An interesting new study has demonstrated  a relationship between folate supplements and the prevention of premature delivery. The study, involving 34,480 pregnant women, saw the greatest reduced risk of premature delivery in women who had been taking folate for a year or longer before getting pregnant.

Another study, published in the online edition of the British Medical Journal, has shown a reduction in the birth of babies with heart defects since the mandatory addition of folic acid to grain products in Canada. A reduction in the number of infants born with spina bifida or anencephaly has been noted in the United States since the FDA in 1996 required pasta, rice, and grain products be fortified with folate

The RDA recommendation for folate is 400 mcg daily increasing to 600 mcg daily for pregnancy. Best sources are fortified cereals, green leafy vegetables, legumes, orange juice, and fortified breads.

The following are nutrients deserving special consideration during pregnancy and examples of the foods rich in these nutrients.

• Calcium – leafy greens (kale, spinach, broccoli), fortified cereals and orange juice, milk, yogurt, cheese, and tofu with calcium sulfate.
• Essential Fatty Acids – walnuts, fish, ground flax seeds, soy products, vegetable oils such as canola, corn, and soybean, margerines made with vegetables oils, soy products.
• Folate – legumes, orange juice, green leafy vegetables, fortified breads and cereals.
• Vitamin B12 – animal sources such as eggs, milk, meat, fish, and poultry.
• Iron – beans and peas, green leaft vegetables, eggs, beef, poultry, and fish, enriched and fortified breads and cereals.
• Vitamin D – vitamin D fortified milk and cereals, sunshine.
• Magnesium – potatoes, seeds, whole grain breads and cereals, beans and peas, nuts (especially almonds and cashews), green leafy vegetables.

How did you meet your nutrient needs during pregnancy? Did you change your diet? If you are planning a pregnancy in the future, are you planning a diet change?

The need for folate, one of the B vitamins, is critical during the first few weeks of pregnancy. Since about 50% of pregnancies are not planned, many women do not even realize that they are pregnant during this formative time. A folate deficiency may cause neural tube defects. Neural tube defects include anencephaly, in which most of the brain is missing and spina bifida where a piece of the spinal cord protrudes from the spinal column causing paralysis of parts of the lower body. These defects affect 1 to 2 of every 1000 babies born yearly. All women of child bearing years should consume foods rich in folate. Excellent sources of folate include green leafy vegetables, fortified cereals, fortified breads, legumes, and orange juice.