I have always felt that things related to women and children are very popular, and in China, where food is the most important thing for the people, food is naturally very popular.
So according to this logic, is it not the best selling food for women with children?
Today, Dr. Clove will talk about milk powder for pregnant women, one of the best-selling mother and infant products.
Milk powder for pregnant women is not magical.
In fact, not only pregnant women’s milk powder, but also food that claims to have nutritional supplement effect should be treated with normal mentality, namely:
Almost all important nutrients can be obtained from daily diet ().
Balanced and reasonable diet has always been the goal pursued by everyone and the vision of nutritionists. The latest edition (2016 edition) of the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents embodies the painstaking efforts of nutritionists for many years, teaching everyone how to eat, eat what and how to keep healthy through [eating] in what. ()
Therefore, in theory, diet is the basis for obtaining nutrition, that is to say, most nutrition-enhancing products can be replaced by [daily balanced diet].
Is the milk powder for pregnant women completely useless?
In short, those who have the conditions can eat it, and those who do not want to buy it can replace it.
Although we say that a balanced and sufficient diet can replace milk powder for pregnant women, this does not mean that there is no need for nutritional enhancement products.
Because people living in different regions also have great differences in the types and quantities of food and dietary preferences, it is not easy for ordinary people to buy vegetables and eat completely according to dietary guidelines, especially for special groups such as pregnant women.
For pregnant women, more emphasis is placed on the intake of nutrients rich in folic acid, iron, iodine and other nutrients. However, due to the following reasons, some pregnant women cannot fully meet these nutritional needs only by relying on daily diet, so they can consider various nutrient supplements (not limited to milk powder for pregnant women):
- Early pregnancy reaction, vomiting, don’t want to eat in early pregnancy; In the second and third trimester of pregnancy, the stomach will be oppressed by the enlarged uterus, resulting in smaller appetite and poor appetite. Working mothers do not start maternity leave until 38 weeks after work, with fast pace of life and busy work. I really don’t like to eat foods rich in certain nutrients. In the inland area, it is not convenient to eat marine fish.
The earliest milk powder for pregnant women in memory should be a brand A. In the advertisement, a man tried to emphasize [rich folic acid].
However, it is true that the dietary guidelines also point out that the bioavailability of folic acid in natural foods is relatively low and the bioavailability of synthetic folic acid is high. Therefore, in addition to eating foods rich in folic acid, 400 micrograms/day of folic acid should be supplemented every day during pregnancy.
Where can I supplement the 400 micrograms of synthetic folic acid?
Pregnant women’s milk powder, various brands of composite multi-dimensional element tablets and other forms of nutritional fortified foods and nutritional supplements can solve these practical problems to varying degrees [how fast, how good and how economical] to meet the daily nutritional needs of pregnant women.
In short, everyone should remember:
No matter what kind of nutrition supplement method is chosen, it should still be based on [eating well], because these products cannot provide all the nutrition needs.
How do pregnant mothers choose nutrition?
According to the products sold on the market, it is generally only necessary to choose products containing [multi-dimensional nutrients].
These products are strengthened with various vitamins and minerals to varying degrees, and are usually OTC drugs or health food (multi-dimensional element tablets).
Common foods fortified with vitamins and minerals for pregnant women are really rare except milk powder for pregnant women.
Of course, polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as DHA, etc.) do not appear in multidimensional element tablets due to the limitation of raw material forms.
Although some milk powder for pregnant women has been strengthened, it is generally not up to the daily appropriate intake according to the daily recommended drinking amount, so some brands will also produce capsules supplemented with DHA separately.
Compared with other nutritional supplements, pregnant women’s milk powder has the greatest advantage that it can meet the dietary needs of some dairy products and is a better source of calcium and high-quality protein.
The recommended amount of milk given in the dietary guidelines for Chinese residents is 300 ~ 500g, and the milk powder for pregnant women is also recommended to drink this amount every day.
Compared with multi-dimensional element tablets, pregnant women’s milk powder on the market now often adds edible essence and sugar in order to optimize taste ().
In fact, the former (edible essence) is not a big deal as long as it is added within the scope permitted by the national standard, while the latter (sugar) is debatable.
Advice for Special Mothers
Mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus and overweight before pregnancy must carefully look at the ingredient list on the package when purchasing such products. If there are any:
- Sucrose (white granulated sugar) corn solid syrup fructose syrup
For ingredients such as this, it is suggested to choose other methods to supplement nutrition instead of increasing [sweet burden].
Milk powder for pregnant women, like other nutritional supplements, is used to supplement the deficiency of daily diet under the condition of good nutritional status. When symptoms of nutrient deficiency have occurred, it is not impossible to use, but specific nutrient supplements need to be carried out according to the doctor’s advice and the degree.
For example, mothers with anemia can choose a suitable nutritional supplement according to the doctor’s advice. For mothers with severe anemia who need to be corrected quickly, nutritional supplement alone is not enough and may take additional iron or other drugs to make up the [deficit].
Advice for nursing mothers
Having said so much [milk powder for pregnant women], Dr. Clove still needs to emphasize one more point:
Generally speaking, this kind of product is suitable for pregnant women, nursing women and even the pregnancy preparation stage. In fact, this is not only a market behavior, but also meaningful from the perspective of nutrition.
Lactating mothers, like pregnant women, have higher nutrient requirements than ordinary women of childbearing age, and even some have higher nutrient requirements than pregnant women, such as zinc, vitamin A, vitamin C, etc.
China has the custom of [confinement], and everyone will pay great attention to supplementing nutrition within one month after delivery. However, according to WHO’s advice, breast-feeding is best to last until 6 months to 2 years old after delivery. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the nutritional needs of mothers during the whole lactation period.
No matter how mothers choose what’s nutrition supplement method, don’t forget to continue to supplement when breast-feeding!