Folic acid, vitamins and minerals

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the National Board of Health recommend a daily supplement of vitamins with folic acids from the time you plan a pregnancy and the first 12 weeks of the pregnancy.

This reduces the risk of having a child with neural tube defects.

How much folic acid do you need?
You need 400 microgram (μg)/0,4 milligram (mg) folic acid a day.
Folic acid is a vitamin B – also referred to as folate and folacin.
Most multivitamin compounds for pregnant women contains the recommended amount of folic acid and is therefore also recommended for women who wish to become pregnant.

You may chose to take folic acid as a solitary supplement

Can you get enough folic acid form your diet?
Folic acid is found in most food. Spinach, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, brown beans and other leguminous fruits have a particular high content. Other food sources are bread, grain and most fruits and vegetables. 

Liver also has a high content of folic acid but is advised against for pregnant women because the contents of vitamin A can be so massive that it may harm the foetus. You may eat leverpostej (liver paste) without concern, which is also a good source of folic acid.

It is difficult to achieve sufficient folic acid through your diet.
It is, therefore, recommended that you supplement with a daily supplement.  

Which other vitamins and minerals do you need?  

When you are pregnant the need for most vitamins and minerals is greater than usual. This especially applies to folic acids, vitamin D and iron but not vitamin A. Do not take supplements larger than recommended during pregnancy.  

If you do not drink milk or eat dairy products Calcium 500 mg a day is recommended through out the pregnancy along with lots of whole-grain products and vegetables and fruit.

Vitamin D
10 microgram a day through out the pregnancy.
Is important because vitamin D influences the child’s growth and bone growth.
It may be hard to cover your need through your diet.

Iron
50-70 mg a day from the 20th week of pregnancy. You will have the most efficient utilisation of the iron supplement if you take it between meals with fruit or vegetable juice or a citrus fruit.

The need for iron increases as the baby grows. Iron is used for the formation of the child’s red blood cells and is of consequence to the central nervous system.  

Essential fatty acids
In a sound and varied diet essential fatty acids are also included which are important for the way our cell’s metabolism unfolds.

Omega-3 (n-3): fish oil, rape oil, linseed oil, pumpkinseed oil and walnut oil etc.

Omega-6 (n-6): thistle oil, sunflower oil, almond oil, corn oil and grape seed oil etc. 

Several research results points to it being beneficiary to the child’s neurological development that your diet includes long chained n-3-fatty acids, docosahexaenacid (DHA) and eicosapentaen acid (EPA), which is especially found in fat fish.