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How to Get Enough Vitamin D During Pregnancy

May 18, 2022

Woman drinking orange juice
Vitamin D is a vital nutrient for personal health. Expecting moms especially need to meet their recommended daily allowance, as vitamin D plays a key role in immune function, healthy cell division, and healthy bone development. Here are some important tips for getting vitamin D through nutrient-rich foods, time outdoors, and prenatal vitamins.

What to Eat to Increase Vitamin D Levels

There are very few foods that naturally contain vitamin D, although some foods are fortified with the vitamin. Some of the best sources of food for vitamin D include1:

  • Cod liver oil
  • Salmon
  • Swordfish
  • Tuna fish
  • Orange juice fortified with vitamin D
  • Dairy and plant milks fortified with vitamin D
  • Sardines
  • Beef liver
  • Egg yolks
  • Mushrooms
  • Fortified cereals

Some of these foods may not sound appetizing on their own, but here are some recipe suggestions that make them more mouthwatering.

Scrambled eggs with salmon, asparagus, and goat cheese is a double dose of vitamin D. This dish is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It’s lighter in calories but full of healthy fats and fresh vegetables.

Parmesan-mushroom risotto with peas is full of your fungi. Harvested after spending time soaking up the sun, mushrooms give you an extra powerful boost of vitamin D. The other ingredients in this recipe are hearty and creamy, so watch your calories.

These easy fruit smoothies are full of fortified milk sources. They include delicious ingredients such as peach, turmeric, beets, and cherries that make for yummy flavors and colorful layers.

How to Safely Soak Up the Sun

Did you know vitamin D is actually a hormone that requires sunlight for your body to manufacture? In fact, researchers found that pregnant women who had reasonable levels of sun exposure during their first trimester were at lower risk for preterm birth.2 Reasonable sun exposure, usually 5 minutes to 10 minutes at a time and just two to three times a week, is enough for your body to make vitamin D. Just be cautious of getting too much sun, as pregnancy can make your skin extra sensitive.

How to Get Vitamin D Through Prenatal Vitamins

One of the best ways to ensure adequate vitamin D intake is through supplementation. Vitamins can help fill nutritional gaps during your pregnancy. Prenate® prenatal vitamins are specifically formulated to meet the nutritional needs of pregnant women or women thinking about becoming pregnant. Talk with your doctor about whether a Prenate® prescription may be right for you.

 

Prenate® Vitamin Family
This post is brought to you by the Prenate® Vitamin Family, a line of prescription prenatal supplements designed to enhance preconception, prenatal, and postpartum nutrition in women. Talk with your doctor about how taking a daily prescription prenatal or postnatal vitamin could help support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum wellness.

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Connect with Prenate®

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING: Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6. Keep this product out of reach of children. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control center immediately.

WARNING: Ingestion of more than 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids (such as DHA) per day has been shown to have potential antithrombotic effects, including an increased bleeding time and International Normalized Ratio (INR). Administration of omega-3 fatty acids should be avoided in patients taking anticoagulants and in those known to have an inherited or acquired predisposition to bleeding.

This site and its contents are an information resource only, and are neither intended to nor should be used in replacement of your doctor or other prescribing professional’s medical guidance, recommendations or advice. Neither this site nor its information should be used or relied upon for any diagnostic, medical, treatment, nutritional or other purpose. All aspects of pregnancy, including whether pregnancy is right for you, and the nourishment and care of your child, should be made with your doctor and other appropriate medical professional, and in consideration of your and your child’s particular medical history. Avion Pharmaceuticals, LLC (“Avion”) makes no representation, warranty or other undertaking that this site or its information are appropriate for you or your child’s specific needs or issues, and further expressly disclaims all damages, losses, injuries or liability whatsoever incurred or alleged to have been incurred in consequence of your reliance on the information on this site. Avion does not endorse any test, procedure, treatment, remedy, therapy, cure, nutritional regimen, method or other activity or undertaking that you and/or your doctor or other medical professional may elect or recommend. By visiting this site you agree to these terms and conditions and acknowledge that you have read and understand the same. These terms and conditions, together with any information on this site, may be amended, restated or otherwise changed from time to time and at any time by Avion within the sole, absolute and uncontrolled exercise of its discretion. You acknowledge and agree that Avion has no duty or obligation to keep you informed of any amendments to, restatements of or other changes to these terms and conditions or this site, and that you are solely and exclusively responsible for apprising yourself of the same.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING: Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6. Keep this product out of reach of children. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control center immediately.

WARNING: Ingestion of more than 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids (such as DHA) per day has been shown to have potential antithrombotic effects, including an increased bleeding time and International Normalized Ratio (INR). Administration of omega-3 fatty acids should be avoided in patients taking anticoagulants and in those known to have an inherited or acquired predisposition to bleeding.

This site and its contents are an information resource only, and are neither intended to nor should be used in replacement of your doctor or other prescribing professional’s medical guidance, recommendations or advice. Neither this site nor its information should be used or relied upon for any diagnostic, medical, treatment, nutritional or other purpose. All aspects of pregnancy, including whether pregnancy is right for you, and the nourishment and care of your child, should be made with your doctor and other appropriate medical professional, and in consideration of your and your child’s particular medical history. Avion Pharmaceuticals, LLC (“Avion”) makes no representation, warranty or other undertaking that this site or its information are appropriate for you or your child’s specific needs or issues, and further expressly disclaims all damages, losses, injuries or liability whatsoever incurred or alleged to have been incurred in consequence of your reliance on the information on this site. Avion does not endorse any test, procedure, treatment, remedy, therapy, cure, nutritional regimen, method or other activity or undertaking that you and/or your doctor or other medical professional may elect or recommend. By visiting this site you agree to these terms and conditions and acknowledge that you have read and understand the same. These terms and conditions, together with any information on this site, may be amended, restated or otherwise changed from time to time and at any time by Avion within the sole, absolute and uncontrolled exercise of its discretion. You acknowledge and agree that Avion has no duty or obligation to keep you informed of any amendments to, restatements of or other changes to these terms and conditions or this site, and that you are solely and exclusively responsible for apprising yourself of the same.

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