The Importance of Eggs During Pregnancy

President's Blog

Margaret Hudson
President, Burnbrae Farms
ivth Generation Farmer

Pregnancy is such a special time for soon-to-be-mommas. I remember being pregnant with my girl, who is now most 16 years onetime, and being so excited about becoming a new mother. I wanted to practice everything correct for my babe and bought the giant pregnancy books bachelor at the time and read them religiously. I call back early on being advised past my friend, who is a physician, to start taking multi-vitamins specifically for pregnant women to ensure that I was getting enough B vitamins and other nutrients critical for my developing child. I was grateful for the advice and eager to larn anything I could to assistance me on my new adventure with my baby.

One matter that'due south certainly changed since I was pregnant is the amount of information that'south readily available. At present, significant women can follow their baby's stages from formulation to birth via downloadable apps, and they take hundreds of websites and support groups at their fingertips. The website BabyCenter.com is a popular and trusted resource for pregnant women and new parents. So, when they released a list of the 10 best foods for pregnancy , I was very pleased to come across that eggs had fabricated the cut!

Within their list, which as well includes other nutrition powerhouses such as leafy greens, salmon and Greek yogurt, they wrote the post-obit virtually eggs:

Eggs are a corking source of protein , a crucial part of your pregnancy nutrition. The amino acids that make up protein are the edifice blocks of the cells in your torso – and your babe's. Eggs also comprise more than a dozen vitamins and minerals, including choline . Choline helps your infant'south brain and spinal cord develop properly, and helps prevent neural tube defects.

And to this I say, truthful and true! The choline connexion recently made headlines when a 2018 study from Cornell Academy found that expectant mothers who swallow sufficient choline during pregnancy may have babies with enhanced cognitive benefits, including a higher IQ. In the small study, 26 women were randomly divided into two groups and consumed the aforementioned diet, but half received 480 mg/twenty-four hour period of choline, and the other half received 930 mg/day.

Later on birth, researchers tested infant information processing speed and memory at 4, vii, 10 and 13 months of age. Babies in both groups showed cognitive benefits from the choline, simply information processing speeds were significantly faster for the group of expectant mothers who consumed 930 mg/solar day vs. 480 mg/twenty-four hours. The researchers concluded that "a prudent arroyo to increment dietary choline intake is by consuming more animate being source foods during pregnancy – egg yolks, lean cherry-red meats, fish and poultry." They added that consuming choline supplements may aid also.

Additional enquiry published in the journal Nutrients shows that information technology is extremely difficult for pregnant women to accomplish the acceptable intake for choline without consuming eggs or taking a dietary supplement. Eggs for the win! In that location'due south 294 mg choline in 2 eggs (and 12 grand poly peptide).

In add-on to poly peptide and choline, eggs contain the following nutrients, which are important during pregnancy:

- Iron: to ensure claret cells are formed and prevent anemia

- Vitamin D: for fetal skeletal growth

- Vitamin A: to support fetal growth and tissue maintenance

- Folate: to help foreclose neural tube defects

- B-vitamins: to assist with encephalon development, placental office and blood saccharide metabolism

- Omega-three fats: (in enriched eggs): for development of babe'southward encephalon, optics and nerves.

And there's one more benefit to eggs during pregnancy. Including eggs in the diet may also help lower the adventure of gestational diabetes. A 2019 study looked at egg intake among over 450 meaning women and constitute that women who ate more than one egg per week had a 41 per centum lower adventure of gestational diabetes compared to those who ate fewer eggs. I ate at least two eggs a day while I was meaning. Now the studies are in to prove that I was doing the right thing for both my kids and for me!

So, enjoy an omelette for brunch, a hard-boiled egg as a snack, and EGG Bakes ! as a dinner option. And if y'all're pregnant and exhausted, don't forget that eggs make a very quick meal idea!

Margaret Hudson

President, Burnbrae Farms

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