Fiber, Lipids, Vitamins, Choline Requirements During Pregnancy
Posted by Tom Craig in Pregnancy
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Let us examine the need of Fiber, Lipids, Vitamins and Choline during Pregnancy and the foods that are the rich sources of these essential nutrients.
Fiber
Daily consumption of whole grain breads and cereals, leafy green and yellow vegetables, and fresh and dried fruits should be encouraged to provide additional minerals, vitamins irons, and fiber. The DRI for fiber during pregnancy is 28 g/day. Careful attention to the selection of foods that are also good sources of iron and folic acid is important.
Lipids
There is no DRI for lipids during pregnancy. The amount of fat in the diet should depend on energy requirements for proper weight gain. However, for the first time there is a recommendation (an AI of 13 g/day) for the amount of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid) and an AI of 1.4 g/day for the amount of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (a-linolenic acid) in the diet.
Vitamins
Certain vitamins have particular significance for optimal pregnancy outcome. In some instances the provision of these specific vitamins may be met through diet, and for others a vitamin mineral supplement is necessary. Periconceptional multivitamin supplementation has been documented to reduce the risk of heart defects in infants by 43% if started very early in pregnancy.
Choline
Choline is considered an essential nutrient because it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities to meet metabolic demands. It is needed for structural integrity of cell membranes, cell signaling, and nerve impulse transmission and is a major source of methyl groups, as is folate (Williams, 2005). IOM recommends choline at 450 mg/day during pregnancy, 25 mg more than for the non- pregnant woman. Choline has been shown to alter brain structure and function in rats whose mothers were supplemented in the last trimester. Choline has also been shown to protect against memory loss after grand mal seizures and prevents the development of memory impairment in offspring of alcoholic mothers. Foods containing high amounts of choline are beef liver, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, egg yolks, soy lecithin, and wheat germ. Supplementation may be needed to meet DRIs since the mean intake for females in the United States is 314 mg/day.
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