How much vitamin C do pregnant women need each day?

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Of the 13 essential vitamins, vitamin C plays an important role in the health of the mother as well as the growth of the baby. Supplementing vitamin C for pregnant women is especially important because this is a "key" nutrient that helps the mother's body stay healthy and the fetus develops well.

1. The role of vitamin C with pregnant women

Many medical studies have shown that vitamin C plays a very important role for pregnant women. Specifically, if a pregnant woman is deficient in vitamin C during pregnancy, it can cause the fetal brain to not develop fully, even brain damage. Besides, vitamin C deficiency can also cause skin and tooth problems such as:
Easy bleeding gums, breaking small blood vessels under the skin. If prolonged, it can lead to rickets; Causes the skin to dry out; Dry hair, split ends; Slow healing of wounds and bruises. In addition, vitamin C also participates in many biochemical processes of the body, helping pregnant women receive benefits such as:
Fight infections, protect the body from toxins; Tissue repair, wound healing, bone growth; Create Collagen - a protein found in cartilage, bones, tendons and skin, which improves skin elasticity, reduces stretch marks, gives healthy skin and is good for nails and hair of mother and baby; Helps the body absorb iron from foods (mainly plants). Iron helps regulate hemoglobin index to prevent anemia; Prevent the risk of bleeding gums, reduce bleeding under the skin; Prevention of venous insufficiency caused by accumulation of cholesterol and removal of harmful substances; Supports fetal development through the creation of tissues, strengthens placental blood vessels, provides more oxygen to the fetus, reduces the risk of placental abruption.

2. How much vitamin C do pregnant women need?

So how much vitamin C do pregnant women need to supplement each day? It is estimated that the amount of vitamin C provided to pregnant women depends on her age and whether she is pregnant or breastfeeding:
For pregnant women over 19 years old: 85mg/day. For pregnant women aged 18 years or younger: 80mg/day; For women aged 19 years and older who are breastfeeding, it is necessary to supplement with 120mg/day, and for women 19 years and younger, it is 115mg/day. Note: Pregnant women should not arbitrarily take a lot of vitamin C, but should follow the doctor's prescription. To avoid excessive absorption of vitamin C harmful to the fetus, women should not absorb more than 1,800mg / day.

3. How should pregnant women supplement vitamin C?

With the amount of vitamin C within the recommended safe threshold, pregnant women can completely supplement through the diet. If you intend to use effervescent C or vitamin C supplements, you should give preference to low-dose pills, taken in the morning to avoid insomnia. (Note: pregnant women with high blood pressure should not use C effervescent and oral tablets).
Some natural foods that are rich in vitamin C that pregnant women can incorporate in their daily diet are:
Oranges, lemons: are always considered the richest sources of vitamin C. In 100 grams of oranges contain about 54mg of this vitamin. Estimated in 1 orange has 70mg vitamin C, lemon is 77mg; Papaya: each 100g papaya contains 62mg of vitamin C. Using 1 cup of papaya helps reduce inflammation, improve memory, effective antioxidant; Strawberries: each 100g of strawberries contains about 59mg of vitamin C. Using half a cup of strawberries has provided pregnant women with 89mg of vitamin C; Broccoli: each 100g contains 89mg of vitamin C, which helps reduce inflammation, reduce stress, and increase immune function; Sweet yellow chili: contains an abundant amount of vitamin C, 183mg / 100g of yellow chili. Besides, sweet yellow pepper also helps prevent the risk of cataracts; Parsley: each 100g of parsley contains about 133mg of vitamin C. Combining parsley in meals helps to increase iron absorption for the body; Besides, some other foods containing a lot of vitamin C that pregnant women should add to their diet are fruits and citrus fruits; Vegetables such as tomatoes, beets, and fresh potatoes are also rich sources of vitamin C. However, one note is that the vitamin C content in foods is easily affected by temperature and light, so it needs to be processed and used properly to absorb the maximum amount of nutrients.

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