Healthy Eating During Pregnancy IMPORTANT TIP: Folic Acid When
trying to get pregnant, or when you are pregnant, your body
needs extra vitamins and minerals. Critical fetal development
occurs in the very early weeks of pregnancy when most women do
not even know they are pregnant. Therefore, it's important that
all women of childbearing age take a daily multivitamin with 400
micrograms of folic acid in it. Folic acid is a B vitamin that
helps prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spine.
Dietary sources of folic acid include whole grains, leafy green
vegetables, citrus fruits, beans, and liver. Since it's
difficult to get enough folic acid from your diet alone, it's
best to take a multivitamin every day. © 2013 Childbirth
Connection. All rights reserved. Childbirth Connection is a
national not-for-profit organization founded in 1918 as
Maternity Center Association. Our mission is to improve the
quality of maternity care through research, education, advocacy
and policy. Childbirth Connection promotes sa