The importance of iron in the diet during pregnancy

The moment we find out that we are pregnant and that we will soon be a mother, our life takes a radical change and we notice that in all areas. Since we know that a life begins to be created inside our body, our priorities change. At that moment we begin to take care of ourselves three times, to lead a healthier life, a more balanced diet , and we carry out everything the doctor tells us.

Feeding during pregnancy will be essential when our baby grows healthy in our womb, it will be decisive in the health of our child for the rest of his life, so it is super important that we take adequate nutrition and that there is no lack of any type of nutrients in our body or in our diet.

In this case, there are some foods that are going to be crucial in our pregnancy , since apart from making us feel better, they will help the strong and healthy formation of our baby. In this case, calcium, vitamins and iron have to appear abundantly in our diet. As for iron, it is a mineral that will help the formation of red blood cells, both ours and our baby.

TAKING IRON DURING PREGNANCY

The first thing we should do when we find out the good news that we are pregnant is to go to our doctor to have a blood test done to see the levels we have in our blood. This process is good to carry out continuously, since any slight imbalance, either at the hormonal level or in the blood levels, will seriously harm the fetus, since it will depend on the health of its mother.

During pregnancy, a woman needs to consume more iron and this is due to several reasons . First of all, is that a woman who is pregnant will make more blood than when she is not, so she will need more iron to create more hemoglobin, which is what helps the body to give it strength so that this circulates in conditions.

Iron is also necessary during pregnancy since it will be essential in the formation of the fetus . It will help the growth of the baby and the placenta and will be vital, especially in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, which is when the fetus will increase the speed of its growth.

On the other hand, women who had an iron deficiency before being pregnant will need to take it in this phase , since otherwise they will find themselves very weak and without the strength to face the last stage of pregnancy.

To prevent the lack of iron in pregnancy we can do it through the foods we consume in our diet. Knowing which foods are richer in iron will help us to better control what we eat and what we need to eat so that our body is stronger during our pregnancy.

WHERE TO FIND IRON IN FOOD

Among the foods with the highest level of iron we will find any type of red meat, although they are not the best option since they contain high levels of fats that are not recommended for our body. It is always better to turn to nutrients that come from nature, that is, fruits and vegetables. Therefore, the plant foods that contain the highest level of iron are legumes, plums, figs, potatoes, broccoli, broccoli, beets and green leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, lamb’s lettuce or arugula, among others.

But this alone is not enough for our body to be supplied with iron and to function perfectly. There is an aspect that you have to take into account so that your body assimilates iron correctly and uses it in the best possible way. To do this, we are going to include foods with vitamin C in our diet. When we go to make the iron intake we have to do in the same meal and at the same time another intake of Vitamin C, thanks to which our body will assimilate it better. The foods that contain more vitamin C and that are perfect to combine with iron are oranges, kiwis and especially red peppers.