Have Questions about Vitamin D?
Photo: Estudio Gourmet
Why Vitamin D?
Vitamin D has many benefits for both moms and babies. Vitamin D helps to maintain bone strength and growth. It also plays a part in helping to support your immune function and cell growth. Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to increase risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth and small for gestational age.
Unfortunately, vitamin D deficiency has become common across many populations due to lack of sun exposure and limited intake of foods high in vitamin D.
Maternal Needs
The current recommended daily intake of vitamin D for pregnancy is 600 IU per day. However, some research studies suggest that vitamin D intakes above this level are not only safe for pregnant mothers, but can actually be beneficial for themselves and the baby. Through testing various intakes of vitamin D, one study determined that increased daily intakes (supplementation) of up to 4000 IU was the most successful in maintaining sufficient vitamin D levels among women.
Sources
You can get vitamin D from the sun, food and supplementation. Through sun exposure, our bodies convert UVB rays to vitamin D through a multistep process. A few issues with this are, many of us are inside most of the day and when we do go out our body’s are mostly covered with clothing. Plus, getting enough sun exposure in the winter is difficult. Also, people with darker skin have a more difficult time producing enough vitamin D from sun exposure due to an increased amount of melanin, the pigment that makes skin darker. On the flipside, too much sun can be dangerous - check out our blog on sun exposure.
It is not routinely done, but it can be beneficial to find out your vitamin D levels. You can talk with your doctor about getting your levels checked throughout pregnancy to gauge whether you need a vitamin D supplement.
Check out the list below to include these Vitamin D rich foods into your meals!
Photo: Alesia Kozik
Food Combination Examples
Tuna and Egg Salads
Vitamin D-Fortified Cereal and Vitamin D-Fortified Milk (2% or Almond, Soy, or Oat) **Choose lower sugar, high fiber, higher protein options.
Scrambled Eggs with Mushrooms and Cheddar Cheese
Mackerel with Eggs
Good Luck!
Take simple steps to try and incorporate more vitamin D rich foods into your everyday diet. Perhaps consider making it a habit to drink a glass of fortified milk when you wake up, incorporate an egg into a salad, or try a new recipe that includes fish. Have some fun with it and enjoy the journey!
References:
Brown JE. Nutrition Through the Life Cycle. 7th ed. Boston, MA: Cengage; 2020.
Cannell JJ, Vieth R, Umhau JC, et al. Epidemic influenza and vitamin D. Epidemiol Infect. 2006;134(6):1129-1140. doi:10.1017/S0950268806007175
Hollis BW, Johnson D, Hulsey TC, Ebeling M, Wagner CL. Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy outcomes during pregnancy: Double‐blind, randomized clinical trial of safety and effectiveness. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. 2011;26(10). doi:10.1002/jbmr.498
Nutrition During Pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/nutrition-during-pregnancy. Published June 2020. Accessed October 18, 2020.
Vitamin D - Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/. Accessed October 18, 2020.
Wei SQ, Qi HP, Luo ZC, Fraser WD. Maternal vitamin D status and adverse pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2013;26(9):889-899. doi:10.3109/14767058.2013.765849