Mineral Requirements During Pregnancy And Child Growth

importance of minerals

We all know the importance of minerals in our diet by now during normal times, but these get even more heightened during the time of pregnancy for women, since the mom is actually nurturing a new life within her, a baby that’s going to grow into another human being!

Just as a building needs a strong foundation, babies need adequate minerals from their mothers to grow into strong healthy human beings. Let’s see what are these minerals that the baby specially needs, rather the mother really needs since she is the storehouse for both herself and the little one.

First let’s start with Calcium, the most abundant mineral in the body yet one

of the most important ones.

Calcium

This is necessary to maintain the proper strength and density of the mother's bones and teeth, as well as to ensure a healthy skeletal structure and teeth formation for the little one hiding inside the womb. Low calcium intake could highly increase the risk of osteoporosis in the mother, especially after menopause.

Next up is iron.

Fe, or iron as we know it is an extremely important element when it comes to pregnancy especially since it is responsible for the amount of oxygen being circulated around the body and to the baby. Low iron equals low oxygen for both mother and child which is a definite no no and could lead to stunted growth or deformities in the baby.

Next up is iron.

Besides that, the risk of IDA or iron deficiency Anemia is also sky high if the amount of iron in the diet is not boosted during pregnancy. Just to give you an estimate, the normal 18mg of iron required per day, should be upped to 27 mg per day for the mother during pregnancy.

Iodine, the third musketeer in today’s topic is a strange inclusion. Although it’s a trace mineral, it is essential in tissue development of the baby, as well as metabolism and growth of the baby and the mother.

Iodine

Iodine

Lack of iodine in the diet could lead to miscarriage, death of the baby in the initial weeks and even disabilities ranging from mental to physical. These horrible circumstances need not be faced, if you are wise enough to supplement the mother’s diet with enough iodine, found abundantly in iodized salt (duh), fish, and certain plant based foods.

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