When you become pregnant, or when you’re trying to become pregnant, your nutritional needs are going to change immediately. The two most significant changes will be a need for more iron to help with your blood health, and more folate to help develop your neural tube. 

Outside of that, however, your typical nutrition needs from 23 other vitamins/minerals classified by the FDA as essential, are suddenly going to become more critical, as you’re now supporting nutrition needs for two!

Why Take A Prenatal Though?

Almost every doctor on the planet is going to recommend you take a prenatal vitamin as they help support healthy pregnancies, prevent anemia, promote fetal growth, and ensure that babies are born at a healthy birth weight. 

Choosing the Right Prenatal:

1. Nutrient Content - When choosing a prenatal, the most important things to consider is their nutrient content. Do they Contain 25 Vitamins/Minerals? If not, you’re leaving yourself open to potential gaps to the list of 25 that FDA has found to be essential . Do They Include Iron? If not, your chances of developing anemia increase. (Be Aware – Gummies DO NOT contain iron). Does it Have Folic Acid or Folate? This one is crucial, as your neural tube development depends on this nutrient. 

2. Quality of Ingredients - The next thing to consider is the quality of the vitamin, and like most things in life, you usually get what you pay for. There are several different ways to look for quality, but the best is to look at the forms for a few of the vitamins or minerals listed on the back of your supplement facts panel. While we could go through every single one, the data on each is dizzying and, luckily, there is a quicker, easier way to search the supplement fact panel.  

A 2 Step Guide to Choosing the Right Prenatal:

Turn around the prenatal, and check to see if they use methylated, citrate, and glycinate sources. This is easier than it sounds, too, as you’ll be able to tell by looking at these words on 6 lines. 

1. First, look at the B12 line or Folate line – If those lines start with the letters “Meth” then you know you’re getting the best, Methylated forms. Hello better energy and neural tube support! 

2. Next, let’s look for citrate or glycinate. Check out the Magnesium, Zinc, Manganese, and Selenium Lines. Are all four included? Do they end w/ the words citrate or glycinate? Then, Check! Stronger immunity and stress relief are included in this one! 

1. Watch Out! ?If they end in the word “oxide” be aware! Those forms can cause an upset stomach, and their absorption rates are questionable at best. An option w/ oxide is likely to be priced lower, since usually brands who use oxide here, will use cheaper ingredients across the board.

At Root’d, we only use clean non-gmo ingredients, and always use high-quality glycinate, citrate, and methylated sources, amongst several others. While other great brands do as well, Root’d is the only brand to bring a powder option with these fantastic sources, bringing a much needed third choice to the gummy/pill dominated market. 

By the way, since it’s a powder in liquid, you’re also going to get super greens to help with absorption, and electrolytes to help keep you hydrated. Bonus! 

To see if Root’d is right for you, download this guide, to take with you on your next doctor's visit. It will help you talk about prenatal’s in general, not just ours.