During your pregnancy you will hear a lot of stories. You’ll hear what is good for you and what is bad for you and the biggest problem is the rumors. By the time that you visit your doctor for a check-up it’s hard to know what to ask first! One myth that is out there regards prenatal vitamins. So, do prenatal vitamins make you gain weight? In this article we will discuss whether or not prenatal vitamins contribute to weight gain. Let’s discuss!
Do prenatal vitamins cause weight gain?
This one may certainly be chalked up as a rumor and nothing more. These are vitamins, you see. Weight gain is about calorie ratios and prenatal vitamins simply do not contain enough calories. The easiest way to describe why you gain or lose weight is as follows:
- You have a certain amount of calories that you must consume daily to stay at the same weight you are currently. These are called ‘maintenance calories’.
- If you consume less than this, you lose weight.
- If you consume more, then you gain weight.
How much weight? Well, that depends on how much you consume. In general, 3500 calories is the equivalent of 1 pound. So, as you can see, Prenatal vitamins do not make you gain weight.
What exactly is in prenatal vitamins?
Prenatal vitamins contain a number of vitamins and minerals that are important for you and your baby’s development as well. Take a look at the ingredients and you will have a better understanding as to why taking prenatals does not make you gain or lose weight. They are generally made up of the following:
- Vitamin A – Not only does Vitamin A help your developing baby with their immune system, but it is also good for their eyes and their skin. Stick to your doctor recommended daily allowance, however, as too much may be harmful to your baby..
- Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B9, and B12 – B vitamins are very important for your baby. B1, for instance, helps with brain development. B2 assists with skin and eyes. B3 is good for improving your digestion as well as nutrient ingestion, whereas B9 helps produce blood cells and to reduce the chance of birth defects. Last, but not least, B12 helps to protect baby’s developing nervous system and spine. So don’t forget to take your B’s!
- Vitamin C – Vitamin C has antioxidants to help protect from infection and is also good for developing bones. As a bonus, it helps you to absorb more iron from vegetables so be sure that you are getting enough vitamin C!
- Vitamin D – This is good for your nervous and immune systems. A vitamin D boost helps to keep you healthy while protecting your developing baby at the same time.
- Vitamin E – Full of antioxidants, vitamin E can help to protect cells from free radical damage. That said, you need to be very careful with daily amounts so be sure to consult your physician to determine your safe and recommended dosage.
- Iron – This important mineral helps your baby to make blood.
- Zinc – Zinc helps to support your immune system and this is very good with all of the speedy cell growth that you are experiencing at this time. Dosage should be moderated, however, so stick to your recommended daily allowance.
- Calcium – This helps your baby to develop bones, heart, teeth, muscles, and to develop their nervous system. Skipping this leads your body to take calcium from your bones and can lead to osteoporosis.
- Iodine – Iodine helps your thyroid to produce hormones which aid in the storage and proper processing of energy.
What about Pregnavit M? Will taking Pregnavit M make me gain weight?
So, we know that standard prenatals will not make you gain weight, what about Pregnavit M? If you are not familiar with it, Pregnavit M is boasted as a product for use before, during, and after pregnancy. So what is in it? Basically Pregnavit M is a vitamin and mineral supplement. It contains a wide host of vitamins and minerals as
” This popular supplement is simply another way of getting your nutrients”
well as folic acid. Will it make you gain weight? It shouldn’t. Just as prenatal vitamins don’t make you gain weight due to their relatively low calorie content, Pregnavit M should not make you gain weight either. This popular supplement is simply another way of getting your nutrients during a pregnancy. If you are curious about it, be sure to check with your Physician to see if you can use it in lieu of or with your standard prenatal vitamins just to make sure that you aren’t exceeding or faily to meet your daily requirements.
If you are worried about gaining too much weight during pregnancy
While you are definitely going to gain weight, making sure that you are gaining the RIGHT amount of weight is always a concern. Some quick tips to follow to help make sure of this are as follows:
- Eat lots of small, healthy meals during the day (snacking every 3 hours in between).
- Drink at least 80 ounces of water per day.
- Try to walk 10 minutes each day to keep your body lively.
- Discuss your weight at every doctors session.
Some final words
In this article we’ve discussed how prenatal vitamins do not make you gain weight if you are pregnant (or not pregnant, for that matter). As they are simply a means of conveying vitamins and minerals for you and your baby, the calorie content of prenatal vitamins is negligible. Any weight gain that is occurring is going to be directly related to your caloric intake, so just be sure to eat healthy whenever your cravings allow and everything should be just fine. On a final note, if you are considering any vitamins like Pregnavit M or other brands aside from your standard prenatals then be sure to let your doctor know. Be safe!
