does not contain a lot of these nutrients. This is why it is important to supplement with a high quality prenatal.

Another thing to add is that nutrient needs change in pregnancy, so taking a prenatal like Elevit will not meet those nutrient needs as they change during pregnancy. For example, iron needs increase during the second trimester and omega 3 becomes important in the third trimester.

You will also want to avoid a prenatal supplement containing synthetic additives and fillers. Fillers containing a fat like olive oil or coconut oil (MCT oil) is best.

When a prenatal says ‘one a day’, that will not be sufficient in supplementing your nutritional needs during pregnancy. So, make sure when looking for a prenatal supplement, to avoid ‘one a day’ supplements, as these are often pressed and packed more firmly, making them harder to digest and assimilate.

So, with all of this in mind, let’s explore what to look for in a prenatal supplement.

How to choose the right prenatal

The first thing you want to look for is that the contents are mostly, if not, all bioavailable. It is rare to have a supplement that contains all bioavailable nutrients, however, if most are bioavailable, that suffices.

This will either be found in a whole foods based prenatal supplement or high quality synthetic supplement.

Let’s explore which bioavailable nutrient needs to look for in a prenatal supplement:

Vitamin A: retinol palmitate / vitamin A palmitate (synthetic version: beta carotene)

Vitamin B9: methylated folate / folate / folinic acid (synthetic version: folic acid)

Vitamin B12: methylcobalamin / adenosylcobalamin (synthetic version: cyanocobalamin)

Vitamin C: camu camu or acerola cherry (synthetic version: ascorbic acid)

Choline: choline bitartrate or sunflower lecithin

Magnesium: magnesium glycinate / malate / citrate (synthetic version: magnesium sulfate)

Zinc: zinc bisglycinate / picolinate (synthetic version: zinc oxide)

Iron: iron chelate / bisglycinate / ferrous bisglycinate (synthetic version: ferrous fumarate / ferrous sulfate)

Calcium: calcium carbonate / phosphate (less bioavailable: calcium ascorbate and calcium gluconate)

Vitamin D3: cholecalciferol (not in a pressed powder form supplement)

Probiotics: a multi-strain probiotic containing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.

Sadly, some countries like the United States, do not regulate their prenatal supplements, so this is why knowing the quality of your prenatal is important.

For best absorption, it is good to break up your daily doses to two doses or take just before bed time.