Choosing Between Herbal and Food Supplements for Pregnant Women
Xu Xiaojie, pregnant at 15 weeks, was annoyed by constant calls from salespeople pushing various supplements, unsure whether to buy them or risk nutritional deficiency.
First-time mothers often face such confusion. Experts emphasize: natural foods are the best source of supplementation. Pregnant women should obtain nutrients primarily from daily diets; excessive supplement intake may do more harm than good.
A. Beware Over-supplementation ("Herbal Supplement Advocates")
"Many pregnant women today suffer from nutritional excess, not deficiency!" said Dr. Qiu Jiamin, deputy director of obstetrics at the First Maternal and Child Health Hospital. "Recently, cases of 'giant babies' weighing nine jin have occurred due to overnutrition. Hospitals now conduct weekly nutrition tests every Monday and Wednesday morning, inputting the mother’s weekly diet, height, and weight into computers to analyze nutritional adequacy and advise balanced food combinations."
Experts warn that high-protein diets may burden the digestive system, disrupt nutrient balance, and hinder absorption of other nutrients. Blindly consuming high calcium diets—excessive milk or calcium tablets—can harm the fetus. Over-supplementing calcium may cause fetal hypercalcemia, leading to widened, protruding jawbones, affecting appearance. Excessive vitamin A intake may cause cleft lip, congenital heart defects, and other birth abnormalities.
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B. Natural Nutrition ("Food Supplement Advocates")
Journalists observed Xu Xiaojie’s healthy diet: one glass of soy milk, one glass of milk, three or more fruits daily, plus fish and grains. She believes balanced eating ensures sufficient nutrition. Similarly, Ma Xiaoxiao, pregnant for eight weeks, adheres to "food-based supplementation," avoiding extra supplements. If any deficiency arises, doctors will promptly inform her.
"The best way to absorb calcium is from food!" said Dr. Qiu Jiamin. "Pregnant women’s nutritional needs are already met through food—drinking two 500 ml glasses of milk daily provides enough calcium."
Other sources: citrus fruits are rich in folate; for vitamin A, consume more dark green vegetables and fruits; calcium-rich foods include small dried fish, soy products, eggs, milk, green vegetables, radishes, broccoli, salmon, oysters, kale, shrimp, and clams; iron-rich foods include egg yolks, meats, animal livers, other organ meats, egg yolks, grains, dark green vegetables, peaches, almonds, raisins, and shellfish; vitamin C, which boosts immunity, is found in strawberries, green vegetables, broccoli, and cabbage.
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C. Don’t Underestimate Trace Elements in Food Supplementation
"Food and herbal supplements complement each other. If a pregnant woman truly lacks nutrition, she may take dietary supplements," said Professor Sun Jianqin, head of the Nutrition Department at Huadong Hospital. "Foreign data show that taking 400 micrograms of folic acid daily reduces neural tube defect incidence by 70%, decreasing birth defects. Thus, pregnant women may take folic acid tablets or add folic acid to breakfast cereals—this is economically feasible and technologically mature."
Experts remind pregnant women: to smoothly pass through pregnancy, trace elements like iodine, zinc, and manganese must not be missing—these are all available in food.
Over-processing food may cause manganese deficiency. Studies show manganese deficiency may lead to intellectual impairment; maternal deficiency may cause multiple fetal deformities, especially affecting bones. Thus, deficient pregnant women should eat more vegetables and grains. Iodine is essential for thyroid hormone synthesis. Iodine-deficient infants are prone to cretinism. Deficient women should eat more iodine-rich foods and use iodized salt consistently. Zinc deficiency may cause congenital malformations; prenatal zinc deficiency can severely affect embryonic development. Pregnant women should eat more zinc-rich foods: oysters, purple laver, dried shrimp, animal offal, egg yolks, soybeans, sesame paste, peanuts, walnuts, and apples.